Hiking in the Winter

A Blue Ice Adventure

Photograph by Author — Mendenhall Glacier the day before the Glacier Calved

Hiking on the Ice

There is a certain element that is different when you hike in the wintertime. The sound of snow crunching under your feet produces a different sound than solid, but the element I refer to is not sound.

Long Winter Shadows

The angle of the sun produces different shades. The bright white diffusion of light particles bouncing off snow and ice can blind visual perception. But it is not a visual element that I refer to either.

Photograph by Author — A well-worn hiking trail in Juneau, Alaska. Mendenhall lake near the Visitor Center.

A Different Type of Hiking

There is something inheritably different about hiking in the winter that affects human nature. The subtle change from the Earth tilting along its axis affects all living creatures at a subconscious level. Tuning into the subconscious mind isn’t something we do on a regular basis.

A Sixth Sense Exercise

The mind perceives that most living animals have either gone underground to sleep or have fled south to warmer climates. There is a noticeable change in the aspect of danger. The sixth sense of perception is lowered without knowing.