Cold Carrots - Much attention is paid to various combinations of hats, gloves, mittens, boots and socks but, unfortunately, they all overlook another important extremity, the male appendage. If you've been unfortunate enough to experience a frozen frankie, you know this is a serious matter.

Winter Water - Drinking plenty of water is always important when in the backcountry. Without enough water, the blood becomes thicker, increasing the chance of cold related injuries such as frostbite and hypothermia.

A non-scientific study of Water Bottle Parkas - Obtaining water while on a winter adventure is relatively easy; all you need to do is melt a little snow or ice. Keeping that water in a liquid state is a bit more difficult. With too much downtime between trips and a well stocked gear closet, I decided to run a few comparison tests to determine which parka performed the best under controlled conditions.

A Spurious Lexicon of Backpacking Terminology - The language of a sport often reflects its coming of age, the degree to which the activity has found its place as an accepted and approved activity in our culture. Carefully planned but seemingly casual insertion of the professional jargon described here will happily result in blank, admiring stares and unknowing nods from listeners who, perhaps for the first time, pay homage to the user's apparent expertise.

Get A Grip - Good tents and rain flies are designed with as few seams as possible to avoid leaking. However, since virtually any seam can allow water to enter, each and every critical seam must be sealed. My experience with Seam Grip is that while application is not a fun experience, it only has to be applied once, works very well and seems to last.

Poison Ivy - Humans are the only members of the animal kingdom afflicted by Rhus radicans, otherwise known as poison ivy. If you have never seen it lurking at the edge of the trail waiting for a careless step, you owe it to yourself to have someone point it out.