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Moose2001
02-28-2005, 17:25
Just pulled this off the Weather Channel. Sounds like everyone's on the trail is going to see some serious white stuff! Hope everyone has a nice warm place to hole up in!!

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

...BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS TN-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS TN-JOHNSON TN-LEE VA- RUSSELL VA-SCOTT VA-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS TN-SOUTHEAST CARTER TN- SOUTHEAST GREENE TN-UNICOI TN-WASHINGTON VA-WISE VA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... ABINGDON... BRISTOL VA... ERWIN... GATE CITY... GATLINBURG... JONESVILLE... LEBANON... MOUNTAIN CITY... NORTON AND WISE 229 PM EST MON FEB 28 2005
... HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST (3 PM CST) TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN TN HAS ISSUED A HEAVY SNOW WARNING.

RAIN... AND RAIN AND SNOW MIX WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE TUESDAY. PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO ONE-QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

SNOW SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH TO FLURRIES TUESDAY NIGHT.

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST. SNOWFALL INTENSITIES WILL BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES....

A-Train
02-28-2005, 19:39
You April and May starters are smart (and soft :) ) If you were leaving in the next couple days, might pay to wait this one out. Tomorrow is the big 3/1 plunge off Springer

ed bell
02-28-2005, 19:52
Mt. LeConte had 5 inches as of 7:30AM, while Mt. Mitchell had 10 inches. Looks like much more has fallen since and more is on the way. Wind looks to be a big factor over the next 24 hours. Not sure what its gonna be like at Springer, but this type of weather comes with the turf in Feb and March. I have been in snow as late as May 8th above 5000ft in the Southern Apps.:eek:

Footslogger
02-28-2005, 20:01
Kinda makes me glad I'm out in Wyoming. In 2003 it was rain. Maybe snow will be the nemesis of the 2005 AT Class. Just no way that snow can last as long as the rain did in 2003 though.

'Slogger

Capt Chaos
02-28-2005, 20:13
I am going up to LeConte on Friday with WILDCAT '04. There is solid sheets of ice up the trail we are taking. Supposibly 2 inches thick in a lot of places. We are taking our instep crampons just in case. It is gonna make out for a fun trip, thats for sure.

I LOVE SNOW:banana

Moose2001
02-28-2005, 20:17
Hey 'Slogger......BITE ME!!! If this turns out to be a snow year like it was a rain year in 2003, I'm going to hunt you down for cursing us!!

halibut15
02-28-2005, 20:19
Kinda makes me glad I'm out in Wyoming. In 2003 it was rain. Maybe snow will be the nemesis of the 2005 AT Class. Just no way that snow can last as long as the rain did in 2003 though.

'Slogger
Amen, 'Slogger, Amen. 2003 was a rough year for sure. I met a hiker that summer that had nearly drowned in a stream crossing in the GSMNP. He jumped up to the AT after that to finish his trip to avoid that sort of thing. The rain was kinda fun though after a week or two in it...:banana

Brushy Sage
02-28-2005, 21:59
I drove from Maryland to Asheville today (Monday). The major part of the storm had moved into Virginia, north of Roanoke. As I came across Sams Gap into North Carolina, I-26 was clear, but the light rain that was falling was beginning to look crystaline on the windshield, and the ice trucks were treating the road both in NC and TN. The higher ridges appeared to be FULL of snow. Madison County (from Max Patch to Big Bald Mountain on the AT) has a heavy snow warning for tonight, as the storm gets in its last blow at this section).

Footslogger
02-28-2005, 22:24
Hey 'Slogger......BITE ME!!! If this turns out to be a snow year like it was a rain year in 2003, I'm going to hunt you down for cursing us!!==================================
Don't forget ...I AM flying back east to hike from Kincora to Damascus this year. But, oh yeah, that will be in May ...and the snow HAS TO BE gone by then !! Besides, I've got enough snow to deal with out here as it is !!

'Slogger
AT 2003

ed bell
03-01-2005, 12:11
Mt. LeConte reported a low of 3 degrees last night. Snow depth was at 10 inches as of 7:30AM this morning. For those not familiar with Mt. LeConte, it is about 6 or so miles away from Icewater Springs Shelter in the Smokys.:cool:

orangebug
03-01-2005, 12:24
Well, today Atlanta got a dusting of snow as a wake up surprise.

I bet those on their March 1 starts are having an interesting time.

