View Full Version : Cold and Snow Preparation on Trail: need info
dharmabum
07-13-2008, 03:32
Hello Everyone. I have read that even when starting nobo in ga., at the high elevations, etc. i might be hiking in some snow for the first month or two. i have a few questions,
first, how common is it for me to be hiking through snow at that time of year?
second, i have had experience hiking in snow but not actually camping out in snow or cold weather as such. i need advice. should i bring a lot of "winter" clothes? i will have a lot of layers (of course) . and i guess i can just mail them back home when i am threw with them?
third, what are the weather conditions like on the trail in august and september in maine? :eek:
fiddlehead
07-13-2008, 08:41
1/ You most likely will see a few "dustings" of snow and perhaps even a few inches but unless you start before, say March 15, i doubt the snow will last long.
2/ You may want to have some extra gear or warmer gear for the beginning of the hike (up to Hot Springs, NC) Perhaps a warmer sleeping bag, or, if you don't want to buy another one, add a fleece or microfleece sleeping bag liner (that's what i do)
3/ August and Sept are about the best months for Maine. Should be beautiful but always be prepared for rain in that state. (possibly a little snow same as March in GA)
buy a well rated sleeping bag, polypropeline thermals and fleece layers (and or wool), the key to being comfortable in the cold if you ask me is to not expect to be warm. If your sittin around waiting to get warmer your gonna have a bad time cause its never gonna happen.
...as long as you know your core temperature is high enough for you to live through the night then any residual coldness is just how you feel and not a matter of life and death.
The Old Fhart
07-13-2008, 11:30
On April 2, 1987 there was a snow storm that blanketed the southern A. T. and dumped 3 feet of snow in GSMNP. For the first 2 weeks we were hitting snow drifts up to 2 feet deep in spots. In April, 1988 Big Bald got 6" of snow in one storm. It snowed for 2 days solid in 1998 when I went thru GSMNP in April. In 2001 I hit snow in mid-May near Mt. Rogers. I've also seen 6" of snow on Roan in late April.
Depending on the year you could start earlier and see no snow but I have seen hikers who sent their cold weather gear home at Hot Springs freezing on Mt. Rogers. The best advice is to be prepared. If you don't have adequate shelter you could be in trouble. Most shelters have open fronts and you can get wet if there is a storm with any wind. I use a 3-season tent and have had no problems.
If you have adequate clothing and a 20°F bag you should be all set but the next thing is to have a way to keep it dry as you hike so you can be warm and comfortable when you set up camp.
Be prepared for snow to slow you down. This means extra insulation and extra food, and routes with alternative exit points. When you slow down you need to wear even more clothes also, because you need to pace yourself more to conserve energy. Also, letting people know you might be delayed and having good communication becomes more important. The devil is in the details though. How cold? How wet? How slow?
Research specific to your trip to find out by how much you might get slowed down.
Everyone should go on a long trudge in winter sometime, just for the experience. Make it a controlled exercise, with alternative exits and extra food and clothes and such, but 2-3 days in snow without skis or snowshoes is alot of fun. You actually don't have to go very far, and most likely won't, and 6" of snow is enough to make things interesting. Have a good pair of boots though, with a system for drying your boots and socks. If you want to try making trail shoes work, that's cool, but have some backup plan.
The scenario to keep in mind is when you head out on a trip without snow, and get deep into the woods, and then get dumped on. So one day to get in and 2-3 days to get out, that sort of thing. Same can happen if you break a ski, or sickness or injuries of course. So it is a good idea and lots of fun to recreate these scenarios. You just need snow, and a backup plan. Have fun.
I got stuck in snow in January, and took the wrong logging road.
It turned out OK and was lots of fun and I learned alot, but it could have been worse.
In winter you really don't have to go to that extreme to make things interesting.
whitefoot_hp
07-15-2008, 11:33
what i have observed mostly is that GA and NC weather in the late stages of winter can be very moody. some days you may delayer and hike through 60 degree weather and be fine at night and other nights it can get nasty even down to zero or possibly below.
my plan is always err a little on the cold side but not overpack myself with gear.
