Hiking this time of year is always tricky. You’re never quite sure whether to gear up for winter or just a cold Autumn day. And selecting the correct gear can be, in the best case, the difference between a great hike and a sucky one or, worst case, could mean an unintentional bivouac on the mountain. The problem is that the conditions at the base can be radically different from the summit conditions.

For this hike, the base conditions at the Lincoln Woods Trailhead were warm (50’s) and calm winds with barely any snow. I wasn’t sure which hiking boots to wear so I brought both my summer boots (Garamonts– light weight, glorified sneakers) and my winter boots (Columbia Bugabootos– heavy duty, insulated, water-proof boots). At the trailhead, I opted for the Columbia Bugabootos in anticipation of snow and slush.

As it turns out, I was half right, meaning I could have gone either way on the boot decision. The first three miles of the ascent up the Osseo Trail, I was regretting having worn my heavy winter boots as my feet were uncomfortably warm and soggy feeling. Above 3,000 feet, however, the snow cover became continuous with many hidden slush holes in the trail. Had I worn the Garamonts, no doubt my toes would have been cold and maybe damp, too. But I’m sure I could have managed just fine.

The summit was about 20 degrees colder with a raging wind that ripped your breath away and made it difficult to open your eyes very much if you didn’t have goggles (which I didn’t). But the visibility conditions at the summit were stunning and I did manage to get this video from the summit of Mt. Flume.

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