Ep.04: Dressing for the Cold (Part 1)

The entire Appalachian Outdoorosity crew comes together to discuss their favorite ways to recreate when the weather outside is frightful. We mean cold. You knew that.  Joy, Becki and Melissa talk layering, cotton vs polypro and time tested tricks for not becoming hypothermic whilst backpacking, biking and camping. Along the way we discover some of their biggest fears and most embarrassing cold weather related moments. A jolly time is had by all. 

 

 

 

 

Transcript:

Becki Batista
Welcome to the Outdoorosity podcast, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on health, the environment and human development. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu.  Hi, my name is Becki Battista and I am a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed physical activity addict. I will be your host for this Outdoorosity podcast. On today's episode, Outdoorosity team members will share their advice about what they like to wear when it gets cold out, types of clothing and the importance of layering. Let's go to the conversation now.

Joy James
I'm Joy James. I teach in recreation management, working in the Hope Lab. I'm a Southerner, born and raised. So, I've lived in the southern climate. I've lived in North Dakota, Utah, I’ve had the heat extreme and the cold extreme and they all provide different challenges to us, but they don't keep you from going outdoors.

Becki Battista
I'm Becki Batista, and I am a team member in the Hope Lab. With the fact that I have lived in cold weather climates like Michigan and Wisconsin, I definitely have had to adjust my layering of clothing items. But we can certainly address any issues associated or ideas, tips, tricks and some good common sense about what to wear when you are being active outside.

Melissa Weddell

And I'm Melissa Weddell. I think the one theme that we will collect today is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices. Becki, why don't you tell us your favorite outdoor activity and how you kind of plan and typically dress for outdoor recreation?

Becki Battista
Running is probably my favorite outdoor activity and over the years I have figured out what works in what temperature. Probably the most important thing that I always make sure I have is gloves. If my fingers are cold, then I'm cold. Sometimes I have to have two layers of gloves, just depending on what the temperature really is outside. I might have gloves and then added mittens. And I always thought mittens were kind of a weird concept, like, why would I wear mittens in the wintertime? That's what little kids wear. But mittens actually keep your fingers closer together. And so technically, mittens are much better in the really cold climates, like 30 degrees and lower. I'd say like a good weather wind resistant type mitten is really helpful for me when it's really cold and in this climate really cold as 20 degrees and lower than that is when I tend to put mittens on. I always dress in layers. I kind of I look at what is the temperature going to be like when I start my run? Now, keep in mind, I don't like to be cold at all. And so I probably over dress and over prepare, which that's just kind of how I am. So, if it's chilly out, I might just wear one layer, a top and then a jacket and hat and gloves if it's below 30, I tend to wear maybe two layers a jacket, hat and gloves. If any time I get hot, the first thing that I take off is my hat to just cool off a little bit. I think layering is a really important thing. So, for me it's my hands are the most critical part. I don't really have any problems with my feet, probably because I am running. And so the constant movement, they just usually stay warm. But I always think about the temperature and the temperature change and how to keep myself as warm as I can.

Melissa Weddell
Awesome. Great suggestions, Becki. Tell us one of your funniest outdoor experiences in cold weather, one of those times you'll never forget.

Becki Battista
So, I was actually laughing at myself the other day because when I lived in Michigan, I used to go for a run outside, but only if it was ten degrees or higher. Then I'd go outside and still go for a run. When I moved to Wisconsin, I had to change that temperature and so it had to be zero. And that didn't include the wind chill factor. So, if it was still above zero, I'd still go out for a run, except at the place where I worked. It was called La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it was a big exercise school and everybody in Wisconsin goes outside anyway. It doesn't matter the weather. I think they all looked at me funny because not only did I have my running tights, probably two layers like a t-shirt and then another shirt, another jacket. But on top of that, I also was able to get sweat pants on a sweatshirt from the exercise science department. You could get t shirts, shorts, sweatshirts and sweat pants from the department. I added those on and then had my hat. I had two pairs of gloves on and I went for a run. I would run by some of the cross-country runners and they're in like shorts and a long sleeve shirt and I have 3 to 4 layers of clothing on and I looked like an idiot, but I was warm and I just did not care as long as I was comfortable. It didn't matter to me.

