View Full Version : Winter storm
I'm hoping no one is on the AT with this storm moving in. Or they can hunker down in a shelter or, better yet, get off the trail for a few days!
My hope is that they've gotten the word.
TiPi will be the only one out in this one. This will put a bit of adventure in the early starters.
Slo-go'en
01-22-2016, 13:53
TiPi will be the only one out in this one. This will put a bit of adventure in the early starters.
The brunt of the storm will be in northern Virginia and no one is that far north yet. I guess a few are in central NC now, like that speedy hiker girl trying to do the one year triple crown, who will be impacted to some extent by the storm.
Cookerhiker
01-22-2016, 13:56
I saw a report last night that the Shenandoah NP area could get 30-50 inches.
Sarcasm the elf
01-22-2016, 14:36
Funny, my first thought was "Man, if I had a hillenberg and a free week I'd grab my snowshoes and 7 days of food and head for the hills!"*
*Don't do what "Donnie Don't" does...
Funny, my first thought was "Man, if I had a hillenberg and a free week I'd grab my snowshoes and 7 days of food and head for the hills!"
I'd prefer a cozy cabin with a nice big wood stove and a big pile of seasoned cordwood just outside the front door. A good book and enough candle light to read by.
peakbagger
01-22-2016, 18:00
Its weather like this were volunteers should meet the majority of folks at trailheads and ask two questions
Name?
Next of Kin?
The folks at Tuckermans reportedly used to ask this if the avalanche warnings were extremely high.
Nevertheless I expect some news reports of heroic rescues of clueless hikers on the news.
The Cleaner
01-22-2016, 18:38
Via Trail Journals, one hiker made it to Standing Bear hostel yesterday and another one had just made NOC.Two others were "taking a break" from the trail,one going back to Alabama and the other I don't know where he's at.All had 20* sleeping bags and canister stoves.:eek:
The Cleaner
01-22-2016, 18:45
Also I found this out the hard way when needing to call my ride home from an overlook with great cell service.Heavy snow blocks most cell service and I barely got a signal at a lower elevation before dropping into a hollow on the lower end of the trail.The snow turned into a 36* rain and my back got a bit wet.My ride was late and I was almost stage 1 hypothermic when he arrived.
johnnybgood
01-22-2016, 18:49
I saw a report last night that the Shenandoah NP area could get 30-50 inches.
This too was posted on their twitter. 20"-28" today and overnight with an additional 10-14 inches through midnight tomorrow.
Roanoke Valley expects 18-24 inches.
Slo-go'en
01-22-2016, 20:31
Sounds like ice will be the big story down though NC and into Georgia. Could turn the trail into quite the obstacle course.
Sounds like ice will be the big story down though NC and into Georgia. Could turn the trail into quite the obstacle course.
as my football coach (or was it my math teacher) used to say..."if it was easy, everybody could do it". That has stuck with me all these years. I think you have to assume that if someone is out hiking the mountains in this storm that A) they either know what they are are doing or B) they don't. One hopes for the best for those in group B.
Therealhikingvilking is hiking Sobo, but he's still far enough north where hes going to miss it.
FlyFishNut
01-22-2016, 21:07
Funny, my first thought was "Man, if I had a hillenberg and a free week I'd grab my snowshoes and 7 days of food and head for the hills!"*
I'm with ya - Nothing more peaceful than snowshoeing and camping in deep snow. A perfect layer of snow on your tent offers great insulation.
Cookerhiker
01-22-2016, 21:16
The Northern Ruck is occurring this weekend at Bear's Den - right in the midst of the heaviest forecast snowfall!
The Cleaner
01-22-2016, 21:44
FWIW the hiker NOBO near Davenport Gap has "Blizzard" for his trail name.:eek:
chknfngrs
01-22-2016, 21:46
Blizzard's journal is great
iAmKrzys
01-23-2016, 18:47
Funny, my first thought was "Man, if I had a hillenberg and a free week I'd grab my snowshoes and 7 days of food and head for the hills!"
I wasn't quite so ambitious but I grabbed my snowshoes and did a 4-mile loop in our local county parks. It was so much fun!!!