Jaybird
03-01-2005, 12:30
we got about a 1/2 inch of SNOW & ice here in Middle TN (near Nashville) but ck out the SMOKIES....near the A.T.


http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmpkcam/grsmpkcam.cfm


those EARLY STARTERS are KNEE DEEP in it! :D

ed bell
03-02-2005, 17:18
Final total on Mt. LeConte as of 7:30AM March 2nd was reported to be 16 inches. The low last night was -4degF. Downright wintry for sure. I guess you would say its been "In Like A Lion" for the Southern Appalachians.
:sun

Moose2001
03-02-2005, 18:19
Ouch....I'll bet the Grand Prix was full of hiker trash!

Brushy Sage
03-03-2005, 11:21
Our Carolina Mtn Club trail maintenance crew is scheduled to work on Pump Gap loop near Hot Springs on Friday (this trail is contiguous with the AT for a short stretch). Lower elevation, temp in the 40s. The higher elevations are still pretty difficult to access. I imagine any northbounders who have made it to NC are pretty much still off the trail.

Brushy Sage
03-04-2005, 19:39
Well, at least one northbounder is making time, snow or no snow. Today we talked briefly with a woman north of Hot Springs on the AT, moving fast. She said she is from Alaska, and that she left Springer Mtn in February. She is about 5'5" tall, brunette, and admitted to being 52 yrs old. Her backpack was very small, so I gather that she is either an ultra/ultra/liter or is getting some logistical assistance along the way. She said she has hiked in lots of snow, and has not had to share a shelter with others as yet. Anybody recognize her? We forgot to ask her trail name.

Brushy Sage
03-08-2005, 09:27
A little wakeup surprise for AT hikers in North Carolina this morning (Mar 8). Just means walking a little faster!

Nowcast as of 6:38 am EST on March 8, 2005
Now
A band of heavy snow will affect the North Carolina mountain counties along the Tennessee border through 730 am. Reports of a quick inch of snow and near white-out conditions have been received from the higher elevations along the Tennessee line. Areas from Waterville to Marshall...Burnsville...Bakersville and Newland will see a period of heavy snow with an inch or two of accumulation. From Asheville to Waynesville and Cullowhee there will be a period of heavy snow from 7 to 8 am...with up to an inch on the grass.

SGT Rock
03-08-2005, 12:08
It is snowing down here in Maryville, but it is too warm to stick. But they expect more to stick above 2,000'. As I understand it, the trail from about Double Spring to Charlie's Bunion is ice and snow. According to a friend, the rangers are telling him there are a lot of thru-hikers down in Gatlinburg waiting for the weather to get better, but this is unconfirmed.

Goon
03-08-2005, 12:38
It snowed pretty hard this morning at my house, about 10 miles south of Springer! Too warm to stick.

Jack Tarlin
03-08-2005, 13:26
I am frequently asked:

"Do you think it's a good idea to start before 15 February?"

My frequent answer:

"No, I dont."

SGT Rock
03-08-2005, 13:33
I am frequently asked:

"Do you think it's a good idea to start before 15 February?"

My frequent answer:

"No, I dont."

Good point. How about a 10 March start date?

Jack Tarlin
03-08-2005, 13:57
I think 10 March is fine, assuming you know what you're doing, have adequately prepared (as far as gear, appropriate clothing, planning for a slower pace/bringing extra food, etc.) and are going into this knowing you have a MUCH greater likelihood of running into protracted periods of bad weather than most folks leaving only a few weeks later.

Every few years, there's an early spring and folks report wonderful weather and easy going in early/mid-March. You never know what you're going to get; all the more reason to prepare for the worst.

But for most folks, 10 March is fine, as long as they know what they're getting into.

(One note: Most folks that leave before 15 March end up taking more down time/zero days/ town days that they'd originally planned. If you plan to leave Springer before this, there's an excellent chance you'll be taking some extra time off, meaning adjust your schedule/itinerary accordingly, and add a couple hundred dollars to your trip budget. Bad weather will slow you down, and extra town time will cost you money. There are many folks who start early, and later on wish they'd pushed it back a week or more, since they ended up "losing" a week anyway, what with late morning starts because of bad weather, extra breaks during the day because of the same, early stops to the hiking day, like hiking til 3 instead of dinner-time, and extra time in hostels or motels).

