Big Storm

[G-WALK]

There is a big storm rolling throw Western NC, North GA now. Heavy rain, wind and lightning maybe some snow after (up high that is). What do you do if your out and you know its coming?

[WingedMonkey]

There is a big storm rolling throw Western NC, North GA now. Heavy rain, wind and lightning maybe some snow after (up high that is). What do you do if your out and you know its coming?

Nights like that make me love my tent.
:p

[couscous]

Sounds like a survey question.
A) Ignore the storm?
B) Put on rain gear and continue at normal pace to your planned destination?
C) Accelerate your pace to the next shelter?
D) Stop and set up your tent/tarp/hammock before the storm arrives?

Some factors might be - the time of day the storm was arriving, how far to the next shelter, if your schedule allowed for a short day, etc.

[TallShark]

considering the severity of this particular storm, which is just about to rear its head at my house, I would say pitch the tent and make sure the stakes are in good. If you're in a shelter get top bunk and try to ride it out.

[10-K]

Sounds like a survey question.
A) Ignore the storm?
B) Put on rain gear and continue at normal pace to your planned destination?
C) Accelerate your pace to the next shelter?
D) Stop and set up your tent/tarp/hammock before the storm arrives?

Some factors might be - the time of day the storm was arriving, how far to the next shelter, if your schedule allowed for a short day, etc.


B for me...

Last night was pretty rough around here and it's still raining right now (6:30). Mornings like this take some real effort to get rolling.... Wet tent, stuff getting wet while you're trying to pack up, slogging through mud and if you're lucky the trail has been transformed into a creek.

It's almost enough to make you wonder if this quest of a lifetime was a good idea after all...... :)

The good news is that it's going to clear up today and the next several days are calling for pretty nice, warm weather.

[Migrating Bird]

If I am hiking, I just keep going, no big deal unless I am up high and exposed, then I try to decend. Packing up in the rain is no problem now that I use a hammock and trap. My tarp is big enough to prepare breakfast, get dressed and pack up everything before the tarp comes down. If it's really raining hard, I put my pack and Packa on before I take down the tarp. Then the tarp comes down and secured in it's bishops bag and I just slip the tarp under the Packa in an outside side pocket (not where I like to carry my tarp but it works) and after a quick look around, I'm off.

[Pedaling Fool]

Moving thru here right now http://imapweather.com/ Cool map, because you can zoom in on your location.

[Tipi Walter]

I spent last night in a yard camp during the big storm in my MSR Fury tent (apt name) and got to watch the festivities. Lightning blasts captivate the rodents of which I am a nylon-sequestered member. Wind whipped around the tent but I had it guyed out with all 20 stakes(!)with 12 fly guys just for high winds. I can get by with "just" 18 stakes on trips where I set up on high open balds and need the extra pegs. It looks to be a great solo tent suitable for long backpacking trips and further testing. See below fotogs.

http://www.trailspace.com/assets/4/7/2/54386/BACKYARD-FURY-007.jpg

Here it is.

http://www.trailspace.com/assets/4/7/9/54393/BACKYARD-FURY-009.jpg

As far as being out during a bad thunderstorm, well, I carry a little radio to get impending Death Storm Reports and usually listen and go from there. One time I was on a 3,500 foot ridge above Slickrock Creek and I heard on the radio of a storm coming east from Nashville with "100mph winds." I packed up the gear at night and pulled a nighthike down a two mile trail to get off the spine.

I've been in hundreds of lightning storms and one time in '84 I was atop Horn Hill in Watauga County, NC when a nasty lightning storm spooked me enough to unpeg the tent and drag it a hundred yards down the mountainside to set up on a slope. You do what you have to do. Many times I've been in the belly of the beast at high elevation camps (for the Southeast), and basically squatting while waiting to die, etc. The memorable ones were the zaps and bolts and white pows with the thunder claps all happening at the same exact time. Not good. When the white flash and the cannon roar occur at the same time, you will freak out and pray to your God, whoever that may be, to allow you to live a few more minutes. Orifices will pucker and sphincters will either clamp shut or spew, depending on ZAP severities and Certain Death Potentialities. The next morning when the sky is blue and calm, you'll forget about how you wept in a fetal ball and you'll pack up and keep hiking. No sweat.

[10-K]

I spent last night in a yard camp during the big storm in my MSR Fury tent (apt name) and got to watch the festivities. Lightning blasts captivate the rodents of which I am a nylon-sequestered member. Wind whipped around the tent but I had it guyed out with all 20 stakes(!)with 12 fly guys just for high winds. I can get by with "just" 18 stakes on trips where I set up on high open balds and need the extra pegs. It looks to be a great solo tent suitable for long backpacking trips and further testing. See below fotogs.

.

