Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991 TAG: 9102180240
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Linda Akers was lauding the advantages of winter hiking.
For the 1990-91 season, she might have added "very little bad weather."
With few exceptions, winter has had no death grip on December, January and February. There hardly has been a day when you couldn't lace up your boots, stuff an extra sweater into your day pack and enjoy hiking at its best.
Record numbers of hikers have been doing just that.
"I have had from 20 to 28 to 33 people for the last three hikes I have led," said Akers, a member of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club.
People are turning out not only for organized hikes, such as those scheduled weekly by the trail club, but also for casual, do-it-on-your-own affairs. When the temperatures in the Roanoke Valley reached the high 60s the first Sunday in February, the McAfee Knob parking lot atop Catawba Mountain was filled and the overflow vehicles of hikers were parked up and down Virginia 311.
The mild weather has hastened an already established trend of hikers discovering the magic of winter in the woods, Akers said.
Akers and fellow club member Zetta Campbell led a 4-mile afternoon hike to Stiles Falls in Montgomery County last Sunday that attracted 33 hikers.
"I would say 50 percent of them are new to the club," she said.
Not as many newcomers are being drawn to the club's more rigorous all-day hikes, said Dick Clark, the club's hikemaster.
"We have about six to 10 people on all-day hikes, which has stayed about the same," he said.
The club generally schedules an all-day and half-day hike each Sunday. They are open to both members and guests.
The club has a disclaimer that says if a hike is cancelled because of snow it may be replaced by a cross-country ski outing. Clark only can recall three or four times in the last four or five years when that took place.
Last week Clark led a 10-mile hike over the Rocky Row Mountain Loop and reflected on an occasion a half-dozen years ago when the club was afield in record temperatures that dropped below zero.
"I was originally planning to go, but when I found out how cold it was I changed my mind," Clark said. "Six people turned out."
It probably was stretching things to hike that day, Clark said, but he added, "For me personally, I prefer to hike in this part of the country in the winter rather than the summer. Now if you go out west or up north, it is different."
One distinct advantage of winter hiking is the number of panoramic views, both Clark and Akers said.
"With all of the leaves off of the trees, you get an entirely different view than in the summertime," said Akers. "It is very comfortable to hike this time of the year. Even when it is cold, if you know how to dress properly you can stay very comfortable."
Dressing properly, said Akers, is wearing layers of clothing that can be put on and taken off as needed.
"I usually tell people that it will be colder on top of the mountain and to bring an extra jacket or something to put on."
Clark recommends also stuffing an additional pair of socks into your day pack in case you get wet during a stream crossing.
"A hat is very important this time of the year, I think," said Akers. "Just having a head cover can make a world of difference."
by CNB