View Full Version : Rainy days
When I started the trail last year I had plenty of them, and I pretty much hated them.. going out hiking in the cold cold rain is no fun. But after a while I kinda got used to it, and at the end of my hike, the rainy days weren't so cold, so they were actually quite fun.
Now we finally have a good winter over here in Israel, and we had some nice storms (nothing to compare with the stuff I had there, but still, it's nice) - and I think that's one thing that changed for me - I like the rainy days. Not only because we need water, to drink, and for our agriculture. I just love the rain. Walking outside and getting wet, and a bit cold, feeling the drops on my face. Addmidebly - the knowledge I will get back home for the night, and get a warm shower, but I know I can also enjoy it without that part. yeah, I turned into a winter person.
Just wanted to share that.
Blue Jay
04-01-2003, 16:18
I agree, I love the rain. Not when its 35 degrees and I'm on a ridge line with lightening, but there is nothing better than a warm summer rain. The smells and colors are enhanced, birds are singing, you see more animals because your scent is less pervasive. The soft gentle sound, even the mud feels good to my feet. The streams are singing. The mist in the south, when a sunbeam breaks through and spotlights the Rhodadendrons. Hell, it's raining I'm out of here.
Hammock Hanger
04-01-2003, 16:34
When we have one of our torrential down pours here in FL, I just want to go out ant walk in it. I usually always sit on my patio and feel the winds and mist around me. It is really great when there is thunder and lightening... kind of like sitting in a shelter watching the storm go by. -- I laugh when I watch everyone run around trying to get out of the rain, I put on my precip and just take my time going to and from my car.
HH
EarlyRiser
04-01-2003, 17:17
rain is wonderful, its so peacful in the woods durring a light downpour. i like to set up camp and just wander around through the forrest for a little while durring storms, you see, hear, and smell so much when it rains. its the best.
I love the mist and fog that hang in the forest after a rain. Really pretty sight. Also love to see fog in a valley when I'm up above it!
ga>me>ak
04-02-2003, 01:54
Love a good storm. Usually walk around the neighborhood or go fishing in our lake. Like HH, i laugh at the neighbors running to escape it, and they think I'm nuts for being out in it...touche'. I also use a pouring rain to check out different gear before taking it out on the trail/camping. Hard to field test gear here in flat Tampa.
Jumpstart
04-02-2003, 18:37
There were a few 100- degree- plus days on the trail in New York last year when I would have PAID for rain. Fun in the warm, not so much in the cold. Or, on ridgelines in the thunderstorms...
No rain, no pain,no Maine.
WrongBridge
04-02-2003, 23:34
You don't even know what rain is until you backpack in the spring in or around the Hoh Valley Rainforest in the Olympic National Park in western Washington! Wow if you want to test raingear to the fullest come on over and go on a hike with me! River crossings become impossible and people have to be air rescued or sit and wait sometimes for days if they don't time their hikes right. I grew up here and the scenery is breathtaking I have grown use to the "RAIN" but sometimes even the ducks have frowns! WrongBridge
steve hiker
04-02-2003, 23:50
Know what you mean about the Olympic Peninsula and Hoh rainforest. I did a b'pack trip there in December 2001 and it not only rained, but SNOWED. I was only 6 miles or so in from the Hoh trailhead when I made camp at Happy Four, and when I woke up there was snow everywhere. It was absolutely awesome, covering the mountains around the Hoh River and cascading from the trees, especially for someone like me from south Louisiana where it never snows.
As to rain, I hate to say it but the West Coast rain is nothing like the drenching downpours we have in the eastern U.S. We can get over 1 inch an hour, with raging winds and lightning to boot. Nothing like that along the Pacific coast, at least what I've seen. The rain out there is rather light. I also hiked along the coast south of La Push during that trip and my Marmot precip held out well.
AmazinGrace
04-03-2003, 09:26
Hey Amtrak,
My partner is from Lebanon and like you, she hated rain when she came over here (at age 16), and she never learned to like it until she started hiking/running with me. The trick is having reasonably decent gear that keeps you dry, and if it fails to do that, at least keeps you warm--now she is unstoppable and will go out in pouring storms--and LOVE it. She also loves cold weather now--she used to hate it. I figure if you warm-blooded Mediterranean folks can learn to love bad weather, anyone can. :)
I live near NYC and people here are ridiculous about bad weather. God forbid they should ever wear a hat (messes up their hair), boots (uncool), or a real rain jacket (as opposed to a designer trench coat). They also won't wear fleece or other warm clothes in winter--they walk around with thin shirts on then wonder why they're freezing all the time! Go figure.
WrongBridge
04-03-2003, 20:11
Steve Hiker,
I beg to differ on the rainfall issue. Washington State on the average only gets 26 inches of rainfall yearly which is not a lot compared to Lousiana's 59 to 60 inches but in the Hoh Rainforest the average is between 143 and 160 inches of rainfall! Now that is a lot of rain! I'm not just a sad man crunching numbers. It is part of my job to record rainfall levels near the Hoh rainforest. Anyway with that said I'm glad you loved the Olympics, I love them too. WrongBridge
:)
steve hiker
04-03-2003, 20:26
To say I loved the Olympic Peninsula is an understatement. That whole area is just awesome. So unspoiled yet (to the untrained eye, at least), compared to most other areas. I'll definitely be back there, when I get a chance.
You have a point about rainfall in the Olympic/Hoh area. It didn't storm very heavy when I was there, but with 140+ inches per year on the westward facing slopes I bet you get some real deluges at times, and then some. The Hoh rainforest is definitely not Seattle.
In '92, it rained 50 of 60 days in May and June. After awhile it doesn't matter
<<In '92, it rained 50 of 60 days in May and June. After awhile it <<doesn't matter.
It matters if you're working on a tan! :banana
The bronzing came with 100 degree weather across VA.