Learn me about rain

[Luddite]

Every now and then I do, but then I read stuff here that makes me think no way in heck am I going to hike the AT. My primary worries are:

1. Rain
2. Too many people, and too many really idiot people
3. Too close to civilization (not enough wilderness)

Why are you a member of an Appalachian trail internet forum

[hobbs]

Why are you a member of an Appalachian trail internet forum

if you look at the Bottom it's not only the AT but all the other Long distance trails and a long distance hikers knowledge is valuable no matter from where...IMO... I probably spoke out of turn but thats how I feel about the question...

[Spokes]

2009 was a wet thru hike year on the AT. Hardly ever got to see a good views from the vistas.

I learned quickly to dry off my shirt and shorts as best I could before bedtime then used the old hikers dryer trick- placing them flat between my sleeping bag and pad. Didn't dry them out completely but made it much more tolerable pulling them on in the morning! Brrrr!

Cheers!

[hobbs]

Every now and then I do, but then I read stuff here that makes me think no way in heck am I going to hike the AT. My primary worries are:

1. Rain
2. Too many people, and too many really idiot people
3. Too close to civilization (not enough wilderness)

Honest in MYO I think you should...I have read your posts on experiance and your 2cents on things....if anything it's alot of you posting about the PCT that makes me want to do that next year...I already have friends telling me why not...Well from me to you!!!! I think you should and as the saying goe's never judge a book by it's cover....Thats my 2 cents on the subject...

[Cookerhiker]

Every now and then I do, but then I read stuff here that makes me think no way in heck am I going to hike the AT. My primary worries are:

1. Rain
2. Too many people, and too many really idiot people
3. Too close to civilization (not enough wilderness)

1 and 3 are valid based on what you've said about your experiences/preferences re rain and yes, the AT is never as far from civilization as the PCT.

Re. 2, I don't know that the AT has disproportionately more "really idiot people" than other trails. But in any case, the answer to 2 is to hike SOBO. You will encounter other people for the first 2 months but the numbers will then drop off.

And then there's other pros of the AT - the deciduous trees, the nice lakes in the North, the woodland streams. Hiking SOBO, you get to experience the entirety of the Eastern autumn.

[BrianLe]

"1. Rain
2. Too many people, and too many really idiot people
3. Too close to civilization (not enough wilderness)"

Adequately covered already, but since I too am a westerner, and having done the PCT when you did and then the AT last year, I can't resist responding too ... :-)

Rain: Last year, at least, didn't seem bad at all to me in this regard. It certainly rained, but a lot of the time when it was raining it was so warm that I didn't want a rain jacket on (first time I've ever really appreciated a pack cover). The early part had some colder rain and snow, but it's just part of the experience, and they've got something like 300 shelters along this trail ...

Too many people: I started on the early side (late Feb) and the result was that I actually found the PCT to be a more social trail than the AT (I started the PCT the day after the kickoff). I didn't find the "too many people" thing to be an issue even when things warmed up and more folks were on the trail. Certainly there were occasions of less than stellar interactions, but they were few, and far, far outweighed by the many wonderful interactions. "The people" is one factor that made me like the AT a lot.

Too close to civilization: True, though there are certainly cases that the PCT gets like that too, the AT is a lot more like that. I think it's about expectations; if you expect this, then you can appreciate the substantial times when you're well away from civilization. Often what it boils down to is that you can see more of the "works of man" and have more road crossings perhaps. The flip side is a lot more opportunities to get off trail and get fed.
Related to for me was a sort of "history and culture" experience. I literally didn't know what order the various states out east came in before I walked through them. Seeing Civil War and other era historical stuff was pretty cool at times, including Harpers Ferry, the original Washington Monument, and just the general cultural differences (and many similarities) between the different areas. Maine felt kind of familiar (to the NW) and yet with it's own unique flavor. And we don't have moose.

Be aware that the trail quality and gradation is definitely overall worse, another case where it's good to go in with expectations properly tuned. And you won't get anything like the views. But there's still some great stuff out there, and it's just kind of neat to experience it. Plus for an experienced thru-hiker like yourself, the AT is pretty easy to just "jump on and go" --- as opposed to the CDT which requires a bit more prep.