SGT Rock
03-08-2005, 14:03
Thanks Jack. 10 March has been my planned start date for a while, but as I sit here, a couple of days from that date this year, I see what snow is building up and I wonder if that is a good day. Of course now that I live this close to Springer and the first 200 miles of the trail, I can always take some zeros at home if the need arose.

Nean
03-08-2005, 15:04
I like an early start because it doesn't seem as crowded. I just took 4 spring breakers down to Hot Springs from Allen Gap. We got 4" of wet snow at 2000' and they reported a foot up on Big Butt- yesterday. Low 20,s predicted next few nights. Sure is beautiful from my window though!

SGT Rock
03-08-2005, 15:08
It looks nice from here too: http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmpkcam/grsmpkcam.cfm

http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmcam/grsmcam.cfm

The second camera is right up on the mountain behind my house and down the road about two miles or so.

tlbj6142
03-08-2005, 17:51
While I doubt I'd ever do a thru-hike of the AT, if I were to do one, I think I'd lean more toward an early start. Just to avoid the heat. Sure you'd have to deal with bad weather once in a while, but if you are prepared (plenty of clothes, maybe some ice traction device [screw-shoes, stabilicers, etc.]) it shouldn't be an issue.

There are probably other ways to avoid the summer heat besides starting early. Other suggestions? Maybe HF to Katahdin starting in May? Though that would make it quite hot in the south. I suppose a 'standard' SOBO hike would be fairly cool.

Chip
03-08-2005, 18:11
Was up on the AT at Garenflo Gap this past Sunday for trail maintenance, clean out few water bars, cleared out a few small trees. Beautiful sunny day. Looking back at Bluff Mountain all snow covered, know for sure theres snow up at Max Patch too. The temp was in the high 40s. Monday night the cold front moved in and with it the more snow. So far only one thru hiker had signed in the register at DeerPark Shelter on 3/5, "Climbing Chris" . He was headed to Hot Springs just another 3.2 miles up the trail. SO ALL YOU EARLY BIRDS BE READY FOR ALITTLE
SNOW here in the mountains of WNC.
HAPPY TRAILS,
Chip:)

Nightwalker
03-08-2005, 21:47
I am frequently asked:

"Do you think it's a good idea to start before 15 February?"

My frequent answer:

"No, I dont."
Where the heck are you posting from?

:D

Nightwalker
03-08-2005, 21:50
Good point. How about a 10 March start date?
Last year I left on March 15th and got covered up pretty good on Standing Indian. I'd imagine in the Smokies it was much worse.

I'm leaving on the 26th this year. I expect much better weather, but am still taking no chances. Layers, layers layers!

:D

MedicineMan
03-09-2005, 00:57
woke up to 6.5inches and I'm 2.5 miles from Hughes Gap and same elavation...and mighty cold today

plodder
03-09-2005, 05:51
Thanks Jack. 10 March has been my planned start date for a while, but as I sit here, a couple of days from that date this year, I see what snow is building up and I wonder if that is a good day. Of course now that I live this close to Springer and the first 200 miles of the trail, I can always take some zeros at home if the need arose.
Now that you're a gramp you're allowed to get a Farmer's Almanac. Daylight chart was illuminating. Hope all is #1 on your homefront.

Jack Tarlin
03-09-2005, 11:24
Frank--

Since you asked, am presently posting from Miss Janet's in Erwin. Will be here for a few days before heading South and West.

And re. local weather, two hikers bailed from Erwin yesterday and got rides up to Kincora, not wanting to deal with the Roan Highlands, as there are alledgedly 2-3 foot drifts in places with the possibility of more to come (yesterday was a school snow day in Erwin, and they almost cancelled today as well, so that means it's gotta be a lot worse the higher up you go).

To add a comment to my last post, I've talked to many hikers over the years who wished they'd pushed their start dates back a week, with one guy's comments particularly memorable: "If I knew I was gonna end up taking zero days in shelters; have five or six days when I started late and knocked off early; had to kill countless hours in shelters waiting on weather improvement; had to go into three towns I hadn't originally planned on or took extra days on the towns I had planned on.....geez, I coulda started two weeks later and you know what? Even if I started 2 weeks later, I'd have only been three or four days behind my original schedule and I'd have saved around three hundred bucks."

Bad weather will also force some folks to either skip beautiful sections of the Trail (like the Highlands) or will force them to inconveniently and sometimes expensively re-plan their trips so they can return later on to hike the parts that bad weather forced them to skip.