WILLIAM HAYES
01-23-2016, 21:42
did the smokies in blizzard conditions in march 2004 (see my Pictures) post holing was a PIA so was finding the trail in certain spots just be prepared and hunker down when necessary One unprepared hiker was airlifted out of the shelter back then by the Tenn Air National guard he was a college kid and was wearing cotton cameo pants Not a AT hiker .
Sarcasm the elf
01-23-2016, 21:48
I wasn't quite so ambitious but I grabbed my snowshoes and did a 4-mile loop in our local county parks. It was so much fun!!!
I took my dogs for a 15 minute walk in the woods next to my house and one of them managed to knock two of her teeth out. 3 hours at the emergency vet and $320 later she is okay, but I still have no idea what she did.
We have a small hike planned for next weekend, testing new gear and UQ's but its planned to start at Port Clinton and head NE 4 miles Friday and then 4 miles Saturday and out couple miles Sunday. Now we are needing to consider extreme winter conditions and make necessary arrangements.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MuddyWaters
01-23-2016, 22:47
Funny, my first thought was "Man, if I had a hillenberg and a free week I'd grab my snowshoes and 7 days of food and head for the hills!"*
*Don't do what "Donnie Don't" does...
Perfect time to pitch a tent inside a shelter, hunker down with a weeks food and fuel , a - 15 F bag, and a couple good books.
A week in an AT shelter? You'd find me bonkers from cabin fever in 2 days.
Lone Wolf
01-24-2016, 07:25
A week in an AT shelter? You'd find me bonkers from cabin fever in 2 days.
back in april of 87 a guy was stuck in spence field shelter in the smokys. they helicoptered food to him. that storm was much worse than this one
bigcranky
01-24-2016, 09:20
A week in an AT shelter? You'd find me bonkers from cabin fever in 2 days.
I'm stuck in my house for day #3 and I'm already pretty bonkers. :)
peakbagger
01-24-2016, 17:11
No trace of any new snow from the storm in the whites. I did a hike today and the snow depth even up high is less than a foot. I brought the snowshoes on the pack mostly for training but so far its been lo snow winter in the whites.
Traditionally the coldest weather in the region is usually around the full moon of January and to date, we haven't gotten anywhere near close to really cold weather, which is normally a few stretches of -25 to -30 deg F. In general its been mild winter so far.
rocketsocks
01-24-2016, 17:29
I took my dogs for a 15 minute walk in the woods next to my house and one of them managed to knock two of her teeth out. 3 hours at the emergency vet and $320 later she is okay, but I still have no idea what she did. yikes, glad sbe's ok Elf.
Slo-go'en
01-24-2016, 20:30
Traditionally the coldest weather in the region is usually around the full moon of January and to date, we haven't gotten anywhere near close to really cold weather, which is normally a few stretches of -25 to -30 deg F. In general its been mild winter so far.
It did get to -5 this morning, but it warmed up to 30 at noon. With clear skies last night, the woods were really lit up with the full moon. I was tempted to for a little hike about midnight, but it was 0 and not enough snow for snowshoes, so went to bed instead.
MuddyWaters
01-24-2016, 20:50
I took my dogs for a 15 minute walk in the woods next to my house and one of them managed to knock two of her teeth out. 3 hours at the emergency vet and $320 later she is okay, but I still have no idea what she did.
Thats a deal.
I paid $300 at emergency vet a few yrs back when dog at bag of chocolate covered raisins. All they did was make her drink a syringe of hydrogen peroxide and throw up. I tucked that trick away, dont plan to make that trip again. I would have taken the chance with dog, but kids were crying, darn internet tells them too much.
bigcranky
01-24-2016, 22:06
Years ago our first dog woke me up in the middle of the night while visiting our in-laws. He was in bad shape, throwing up blood. Took him to the 24 hour emergency vet, which happened to be in their town. They charged us $300 just to look at him, pay up front. This was back when we didn't have two nickels to rub together - paid it with a maxed out credit card. He died a couple of hours later, acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. He'd gotten into something in the trash, never found out what. I remember sitting on the curb outside the clinic crying. He was a damn fine dog.
I guess we're getting off track on this thread, sorry. The last couple posts brought back that memory.