Tips for the trek

Yes, you should cover your head! Here are other tips from Don Quintenz, senior ecologist at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center: On dressing: “Our nature preschool teaches that there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing to go outside,” he says, referring to the children who attend classes at the nature center.

Layer your clothing so that as you become active, you can shed layers. Layered thin jackets can be warmer than one heavy jacket. Skin is constantly giving off moisture, so changing clothes (especially socks) right before you go out can help you stay warm.

And covering all exposed skin (except the face, unless it’s bitterly cold) goes further than doubling up clothing in just some areas but not covering others.

On spotting tracks: “Tracks are obvious if you watch for them,” he says. They can be confused with other marks in the snow. You’ll know tracks because they’ll repeat themselves — except in the case of bird prints.

On being there: “You should become mindful in the spiritual sense. Be in touch with all your senses and be in the present moment fully,” he says. “Let go, for the time, of problems of the past or concerns for the future.

“Winter is the time we can learn directly what the animals do, where they go, what they eat, where they sleep, how far they travel ... as the animals write their stories in the snow.”