Bad weather early on will also knock a lot of folks off the Trail for good, folks who otherwise might have stuck it out if they hadn't gotten slapped around by harsh conditions so early on in the trip.

The people that are running into problems now are folks that most likely started somewhere between 5 and 10 February.

Something to think about for you folks planning an "early' start next year.

Brock
03-09-2005, 12:01
Unfortunately, it looks like some people weren't prepared for the weather you are all discussing. Lets hope they all get home safe.

http://us.cnn.com/2005/US/03/09/hikers.stranded.ap/index.html

Brushy Sage
03-09-2005, 15:05
Frank--

Since you asked, am presently posting from Miss Janet's in Erwin. Will be here for a few days before heading South and West.

And re. local weather, two hikers bailed from Erwin yesterday and got rides up to Kincora, not wanting to deal with the Roan Highlands, as there are alledgedly 2-3 foot drifts in places with the possibility of more to come (yesterday was a school snow day in Erwin, and they almost cancelled today as well, so that means it's gotta be a lot worse the higher up you go).

To add a comment to my last post, I've talked to many hikers over the years who wished they'd pushed their start dates back a week, with one guy's comments particularly memorable: "If I knew I was gonna end up taking zero days in shelters; have five or six days when I started late and knocked off early; had to kill countless hours in shelters waiting on weather improvement; had to go into three towns I hadn't originally planned on or took extra days on the towns I had planned on.....geez, I coulda started two weeks later and you know what? Even if I started 2 weeks later, I'd have only been three or four days behind my original schedule and I'd have saved around three hundred bucks."

Bad weather will also force some folks to either skip beautiful sections of the Trail (like the Highlands) or will force them to inconveniently and sometimes expensively re-plan their trips so they can return later on to hike the parts that bad weather forced them to skip.

Bad weather early on will also knock a lot of folks off the Trail for good, folks who otherwise might have stuck it out if they hadn't gotten slapped around by harsh conditions so early on in the trip.

The people that are running into problems now are folks that most likely started somewhere between 5 and 10 February.

Something to think about for you folks planning an "early' start next year.

Jack, the Carolina Mtn Club trail maintenance crew of which I am a part will be working near Big Bald Mtn on Friday, putting in new posts with blazes -- weather permitting. Maybe we'll see you if you're back on the trail that soon. Come to think of it, that's a bit far if you haven't already started. Well, maybe next time.

Nean
03-09-2005, 15:57
Rain predicted Friday, more snow Sat. Snow sure does have a way of thinning the herd! Wonder if the ultralight veiw contributes to that?

SGT Rock
03-09-2005, 17:33
Nope, according to the local news, the inexperienced male ego contributed to it. Apparently the guys are in jeans and stuff and out on a spring break trip. Six hikers found them, so four stayed with them to help get them warm while two went for help. The local Knoxville station has a news crew camped out at Treemont waiting for the rescure. Looks like three will walk out and one will get a chopper ride. Looks like a case of under informed going somewhere they didn't expect what they should have expected.

Brushy Sage
03-10-2005, 08:35
By late Friday afternoon... an Arctic cold front will begin crossing
the higher terrain... resulting in much colder air... a prolonged
period of strong and gusty winds... and proliferation of snow showers
across the higher terrain. Snowfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches
could fall along the entire spine of the Appalachians... with
accumulations expected to taper to around an inch by early Saturday
morning in lower elevations near the South Carolina and Georgia
border. Higher elevations of the northern mountains could possibly
see accumulations of as much as 6 inches if our current forecast
reasoning verifies. Some of the initial snow showers could be
accompanied by thunder Friday afternoon and Friday evening.

Jack Tarlin
03-10-2005, 12:51
Sage:

Come by Janet's for dinner after your Trail project on Friday. I've been cooking all week and nobody's died yet!

And Rock, you should think about coming by, too.

SGT Rock
03-10-2005, 12:56
Hey, how crowded is it up there? Miss Janet have space for 2.5 hikers? Kristi is up in DC with the daughter and grand baby, so I am house dad for about another week. Me an the boys ain't got nothing going on down here. They get off school Friday and we could come up and spend Saturday night if Ms Janet needs any help. And I would prefer to let someone else cook anyway :D

Jack Tarlin
03-10-2005, 14:12
Give her a call, she'd love to see you, and she wants to know what your favorite kind of cake is.