Jim Adams
07-15-2008, 11:46
Here in Pa. I learned alot about winter camping long before ever becoming a backpacker by going to the mountains here and staying in a State Park drive in pay to stay campground. It can teach you what you do and do not need equipment wise, teach you how to be comfortable and can be totally safe. My first time in 2 feet of snow at 10* the ranger questioned our gear and then just shook his head. I can still hear his advice as if it was yesterday..."if you are freezing to death, the bathrooms are heated. Stay in there till morning."
geek
Tipi Walter
07-15-2008, 12:15
On April 2, 1987 there was a snow storm that blanketed the southern A. T. and dumped 3 feet of snow in GSMNP. For the first 2 weeks we were hitting snow drifts up to 2 feet deep in spots. In April, 1988 Big Bald got 6" of snow in one storm. It snowed for 2 days solid in 1998 when I went thru GSMNP in April. In 2001 I hit snow in mid-May near Mt. Rogers. I've also seen 6" of snow on Roan in late April.
Depending on the year you could start earlier and see no snow but I have seen hikers who sent their cold weather gear home at Hot Springs freezing on Mt. Rogers. The best advice is to be prepared. If you don't have adequate shelter you could be in trouble. Most shelters have open fronts and you can get wet if there is a storm with any wind. I use a 3-season tent and have had no problems.
If you have adequate clothing and a 20°F bag you should be all set but the next thing is to have a way to keep it dry as you hike so you can be warm and comfortable when you set up camp.
I remember the April '87 snowfall as I was backpacking in the Boone, NC area and was cutting trail to set up a ridgetop tipi and was delayed 10 days due to that deep snow.
I don't know where you were in March of '93 during the big blizzard but I got caught in my tipi with 3 feet of snow and howling winds. It was a blast in all ways and I loved it, but walking in and out was a chore. It sure did shut down Syphilization for awhile.
In the last 7 years I've been backpacking the southern appalachians in the TN/NC mountains and must say the old snows of yesteryear (along with the big hemlocks)have all pretty much disappeared. Milder winters have brought rattlesnakes to the high places as I'm seeing more and more of the old pit vipers.
March and April are still cold months and it's not uncommon to be at a 5,000 foot campsite in zero degrees or worse. I carry the warmest gear I have and though heavy it gives me the freedom to venture where most men don't wanna be, etc.
... i have had experience hiking in snow but not actually camping out in snow or cold weather as such. i need advice. should i bring a lot of "winter" clothes? i will have a lot of layers ...
I strongly suggest you test all your clothes gear in winter/rain conditions between now and when you start. You have to be able to stay warm down to O* in wet and windy conditions, and be able to carry all your stuff 10-15 miles up and down up and down up and down. Its not easy getting it right the first time. A thru-hike, IMO is not the best time to learn basic winter survival skills. Its the time to apply skills learned beforehand. And hey its fun, pitch your tent in the backyard every time it gets nasty between now and your start date. Your neighbors will think you're nuts, but so what.
Building a snow shelter is lots of fun and a great way to test yourself and your clothing. Do it somewhere safe, like after you have pitched your tent or next to a camp, but the idea as with a long trudge with multiple exits is to get tired and wet and to learn your limits but to do so safely.
Bring a couple extra plastic grocery bags, to use on your feet if it actually snows more than 6". Chances are you won't need them, but they weigh nothing. Just put your sock on, and slip the bag over your sock, then put on your boots. The plastic will help to keep your feet drier (not dry... your feet will sweat inside the plastic bag), and will keep your feet a lot warmer.
Also, pack a pair of socks to use in camp only, preferably wool.
