Thanks everyone for your advice. I suggested to my husband that we go for a hike sometime this month if possible at a nearby state park to test our gear. We have been thinking alot about the adverse weather possibilities and high altitude of the Winds and since we are new at this, We're considering going to Yellowstone instead to hike the Bechler River trail. The nights would be warmer and the trail easier, but the trade off would be the increased possibility of encountering a bear. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I ordered a book about bear encounters from Amazon so we'll hopefully be better prepared to deal with this. I would pick a hike where there are no bears but my mom lives in Wyoming and I want to visit her too.
The Winds are so beautiful and I would love to go there, but I wonder if Yellowstone might be a better idea this time around...
Anyway, I'll take your advice about testing the warmth of our clothing while it's still cold here and try to get out for some hikes too. Thanks!