Join us on an unseasonably warm hike up Mt Garfield this Sunday! This trip is for women, nonbinary folks, and anyone whose gender is underrepresented in outdoor spaces :)

This will be a long hike! The trail itself is around 10 miles, but due to the Gale River Loop Road winter closure, there is approximately a one mile road walk to get the to trail head. Altogether, the hike will be around 12 miles (19km). Total elevation gain is around 3k feet (900m). For the most part the grade is moderate, but there is a very steep exposed section at the end approaching the summit. The summit is fully exposed and offers beautiful 360 views (Summit Street View Photo ). Alltrails map

The weather is forecast to be WARM, roughly 50 degrees F at the trailhead. Earlier in the week there will have been rain and freezing weather so the trail may be very icy, very slushy, or a mix of both! We'll be keeping an eye on weather and trail reports as we get closer to the date to decide on our traction/flotation. Expect to need very waterproof shoes, spare dry socks, and a mix of layers. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting at 6pm on Thursday likely with a virtual option.

We are in need of cars/drivers for this trip! Please update your car profile to reflect if you can or cannot drive or rent, and how many passengers you can take if you can drive https://mitoc-trips.mit.edu/preferences/lottery/

Requirements: Have attended WS safety lectures, Have previous winter hiking experience and are comfortable with layers, Have hiked similar distances recently (at least 9mi+), Are able to rent/acquire gear without hands on leader assistance

Sign ups are first come first serve but attendance is at leader discretion. If we feel the trip may not be a good fit fitness or winter experience wise, we may ask you to drop. Thank you for your understanding.