Hiking in fog.

[MisterSweetie]

For some reason I love to hike in fog. Granted, I wouldn't want my summit day (of any peak) to be socked in with fog, but still, fog adds something to the trail that's tough to describe.

Anyone have any good fog hiking stories and/or pictures?

[icemanat95]

Fog can drain the life out of you also, cold and damp all the time is no way to be. My preference is strongly for bright blue days with dry air and coolish temperatures.

[khaynie]

The pictures attached is my wife, Samoa, trekking thru the White Mtns just before Mt. Washington. The vistiblity was horrible - thank goodness for the cairns.

Although I prefer not to hike in fog, sometimes it is fun - sorda gives you a different feeling...

[Hikes in Rain]

Coming up out of Whitney Gap Shelter heading north, and finally reaching the road (65??), I encountered fog so darned thick I couldn't see across the road, let alone the trailhead down to my left a short way. Completely confusing and disconcerting. Crossed, and finally noticed a white blaze on a post in the ditch, and followed them to the trailhead and onward. (Also killed the views from Wildcat Mountain, the rock ridge on the spur trail to the shelter, although i did take them in during a return hike.)

495

[sarbar]

There is something etheral about walking in the fog-and here in Wa, if you don't hike in the fog..well, you might hike only a small amount of the time.
I love how it is cooler in the fog-especially when it is lit up from above.
Many times the fog blows in and out-especially on the slopes of Mt. Rainier and the Pacific Coast. I lived on an island in the San Juan Islands for over a decade-and if I'd hated fog..I wouldn't have lasted 3 months ;)
Many times you will have 90*+ days of pure sun and blue skies..and wake up to a fog rolling up the valleys in the morning. There is something about that!

The pictures are of trees in the morning, and of the fog in Spray Park..that was a 17 mile day where we saw sun for 2-3 miles? Never did see any summits that day (considering we were right on Rainier's side!)

[neo]

i almost walked off a bluff hiking at night in the rain when it was extremely foggy,i dont hike at night in the fog and rain any more:cool: neo

[Mags]

The year I hiked the AT (1998) was very wet year. Many foggy days!

There is something magical about walking in the fog. Esp. in the thick woods of the southern Appalachians. You almost expect to see some elves coming up on white horses.

Anyway, I have one pic from my AT hike I absolutely love. My good camera died on that trip, but was able to take this picture. Gotta do the AT again with a better camera (and I'd like to think better photograph skills! :)

This photo was from Bly Gap. It is the well known tree there. Not too far from the NC border.

http://www.magnanti.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1946

Having said all that, I am glad I live in Colorado with nearly 300 days of sunshine a year. ;)

[Almost There]

Bad things happen in "The Fog"!!!

Honestly, I like hiking in the fog at times, except when vandals messed with the trail near Buzzard Rock just north of Damascus. I was going SOBO with Orangebug and was ahead of him. Heading up to Buzzard the wind was bad when I hit the clearing and so I didn't want to mess around. I come up to the rock it's foggy and see the blazes on the rock and right on the side of the rock is a pole with a blaze leading down into a ravine. I can sort of see how you would get down there and see what I think is a blaze at the bottom. Needless to say it was a white plastic bottle. So now I had to turn around and go hand over hand back out...it was easier going down. As soon as I am up I look to my right and sure enough there is a blaze on the ground I missed in the fog. Funny thing is Orangebug went and did the same thing, and both of us being angry, neither of us thought to move the post until we were at least a mile or two down the trail. Needless to say I didn't see him for two hours after the ravine incident, thinking he had passed me when I was down there I waited in two different spots for him. The last spot being Lost Mountain Shelter where I was ready to try and catch up with him, I was just getting ready to get up when I see him coming in. I had to laugh when he told me what happened and I even confessed to having done the same thing.

[chicote]

I was taking my friend on his first backpacking trip from Carver's Gap to the Doll flats. We got a late start and ended up hiking at night in some really intense fog. I figured we'd better spend the night at the Barn because we were moving so slow. We couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of us. I almost walked right into the barn. I stopped about 3 feet short of it. I like the fog too but only when I know the area. It did lead to a nice surprise the next day when it was pretty clear and Bryan got to see the balds for the first time even after hiking them the night before.

[Footslogger]

Fog does neat things to spiderwebs ...

'Slogger

[The Solemates]

its katahdin, cant you tell?
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=346f&.dnm=a3ed.jpg&.src=ph

knife edge
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=346f&.dnm=26a7.jpg&.src=ph

clingmans
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e3bd&.dnm=af51.jpg&.src=ph

smokies
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e3bd&.dnm=bc10.jpg&.src=ph

acadia NP
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=346f&.dnm=efa9.jpg&.src=ph

cloud pond, me
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=bf02&.dnm=aab6.jpg&.src=ph

bartram trail
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=d214&.dnm=1b8fre2.jpg&.src=ph

Walasi-Yi
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=4dcf&.dnm=408a.jpg&.src=ph

from blood mtn
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=4dcf&.dnm=5c60.jpg&.src=ph

my favorite: Ozarks, AR
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=8792&.dnm=f418.jpg&.src=ph

ozarks in the rain and fog
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=8792&.dnm=a976.jpg&.src=ph

iowa hiking
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=bab4&.dnm=b83cre2.jpg&.src=ph

mt mansfield, vt
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=edba&.dnm=5f57.jpg&.src=ph

whites
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=edba&.dnm=b531.jpg&.src=ph

whites
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=edba&.dnm=6bbe.jpg&.src=ph

whites
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=edba&.dnm=63a1.jpg&.src=ph

mt washington
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=edba&.dnm=c514.jpg&.src=ph

smokies
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e66d&.dnm=4818.jpg&.src=ph

finally, above the fog (rocky top)
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e66d&.dnm=4ce8.jpg&.src=ph

smokies
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e66d&.dnm=9b49.jpg&.src=ph

smokies
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=e66d&.dnm=2cb3.jpg&.src=ph

blood mtn
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=ac8b&.dnm=9a11.jpg&.src=ph

grayson highlands
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=ac8b&.dnm=e3fc.jpg&.src=ph

near Erwin
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=7854&.dnm=6ea0.jpg&.src=ph

whites
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=a2d6&.dnm=8605.jpg&.src=ph

100-mile wilderness
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=a2d6&.dnm=6427.jpg&.src=ph

watauga lake
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=c56a&.dnm=4e15.jpg&.src=ph

below 0 in WV
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=d6ea&.dnm=60bcre2.jpg&.src=ph



:)

[The Solemates]

another favorite, blood mtn
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=9370&.dnm=f5ce.jpg&.src=ph

[MisterSweetie]

its katahdin, cant you tell?
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=346f&.dnm=a3ed.jpg&.src=ph

HA!! not sure I like hiking in that much fog.... :) :)

[MisterSweetie]

http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/51/image67it.jpg

my contribution.

[neo]

another favorite, blood mtn
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartne/detail?.dir=9370&.dnm=f5ce.jpg&.src=ph

now thats an awesome picture:cool: neo