I attended a weekend-long Winter Outdoor Skills course at the AMC’s Highland Center in the heart of Crawford Notch. Arriving at the lodge on Friday, I met AMC guides Sarah Geiwitz and Gwen Landis for a brief welcome meeting to review the agenda for the days to follow.

Geiwitz, a frequent recreator in the Whites, was attracted to the AMC’s mission. “It’s being part of a group that doesn’t just focus on the profitable side of bringing people outside,” she said. “The fact that folks are coming on trips like this, all of that money is going towards funding conservation research and other programs. I really love having that kind of tethered mission in there.”

Geiwitz also appreciates working with people trying to learn about the outdoors. “I think my favorite part of my job is just meeting so many people who are able to be vulnerable and admit that they don’t know something or that they want to learn something from somebody else. I think that’s the coolest thing.”

We spent much of the first day in the classroom but covered a lot of ground. Our guides started with a detailed overview of the 10 hiking essentials, which ensure hikers stay safe in the woods and are able to rescue themselves if necessary. This list includes food and water, a map and compass and a first aid kit.

Our guides also talked about less commonly referenced essentials, including various kinds of fire starters, clothing layers that can double as part of an emergency shelter, and tips for storing and purifying water in the winter.

In the afternoon, we grabbed our packs and traction devices for our feet, and headed in the direction of Mount Willard, an out-and-back hike that takes off from the Highland Center. On the route, we stopped periodically to review the seven principles of Leave No Trace, a guiding ethic for low-impact recreation in the outdoors.

On the trail, Geiwitz supplied hand gestures as an entertaining mnemonic device for each principle. No. 5, minimize campfire impact, was recalled by wiggling five fingers upright, mimicking the movement of a fire. No. 6, respect wildlife, involved curving three fingers near each side of one’s head to copy the antlers of a moose or deer.

My favorite was the last principle, No. 7: Be considerate of other visitors. With one hand we waved and with the other, we fashioned two fingers in a peace sign.

A new orientation

Of the six participants, three women were preparing for a trip to Nepal in April. Ragini Narasimhan, a hiker from Worcester, Mass., was hoping to gain more winter hiking experience, especially with the variety of gear the season demands.

“I found out that this class was available in February, and I didn’t want to do it alone. So I kind of yanked Madhavi along and she called Neelima. And that’s kind of how we landed up here.”

“I think we’ve heard so much about the cold weather. So I said, ‘OK, let’s get some experience here,’” said Madhavi Toke, of Worcester. “I don’t know if it’ll be this cold (in Nepal). But coming here experiencing this, it’s really rewarding.”

Emerging from the cover of trees onto the exposed outlook at the summit of Willard, we were rewarded with clear views down Crawford Notch and of the frosty southern Presidentials, which seemed just out of reach across the highway.

“It’s so pleasant for your eyes. You forget all your hard work of getting there,” said Neelima Veerapanenii, Toke’s sister, who was visiting the Whites from Atlanta.

Back in the classroom the next morning, our guides discussed common symbols on hiking maps and the various natural features indicated by the shapes in the contour lines.

After we felt comfortable making our way around the map, Landis described a hypothetical scenario to test our new knowledge: If we were hiking to Mount Adams on a day with potential for bad weather, which would be the better route: taking the Valley Way trail or Airline? The trick was assessing time in the alpine zone.

In the afternoon, the sunshine brilliant and warm, we hiked around Saco Lake and up Elephant’s Head, a lookout point with an uncanny resemblance to an elephant’s head, including ears and trunk.

At the summit, we each pulled out a map and compass, attempting to orient the map north. Kneeling in the snow, our maps spread out on the ground, we struggled keeping them flat with our compasses in the correct position, gusts of wind making the task challenging.

Over the weekend, I chatted often with Michele Archambault from Waltham, Mass., a serious cyclist who was looking to expand her knowledge of the outdoors in winter. Archambault has recently returned to hiking, hoping to tackle the NH 52 With a View list in the coming years.

“It’s fun to get into a room with a mix of people because I think we also learned from each other at times,” she said as we returned to the Highland Center on Sunday to debrief and say our goodbyes.

“I think we have people who are newer, people who have been doing this for a while and people in the middle of the road. So it’s really fun to see things through the eyes of somebody who’s new to it too. And just feel excited for them.”

The AMC offers an extensive list of courses and guided outdoor recreation opportunities. For more information, https://www.outdoors.org/adventures.