For several years I worked for a well-known outdoor sports store and I have helped outfit people for countless adventures, day hikes to winter expeditions. Hands-down the most often asked question was essentially, what should I wear? It is a valid and important question to ask and goes well beyond what is fashionable. It is certainly an appropriate concern when it comes to winter. There is a saying that I really enjoy, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear’.

Winter in the Northeast is such a wonderful time to be outdoors. The air is cold and crisp and enlivening. The forest canopy has cleared itself of deciduous leaves and the understory of non-woody plants which gives the forest an incredible openess especially in comparison to the dense leaf cover of our summers. Yet my favorite aspect of winter is by far the snow. Yes, its true that not every one enjoys shoveling sidewalks and driveways, spending an extra few minutes cleanin