Melissa Weddell
That's great, Becki. It's great that you could actually run with all this clothes on.

Becki Battista
It was a challenge. Add in snow and ice and then it gets even more challenging.

Melissa Weddell
That's definitely true. Joy, why don't you share with us your favorite outdoor activity and how you prepare?

Joy James
I love most outdoor activities camping, hiking and biking. Most recently, I probably do more hiking than anything else. Been doing that since I was a kid. I’m going to go on the theme of what Becki kind of said with I didn't really care if I was warm. When I go outdoors and I don't really care what I look like and that has changed up my ability to stay warm or stay cool. If I was looking at dressing for the weather, I would echo what Becki has to say with the cap and mittens. I do have really warm socks that I put on because there's nothing like having your feet be cold and your fingers be cold. Another thing that I found useful, particularly when I was in college, polypro started coming out. So, the technology has really advanced and now you can even wear athletic wear that is wicking. It doesn't have to be fancy like Patagonia or North Face. It can be Walmart or I'm even finding athletic T-shirts that I go look at in the Walmart and TJ Max in the men's section and find their athletic shirts. And I put those on because I'm a larger woman and sometimes it's more difficult to find outdoor gear that fits me or that wicks in the same way. Surprisingly, I still wear cotton t shirts when it's hot. But if I know it's going to be a hot, cold or a lot of variation, then I go to wearing technical gear so that I can wick moisture away because there's nothing like being sweaty and then getting cold. The other key for me as I like vests, you can warm up your chest really well. They're lightweight. You can put them in your backpack really easily and paired with a long-sleeved shirt, it can go a long way. And the other thing that I really have enjoyed are buffs. You can wear a buff around your neck, you can wear it as a hairband. I wear it a lot as covering my ears. So it's not for like zero degree weather like Becki was talking about, but it was for kind of like this, 30 degrees, 40 degrees. My ears get cold when that's windy I can pull the buff down or I can pull the buff up. So, I think that's been a key piece of wear that is important and good boots. Good solid shoes. And those shoes will keep you warm and dry. So, if you kind of like can't afford boots, then what I would tell you is that we got Re-Gearin town and you can waterproof your boots and just get work boots and go out there. It’ll help your ankles. That'll keep you warm. And when you have to go through creeks, it makes a difference in terms of your ability to stay dry.

Melissa Weddell
Absolutely. And I think also you bring up a good point when you pick hikes or different things, if I know it's going to be really cold and they'll be a lot of water crossings, I might pick a different trail that day knowing I can come back to that, but those are really good suggestions. Tell us a story from being cold in the outdoors that's memorable for you.

Joy James
Well, you know, it's interesting. I had to think about it was like, what are some memorable stories? And Melissa, you may need to add to the story because I repress things that are bad. You know, I always remember the positive. I don't know what's happening. I'm a Pollyanna or something. Melissa and I, I was working for Clemson. We're both in school at that time and I was teaching a backpacking class.
We were down near Brevard area and it was a really kind of an easy trail. But the students at the time didn't know how easy it was because it was still challenging. Wearing a bunch of weight on you and they may not have dressed appropriately. It was before we had like weather at our palms, so I don't recall even checking the weather. We didn't know what the weather's going to be like. It was a fall, maybe October or late October or early November, and we're out. We did about a five-mile hike and we had all the students camped out and Melissa and I camped at a bluff above the students because we wanted to give students the chance to kind of be together. But we didn't know what to think about it. And I don't know most of us at the middle of the night or we just wake up and realize it had snowed on us?

Melissa Weddell
I think we woke up in the morning and the Saturday hike was nice. Like, it was it was a beautiful fall day. I remember being really comfortable and I do remember waking up and unzipping the tent and we both were like, Huh? Huh? It was not what we were expecting.

