View Full Version : Adverse weather on the trail
neonshaw
05-06-2013, 22:38
I have hiked about 450 miles of the trail so far (mainly 50-70 mile sections), so I have some experience, but the bad weather in the east the past 4-5 days - wet, cold, incessant rain - got me thinking: How do you thru hiker types deal with it?
How do you keep you sleeping bag dry? Do you stay in your tent or shelter for more than a day or 2 waiting for it to pass or do you get up everyday regardless and trudge onward? This type of weather (high 40's/ low 50's) can be dangerous as you know. There has to be a lot of miserable people right now in the so. mountains
I think about the thru hiker when a bad weather system consumes the Appalachains for a long period of time.
hikerboy57
05-06-2013, 22:46
I have hiked about 450 miles of the trail so far (mainly 50-70 mile sections), so I have some experience, but the bad weather in the east the past 4-5 days - wet, cold, incessant rain - got me thinking: How do you thru hiker types deal with it?
How do you keep you sleeping bag dry? Do you stay in your tent or shelter for more than a day or 2 waiting for it to pass or do you get up everyday regardless and trudge onward? This type of weather (high 40's/ low 50's) can be dangerous as you know. There has to be a lot of miserable people right now in the so. mountains
I think about the thru hiker when a bad weather system consumes the Appalachains for a long period of time.the more you're out in it, the easier it gets.you dont go out if its really really bad, but i hiked in rain, snow, freezing rain ,etc.i took neros or zeros if it was really really bad out. but when you do go out, you realize you can deal with it,you can get through the day, get into your bag and expect a better tomorrow or maybe the day after?
either way, setting up your wet tent in the rain always sucks.
but you've gotta love the suck
hikerboy57
05-06-2013, 22:47
i use a compactor bag for my clothes and sleeping bag, as well as a sea to summit silnylon pack cover.
People who cancel a hiking trip because rain is in the forecast are missing out on a lot of the experience. When you're doing a thruhike, a long section or really just being out for more than a week you have to expect to run into bad weather at some point. While at times you'll linger in the tent longer or take a zero day, if you did that every time it rained on a northbound thruhike leaving in the spring you'd never make it out of Georgia. By the time all of your stuff is just starting to get fully dried out it rains again. Most of your gear smells like mildew because you're packing up a wet tent every other morning.
It just becomes part of the experience. The first couple of weeks were pretty rough with dealing with the cold and wet and working out weight and gear issues and getting into physical shape. But the day I really realized I was having fun it was pouring down rain. I was moving fast trying to make it to the next shelter and my eyes were on the ground because of all of the wet roots and rocks...at full speed ahead I ran into a tree that had blown down and it was at just the right height that I couldn't see it while looking down but hit me right in the head. I hit it so hard I fell backwards into a mud puddle and was literally seeing stars. When I realized what had happened I started laughing and I just sat in that mud puddle for a long time and laughed.
That night everything froze and we woke up the next morning to big chunks of ice falling on the tin roof of the shelter. When we got back on the trail all the trees were covered in beautiful white ice. As the sun got higher all the ice started melting and ice cube sized chunks of ice were falling all over us. There was probably 6 inches of ice on the trail by the time it was done.
The next day it rained again.
Chaco Taco
05-07-2013, 08:12
I have hiked about 450 miles of the trail so far (mainly 50-70 mile sections), so I have some experience, but the bad weather in the east the past 4-5 days - wet, cold, incessant rain - got me thinking: How do you thru hiker types deal with it?
How do you keep you sleeping bag dry? Do you stay in your tent or shelter for more than a day or 2 waiting for it to pass or do you get up everyday regardless and trudge onward? This type of weather (high 40's/ low 50's) can be dangerous as you know. There has to be a lot of miserable people right now in the so. mountains
I think about the thru hiker when a bad weather system consumes the Appalachains for a long period of time.
You spend $$$ on gear for this reason. Hiking in day after day of rain is tough sometimes but its all part of it. Hikerboy is correct, liner and pack cover is the ticket. You can get away with using just one, but I like the added security of having my stuff stay dry. I place my tyvek gorund cloth inbetween the stuff I want to really stay dry and my tent and stove and food. I recently purchsed a Sil Dry Sack from Sea To Summit to replce my contractor grade liner and have been pleased but it hasnt really been put to the test yet. Our walk in the 100 Mile Wilderness was 5 days of HEAVY rain. It wore on us mentally but Whiskey and herbal inspirartion helped out :)
If you are just going to hike for a few days, you can pick the days to hike. If the weather isn't too your liking you can change your plans. If you are a dedicated thru-hiker you just have to deal with the worst conditions. Every day won't be warm and sunney. You can try to seek shelter, other than your tent, to avoid the worst of it, but sooner or later you have to hike in other than ideal conditions. You need a good rain jacket to help keep you dry and warm. anything that you don't want to get wet, in your pack, should protected in a good waterproof bag. I used a trash compactor bad inside my pack and put my dry cloths and sleeping bad in another one. I also used a well fitting pack cover. Eventualy stuff seems to get wet anyway. Dry you stuff wen you get a chance. Water adds a lot of weight too your gear.
