View Full Version : Cold wet hiking
I have done a alot of hiking over the years but have never been faced with the condidtions I was faced with this past week. I was hiking the At through GSMNP and the plan for Wednesday was to hike form Derick Knob to Molly's Ridge, (SB). For those that know this section of the Park, it is considered to be the hardest 6.5 mile piece of the 72 miles in the Park. The wind blew all day on Tuesday and the rain started around 3am Wed. morning. The wind on Thunder Head would just about blow you over and by the time I made it to Spence Field shelter I was soaked to the bone. My only option was to get dry clothes on and get in my bag to warm up. My hiking partner did not make it in untill after 2:00 and with 5.5 miles left to do we had to spend the night there ahnd hike down to Cades Cove because there was no way my partner could do the 16 miles left and finish up by 3:00 on Thursday. To be truthfull, I am not sure I could have finished it up either.
Here's my question. With faced with rainy, windy conditions, is it possible to stay dry and if so how?
canoehead
10-10-2008, 15:38
Yes.......
Good gear and or minimize your movement and stay shelterd.
If staying shelterd is not an option, then move slowly, so you don't over heat and start sweating. ( Layering is the key.). Make sure your rain gear is all zipped up and close your pockets, put the hood on so it won't go down your back, and keeps your hair dry. I have a pony tail down to the middle of my back so I know how important that can be. The only time it has not worked for me is when I was on an expediton in Ecuador, SA. in the rain forest. But thats a different story.
I did not say it would be the most comfortable hike, but it does work
Peace
paradoxb3
10-10-2008, 17:16
i agree fully with canoehead's suggestions, however i believe he may have read the question wrong, such as:
"...is it possible to stay dryer and if so how?"
hehe, personally as far as gear goes, i dont think i've ever seen a fully, permanently waterproof ANYTHING... if you're outdoors, and you're in motion, and its raining, i still say its measured in degrees of how wet you are, rather than how dry you are.
still, great suggestions... better cover, some ventilation that doesnt compromise the cover, and slow down the pace are about all you can do if you've gotta keep moving.
Cool AT Breeze
10-10-2008, 18:09
If you are hiking, it's raining and you are getting cold, it's time to start looking for shelter. Time to put up your tent get dry and get in your bag. If not when hypothermea sets in you start making bad deceisions and then you are in trouble and don't even know it.
Eat. Fat/sugar. Helps me. But then shelter might be wiser.
Keep you energy reserves up. Now when to slow down and chow down. Don't let yourself bonk in conditions where there is a risk of hypothermia. I don't mind being wet as long as I am warm and there wasn't a continuous exchange of cold water for body heat. If in doubt stop and make tea and assess the risks while you still have your wits.
<snip> I was hiking the At through GSMNP and the plan for Wednesday was to hike form Derick Knob to Molly's Ridge, (SB). For those that know this section of the Park, it is considered to be the hardest 6.5 mile piece of the 72 miles in the Park. The wind blew all day on Tuesday and the rain started around 3am Wed. morning. The wind on Thunder Head would just about blow you over and by the time I made it to Spence Field shelter I was soaked to the bone. My only option was to get dry clothes on and get in my bag to warm up. My hiking partner did not make it in untill after 2:00 and with 5.5 miles left to do we had to spend the night there ahnd hike down to Cades Cove because there was no way my partner could do the 16 miles left and finish up by 3:00 on Thursday. To be truthfull, I am not sure I could have finished it up either.
Here's my question. With faced with rainy, windy conditions, is it possible to stay dry and if so how?I'm a little confused, Derrick Knob Shelter to Mollies Ridge Shelter is more than 6.5 miles. Sounds like you made the right decision by stopping. Reading your description leads me to believe that you were basically hiking in storm conditions. The wind coupled with incessant rain simply can't be repelled without having full-on storm gear, and even with more substantial protection you will have to deal with sweat and condensation.
