Now that late fall is here that means colder weather and hunting season are here. I usually end my hiking season in October and take a break until March or April. November and December finds many sections of the FLT closed for hiking by hunting which interrupt my continuing end-to-end trek on the FLT. It also means colder weather; and while I am not averse to hiking in the cold for short hikes, it is more difficult to do the longer all-day hikes that are my usual.
So I will take a break from my hikes for now, and I will use this time to go back and link to photo albums from past hikes. I am also going to work on writing up some of the previous hikes as well. Stop back on occasion, or subscribe to my site, and look for new stories. And once winter starts to loosen its grip and warmer weather makes its return I will be back on the trail, taking photos and writing about my adventures.
You are missing out on some of the greatest FLT hiking by stopping in the fall! I have seen some of the best views when the leaves are off, the snow is on, and the sun shining. Or hiking in falling snow. I have no problem keeping warm while hiking in the winter.
Getting to the trail head and finding parking is more challenging than in the summer. Planning that aspect of the hike takes a bit more effort.
Hi April, thanks for your comment. I agree with you that you get some great views during the winter. I should clarify, I do still do short hikes and walks in the woods during the winter. I do not do all day hikes or typically work on my end-to-end goal on the FLT, in part because daylight is so much shorter and I have to drive a long distance to get to the trail head; the next FLT e2e hike I do the trail head is about 1:20 drive for me.
I usually start hiking the FLT again near the end of March and there is often snow still on the ground, I have gotten some great pictures during those hikes (I hope to do some write-ups here or at least link the photos). I did do a January hike a few years back with a friend. We ended up getting his car stuck and had to get it towed out. It put a little crimp on the hike, but we still did a short one. We had planned one this past winter, but the weekend that we were both free the temperatures were at or below 0 and we decided better of it.
Sounds like we’re in the same boat, as my nearest un-walked FLT sections are getting to be more than an hour away. I had saved some nearer ones for last winter, but I’ve completed those. I will probably redo some sections this winter, especially ones with changes, and explore more of the state lands the FLT travels through in my area, and finish off the Letchworth Branch which is less than an hour for me.
The scarce daylight hours add to the challenge, and my winter hikes tend to get reduced down to 3-5 hrs. A couple weeks ago I decided to go a bit longer, knowing that I could take the high water bypass road walk for the last mile on the return trip if needed. It was needed. Dang, it gets dark early these days!
One of the disadvantages of living up here in the north, but on the flip-side, come summer we get some nice long daylight and that makes those long hikes and overnight hikes easier, at least from a daylight time perspective.
Happy Hiking!