I liked the PCT quite a bit more, but I'm nevertheless glad that I walked the AT.

[Iceaxe]

Thanks Brianle!
I have met a lot more people who have strong feelings, one way or the other, about the AT than the other long trails.
People I have hiked with these past two years were AT veterans and they seemed to have this comeraderie. They would talk about these places on the AT like Mahoosic notch and the Doyle, and the dreaded rocks of PA.
It made me insanely curious to go see these places.
I also don't see a division between my time on the trail and my town time. For me the towns, roads, and man made things are as much a part of my journey as the mountains, streams, lakes, and forests.
The people you meet on these trails are as interesting as the places you see.
So far these Long distance Trail have taught me: You get the journey your mind is prepared for.
If you are open and accept the trail experience, the good and bad things, the experience will unfold in ways you never imagined.
If you approach the trail as: "Crowded, poorly routed, too steep" then that is most likely what you will experience.
Believe me, my philosophy was sorely tested when i was being dive bombed by dozens of speeding Mountain bikes on the Grey's and Torrey's peaks route in Colorado on the supposedly "unpopulated" CDT.
Every circumstance changes. Every mountain has a summit. Every snowfield has an ending eventually and crowds have a way of disapating.
Anyhow I am so fired up to hike the AT! I can't wait to make the journey and get my a$$ handed to me by those rocks in PA! I hope the AT gives me the physically toughest hiking of the triple crown. And I hope I meet lots of great Southern, Mid Atlantic, and New England Folks along the way.
Mags describes the AT as a "Wild-ness" experience(rather than Wilderness).. well bring on the wildness!
Is it March Yet?!!! I am gonna start putting a countdown in my posts!

[sherrill]

One thing you don't need on the AT is sunscreen

I have to politely disagree. One of the worst facial sunburns that I have ever had (and I grew up at the beach) was from a dayhike in Grayson Highlands. On a cloudy day.

Miss Ginny at the Lazy Fox had a field day with me....

[sbhikes]

I don't think you ever need sunscreen. I used no sunscreen on the PCT. I wore a hat, long sleeves and long pants. But anyway.

I guess it's just that I've read a couple times about yahoos chasing women on the trail. Here and I've also read it in journals. I really liked the remoteness of the PCT. I felt safe. I hiked outside the pack for most of the time and it was nice to not see any other people for days at a time. So the idiots I worry about aren't the other thru-hikers (I can get away from the frat boy drunk and stupid guys hiking south), but the bubbas who hate liberal tree huggers like myself. Should I fly a big American flag and put a few Marines bumper stickers on my pack?

[sherrill]

True, I didn't wear a hat that day, and if you're covered up then none is necessary. But on a summer day I can't take hiking in anything but shorts and a tee.

[chiefduffy]

Nobody has commented much on umbrellas - I always hike with one on the AT. Of course it doesnt work in high wind, or if you're in a section with lots of blowdowns, but in one of those day-long light rains it works great. Keeps the rain off my head, out of my eyes, and off my neck. I have a Montbell ultralight umbrella(about 7 oz), and attach it with tiny shock cords to my chest strap, leaves both hands free for my poles. Beats sweating in a rainjacket/poncho, or slowly getting soaked to the bone. YMMV

[sbhikes]

Thanks for the umbrella info. I used one in Washington but the trail was so overgrown that wet plants slapped me in the face. I never had trouble with wind. Even in fairly high wind the umbrella was fine. I would hold the front of it down. I also attached it to my pack with shock cords. I was disappointed in its performace only because the trail was so overgrown. Are the trails as overgrown on the AT? I literally pushed my way through wet brush with my arms held in front of me as a shield. Sometimes I couldn't even see the trail.

[chiefduffy]

In my experience, no, its not that overgrown.
It's funny, I rarely see people with an umbrella on the trail, but every time I have used one, almost every hiker I see has said, "gee, I wish I had one of those!" (Followed of course by "How much does it weigh?")