Joy James
Our friend Melissa, she needs a coffee. So, this was before coffee, the snow on the tent. And I don't remember it being particularly cold enough to be snowy. However, it was really a cool experience because our students and the participants with us got to see what it was like to backpack and then be in all kinds of conditions of weather. And there was no snow on the ground by the time we walked out.

Melissa Weddell
It was just a rare dusting and that was before smartphone phones. And yeah, it was a fun surprise.
 

 

Joy James
Well, the other thing to I would add, I think, we had good sleeping bags because we were staying pretty warm and there was two in a tent. The other piece of this that Becki alluded to really is all about layering. When I hike, I always have an extra piece of clothing on me so I can put it on or take it off. I also like long sleeves because you can wrap those around your waist and if you didn't get outside, you wouldn't have these experiences. I think that's what was so cool about this to wake up. And I remember I had just moved back from North Dakota probably about two years out of North Dakota, and I was kind of used to this now. And all of a sudden I'm like, “There's snow in the south?”

Melissa Weddell
It's a memory I won't forget. Thanks for sharing for me. I grew up in northern Indiana and so I can remember, you know, weeks on end, it would be so cold. And I grew up on a farm and we'd go out to to feed animals and we'd have to wear full face masks because the cold would just burn your nose and your mouth. And so being cold isn't necessarily rare to me. I do have a little more of a systematic approach. My favorite outdoor activity is riding bikes, and especially if you're on the road versus the mountain, you add that wind. There's a whole other layer of planning that has to go and unfortunately, I'll share a story where I kind of had to learn the hard way. But I look at the temperature, what the fluctuation might be when you look at the app and it says it's going to be 55 today, that might not be till about two or 3:00 and that might only last for 10 minutes. I kind of look at the lowest temperature throughout the day and plan on that. I also look at the precipitation.
If it's going to be really windy, if it's going to be rainy, that's really important to me. Much like Joy, I carry this extra layer. It's not a rain jacket, but it's like a wind jacket. It is made by Patagonia. I carry it in every bag I have. So even if I just get a little chilly, I throw it on and it's enough to kind of keep that heat in. I also consider my effort level. If I am running like Becki does and I work up that heat, I don't need as much clothing. However, if I'm hiking or it's a little slower ride? I definitely need more clothes. Another thing I consider is the uphill. Downhill. I consider this on the bike, but I also consider it on a hike. If you are in the high country doing outdoor activities, it's guaranteed to have an uphill and a downhill and so for the bike portion and this is where I learned the hard way, this was maybe 15 years ago. I did a really long group ride on the road out of Greenville, South Carolina. We rode up to Caesar's head. It was, you know, like 100-mile day. And when we turned around at Caesar's head and came back down, I never got warm. In fact, I would argue I have been on the brink of hypothermia a lot. My fingers turned blue. I literally got back to the car and something that I've learned and it could be for a male or a female, but if your undergarments are wet, you need to get those off immediately. If I have a wet sports bra and I don't take that off, I will shiver and freeze. I can remember being in a public parking lot in the car with the heat turned on and the seat warmers stripping down to get all of my wet clothes off because it was starting to reach a dangerous point. And so, for example, I know Becki and I, we have hiked to the top of the profile trail at Grandfather when it was, you know, zero degrees. And I brought an extra coat. I will bring in extra undergarments. So, I will actually take off my sweaty top. Once I reach the top, put on a dry top, dry gloves, and then another layer to come back down. And I've learned that biking too. Actually I was on a backpacking trip a few weekends ago and I brought another pair of socks because I knew my socks would get sweaty and kind of swampy. It's not good for blisters, but I just sat down and threw on a dry pair of socks. I think those gloves are right. The layering. I don't dress as warm as Becki. In fact, I have another friend I mountain bike with whatever I wear, she will wear triple what I wear. I like to be a little more on the cooler side, but what I have learned is if my core gets cold, I'm in trouble. My feet actually get really cold on the bike. We do a few different things. You can bring plastic baggies and put your toes in plastic bags. That's an old school cheap way to keep your feet warm. I wouldn't hike that way, but it works for biking. And then you have toe covers that are neoprene. If it's under 50 degrees, you can guarantee I have toe covers on my mountain bike shoes. You know, the takeaways that I'm hearing from everyone is definitely the layering, checking the weather, making sure that you have a lot of different layers and options. You can always take things off. Like Joy said, wrap around your waist, put them in your pack. I think that's something else I've changed to just hiking, even if I'm just going around Moses Cone. I have a small little pack I carry and I carry a small first aid kit in it. I usually hike with my dogs. So I carry some Benadryl and some other stuff, but I always have an extra layer too. And some of my friends make fun of me, but it makes me feel more prepared.

