Maryland Winter Weekend Challange ?'s

[jelloitsalive]

Im getting ready to hike the AT Maryland section Heading Southbound. We will leave a friday night this month and set up camp with in a mile or so. Then Saturday morning pack up and hike to I-70 and then Sunday end at Harpers Ferry. I will be hiking with my wifes cousin and friends.

Any tips or advice would greatly be appreciated

I have never been winter weekend hiking before only day trips

What kind of water supply should I bring

I am buying a H. Hammok Expedition (Never used any hammok before) What kind of sleeping pad should I get?

Wana use walmart 0 degree F Comfort rated sleeping bag (only 30$)

Thanks

[flemdawg1]

I hiked this section NOBO on a Feb weekend 2 years ago. You should only need to carry a couple of liters as you'll cross a water supply multiple times a day. I'd suggest keeping the water in a wide mouth bottle as the water will probably freeze each night. You definately will want a full size 1/4" foam pad at least, but for winter hammock sleeping you might want to consider an underquilt. I'm pretty new to hammocking so you might want to consult some one else on that. I used a Big Agnes 15deg Ranger sleeping bag with its included Hinman pad. I also spent a night at the the Free State Hostel one night, and can hardily reccomend it (however being local guys you should be OK without it). Water faucets are at Gathland SP and the Dahlgren Backpack campsite.

[FarmerChef]

Winter hiking can be a great experience. Right now, daytime temps down here are in the upper 30s to low 50s and rising fairly rapid on a week to week basis. Depending on when you leave, you might have days in the 40s to 50s and nights in the teens to 30s. That said, there is always the chance that a clipper could blow in and drop temps to single digits at night and teens during the day. Buying gear just for the 2 months of really cold weather we have out here is going to be expensive, especially since the rest of the year you probably won't want to be sleeping in a 0 degree bag. That said, if you are flexible in your dates, you can assess the weather before hand and shoot for a mild weekend as opposed to a very cold one.

Water supply - right now flowing water isn't frozen over so creeks you pass could be good water sources. Spigots at parks/campgrounds may be shut off to keep pipes from freezing. Not sure about Dahlgren though since they have hot water. Same goes for Washington Monument State Park, Greenbriar State Park and Gathland State Park, all common spots for potable water resupply. Some small springs may freeze at night and thaw during the day. With that in mind, if it were me, I would bring enough water to last until well in the afternoon and then plan to filter/resupply then. Depending on your personal needs that could be one to two liters to get you through (plus what you need to cook with, if any).

Hammock sounds great but make sure you practice with it before you go so you know what to expect. Some of the hangers here can give you much better tips than I on how to stay warm in very cold weather.

Not sure what kind of pad you'll need/want for a hammock. What I can recommend is that you make sure you have good layers to augment your sleep system.

[MDSection12]

Check out page five of this: http://media.dhweb.com/cvb/smra/#/1/ . It lists each notable stop in MD. I use it all the time when I go out for the weekend.

For me the best shelters are Raven Rock, Rocky Run (my absolute favorite,) and Ed Garvey. I would also consider a night at Annapolis Rock, it has a beautiful view, but there is a fire ban which sucks in Winter.

Definitely plan on a burger in Harper's Ferry after you're done... That's the best part of the MD section. :D

[jelloitsalive]

Thanks for all of the great tips.

We will try to make it to rocky run....