A properly equipped and experienced hiker can pick any day of the week and often hike on that day throughout the year—missing perhaps two or three weeks a year due to hazardous weather. The greatest hazard is in the wintertime when temperatures drop below zero or blizzard conditions exist. That is likely to happen a couple times a year for the weekly hiker.

The prevailing winds in the Black Hills are from the northwest. Daytime high temperatures of 20° Fahrenheit are not unusual in winter months, but they are not the norm. Yet any winter hiker does well to go prepared for wind-chill factors of minus 30° F. In areas exposed to the prevailing winds, such as on the ridge between Harney Peak and Elkhorn Mountain, we may be confronted by a wind-chill of minus 50° F.

Such extremes require the hiker to have insulated and wind-proof protective clothing for head, face, and neck. He or she needs to have warm gloves or mittens (even extras in case a pair is lost) and several layers of clothing on torso and legs. However, wind-chill is a function of high winds, so the hiker familiar with terrain and trails can plan his or her route to follow trails where the wind has less effect due to the stifling impact of forests or cliffs. Hiking is not recommended at temperatures below 15° F on cloudy days because lack of sunshine and presence of wind-chill may simply be beyond what we can safely manage.

Some people may question the judgment of those who hike at 15° F, but, in passing, we'll note an article from the Rapid City Journal ("Snow Squall Tears through Hills Region" by Steve Miller, December 6, 2005) describing the cross-country ski habits of a founder of the Eagle Cliff Ski Association. This 83-year old gentleman is willing to ski at 20° F below zero—if there is no wind. From the comfort of a warm living room, we may find these temperatures disturbing. But those well-experienced in their preferred activity can get fairly well acquainted with their limits.

We cannot rely on clothing to keep us warm in wintertime. The clothing merely helps us retain our own body heat. Survival in cold temperatures requires that we not be immobilized. We must be able to keep moving. So any problem that hampers the continual exercise that keeps us warm can lead to disaster. A sprained ankle is an example. Even if we are able to keep moving, the sprain makes our footing on slippery or crusted surfaces less secure, thus increasing the chances of further injury. And it slows us down, thus reducing our body-heat production.

We are advised to dress in layers so that amount of clothing worn can be adjusted to keep us from sweating. It is crucial in cold weather that we do not dampen our clothing with perspiration, because the clothing can then become virtually useless as insulation. However, changing clothes on a snow-covered trail is not accomplished with ease. We risk cooling down too fast in the time it takes to readjust our clothing, or we may find ourselves getting snow inside a pant leg as we try to add or reduce the insulation upon our legs.

If we wear gaiters to protect our lower legs, then removing them and our boots to peal off a pair of sweatpants may be more trouble than it is worth. Boot strings, especially if they are frozen, are not easily readjusted. We may be better off to stop or slow down, reduce our body-heat production and then resume the hike. Jackets and sweatshirts are more easily changed so that the upper body may be used as a radiator of sorts to help cool the legs. Even removing a hat or gloves may help reduce overall body temperature. They can be easily replaced after we cool down. More heat is lost through the head than from anywhere else.  The forearms are probably next.

Harney Peak, the highest point in the Black Hills is usually accessible year around to the energetic and careful hiker. But on occasion the snow depth there will approach 18 inches or more. Our ability to reach the peak may be hampered by having to break trail through crusted snow. We do well to keep in mind that temperature fluctuations may make hiking much more laborious that we anticipated. If we trek up Harney when temperatures are above freezing, the snow pack may be soft at lower elevations and powdery at the peak, but if we delay our return till after the temperature has dropped, the snow may develop a crust difficult to penetrate, and it may be icy underneath.

Stepping through that crust is more easily accomplished going downhill than it would be going uphill. So we’ll wish to plan ahead and keep temperature fluctuations in mind. A crusted path may slow us down considerably, or even exhaust us before we reach safety. We can not hike downhill into an area, allow the trail to crust over with lower temperatures, and then expect to hike back up and out nearly so easily as we came down. Even a trail that has been "broken" with footprints is not necessarily more easily traversed the second time, especially if the footprints have frozen.

Additionally, it is a mistake to think that in an emergency we can always build a fire to keep warm. That is rarely the case. We are not likely to find the ideal shelter in a short space of time. Even if we are able to find enough dry wood to keep the fire burning, any breeze is likely to cool us down faster than the fire can warm us up. Eventually we will need sleep. But the fire requires constant attention to provide any relief at all from the cold. Beyond that, the fire is illegal.

Rare is the hiker who will take an extreme-cold-weather sleeping bag on a day hike—just for emergency purposes. It is good to go prepared by taking extra clothing, but in all likelihood only one factor will allow us to survive in an emergency. Unless the storm system moves in and past quickly, our ability to survive is strongly tied to our ability to keep moving, and moving safely.

A similar hazard exists in springtime when occasionally all-day drizzles saturate not only everything on the ground but possibly our clothing as well. While temperature conditions are not as severe in springtime, keeping dry may be even more difficult. We may have to dawn a thin rain parka and keep moving toward the trailhead. There is little to be gained by waiting if the drizzle is not accompanied by lightning, as is often the case.

These, as well as summer thunderstorms, are the weather hazards that might confront the year-around hiker in the Black Hills. If one keeps these possibilities in mind and goes prepared, he or she will find that most hikes are pleasantly uninhibited by problems of weather and climate.

The time that the local colleges call "Spring Break," is an opportunity to observe one of the unique hazards of the dating ritual. On the trail from Sylvan Lake to Harney Peak, Spring Break is often the occasion on which some hikers, particularly college students, bring out the summer shorts. That decision to wear shorts when there is snow on the ground may seem good dating sense but is hardly good hiking sense.

Perhaps the guys find the shorts in early springtime present a macho image for the girls. Perhaps taking nothing much in their daypack but a sandwich or candy bar further enhances that macho image. To advertise that we are not scared of adversity is not necessarily to advertise our good sense.

Spring Break at Harney Peak can be a time for spring blizzards, as anyone who has read the signs at Sylvan Lake should know. Weather does change quickly at the peak, and the winds there are customarily more brisk that at the lake.

Okay, admittedly, dating is risky no matter where it is conducted. But why wouldn't couples impress each other with their ability to carry the weight of clothes and emergency food supply in a backpack? And the romantic fantasy can include being stranded at the peak for a short time in a snowstorm—with plenty of warm clothing and snacks.

The terrain varies extensively in the Hills. Hiking around granite boulders or near limestone cliffs involve different risks. The granite is generally more solid and secure than the limestone. As suggested elsewhere, one of the biggest dangers for hikers in the Black Hills is a loss of handgrip or footing. That danger is compounded by the weather, if we need to move to keep warm.

_ENext Section: Night Hiking