Dealing with the weather, like any other problem, is one of the many things that a sucessfull thru-hiker has to deal with. If you can't deal with it, you can always go home.
Chaco Taco
05-07-2013, 08:28
I walked out last year for a weekend overnight in The Whites knowing it was going to rain. No problem. My wife was away so I was on my own. One of the coolest hikes since I dont get out alone much.
Tipi Walter
05-07-2013, 08:42
It's difficult to backpack and live in the woods during a long cold rainstorm and this year has been particularly bad.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/18-Days-in-the-Big-Frog/i-Bv5J7zH/0/M/TRIP%20141%20227-M.jpg
In January 2013 I did an 18 day winter trip into the Big Frog wilderness and attained a never-before record---180 hours of rain, beating my previous record of 153 hours in the Snowbirds. Here I am in the middle of the rain on Big Frog Mt. I spent 4 days at this one spot. Trip report here---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/18-Days-in-the-Big-Frog/27710617_B9hNMx#!i=2335045179&k=KPxV4Rw
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/Tipi-Walter-in-Snowbirds/i-VfzhNsb/0/M/TRIP%20129%20140-M.jpg
Then in January 2012 I did 18 days in the Snowbird backcountry and ran into a 153 hour rainstorm which got me all wacked out but I found windows of opportunity to move every day even if it was just 3 or 4 miles. I believe it's important to both move every day and to sit put and pull zeros in your tent when conditions are terrible. Why hike in a butt cold rain when you can sit put in your tent and wait for it to end? See trip report here---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/Tipi-Walter-in-Snowbirds/28813333_Bm4HNt#!i=2446698407&k=KBqv6xh
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Bald-River-with-Tipi-Walter/i-vRtfLMQ/0/M/TRIP%20127%20476-M.jpg
In November 2011 I got walloped with another butt cold rainstorm in the Citico wilderness and had to pack up and hike several miles to my evac point at the end of the trip. On a day I would have usually sit put and pulled a zero, I instead geared up in the usual rain gear and started moving.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Bald-River-with-Tipi-Walter/i-sxDwJw2/0/M/TRIP%20127%20485-M.jpg
I arrive at my evac point after walking 5 or 6 miles in my rain gear. Good rain gear is vital for surviving a hike in a rain at 35F. Trip can be found here---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Bald-River-with-Tipi-Walter/28848997_WR7Ph2#!i=2450410354&k=knQKLmh
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2002-2004/13-Backpacking-Trips-Of-2003/i-tB42XXw/0/M/tj4861_102506_062409_191073-M.jpg
Back in June 2003 I got caught in a hellish rainstorm near Hangover Mt in the Slickrock wilderness NC and cursed my way all the way up the 3,000 foot mountain. Everything was soaked except my most imp gear. See trip here---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2002-2004/13-Backpacking-Trips-Of-2003/23783205_pPPFdw#!i=1927759762&k=tB42XXw
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2009/Bald-River-with-Two-Speed-and/i-DfLCqGv/1/M/TRIP%2095%20030-M.jpg
In 2009 I did a trip into the Bald River wilderness and pulled a tough day of hiking in a deluge which filled the bottom of my pack with a pint of water so I took refuge in this "black cave". I rarely hike in a deluge and prefer to take my pack off and lean it up against a tree and squat next to it waiting for the heaviest stuff to stop. This technique keeps the rain out of the area between my back and the pack around the shoulder harness. Trip here---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2009/Bald-River-with-Two-Speed-and/25050346_74BqXx#!i=2052885001&k=DfLCqGv
If you look you can see a little sunshine between every drop of rain. That is enough to keep you going. Those aren't my words but they work on the trail as well as off.
Some how Tipi's photos always make bad weather look good. :)
garlic08
05-07-2013, 08:46
You undergo a change in perspective. Rather than staying dry, you concentrate on staying warm when you're wet. You learn different techniques. You learn: to put your wet clothes back on in the morning--that few minutes of discomfort outweighs getting a second set of clothing wet, to keep your sleeping insulation dry in very wet conditions, to dry small items of clothing overnight with body heat, to choose well-drained campsites, how to eat "on the run", keeping easy to eat items in pockets or readily accessibly in the pack, to fill your water bottles with rainwater streams so you don't have to stop and treat it. Lots of little things.
Sometimes you just hoof it a few extra miles a few days in a row to get out of the storm early.