Are you going to be out around the BMT in April? I'm coming through there - be nice to meet you and help lighten your load of hoop cheese... :)

[Tipi Walter]

Are you going to be out around the BMT in April? I'm coming through there - be nice to meet you and help lighten your load of hoop cheese... :)

Hey, give me your projected dates at any of the following spots and I'll try to check in with you:
** Sandy Gap
** Brookshire Creek crossing.
** Tellico River road crossing and Sycamore Creek up to Whiggs Meadow.
** Beech Gap crossing and the Fodderstack to Farr Gap.
** Slickrock Creek crossing.

I could meet you at any of these if you have an approx date when you'll be at one of them. Maybe you'll be pulling a zero near Green Cove(Tellico River)?? I'm planning a usual long April trip so maybe we can link up. I will not be humping my neck-carried cheese hoop and instead will be taking a large barrel-keg of medjool dates suspended in a marsupial hanging pack, etc etc.

[10-K]

Hey, give me your projected dates at any of the following spots and I'll try to check in with you:
** Sandy Gap
** Brookshire Creek crossing.
** Tellico River road crossing and Sycamore Creek up to Whiggs Meadow.
** Beech Gap crossing and the Fodderstack to Farr Gap.
** Slickrock Creek crossing.

I could meet you at any of these if you have an approx date when you'll be at one of them. Maybe you'll be pulling a zero near Green Cove(Tellico River)?? I'm planning a usual long April trip so maybe we can link up. I will not be humping my neck-carried cheese hoop and instead will be taking a large barrel-keg of medjool dates suspended in a marsupial hanging pack, etc etc.


I have no idea at this point - I'm starting at Springer on the 11th and hope to do 20-25 mile days. I do have a drop at Green Cove Hotel and if I get there after lunch I'll probably just stay call it a day and spend the night.

PM me your phone number and I'll text you when I get rolling and have an idea of where I'm going to be (assuming you carry a phone ...).

[BJStuart]

I spent last night in a yard camp during the big storm in my MSR Fury tent (apt name) and got to watch the festivities.

That looks exactly like my old Moss tent; I think MSR bought them out? That was a bomber tent, I was in some nasty storms in that & it never leaked a drop. The coating on it went all sticky eventually but I'm really tempted to get that Fury...

[sherrill]

The memorable ones were the zaps and bolts and white pows with the thunder claps all happening at the same exact time. Not good. When the white flash and the cannon roar occur at the same time, you will freak out and pray to your God, whoever that may be, to allow you to live a few more minutes.

Yeah, have been through some of those. Couple of times had the hair on my arms rise up, and smelled ozone afterwards.

[Tipi Walter]

That looks exactly like my old Moss tent; I think MSR bought them out? That was a bomber tent, I was in some nasty storms in that & it never leaked a drop. The coating on it went all sticky eventually but I'm really tempted to get that Fury...

You should as the new Fury tents do not have the hateful sleeves as they went with clips(see fotog). I got buckets of rain for this mean storm and not a drop came into the tent, although I used up 2 and a half tubes of McNetts seam sealer before the storm hit.
http://www.moontrail.com/details/msr/fury/fury-11-grp.jpg

[BJStuart]

You should as the new Fury tents do not have the hateful sleeves as they went with clips(see fotog).

Yeah, I got used to the sleeves but they were pretty painful. The clips look like a nice improvement.

[RichardD]

Well, I was camped at Betty Creek for said storm in my hammock, we knew it was coming so camped at the low point of the trail rather than the previous shelter. The lightning was incredibly intense but no ground strikes within about a quarter mile. Rain turned to hail and snow, a large heap of snow on the ground along side the tarp. We were sheltered by Rhododendrum so the wind intensity was somewhat reduced for us.
Much worse was the storm about a week earlier, camped in hammock by Trey Mountain shelter, did not know storm was coming. A huge lightning bolt hit next to camp, no discernable gap between flash and bang. Wind had my hammock bouncing, actually bumped me clear of the hammock at one point, tarp roaring with wind. I really expected to be dumped on the ground or soaked if stakes gave way but everything held. The intense part of the storm lasted about a minute. I did not like it!!!

[El Jefe]

Richard,

That is one of my biggest fears being in my hammock during a big storm like that! Glad to know you can ride it out ok. How did you find out the storm was coming?

[rsmout]

So, if you're in your tent and you have aluminum poles and stakes surrounding you, does that make you more impervious to lightning (like a Farraday cage, shorting out the current), or do you end up as a hot nylon taco?

[brian039]

Wake up early and try to beat everyone else to the shelter so I get a spot!

[Ashevillian]

I just got back from hiking from Sam's Gap south. Monday it was in the 70's, severe storms Monday night, woke up to about 3" of snow Tuesday morning. That was a blessing, I filled my pot, cup and water bottle which let me lay around until it warmed up. My little Hubba always gets me through the worst of weather!

[Bare Bear]

Any discussion of backpacking gear should always include the 'real weight' versus the manufacturers lie about the weight. Just saying.....