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View Full Version : Hike Report - NOC and North 12/18/09



Ihearbanjomusic
12-20-2009, 00:49
Went hiking from the NOC going north yesterday after planning a four day trip for almost a year. Conditions got extremely bad as we went up the mountain, and by the sixth mile, around 4600 ft, it was near blizzard conditions. Ankle deep snow and we were seriously wondering if we had got ourselves in a situation that we could not get out of. Yes...it was that bad up there, and we were prepared. We stumbled back out of the woods to the NOC after 12 mile in six hours of humping it as fast as we could back to the car. Was basically a controlled slide the whole way down and we all fell down about a half dozen times each. The trail was beginning to be covered over with snow and was getting really hard to find as snow began to pile up, except for the white blazes. We were all entering the first stages of hypothermia and took about an hour to stop shaking after we got into the car. Conditions at the NOC were nothing compared to those at elevation. Unless you were there, you have absolutely no idea how horrible they got. It was the only time in my life I really wondered if I was going to make it out.

My apologies to the mountains of Appalachia for not respecting you. Lesson learned.

juma
12-20-2009, 16:53
give yourself a pat on the back for realizing the situation and turning back! there's a lot of people on the stage to abilene sometimes.

kolokolo
12-20-2009, 18:00
Not everyone would have had the presence of mind to bag it when you did. It sounds like you got yourselves into a very dangerous situation, but realized it and took appropriate action while you were still able. If you had gone on, as many hikers might have done, you may never have come out alive.

You were probably disappointed that you didn't complete the hike that you set out on, but I admire what you did.

modiyooch
12-20-2009, 19:22
[quote=Ihearbanjomusic;936263]
My apologies to the mountains of Appalachia for not respecting you. quote] Bingo. I need to mark this thread for anyone that asks "should I take my winter bag, or winter coat?

Waterbuffalo
12-20-2009, 20:27
I was a little south of you on Friday at Winding Stair by 11am it was about 6 inches deep and the road was barely open glad you got got out when you did.

Ihearbanjomusic
12-20-2009, 22:22
Thanks for all the comments. As I mentioned earlier, I have a newfound respect for the weather up there. Just because these are not the rockies doesn't mean that serious situations can't arise. Anybody in the area can agree with me that nobody needed to be in the mountains during this storm. It really bummed us out though that we plan a hike 10 months in advance and of all weekends, it end us cutting us short. However, we all made a resolve to train even harder in the next several months and will be back to finish what we started in the Spring. Mother Nature won this battle but we intend on coming back to fight another day.

takethisbread
12-21-2009, 21:43
Thanks for this tale. That descent is tough even if no snow, I fell a couple times on leaves .

It's always best not to hike into a storm. Good choice.

modiyooch
12-21-2009, 22:44
Thanks for all the comments. As I mentioned earlier, I have a newfound respect for the weather up there. Just because these are not the rockies doesn't mean that serious situations can't arise. Anybody in the area can agree with me that nobody needed to be in the mountains during this storm. It really bummed us out though that we plan a hike 10 months in advance and of all weekends, it end us cutting us short. However, we all made a resolve to train even harder in the next several months and will be back to finish what we started in the Spring. Mother Nature won this battle but we intend on coming back to fight another day.I can relate. We drove 17 hours in a day, one way to the Whites and woke to thunderstorms. We climbed Wildcat in a lightning storm and torrential rains. It was a mistake and I actually feared for our lives. It was also miserable. I kept slipping and I remember lying face down in mud puddles waiting for my husband to pick me up. I almost hung up my hiking boots for good.

DAJA
12-21-2009, 23:05
How does one who is prepared enter the first stages of hypothermia? I think the lesson learned was that you were not prepared and wisely made the correct choice by turning back.

Don't take that as criticism cause you reacted to your situation appropriately. But growing up with Canadian winter, we learn young that venturing out this time of year means lots of good quality layers and a heavy warm bag. Ultra lite or even lite is just plain dangerous this time of year. Hell on day hikes this time of year i'm
carrying 25 lbs of gear.

Glad your safe.

Blissful
12-21-2009, 23:10
Sorry you had a tough time with your trip, but it will be a lesson you will carry with you on future endeavors and you will be glad for it, trust me.

Ihearbanjomusic
12-23-2009, 13:17
DAJA - No offense taken to your comment. Always looking for some enightenment. Got a question...what is the best way to handle a situation where I have been sweating heavily and my wicking shirt is soaked and waterproof rainjacket is soaked on the outside and is not allowing perspiration to escape and then I get seriously chilled once I hike higher in elevation. Besides constantly changing shirts, has anybody come up with a combo or have any gear recomendation that keeps them from getting dangerously cold once they are soaked by sweat/rain/snow? Can anybody provide some guidance? That was the situation I was in last weekend in the snow.

DAJA
12-23-2009, 13:56
It's tough to avoid sweating when hiking and i've never discovered any magic combo that works perfectly. So I use the onion theory which is basically dress in lots of layers and moderate body tempature by removing or adding a layer... Also, once the temp drops below freezing, my outer layers usually are wool as they fuction equally well when wet. I'm not a fan of the modern shells, while they do work well at keeping moisture out they also work equally well at locking moisture in. This isn't a problem in mild weather but can be dangerous in cold weather.

Generally I wear lightweight base layers (generally LL Bean Silk Weight), a midweight marino wool top, heavy wool pants a 200 weight windstopper fleece, and a button down wool jacket with hood when below freezing.

As I heat up I'll loose the wool jacket or fleece, which one depends on if their is percipitation.

Also, when I arrive at camp, I quickly set up and then strip down naked and immediately get in my bag and stay there till morning with my inner layers hung inside my tent to basically freeze dry. Sucks when you first put them on but you quickly warm them up once you get moving. Once i'm in my bag, I don't get out till morning, I cook in it, sleep in it, and carefully take pee breaks in it.

This is my system and has served me well down to temps of roughly -20 c. YMMV

Christus Cowboy
12-23-2009, 14:48
Summit & I hike a 54 mile circuit loop the first week of April from NOC to Cheoah Bald & then picked up the Bartram Trail over to Wayah Bald, reconnected with the AT then hiked north back to the NOC. We literally got all four seasons in one week where we got hit with a nasty snow storm while climbing Jarret Bald on the Bartram Trail... by the time we got to Saw Mill Gap the storm was blowing through the gap sideways. To my best estimate we got hit with about 6 inches though in the Burningtown Gap area the drifts got knee high in some areas... Fortunately, we had what we needed but I did have to go to "Plan B" and be a little resourceful to make things work.... We finally got past the storm front near Tellico Gap before finishing back up at the NOC. All I can tell you is I know from personal experience what you are talking about..... the mountains in Western North Carolina definitely need to be respected.