Winter hiking offers special moments and challenges. With leaves on the ground, higher trails reward hikers with great views. The snow covered landscape reveals animal tracks not seen in other seasons. Winter weather also challenges hikers with slippery footing on trails that can be snow covered or icy. Participants will be expected to bring hiking cleats suitable for winter trail walking and a pair of hiking poles. We can provide hiking poles, if you do not own a pair. With this in mind, John and Kate Kidd have selected trails for this course that range from moderate (steady climbs with steep stretches) to strenuous (steep for sustained stretches) but do not include sections on which ice or snow can create risky conditions. Depending on conditions, at a moderate pace each trail will take two hours or longer to complete. Trails will include one on October Mountain (Farnham Reservoir), two in Pittsfield State Forest (Shaker Mountain and the Turner-Rollercoaster loop) and three maintained by the Berkshire Natural Resource Council (Hollow Fields, Mahanna Cobble and a stretch of the High Road). All trails are in the central part of Berkshire County.

John and Kate Kidd are experienced all season Berkshire hikers. Active volunteers with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, they coordinate a weekly hiking group that started in 2017 after an OLLI class. This will be their second time leading an OLLI hiking class. They will be sharing new knowledge of geology, historic land use, and flora and fauna gained through the OLLI Berkshire Naturalist course.