It becomes a pain when it rains for several days straight, everything eventually gets wet.
I use the UL dry bags (Sea to Summit brand) to keep my gear dry. One for my sleeping bag and one for clothes. Even if my pack went into the creek my stuff would stay dry.
Chaco Taco
05-07-2013, 09:02
Some how Tipi's photos always make bad weather look good. :)
Tipi is the man........
ChinMusic
05-07-2013, 09:12
I've had good luck so far with the nasty rains, like yesterday and today, by paying attention to the forecast and adjusting. Sometimes good alternatives aren't there, but when they are I take em.
For example: I was just about to enter the scenic Dragons Tooth/McAfee area two days ago. I decided that section was too good too plow through in bad weather. That section deserved clear views. So, I arranged to skip ahead to Daleville, where I slack packed yesterday in pouring rain and will probably do the same today. I get in miles and remain in comfort.
Chaco Taco
05-07-2013, 09:27
I've had good luck so far with the nasty rains, like yesterday and today, by paying attention to the forecast and adjusting. Sometimes good alternatives aren't there, but when they are I take em.
For example: I was just about to enter the scenic Dragons Tooth/McAfee area two days ago. I decided that section was too good too plow through in bad weather. That section deserved clear views. So, I arranged to skip ahead to Daleville, where I slack packed yesterday in pouring rain and will probably do the same today. I get in miles and remain in comfort.
We did Dragons tooth in crappy weather and it was ROUGH coming down
For me, wet slippery rocks are the biggest danger on the trail. I can be a bit clumsy and tend to day dream and loose concentration. It's why I use a full lenth sturdy stick instead of poles. If not for my walking stick I would fall down a couple of times every day it rained.
Chaco Taco
05-07-2013, 10:04
The new Merrell Proterra's would be perfect for a rainy day on DT
Thanks Chaco, but I already have a footlocker full of hiking shoes and boots. Still have jungle boots I hiked in from the 70's and Bulgarian Gore-tex from L.L. Bean from the 90's. Hiking sticks take up less space and are cheaper. And anyhow, they'll have to take my hiking stick from my cold dead fingers....
Tipi Walter
05-07-2013, 20:06
For me, wet slippery rocks are the biggest danger on the trail. I can be a bit clumsy and tend to day dream and loose concentration. It's why I use a full lenth sturdy stick instead of poles. If not for my walking stick I would fall down a couple of times every day it rained.
Wet slippery rocks can he hellish---ice covered rocks on a steep slope are godawful. I use a mountaineering technique called the Bung Abseil---whereby you scoot down on your butt---sans microspikes (and possibly let the "suction" of your bunghole keep you attached---further experiments needed).
"Lossing concentration" brings up a couple "rules" I discovered---
** Going up a mean climb with a heavy pack requires endurance.
** Going down the same trail requires concentration.
Two different animals.
Dr. Professor
05-07-2013, 20:42
Unless there are unsafe conditions (like steep rocks), I prefer the rain
As a long distance hiker, how do I deal with weather? First and foremost, I see all weather as just weather - not bad weather, not good weather, not adverse weather, etc. It's just all weather that should and has to be ENJOYED! I take it from there - WITH A SMILE!
SwissGuy
05-08-2013, 14:06
I'm not much of a mileage nazi when I hike, so if a storm is rolling in I turtle up in my tent until it's blown over. I don't mind hiking in warm summer rains, but downpours with wind and lightning and thunder have ceased being exciting and at this point in my hiking career, are just a sure sign that everything I own is going to get wet.
But then again, I like sitting in a tent during a storm and reading. It's one of my favorite parts of hiking.
Wintertime however I am really weather skittish. Got socked in while camping on white pass in western WA a few years back, whiteout conditions. Heard it was going to happen on my crank radio, and thought I could get to the road and out of it if I really hoofed it... No such luck, after the storm rolled in I couldn't see more than 20 feet or so in front of me, and it was coming down so fast it obscured the trail. At that point, all I was going to do was get myself lost. Ended up digging a snow-cave and sitting in it for nearly two days. Since then the minute I hear of bad weather in the Mountains I either hoof it as fast as possible to the nearest shelter, if I can't make that I try to get to a well traveled road and hitch out, and if I can't make that, I bunker up, fill up my water, and don't move unless I have to. Being in whiteout conditions in the mountains is just not my idea of fun.
wet, cold, incessant rain - got me thinking: How do you thru hiker types deal with it?
On my northbound AT thru-hike, it had been raining for a few days and one morning when I left a shelter in the Smokies it was raining cats and dogs. I turned around and came back to the shelter to exclaim to all the AT thru-hikers who hadn't left yet, "Hey, did you guys know it's raining out here?"
That got some laughs. Then Captain Jane-a-way said, "We thru-hikers always take a zero whenever it's raining."