[Iceaxe]

Thats exactly what the hikers i met with umrellas said. They loved it when they needed it but most of the time it sat stuffed into the mesh pocket of their pack.
I am bringing a Golite umbrella to try out for my AT hike. It fits under the beak of my home made tarp and holds the chunk of no-see-um mesh from my home made bug bivy off my face. It's a totally new strategy for me so I have no idea if it is gonna work out. If it doesn't work out I can always ship it home. Would I be the first person to ship something home from Neel's Gap? (HaHa!)
Anyhow I am preparing for a wet (wetter) thru hike than the other trails as everything I have read to date indicates it will be.

[sbhikes]

Ooh, can you show a picture of your umbrella with the mesh? I had wondered if I could do something like that.

I found my go-lite umbrella in the trash in Kennedy Meadows. It was all worn out with holes. I patched them with duct tape and hiked with it to Dunsmuir. I used it in the sun and wished I had had it all along.

I took it with me again from Santa Barbara to Canada. I used it sometimes even in Oregon where it was so hot (in July) and the little patches of sun in the forest felt like they seared my brain. I used it for rain in Washington. I've used it for rain here in Santa Barbara. I can't believe someone threw it away. I finally got a brand new one for Christmas.

I think an umbrella makes an awesome piece of gear. When it rains and I pull out my umbrella, the rain becomes FUN! I love hiking in the rain with an umbrella. It makes me happy. It's so sensible.

If you are using it for part of your shelter, I'd really love to see that. It's an awesome multi-use piece of gear!

[hobbs]

Thats exactly what the hikers i met with umrellas said. They loved it when they needed it but most of the time it sat stuffed into the mesh pocket of their pack.
I am bringing a Golite umbrella to try out for my AT hike. It fits under the beak of my home made tarp and holds the chunk of no-see-um mesh from my home made bug bivy off my face. It's a totally new strategy for me so I have no idea if it is gonna work out. If it doesn't work out I can always ship it home. Would I be the first person to ship something home from Neel's Gap? (HaHa!)
Anyhow I am preparing for a wet (wetter) thru hike than the other trails as everything I have read to date indicates it will be.

To be honest Iam with SBhikes..I would like to see a picture of this..Trying to understand the whole umbrella thing and a visual would help....I dont know sounds like you and she have a good idea

[Turtle2]

21 of the first 30 days of my thru had rain. I started late so the rain was warm. One hour of hiking with my rain jacket had me convinced just to get wet and enjoy. Hiking kept me warm enough. It took a little longer to get used to walking in 6 or more inches of water on the trail during rains. Once I decided that my feet would be wet--it was great fun and enjoyable.

Having said that, I tried the same thing in NH. Bad move. Got soaked in a cold rain and called it a day around 4 pm with the onset of hypothermia. After that, I hiked in my Pre-cip jacket and rarely pants. My rain pants were most useful in the Whites with brisk breeze and hoar frost forming in my hair (August, mind you).

Pull the insoles out of your boots/shoes and prop them up on their heels so the water drains away from the foot bed a bit better and that helps. I also put on dry socks and crocs in camp.

Honestly, the worst part is putting on cold wet clothes in the morning, but, usually they walk dry in short order.

I too, have seen no sights from the southern balds, Max Patch, etc. Those were crossed in thunderstorms or heavy fog. It is all good!

[strollingalong]

what about gingas?

[Cookerhiker]

...Honestly, the worst part is putting on cold wet clothes in the morning, but, usually they walk dry in short order...

I agree although trying to cook breakfast and take down the tent in a steady rain is no fun either.

[Iceaxe]

Ooh, can you show a picture of your umbrella with the mesh? I had wondered if I could do something like that.

I sure will. I have sewed up my own version of a MLD Patrol shelter. Basically it's a pup tent style tarp with angled beaks at both ends. Is sets up with trekking poles and my umbrella can fit under the beak to close up one side of the tarp.
Right now my bug bivy is just a piece of no-see-um mesh that I throw over the umbrella and tuck underneath me. Thats my next sewing project. I am going to sew the mesh to a piece of ripstop nylon and create something like a Six Moon Designs serenity shelter.
Anyhow I will take some pictures today as I am going to set everything up to get some measurements for my bug bivy.
I think I can link to photos from my postholer account and show them here. Let me try that. Here is the tarp i made: