View Full Version : Finding the trail in the snow?
Here's a question.... can you follow the trail after a snowfall?
I'm preparing for another hike but it has just snowed 4-8" in the area I want to hike in. The weather is now clear and temps are forecast to be in the 50-60 degree range over the next 3 days.
Thanks
Thomas
Here's a question.... can you follow the trail after a snowfall?
I'm preparing for another hike but it has just snowed 4-8" in the area I want to hike in. The weather is now clear and temps are forecast to be in the 50-60 degree range over the next 3 days.
Thanks
Thomas
Usually it's not a problem. In the woods you can see the depression where the trail is. You can also usually see the places where blowdowns have been cut. (If you ever doubt how much work goes towards trail maintenance, just look at how often you see the cut-up trees.) And blazes, of course.
Grassy areas can be more of a problem. Quite often there are posts with blazes on them to guide you.
great question!!
Case in point: Blood Mountain , leaving the shelter area towards Neel's Gap.
How in the world would you find the trail exiting the large open rock area. It took me quite a while to find a blaze painted on the rocks. there was a sweeping left turn and no path , since rock doesn't wear.
That's one instance I have seen . There must be lots of others
Tom
Hiking familiar trails helps alot. Blue bazes stand out in winter better than white blazes.
Don't count on previous tracks being gospel, they could lead you astray. Be prepared to backtrack when in doubt. Blowdowns can problematic, picking up the trail on the other side can be tricky at times.
_terrapin_
01-03-2008, 09:45
Here's a question.... can you follow the trail after a snowfall?
It gets tricky some times! Particularly if there are no footprints or tracks to follow.
Some of the visual cues that you take for granted in the summer may not be there for you in the winter... for example, blazes on trees or rocks, or compacted fallen leaves, may be covered by snow.
Often times the trail will only be observable as "an absence of trees" that differs in some very subtle way from the natural, random arrangement.
mark.k.watson
01-03-2008, 10:34
On many areas it will be easy to follow the depression, log cuts, etc. signs, but on rock covered areas, like Blood Mountain, go slow, look for sign, use the force and be prepared to follow your tracks back the way you came should you run into a dead end.
You say that 6-8 inches fell and you will have 50-60 degree temps. Unless you are heading out this a.m. most, if not all, the snow will be melted. It goes pretty fast at that temperature when it is not compacted by feet or tires.
Cookerhiker
01-03-2008, 17:19
If you're setting out breaking trail with 6" or more of freshly fallen snow, it can be a problem, not only in open fields but even in the woods if the blazes aren't frequent enough. I started a hike in SW Virginia on 3/2/2005 and had a lot of problems the first day, not just losing the trail 3-4 times but the also exerting extra effort from pushing through snow that occasionally reached mid-thigh. At least that day was a slackpack (Rt. 42 SOBO to Groseclose). Read about it here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=89307).
Because of the depth of the drifts, I skipped the section over Chestnut Knob and got a ride to Bland where I hiked to Pearisburg. The trail was a litle easier to follow but still a challenge.
Make sure you allow sufficient time and study your maps carefully. Incidentally, I wouldn't have traded my experience for anything. The AT in winter under fresh untrampled snow is a delight. I almost felt guilty breaking trail.
Well, I'm back from the snowy hike and posted a few pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tbradnc/AppalachianTrailIndianGroveGapNolichuckyRiverAndDe vilsForkGapHotSprings to show what the trail conditions were like.
Overall it wasn't too bad... There were a few places where I lost the trail and had to back up but I was never close to being lost. There was one time around Big Butt that I went what seemed like a long way without seeing a blaze and wasn't sure if I was on the trail or following a ditch but I did eventually get to a blaze. One thing is for sure - it is very important to keep your wits about you.
My original plan was to hike from Devil's Fork Gap to Hot Springs (35 miles) on Friday and come on Sunday but I decided to hike from Indian Grove Gap to Nolichucky River (9 miles) on Friday and wait until the weather warmed up on Saturday to start the longer hike.
Thanks
Thomas
ofthearth
01-07-2008, 16:44
If you're setting out breaking trail with 6" or more of freshly fallen snow, it can be a problem, not only in open fields but even in the woods if the blazes aren't frequent enough. I started a hike in SW Virginia on 3/2/2005 and had a lot of problems the first day, not just losing the trail 3-4 times but the also exerting extra effort from pushing through snow that occasionally reached mid-thigh. At least that day was a slackpack (Rt. 42 SOBO to Groseclose). Read about it here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=89307).
Because of the depth of the drifts, I skipped the section over Chestnut Knob and got a ride to Bland where I hiked to Pearisburg. The trail was a litle easier to follow but still a challenge.
Make sure you allow sufficient time and study your maps carefully. Incidentally, I wouldn't have traded my experience for anything. The AT in winter under fresh untrampled snow is a delight. I almost felt guilty breaking trail.
Maybe this should be copied/moved/linked to the forum where somebody was asking if they needed to carry a map
Maybe this should be copied/moved/linked to the forum where somebody was asking if they needed to carry a map
Nah. Unlike the rest of us, that person never gets lost.:D
great question!!
Case in point: Blood Mountain , leaving the shelter area towards Neel's Gap.
How in the world would you find the trail exiting the large open rock area. It took me quite a while to find a blaze painted on the rocks. there was a sweeping left turn and no path , since rock doesn't wear.
That's one instance I have seen . There must be lots of others
Tom
A map.....
Hiking familiar trails helps alot. Blue bazes stand out in winter better than white blazes.
Don't count on previous tracks being gospel, they could lead you astray. Be prepared to backtrack when in doubt. Blowdowns can problematic, picking up the trail on the other side can be tricky at times.
All that is good.