Old Man Winter brings us choices-or put more honestly, excuses. We can hibernate by the warmth of a fire and too many holiday cookies, while trying to hide the slyly divulging blubber pouches under our sweaters. Or, we can get out and see our favorite mountain highlands dressed in their disguised faces of fresh snow. Sure, long ski lift lines and downhill intensity aren’t for everyone. So this year for the casual hiker or aspiring rugged alpine adventurer we offer a guide to exploring winter on foot. It’s a chance to escape cabin fever and explore the wilderness with a new view. Winter trekking takes its toll and its time, so make a weekend trip out of it. Earn your hot chocolate then bunk down at a cozy B&B, or spend a little extra on that below-20 bag and crash under the cold glow of the moon.

CROSS-COUNTRY HIGH COUNTRY

I know what you’re thinking, but cross-country skiing is not just the thing your grandparents did on those antique wooden things that now hang crossed above the fireplace. Believe it or not, Nordic Skiing (as it is also called from origin) is back in a big way, and if you think it’s not extreme enough for your shiny snowsuit just work through a few high country miles. You’ll find yourself whipped after a workout the Stairmaster just can’t provide. And if you get tired, you can just stop and stare at the white-top peaks or sprawl out and make a snow angel.

White Grass Wonders
Anybody down with Nordic Skiing in the South knows it doesn’t get any better than West Virginia’s Canaan Valley Area. With a climate more representative of Canada, the Allegheny Highlands in the winter provide a constant whitewash of over 150 inches of annual snowfall, not typical of the southern mountains. Start at the White Grass Ski Touring Center (www.whitegrass.com), one of the most revered cross-country skiing destinations in the country. White Grass has over 30 miles of well-marked beginner trails through its system, but that opens into endless exploring that will easily find you in Canaan Valley State Park, the edge of the Monongahela, or over in the Blackwater Falls area.

Chip Chase, trip leader at White Grass, says a good place to start is Three Mile Trail, a wide, slowly-ascending switchback that heads from the center toward Bald Knob. Chase likes to take those with a little more experience up the Canaan Valley Resort chairlift to start an adventure that crosses Weiss Knob and Bald Knob, eventually skirting the side of Dolly Sods and dropping down back into White Grass. “You get up to the high country quick and easy,” says Chase. “Then you can ski right off into a network of tight trails that hold powder and complement the laden spruce forests.”

After exhausting your legs through the day, grab a room at the Canaan Valley Resort (www.canaanresort.com) or head north on Rt. 32 into Davis and do the B&B thing at Bright Morning after you grab pizza at Siriani’s.

Carolina Calling
The North Carolina High Country holds the biggest peaks east of the Rockies. When things are expectedly calm and crisp two hours south in Charlotte, Grandfather Mountain is getting bombed with powder. What does this mean for you? Blissful afternoons taking advantage of free range, cross-country gliding on the car-free Blue Ridge Parkway (the Parkway closes during inclement weather, which usually lasts most of the winter at high elevations). Once you get enough of cruising down the vehicle-less mountain main street, dip off onto the Moses Cone Carriage Trails (mile 290). Here you can work through a 30-mile system of trails that will keep you keep you peacefully peering at the snow on the pines as you traverse the wide natural walkways. When you’re done cruise up 321 into Boone and grab a killer burrito and a PBR tallboy at Black Cat.

Virginia Creeping
Nordic skiing options are reputably limited in the Commonwealth, but after a good snowfall, a few of Virginia’s favorite outdoor hangouts turn into sweet cross-country secrets. Like the Parkway, many skiers take advantage of closures on Skyline Drive, the connecting road that guts though Shenandoah National Park. With smooth surfaces and gradual elevation changes along the ridgeline crests of the Blue Ridge, the 105-mile stretch provides a steady taste of touring that can easily be intensified with a side jaunt on the A.T. or a steep fire road. Keep in mind that park access is limited for cars in the winter, so you might have to get in from a side entrance.

If Shenandoah is not remote enough for you, then head to the Southwest Highlands. The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area alone offers 400 miles of trails. Push your poles along the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 33-mile wide, popular biking trail that runs from Abingdon to the North Carolina/Virginia state line. When you’ve reached your mileage limit, settle into the quaint confines of the Old Mill (www.damascusoldmill.com) in Damascus for a meal and night’s rest.

SNOWSHOE SAMPLER

How fitting that one of the trendiest snowsports today is as medieval and traditional as snowshoeing. Once a primeval means of travel through antiquely pristine wintry conditions, snowshoeing is all the rage these days. The clog attachments that used to be made of wood and stretched rawhide are now branded sleekly with light state-of-the-art materials like aluminum for cutting-edge sport. Now that technology is on your side, you really have no excuses, because as many like to say, “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.” Keep that in mind many of your favorite hiking trails can also play as your new snowshoe spot. But here are a few South Appalachian essentials.