Bearpaw88
07-15-2008, 15:22
Hello Everyone. I have read that even when starting nobo in ga., at the high elevations, etc. i might be hiking in some snow for the first month or two. i have a few questions,
first, how common is it for me to be hiking through snow at that time of year?
second, i have had experience hiking in snow but not actually camping out in snow or cold weather as such. i need advice. should i bring a lot of "winter" clothes? i will have a lot of layers (of course) . and i guess i can just mail them back home when i am threw with them?
third, what are the weather conditions like on the trail in august and september in maine? :eek:
Tons of great info. People have run into blizzards in the Smokies all the way through early May. It all depends on the year and the weather. I never ran into any major snow, just flurries, and I left March 1st.
It did get pretty cold. I had a 20 degree bag and ended up buying a liner. I also had mid and light weight long john top & bottoms, and I got rid of the mid weights after the Smokies. I kept all other winter gear till Pearisburg.
If you have a base layer, a warm layer, and rain gear you'll be fine. With my rain jacket and rain pants I would be hot in 20 degrees. A good windproof hat helps too.:)
Happy Hiking
trailfoot
07-27-2008, 22:55
Hello Everyone. I have read that even when starting nobo in ga., at the high elevations, etc. i might be hiking in some snow for the first month or two. i have a few questions,
first, how common is it for me to be hiking through snow at that time of year?
second, i have had experience hiking in snow but not actually camping out in snow or cold weather as such. i need advice. should i bring a lot of "winter" clothes? i will have a lot of layers (of course) . and i guess i can just mail them back home when i am threw with them?
third, what are the weather conditions like on the trail in august and september in maine? :eek:
I left March 1, 2008
Duofold long underwear top and bottom, short sleeve shirt, zip off pants, balaclava, frog toggs and gloves that are wind proof. I had a Mtn hardware phantom 15 with a z-rest foam pad.
This system worked very well for me. I finally zipped off the legs on my pants as they hindered leg movement. Got rid of the z-rest for an air mattress (won't go back). frog toggs are great but bulky. I would recommend a different wind breaker.
coming out of Franklin I ran into a very bad snow storm and cold temps I'd have to say the temps were in the teens that day. The thing I worried about on the trail was ice storms rather than snow. On two occasions I was on top of a bald or a knife edge with exposed rock and the ice was brutal.
As far as snow. I wouldn't worry about it too much. This year was a pretty snowy winter in the north (not sure about the south) but the South didn't have all that deep of snow. It got to shin deep in drifts and I was running Montrail shoes and didn't have any issue. Stay in the shelter and you will be warmer than a hammock. Some shelters are drafty and the cold air will come up from below so your pad or a tarp will stop the draft.
kayak karl
07-27-2008, 23:11
Bring a couple extra plastic grocery bags, to use on your feet if it actually snows more than 6". Chances are you won't need them, but they weigh nothing. Just put your sock on, and slip the bag over your sock, then put on your boots. The plastic will help to keep your feet drier (not dry... your feet will sweat inside the plastic bag), and will keep your feet a lot warmer.
Also, pack a pair of socks to use in camp only, preferably wool.
LOL reminds me of the bread bags my mom saved and put on our feet to walk to school in snow and slush. but we were dry:sun Back then there were no plastic bags, just paper
If you only get snow, consider yourself lucky. You can trudge through snow, even post-holing, relatively safely.
Ice is what you should want to avoid, and seek a fast exit if you can't avoid it. An ice storm can put enough weight on tree limbs or whole trees to cause them to fall all around you. Precip on the ground that lands as ice, or goes through the thaw/freeze process to create icy tread, can be tricky to walk on without high-grade crampons--even dangerous.
Crampons are not typically a part of a NOBOs gear in the South, and I'm not suggesting you buy any. Just be aware of weather forecasts for freezing rain, ice storms, or icy trail conditions and avoid it by staying in town if you can, sit it out at a shelter, or get out as best you can.
Bare Bear
07-27-2008, 23:44
I have seen 6 inches of snow at Stecoah Gap (between NOC and Fontana) in mid April several times. With the 30 mph winds it would be really cold if you are not prepared for it. Otherwise it is great to hike in 50F or colder.