Let us know what you plan to do.

SGT Rock
03-10-2005, 14:39
I'll look up the phone number, I should have it somewhere. One-Leg may be coming by tommorrow, so I'll probably not do anything until after that. I think taking the boys up to see roan mountain and Erwin sounds like a good weekend trip and seeing you Ms Janet again would be cool. Maybe she can finally prove she can out boil my stove :D

Strawberry Shortcake is my favorite ;)

smokymtnsteve
03-10-2005, 14:48
Strawberry Shortcake is my favorite ;)

Happy B'day Rock!

http://www.tystoybox.com/strawberryshortcake/default.aspx?aid=14&src=O

SGT Rock
03-10-2005, 15:31
That is sick Steve.

smokymtnsteve
03-10-2005, 16:06
That is sick Steve.


sorry sarge :D

tlbj6142
03-10-2005, 16:45
If G'pa Rock wants to collect Strawberry Shortcake "action figures" that's fine. How is that any different than the 40yo geeks that collect Star Wars "action figures"?

The Old Fhart
03-10-2005, 18:47
How is that any different than the 40yo geeks that collect Star Wars "action figures"? I have collected about 30 backpacking stoves, from present up to 70 years old.

Brushy Sage
03-11-2005, 12:07
Our Carolina Mtn Club trail crew went up toward Big Bald Mtn this morning (Fri) and found the peak covered in snow, the ground frozen, and more snow beginning to fall -- so we were not able to put up the new posts for blazes. Forecast for the higher ridges for this weekend is not encouraging.

ed bell
03-11-2005, 18:32
National Weather Service is posting some tough conditions on the TN/NC border today. Looks like some high winds and heavy snow north of the Smokys.
http://averyweather.com/beechmountain/forecast.php

Nean
03-12-2005, 01:54
Snowed several times today but only the last inch stuck. Lotsa wind and cold at Allen Gap, time to throw one more log in the stove

orangebug
03-14-2005, 22:15
A patient and his 5 year old son ran into a copperhead on Stone Mountain last weekend. This is an granite monolith east of Atlanta.

Of course, we have lots of pregnant geese and ducks in the area, also. Pear trees are blooming. Jonquils are past prime. Cherries blossoms are bulging.

Enjoy the snow while yee may.

ed bell
03-14-2005, 23:13
Enjoy more snow mid-week, possibly 6 inches for the high country of NC/TN. Spring is showing up here in Upstate SC though. Looks like the darn lawnmower is coming out.

SGT Rock
03-14-2005, 23:17
Yes, my grass is starting to grow.

smokymtnsteve
03-14-2005, 23:19
Yes, my grass is starting to grow.


mine too ;)

Goon
03-16-2005, 10:19
I'm heading into western NC this weekend, doing the sections from Dicks Creek to Fontana. With this new snow coming down today and tomorrow, plus rainy and cold (lows in the 30s for Robbinsville) weather forecast should I consider carrying instep crampons? Don't know how icey Standing Indian or Albert will be.

Youngblood
03-16-2005, 10:29
I'm heading into western NC this weekend, doing the sections from Dicks Creek to Fontana. With this new snow coming down today and tomorrow, plus rainy and cold (lows in the 30s for Robbinsville) weather forecast should I consider carrying instep crampons? Don't know how icey Standing Indian or Albert will be.Goon,
Just something to keep in mind. You are going to be at high elevations and the weather can get nasty up there. There are several trails off the ridges if you need them around Standing Indian Mountain and some of them can be combined to allow you to bypass some of the peaks if you decide that is what you should do. I don't have my maps out but there must be three of four trails that roughly go down to Standing Indian Campground from the AT as it arcs through that area. Have a great hike and stay out of trouble... you may want to line your sleeping back stuff sack with a NEW plastic bag.

Youngblood

Goon
03-16-2005, 10:44
I don't have my maps out but there must be three of four trails that roughly go down to Standing Indian Campground from the AT as it arcs through that area.
Thanks for the advice! I've already looked at my map for the bypass trails and any side trails in case my friend and I need to bail early. I'm still learning, but hopefully you won't be posting articles next week about me being rescued by some college kids on spring break. :p

Youngblood
03-16-2005, 10:59
Thanks for the advice! I've already looked at my map for the bypass trails and any side trails in case my friend and I need to bail early. I'm still learning, but hopefully you won't be posting articles next week about me being rescued by some college kids on spring break. :pYeah, I hear you but don't be too harsh on folks that need help, sometimes things happen... and it isn't always the weather or a mistake that you would notice before it happened. Me, I'm too chicken to go out in the weather you are facing-- have a great hike and let us know how it went.

