A Reminder About Winter Hiking Traction: Even Apex Predators Slip on Ice

A new video from northern Minnesota captures a wolf slipping on an icy pond. The video comes from the Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, which provides gear for visiting Voyageurs National Park. Watching an animal like a wolf slip on ice is a reminder to make sure you bring some form of winter hiking traction into the backcountry. If a wolf can slip, a human can definitely slip too.

Here’s the clip: 

In the video, the wolf starts walking across a pond, slips, but catches itself. The animal even seems to do a side glance to make sure no one was watching. Unfortunately, someone was watching, and the mishap ended up on the internet.

Wolves have called the area home long before Voyageurs National Park was designated a national park. The park is a popular winter visit for snowmobiles and ice fishing. If you’ll be visiting here, it’s important to have proper footwear to avoid falling. Clearly, you don’t have to be clumsy to slip on ice.

Winter Hiking Traction Options

A few options for winter hiking include snowshoes, which work best in deep snow, or a simple traction system you can attach to your shoes. One well-known brand carried by businesses like REI is Yaktrax. The simple metal and rubber setup easily attaches to boots or hiking shoes and provides added peace of mind while venturing into any icy areas.

The National Park Service also highly recommends visitors bring proper footwear with traction. A recent video from Bryce Canyon National Park shows how difficult it is to walk without traction.

In the clip, one hiker is struggling to get down a trail due to icy conditions. Another set of hikers are walking with ease.

In the post, Bryce Canyon officials say, “Taking a break to visit Bryce is enjoyable, but we certainly don’t want you to break anything else. So, if you’ll be hiking in the park, footwear traction devices are your boots’ best friend.”

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Source: https://outdoors.com/a-reminder-about-winter-hiking-traction-even-apex-predators-slip-on-ice/