Braving Dolly Sods
You can call West Virginia’s Dolly Sods Wilderness the crème de la crème for snowshoeing in the Southern Appalachians. It’s the closest thing we have to the snow-covered consistency of popular whiteout spots found in the intense Northeast winters of Maine and New Hampshire. At elevations over 4,000 feet the snow is un-groomed and wild for that rugged terrain challenge. The Sods can now easily be reached from the newly reopened Forest Road 80 (or get backcountry trail directions from the folks at White Grass).

The plateau country can hold some rough conditions, as open exposure and low temperatures mix with strong winds and rocky terrain. With high snowfall, it’s also easy to get off track or follow one of the many deer paths, so keep your wits about you. If you’re up for a few extra layers and a test of might, try the wind-swept arctic façade of the Bear Rocks area or Ravens Ridge on the east side. Being brave enough to take on the Sods during this time of year, you might be up for some winter camping at the Red Creek grounds, or you can call it a day and head into Davis.

North Fork Mountain Overnight
Maybe after getting a piece of the Sods you’re ready for a high-ridge objective. Your shoes are fitting right and you need a backcountry adventure goal. Well, it’s awaiting you on the 24-mile North Fork Mountain Trail. Another Mountain State gem, the trail traverses the ragged escarpment of its namesake ridge crest. It’s rocky and it’s steep, but the one thing more killer than the ascents is the breathtaking views you’ll catch of the Sods, Spruce Knob, Flatrock and Roaring Plains, and the Allegheny highland front to the west and the Virginia valley peaks to the east.

Your best bet is to assemble a group of like-minded shoers and take the trail from north to south. Park a car at the southern trailhead on Rt. 33, then drive to the northern end off WV 28 and start your two-to-three-day journey. As you pack for the winter trek, keep in mind temperatures on North Fork Mountain can drop below zero, so don’t underestimate the power of too many layers.

More at Mount Rogers
The remoteness and high elevations of the Mt. Rogers area also make it a favored snowshoeing destination. A snow-graced maze of trails leads through 154,000 acres in the Jefferson National Forest. Summit Mount Rogers (5,729 feet) from the Appalachian Trail or take the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail through a bounty of fraser firs opening into the bald peaks of Virginia’s roof. If you want to get your feet acclimated before a longer stint, try shorter trails (Twin Pinnacles or Listening Rock are good choices) in Grayson Highlands State Park. Reach the park off U.S. 58 between Damascus and Independence.

HIKE SOUTH FOR THE WINTER

So you’re not into strapping things to your feet. Then it’s your time to brave the cold and take on some different trails that don’t always take first seat in your temperate season itinerary. Sample a few unfamiliar paths in some overlooked and thankfully secluded wilderness of the southern Blue Ridge. The downward point of your compass may falsely convince your psyche it’s warmer there. Or, finally take that unconventional trip to the beach and enjoy the islands without the camera-toting tourists.

Georgia on My Mind
Sometimes we forget about the wild wonders in the northern end of the Peach State. That’s unfortunate, because in many areas the wilderness is privately pristine and the peaks are still high. The winter advantage: they’re less likely to hold snow, so you can wear your hiking boots. This winter might be your time to check out the southern end of the A.T. with a summit of Blood Mountain (4,461 feet), or do a weekender on the less-traveled cousin path, the 90-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, which runs from Springer Mountain, then follows the western Blue Ridge up into the secluded Cohutta Wilderness.

For something more specific, tackle the summit of Fort Mountain on an 8.2-mile loop hike of the Gahuti Trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest. At the top check out the ancient 850-foot rock wall, built by Indians for fortification. Fort Mountain State Park is located eight miles east of Chatsworth on Highway 52. Another option is Black Rock Mountain State Park near Clayton. Here you can bring the family for some short overlook victories at the state’s highest park, often catching vista views that extend for 80 miles. Afterwards you can warm up the troops at the Country Hearth Old Clayton Inn (www.oldclaytoninn.com) off Main Street.

Coastal Cruise
It’s winter, so grab your chance to spend some time on the coast without the swarming tourists found in warmer months. The beginning of the year is a perfect time to invade the Outer Banks of North Carolina. You won’t have to cringe through the sight of pasty beach bums or dodge any hurricanes (although this time of year is by no means storm-proof). Instead, you get to freely indulge the open dunes and maritime forests through a peaceful chilly wind. Play in the sand and take in the thicket at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head or go explore the Buxton Woods. This time of year you could definitely grab a reasonably priced hotel, but your time will be better spent driving south to access the barrier islands. You’ll find yourself in total solitude on Shackelford Island (foot travel only), spending contemplative moments with the bustling surf and the some wild mustangs before you dip into the inland forest for some cold cove tent rest.

If the OBX is still too cliché, then you need to head south to the even more remote setting of Georgia’s Cumberland Island National Seashore, tucked off the state’s southeastern tip. The wilderness of the 20,000-acre barrier island is a perfect uninhabited escape surrounded by more dunes, forest, salt marshes and peaceful tidal creeks. A backcountry camping fee is $2 per day.

by Jedd Ferris