Youngblood

orangebug
03-16-2005, 11:42
I'd anticipate avoiding Mt Albert, or at least the steep side trail south of there. There is a segment I recall that was pretty narrow and a long long way down along a shear rock wall.

Goon
03-16-2005, 14:49
don't be too harsh on folks that need help, sometimes things happen...
I didn't mean for that to sound harsh, but sincere but with a touch of humor: I hope I don't come home to find articles on here about me being rescued in the mountains next week! :)

Back to my original question: should I consider ice cleats of some kind, or would that be a waste of pack weight?

orangebug
03-16-2005, 22:37
You should consider instep crampons, but recognize that you probably won't need them. It sounds like it will be a snow event. You will need to be flexible, willing to wait out the weather in shelter of some sort. I really would be careful south of Mt. Albert and be quick to bypass the area.

Nightwalker
03-17-2005, 23:31
I'm heading into western NC this weekend, doing the sections from Dicks Creek to Fontana. With this new snow coming down today and tomorrow, plus rainy and cold (lows in the 30s for Robbinsville) weather forecast should I consider carrying instep crampons? Don't know how icey Standing Indian or Albert will be.
I'm gonna carry Yak Trax for the higher elevations (Franklin through the Smokies). I may need 'em and I may not, but they're light.

Last year, in April, It snowed pretty good up on Standing Indian and points north--and was pretty slippery to boot. I would really liked to have had them then.

Scaper
04-02-2005, 15:33
Snow returned to the Smokies. A couple of inches above 2500 now and still snowing.

Brushy Sage
04-02-2005, 21:22
I hope the hikers are well-protected tonight:

Radar showed that bands of snow were continuing to rotate into the
North Carolina mountains from east Tennessee... and additional
accumulations at high elevations could be quite significant. The
heavy wet snowfall will pack and melt somewhat... but with cooling
temperatures tonight... more of the snow will accumulate and begin to
affect roads.

Also... the winds will combine with the temperature to cause the wind
chill index to fall to close to zero in some locations tonight. The
winds will be strong and damaging... with the highest winds expected
later tonight. Some wind damage was already being reported from
Madison and Avery counties.

owl
04-02-2005, 21:38
there is 5 to 7 inchs of snow on the ground above 3000feet right here between sams gap and camp creek bald and another saturday night at home cause we are just stoking the fire

Brushy Sage
04-02-2005, 21:56
there is 5 to 7 inchs of snow on the ground above 3000feet right here between sams gap and camp creek bald and another saturday night at home cause we are just stoking the fire

Sounds good -- the fire, that is.

Scaper
04-03-2005, 20:56
Some of the highest elevations in the Smokies. 5,000-6000 feet reporting up to 16 inches of snow with higer drifts. Will all melt within a week.

Hyway
04-04-2005, 13:22
Saturday afternoon, I was climbing Courthouse Bald just after crossing into NC on the AT. The wind was howling at least 40/50 MPH. The gust were much higher than that. The wind was blowing the snow up the hill into your face and eyes. Plodding along up this near vertical slope (no switchbacks for this mountain, nosireee), my steps about 6 inches apart, I hear Wildbill, my hiking buddy, asking over the howling of the wind
if we had reached the Hilary Step yet? :) He's a funny guy.

Later after a short hot chocolate break at the snow drenched Muskrat Creek shelter (inside and out) we were postholing through drifts a foot deep, sometimes knee deep when stepping down off rocks and such.

I was actually having fun since I was dressed for it and was feeling quite warm while hiking.


hyway

Goon
04-04-2005, 14:23
I wasn't able to find YaksTraks for my section hike a couple of weeks ago (Dicks Creek to around 85 miles north), but turns out the weather got quite warm on me anyway and didn't need them.

I found a little tiny amount of snow on top of Standing Indian, and it sleeted on me on Albert, but other than that thunderstorms were my bigger problem.

Many thruhikers I met however were already used to the snow in March by the time they got to NC. Several told me that Tray Mountain was fairly hazardous.