View Full Version : When it rains..
pattydivins
06-01-2009, 07:01
Do you just keep on walking?
If Im not at my destination yet,then yes. If Im out in an open area and its lighting out then i move even quicker!
What you do when it is raining while on a hike depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a shelter, hostel or tent. Are you presently wet or dry? Do you have to hike some miles to get somewhere, ie. post office or meet someone. What is the weather forcast.
If you are hiking and it starts to rain, most thru-hikers put on rain gear and continue to walk. If you awake and you are dry and it's raining sometimes you just want to wait it out before you pack up and start hiking.
Several times, during my thru, I would get up to rain, put on my pack cover and rain gear and get hiking. If you are a thru-hiker you have to expect to do this frequently. Having to put up with wet gear is part of the thru-hike experience you have to learn to live with.
Always remember: The rain will stop and the sun will shine again.:sun
Thru Hiking - Generally you have more flexibility, fewer hard deadlines, so you can take a more casual attitude and wait out a storm in a shelter or town. Repeatedly doing this will add stress and time constraints later in your hike however.
Section Hiking - Generally you will have a hard deadline. Either you must return to work or meet a ride. Unless you have built some flexibility into your schedule, you will probably have to hike on, no matter what the weather does.
The longer your hike, the more opportunity to make up the time lost waiting out a storm. All hikers will eventually have to resign themselves to the fact that they will be hiking in storms - learn to appreciate their special beauty. Few folks experience storms first-hand, out in them. Most everyday folks hole-up indoors.
warraghiyagey
06-01-2009, 08:27
Stop, put on pack cover, keep walkin. . .
Stop, open umbrella, keep walkin'
In light rain I just put on the pack cover and move on. In heavy rain I also get out the jacket and if it's a really cold rain I add the shell pants.
I love hiking in the rain... It puts a whole new face on the forest around you... Bug free, and generally cool... Toss on the pack cover in a light rain, add a rain shell if it gets real hard... Like Engine, the pants only come on if it gets cold and real wet..
Big Dawg
06-01-2009, 09:06
stop, put on pack cover, & rain suit if temps not warm, & keep walkin...
I actually enjoy a walk in the rain from time to time,,, definitely a different hiking experience,,, makes the woods seem more alive. :D
warraghiyagey
06-01-2009, 09:12
I actually enjoy a walk in the rain from time to time,,, definitely a different hiking experience,,, makes the woods seem more alive.
Good point. . .:)
fiddlehead
06-01-2009, 10:09
I don't know.
I don't know you guys who are saying they just keep walking but from my experiences, whenever it rains on the AT, the shelters fill up, even at 9 in the morning.
I can think of a few instances when i hiked and thought i could maybe get in one for some lunch and a break from rain, but passed 3 or 4 of them that day and they were all standing room only (not any extra standing room though).
So, i munched away on my candy bars and set up that night to a big hunger.
In 95 we had 11 inches of rain in the Shenendoahs. I remember going 3 days and seeing 2 other hikers out in it besides myself.
But at the gathering that year, almost everyone i talked to said they walked through it.
Maybe things have changed since my last thru but most headed for the shelters from what i experienced.
Phoenixdadeadhead
06-01-2009, 10:44
I love the rain. I throw on my pack cover, and I keep walking. If it is coming down hard I will throw my poncho on as well, covering me and my pack, and if it is cold and rainy, I throw on my nylon raincoat, poncho, and pack cover, but I keep walking. If I wake up in the morning and it is raining, I throw on my gear and start walking lol. The only time I stop is if the trail seems too dangerous to walk, when the trail is a 2 mile river dropping 1500 feet, and has drop offs around every corner, then I tend to stop lol.
If happens overnight into the morning I just stay in the hammock until it lets up if I'm on the trail and no lighting just keep on keeping on, lighting i'm heading to the lowest point asap
If you hike long enough you eventually experience rain. If you stopped or hid everytime it rained on the AT than a thru-hike would certainly take much longer. It would have you undercover for long durations - like days - on the AT. Deal with it.
Love to feel the summer rain on my face. It's not poison you know. Let's you know you are alive.