Yes, Derrick Knob to Mollies is more than 6.5 miles. Derrick to Spence Field was the 6.5 miles I hiked and yes the conditions were stormy with rain and high wind. The plan was to go on to Mollies but when my hiking partner made it in a little after 2pm, the decision was not to go farther because of the time and weather. I thing for the most part, it was the sweat that did us in. I did not have on rain paints but from my experiences, its not you legs you have to worry about. Upper body and head is where the heat loss can lead to trouble. I was smart enough to understand even before the very fist sign of hypothermia to get dry and warm which what I did. There was already someone in the shelter in the early stages of hypothermia and only after he did what I told him to do, get in his bag, did he start to warm up.
I guess my answer is to control the sweat because it can cause as much problems as the rain can.
I did have to SB through hikers pass me on Thunder head. They were hiking at a very fast pace and from what I later heard were going from Double Spring to Fontana. They were scheduled to stay at Mollies but decided to go the extra 10.5 miles to get to the showers as Fontana. I hope they made it.
LIhikers
10-10-2008, 22:23
For me hiking in the rain is about staying warm, not dry.
Eat more, hike faster, get in out of the rain are some of the ways to stay or get warm.
sasquatch2014
10-11-2008, 10:19
Its the stopping that causes problems for me. I know I will get wet and I have no issue with that as long as when I do decide to stop I can be in Dry stuff in only a few moments from stopping. On days like this lunch is what I can eat while I walk. The time at camp is frantic when I first arrive because I want Dry clothes on me ASAP and then hot food/fluid but some camp chores have to be attended to in the rain such as water. No point in getting into you dry camp clothes only to get them wet getting water, that is asking for problems. Very seldom do I have issues if I keep moving. If hiking with a partner this can be tougher. I don't like to have to wait for anyone in these conditions and I can only slow down so much before I begin to cool off and that is what I am avoiding until camp.
Speaking of camp I am a big beliver in having a hat to put on once I get to camp to keep my body temp up. I loose a lot of heat out of my smooth dome of a head. I like to let my temp drop once in camp it is easier to let heat out than to build it up. If for the first few moments once dry layered up and with my hat on drinking hot fluid or food I feel a bit flushed then I am just about right. Unzip something or the hat off for a few and I am right on target.
This is one of those things that the more you are out in these conditions or marginal conditions the more you get to know your own body and how to work with it and the conditions. I am not saying run out into every storm out there but if you plan to hike when the weather is expected to be less than sun and blue sky when you are faced with a real storm and colder temps you will know from past experiences that this will not be anything more than another trail "inconvience" and you soon begin to enjoy it more.
I for one am really looking forward to the winter months. Due to my work the dead of winter is also pretty dead for me work wise and so I get to get out a lot more. There is so much more that you will see once the forest is leafless. I have hikes some parts and then hiked them again in the summer months and they were completly different trails.
When you are hiking, there isn't a way to stay dry, you sweat in your raincoat, or it leaches through. Keep hiking while you are wet, and hop in dry camp clothes when you get to camp. You won't want to stop too much if it is cold and wet, but I think it is easier to hike in those conditions than some of the hot days.
Two causes of hypothermia are exhaustion and dehydration. So, do not forget to drink up in the rain. If you stop to rest to prevent exhaustion, you have to keep warm, so stopping to shelter down and get on dry clothes is a good idea. Eat snacks, too, but do not count on food to bring instant energy or warmth. That takes an hour or so. I agree, too, with LIhiker. Keeping warm while hiking in the rain is more important than keeping dry. If you are both wet and cold, watch out. It is often better to camp and get warm than to keep hiking to try to get warm. Shivering is actually a good warning sign. Shivering is your body's attempt to warm you up, and if you are shivering you still have a chance to get warm. If your body is too cold to shiver then you are in trouble.
Blissful
10-12-2008, 19:04
Well if anything, this experience gets you ready for a future of tackling the Whites!!!
And yes, dry clothes and a hat are lifesavers. As is a stove for hot drinks and soup.