The words “wintry mix” are horrible enough to hear if you’re just commuting to your job, but they’re even more terrible if they’re in the forecast for a backpacking trip. When a wintry mix is predicted, it often means that a backpacker will have to deal with multiple forms of precipitation – rain, sleet, snow, and perhaps even freezing rain – as the temperatures fluctuate from night to day or due to elevation during a trip. What might start off as a miserable cold rain can shift to sleet before you go to sleep and you might wake up with a few inches of wet snow to deal with. Or if you’re incredibly unlucky, you might have to handle frozen gear and slick conditions resulting from freezing rain.

In over a decade of four-season backpacking, some of the most uncomfortable conditions I’ve ever had were temperatures in the low to mid 30s with mixed precipitation in December in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I would eagerly have traded those conditions for temperatures ten degrees colder with snow rather than having to endure soaking rain that only shifted to sleet, freezing rain, and then snow after the sun went down.

Hiking in a Wintry Mix

Aside from avoiding trips where wintry mix is in the forecast, I’ve found that the best ways to deal with its misery are to have a separate rain fly / tarp for cooking and gear, and a sacrosanct set of midnight base layers that you only wear when in the total dryness of your tent. In such conditions I prefer insulating layers that aren’t impacted by moisture or humidity to help stay warm and comfortable in these conditions. For insulating layers, synthetic insulated jackets using Primaloft, Coreloft, or APEX for example, are much more preferable than down. Lightweight fleece midlayers worn under a rainshell are often an ideal combination when hiking in the temperature range where a wintry mix occurs and typical hiking and backpacking rain gear / rain hiking techniques work well and can be used with the these additional layers.

Your hiking footwear will be the hardest to dial in and likely will be dependent on personal preference and the duration of your trip. Both waterproof and non-waterproof footwear options have their pros and cons and you’ll likely need to try them both out in similar conditions to see what works best for you. For ultralight hikers, non-waterproof footwear is often combined with some type of vapor barrier liner (there are various options, but large oven bags are one ultralight option) to add warmth in these types of conditions, while going with a waterproof / breathable boot combined with a pair of hiking / backpacking gaiters is another direction that can be successful. For hands adding a pair of waterproof rain mitts can work well when combined with normal gloves underneath.

Another option for dealing with wintry mix in the forecast, although geographically limited, is to simply plan your trip to a hot spring – which shine in cold weather – or around shelters, like those on the Appalachian Trail. Cabins or lookouts are also good options. Warming up around a wood stove after hiking in bone-chilling cold and damp conditions is a sublime and a simple pleasure.

Additionally, in mountainous terrain you can often choose to hike out of the snow zone (albeit, into rain) by descending and hiking a lower trail or route. Lastly, admitting you are outmatched by the elements and choosing to day hike instead of backpacking can often be a wise choice. Discretion can be just as important when it comes to backpacking as valor.

Editor's Note: This trail tip originally appeared in Issue 50 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.