Kerosene
06-01-2009, 13:25
Walking through the woods in a light- to medium-rain can be quite pleasant, as long as you're dry, not too warm or cold, and you've got someplace you can get out of the rain to eat at some point.
When your body is drenched (by sweat or water), your socks are waterlogged, you're nearing hypothermia (or heat exhaustion), there's no end in sight, and you're swearing to yourself; then it's time to think about stopping for the day.
bigcranky
06-01-2009, 14:00
I like walking in the rain if the temperatures are warm enough. It's not quite as much fun when it's 32-F and raining, but it can be done. I find hiking in the rain much more enjoyable if I have a hat with a large brim -- more protection and less sweat, and allows me to hear what's around me. I hate using a rain shell hood.
If the temps are in the 50s or below, it's important to be mentally prepared. Hypothermia makes me stupid (or in my case, even more stupid.) I like to rehearse in my mind every step I'll take when I stop -- drop my pack, dig out my dry clothing, strip off my wet clothing and put on the dry stuff, make a hot drink, etc. Helps a lot when my thinking gets sluggish in a cold rain.
Plodderman
06-01-2009, 14:30
I just keep on walking and if it gets bad I drape my poncho over my pack and keep going.
Big Dawg
06-01-2009, 16:49
I find hiking in the rain much more enjoyable if I have a hat with a large brim -- more protection and less sweat, and allows me to hear what's around me. I hate using a rain shell hood.
Me too. In the past when I used a rain shell hood, I felt like I was in a tunnel w/ no peripheral vision. Now that I use a large brim hat, I can enjoy my surroundings more when it's raining.
I actually enjoy a walk in the rain from time to time,,, definitely a different hiking experience,,, makes the woods seem more alive. :D[/quote]
Glad you included "from time to time"......because rain every day for 2-3 weeks like last year in July and Aug in VT, NH and ME really drowns the novelty of it.
I like these most of the time.........:sun........unless the weather is HOT.....:(
Slo-go'en
06-01-2009, 18:23
The :sun always shines at noon. Or it at least tries too most days.
More often than not, an early morning rain will tapper off later in the morning so if you wait a little to get going, you can stay dry. Also quite often, the rain will tapper off or stop from about 11 am to 2 pm, giving you a break. It's kinda rare that it rains all day non stop, but of course, it can happen if a front stalls over the Appalachians.
The worst are the afternoon T-Storms which if your not quick, can drench you to the bone in a matter of seconds and if your not moving, chill you down real quick, even if it was just real hot out. I try to get under cover and wait out T-Storms if at all possible. Huddled under a ground cloth or tarp is good for this.
Even though we bitch about hiking in all the rain in the spring, come the dog days of summer, we discover it wasn't all that bad and start wishing for a nice cool and light rainy day again.
Jester2000
06-01-2009, 18:29
No pain, no rain, no Maine.
<clip>When your body is drenched (by sweat or water), your socks are waterlogged, you're nearing hypothermia (or heat exhaustion), there's no end in sight, and you're swearing to yourself; then it's time to think about stopping for the day.
...and your underwear is drenched.....hate that!
Blissful
06-01-2009, 19:56
Do you just keep on walking?
Why not?
Glad for rain, as a hiker told me at the picnic Sat. it keeps the springs going.
What to do in rain? Why do this! :D
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs011.snc1/4191_101572050020_563440020_2957508_1424070_n.jpg
WILLIAM HAYES
06-01-2009, 21:03
on a section hike I once hiked for seven days in the rain I actually got use to it after the second day and started enjoying the way the woods felt looked and smelled in the rain-just keep on trucking gear is going to be damp and wet its all part of hiking the AT
It depends on how cold it is. On a hot summer day, rain feels great. Bring it on!
As the temperature drops, I take more and more care to stay dry. Down near freezing, with a strong wind blowing, I make very sure that I have will be someplace dry and warm at the end of the day. For instance, I will bring an extra tarp so I can create a dry space in addition to my tent. In extreme wet/cold circumstances, I'll make a big front porch in front of my tent, change into dry clothes out there, and then go into my tent, so I'm not dragging my wet stuff in there where it's going to get my sleeping bag wet.
bullseye
06-01-2009, 21:27
I really enjoy walking in the rain. Most hikers are holed up somewhere and it feels like you have the trail to yourself at times.