(commercial break)
This podcast is brought to you by the hope Lab, where our focus continues to be encouraging people to get active and outside and finding spaces to be outside. The vision of the Hope Lab is to continue developing the perfect foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu, or ourdoorosity.podcasts.appstate.edu.

Joy James
Because like I think the biggest thing for me when I was 20 was I didn't have the money to buy the gear. What so extraordinaire it's hard to imagine, I think when you're 20 is when I did buy a piece of gear that was it cost me money. I still have it like some of these shirts. We were talking about, even the Walmart shirt. I had that for years and it was $10 compared to $50 back in the eighties. That's the thing to think about as you're looking at getting stuff for yourself is it will last a long time and you can find it at thrift stores. I know Melissa does a lot of thrifting and you can find some good quality gear. You just got to look for it. You can go to Re-Gear, you can go to Walmart, but it will last. And it's kind of like, well, I want to spend the money on the Patagonia. I've worn the same poly pro shirt while I was sea kayaking for days, and it started to smell like a wet dog when it got wet. But it lasted at work, so it's not something you have to have multiple shirts for if you can kind of stand your own stank.
 

Melissa Weddell
That's a great point. I kind of do this at Christmas with my parents. They always want to buy me stuff and I'm like, I don't think I need anything, but if I usually have them, I need one really nice piece of gear that I feel guilty about and you're right, that Patagonia jacket I have, I've had it for 15 years, and it's the same one that's always in my pack.

Joy James
It is worth it.

Becki Battista
Well, and I think to me, it's a comfort. I trust that piece of.
Clothing in certain temperatures. And so I'll hang on to it because I'm like, I know that I will be warm if I wear that. So I don't get rid of it because it's a comfort. If it's 30 degrees, I'm going to wear this and I'll be fine.

Melissa Weddell
Yeah, absolutely. And I think if you go outside enough, you start knowing your temperature range. I know that if I ride below 40 degrees, I have a whole different set of gear that I wear. I know that. And I make a note in my head and I think journaling or writing stuff down of what works and what doesn't work also can really help too.
 

Joy James
I carry extra gear in my car. Melissa, you started to talk about this. You have gear for when you come back to, but I have gear that I can share. I just have this kit of stuff that I can either put on like Melissa to keep myself dry or I can share it with someone else who might be having a problem. Or in North Dakota, the reason you did it is because you might get stuck on the highway and you had to have your sleeping bag and all your stuff to be able to stay warm. So even though I'm still in the South, I still kind of live by that motto in the winter.

Melissa Weddell
I love that, Joy. And I also think that goes back to not having cell phones like I remember even in northern Indiana; we had our winter kit that went in the back of the car that had small shovel and extra clothes and gloves. But I'm much like Joy, I think, for all of us. If you were to hop in our car, although I think Becki has a little cleaner car, my mantra is that whatever you ask me to do, that I'm physically fit enough to do it, and that I have all the gear which I have a lot of gear in my car all the time because I'm like, “Sure, let's go hike or let's go do that.” So yeah, you never know. And I think when you meet friends at the trailhead, we all forget our socks or gloves or hat. So, it is nice to be like, Oh no, no, I have some extra. Yeah, it is a comfort.

