Stay local this Monday and join us for an afternoon of hiking on sand dunes and by salt marshes just north of Boston. We will leave around 1:00pm and drive to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. There, we will hike through the sand dunes and along the beach. Snowy owls like to winter there, so we will be on the lookout! Feel free to bring binoculars or a camera if you have one! While the hike is relatively short and flat, hiking in sand can be quite strenuous and we may get strong winds off the water so we will prepare as if this were an above treeline trip. Time and weather permitting when we finish our hike we will do an optional polar plunge in the ocean!

This hike is great if you're newer to winter hiking and layering and want to dial in your gear systems on a shorter trip. It's also good if you have things to get done this in the morning and can only be out for half a day. Even though we're not going far north, the weather will still be nippy (35F / 1.5 C) and we'll be getting a lot of cold sea air off the water. No traction will be needed.

Plan:

• 1:00pm - Leave from Student Center
• 2:15pm - Arrive at Crane Beach
• 2:30pm - Begin walking in the dunes (3 miles, approx 1 hr +/- depending on group pace)
• 4:00pm - Polar plunge!! (time and weather permitting)
• 4:30pm - Head back to Boston
• 4:30pm - Sunset
• 5:30-6:00pm - Cars back to student center

Required Experience: - None!

Required gear:

• Layers, Hat, Gloves
• Full face covering, goggles, balaclava
• No cotton!
• Warm sturdy footwear (no microspikes needed)
• Large backpack (30L+) to hold your layers and help carry group gear
• 2L water in wide mouth bottles
• Snacks for yourself
• Compass, headlamp, whistle (built in to backpack is fine)

Optional Gear:

• Swim suit
• Towel
• Additional Warm Non-Cotton Layers
• Snacks to share

Expected Costs: $16-$31 = $5 trip fee + $10 gas + $1 parking fee + $0-$15 gear rentals