In 2005 I was NOBO at Chairback Gap shelter and Hurricane Ophelia rolled in during the night. I was on a tight schedule so I had to head out in the storm. I often joke that I was hiking the AP (Appalachian River). The only time I was even mildly concerned was going down Chairback Ledges. It wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be, but those wet rocks sure slowed things to a crawl!:D
Big Dawg
06-02-2009, 08:30
Glad you included "from time to time"......because rain every day for 2-3 weeks like last year in July and Aug in VT, NH and ME really drowns the novelty of it.
Yea, I would NOT enjoy ongoing rain for days/weeks. Talk about dreary.:(
pattydivins
06-03-2009, 10:59
Yes too much rain would be miserable- perpetual wetness is not something I want to experience.
My plan for rain gear is just bringing a rain jacket- would I be able to use a trashbag as a pack cover? Is there anything else I should bring?
would I be able to use a trashbag as a pack cover? Is there anything else I should bring?
I prefer using a trash bag for a pack LINER.
Why? I find that newer style packs do not retain water as much as older-style cordura nylon packs. A liner keep the gear nice n' dry inside.
If you have heavier, older style pack that is prone to retaining water, you may want a pack cover. YMMV.
beakerman
06-03-2009, 19:37
Gee a walk in the rain is a free shower isn't it?
My plan for rain gear is just bringing a rain jacket- would I be able to use a trashbag as a pack cover? Is there anything else I should bring?
Keeping yourself dry in the rain is tough, and kinda pointless - keeping your gear dry is essential. You can hike all day soaking wet if it's not too cool, and as long as you have dry stuff to get into, you have a comfy camp.
I double-up and keep all my gear in sylnylon stuff sacks, and use a pack cover. I'm likely to stick my stuffed sleeping bag inside a trash bag, too, since that's the most important item for me to keep dry (down bag). I guess I really triple-up since I use an umbrella, too, and my pack doesn't get much rain on it to begin with.
i'm much more cautious when it's < 60 degrees and raining than i am when it's over 60 and raining
depends how far I am from the next shelter
middle to middle
07-11-2009, 09:01
The Irish call a rainy day a softer day. It is and nicer.
Pedaling Fool
07-11-2009, 09:11
No rain, No pain, No Maine
That's all that really needs to be said, regardless if you're just out for a weekend or on a thru-hike. It's the perfect mantra for trail life.
Well, there's rain, and there's RAIN! In 03 I couldn't figure out why so many thruhikers were griping about the rain; after all it was warm, pleasant rain. But they had spent weeks in it, while I was just starting out.
This May I kind of enjoyed the first couple of days of rain. But on the third day of it, when it turned cold and my precip lost its usefulness, and I was shivering with every step, it wasn't fun at all. Damascus was full to the brim with hikers coming in to dry out.
So, like most have said: I hike when it's warm and wet, but try to find shelter when it's cold and wet.
Blue Jay
07-11-2009, 16:51
Do you just keep on walking?
Such a strange question? What exactly are the other options?
1) Stand there.
2) Sit down.
3) Call for helicopter evacuation.
4) Talk a passing barbell boy into carrying you to a road.
5) Beat yourself to death with a rock.
6) put up your tent and get inside until the rain stops even if it takes a week (I'd rather do #4).
7) Call Lone Wolf to come and get you (this one actually works but he's not always home).
8) Call for devine intervention (same as #6, she's not always home).
9) Call Obama for a bail out (he's never home unless you're rich)
10) There is no #10
Blue Jay
07-11-2009, 16:55
Well, there's rain, and there's RAIN! In 03 I couldn't figure out why so many thruhikers were griping about the rain; after all it was warm, pleasant rain. But they had spent weeks in it, while I was just starting out.
They are STILL griping about it.:banana
Cookerhiker
07-11-2009, 17:13
....8) Call for devine intervention (same as #6, she's not always home)....
I guess since you used the pronoun "she," you're not referring to Andy Devine. He's dead so perhaps he can intervene.
YoungMoose
07-11-2009, 22:36
i mean what else can you do if your not at the destination. Just sit in the rain and wait until its over. So yes i do keep walking. But i first put my pack cover on.