Joy James
One other thing that that's not an article of clothing that I do think is important for people who are just getting started in the outdoors to know is you should always have some sort of good solid food, granola bar trail mix, not only on your person but in your car. Because when you start to get hypothermic, one of the first things you should do is feed yourself, drink water, and feed yourself.
Because that kind of helps warm up the inside. It seems counterintuitive, but as a sea kayak guide, this is what we just do. As soon as someone would fall in the water, we would like, “Here, eat this!” It kind of helped them get their energy and like I said, you're cold and freezing and why should I be eating?
But that's one of the ways to combat the beginnings of hypothermia.

Melissa Weddell
That's awesome, Joy. Thanks for sharing. And also, we are going to ride on the Virginia Creeper this week. One of the things that Becki requested, which I love, is that we have hot drinks after. And so I know a lot of us carry our metal canteens and in the summer they keep the drinks really cold, but in the winter they keep them really warm. So, we're going to boil a bunch of hot chocolate and some tea and bring that for after our activity to kind of warm us up. I think some of that preplanning with the food and the hot drinks can really make a difference when you get back to the car and you’re freezing. Well, this is awesome. Thank you, Joy and Becki, for sharing your planning for cold weather. We like to finish every outdoor city podcast with “Getting the Dirt.” And so we have a few questions that will Rapid-fire. Becki, I'll have you go first. You can tell us what your biggest fear is, your must have. Let's go ahead and say outdoor winter gear and your favorite local spot.

Becki Battista
So, I think my biggest fear is falling off a cliff when I'm running on the trail and then my favorite winter outdoor gear. I do love my mittens. They keep my hands warm, which means I can stay out running longer.

Melissa Weddell

The favorite local spot?

 

Becki Battista

My favorite local spot. It's Moses Cone Trails, The carriage trails. It's like my sanctuary.

Melissa Weddell

That's awesome, Becki. Thanks for sharing. Joy, what is your biggest fear, favorite winter outdoor gear and your favorite local spot?

Joy James
You know, it's funny. Nothing is coming up in my head as my biggest fear. It’s not that I'm not afraid. I think I'm afraid for whatever the situation is. So, it could be something as simple as thinking I'm lost and I can't figure out my way. Or it could be the weather that is coming looks pretty ominous and I'm going to have to deal with it. So, I kind of I think my biggest fear is I don't get outside enough. Can I say that is the biggest fear?

Melissa Weddell
Yes, I think that works. We understand that.

Joy James
So I think my must have peace of gear clothing is the buff is what I would say. And then a Nalgene bottle favorite local spot. I'm going to take Becki's Moses Cone and say Trout Lake and the Carrot Trails, and she's part of that Moses Cone as system and Price Lake have been my go-to places to kind of get outside and connect.

Melissa Weddell
That's awesome, Joy. Thanks for sharing. Well, it won't be a surprise to anyone that I have one big fear in the outdoors, and that's a mountain lion. Luckily, we don't have to deal with that here. But, imagining a cat jumping on my tent and wrestling is not something I am interested in at all. And you know, the experts say to fight back. I just can't imagine that going well. But nonetheless, I don't have to worry about that stuff here. So, I'm able to go out and not really think about too much. I would say my favorite outdoor winter gear is a vest. You will be hard pressed to never find me without a vest. Whether that's a wind vest or a puffer vest almost always have one. Again, that goes back to my idea that if I can keep my core really warm in my arms, can air out. I'm really comfortable personally. And my favorite local spot is Wilson Creek. I love going out in our area, our district of the Pisgah National Forest, and exploring and having long days and lots of waterfalls every season. I just want to thank you all for your time. It's been great learning more about your outdoor experiences in the cold, and we always like to end with some quotes and inspiration. We can't emphasize enough that there's no bad weather, just bad clothing choices. And to really think about dressing for what the weather is and bring what the weather is not, you know, if you stand in one place in Boone, something will grow up your leg or the weather will change. So, dress for all of that and prepare for what it's not end to end a quote. You are only cold if you are standing still wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. Anthony D'Angelo, thanks for joining us and get out there and enjoy the outdoor recreation even in the cold.