Datto
1) Resign yourself to the fact that you WILL get wet--especially your footwear and socks.
2) Resign yourself to the fact that you WILL stay wet--especially your footwear and socks.
3) Work VERY hard to protect things like your sleeping bag/quilt and your sleeping clothes from wetness. (I personally double or triple bag those items in waterproof sacks of some kind). For me, keeping these items as dry as possible is my best defense against hypothermia.
4) Be careful where you set up your tent/tarp/hammock. Be very mindful of where rain water is likely to flow or pool and where limbs and ice are likely to fall.
5) Be sure to eat and drink in sufficient quantities. The calories help you produce heat and stay warm. Remember, you CAN become dehydrated (and subsequently lost, careless, and accident-prone) even in a big rainstorm.
1) Resign yourself to the fact that you WILL get wet--especially your footwear and socks.
2) Resign yourself to the fact that you WILL stay wet--especially your footwear and socks.
3) Work VERY hard to protect things like your sleeping bag/quilt and your sleeping clothes from wetness. (I personally double or triple bag those items in waterproof sacks of some kind). For me, keeping these items as dry as possible is my best defense against hypothermia.
4) Be careful where you set up your tent/tarp/hammock. Be very mindful of where rain water is likely to flow or pool and where limbs and ice are likely to fall.
5) Be sure to eat and drink in sufficient quantities. The calories help you produce heat and stay warm. Remember, you CAN become dehydrated (and subsequently lost, careless, and accident-prone) even in a big rainstorm.
The voice of experience. A person can put up with a whole lot of wet during the day if they can sleep warm and dry at night.
fredmugs
05-09-2013, 07:21
As a section hiker I have certainly cherry picked where and when I did my hikes. BUT.....hiking in horrible weather does give you some of the best stories that naturally grow larger over the years. There should be a contest to see if you can go SOBO down the Mahoosic Arm in the rain without falling on your rear. That was a painful day.
Tipi,
Whenever I see your photos of you and the Keron 3 in weather not fit for man nor beast, I do without something and toss a few more nickles in my "Gotta have a Hilleberg tent" fund.
Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.
Wayne
Tipi Walter
05-10-2013, 12:00
Tipi,
Whenever I see your photos of you and the Keron 3 in weather not fit for man nor beast, I do without something and toss a few more nickles in my "Gotta have a Hilleberg tent" fund.
Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.
Wayne
Thanks for the post. Here's the neat thing---after 5 years of heavy use I found a problem with the Hilleberg elastic connectors on the Keron's inner tent and sent an email to Hilleberg and ZAP! they sent me a brand new inner with better elastic---no charge. (See pic). It's an impressive company who will answer your emails, unlike the one I sent to Black Diamond about the cork handles on my hiking poles---no reply of course.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/Tipi-Walter-Slickrock-Creek/i-tBHCLST/0/L/TRIP%20144%20011-L.jpg
There's no bad weather, just weather. I'd rather be out in the weather, any weather, than sitting behind a desk.
Monkeywrench
05-10-2013, 15:30
You keep your sleeping bag dry at all costs, which really isn't hard. I pack min inside its stuff sack and then inside a trash compactor bag. Also always, always, keep one set of dry clothes for sleeping in. The rest of the time, just hike wet.
The only really hard part is stripping off those dry warm clothes in the morning and pulling on those ice cold, soaking wet ones you hiked all day in the rain in yesterday. Then hike hard for half an hour to get warmed up, and you're set for the day.
Thanks for the post. Here's the neat thing---after 5 years of heavy use I found a problem with the Hilleberg elastic connectors on the Keron's inner tent and sent an email to Hilleberg and ZAP! they sent me a brand new inner with better elastic---no charge. (See pic). It's an impressive company who will answer your emails, unlike the one I sent to Black Diamond about the cork handles on my hiking poles---no reply of course.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/Tipi-Walter-Slickrock-Creek/i-tBHCLST/0/L/TRIP%20144%20011-L.jpg
Dang Tipi, I've had apartments small then that lol... but it must be nice when the weather is bad.
Dang Tipi, I've had apartments small then that lol... but it must be nice when the weather is bad.
Yeah but how's the restaurant in there? Can the concierge get you Knicks tickets?
Datto
Tipi Walter
05-10-2013, 19:27
Yeah but how's the restaurant in there? Can the concierge get you Knicks tickets?
Datto
The restaurant isn't too bad---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Bald-River-with-Tipi-Walter/i-Brf62dn/0/L/TRIP%20127%20171-L.jpg
when the weather really really sucks on the AT.. if you aren't lucky enough to ride it out in a hostel, then just hike shelter to shelter. You might only hike from 10 am to 2 pm.. but in really lousy weather that's enough. In extreme cases.. folks have been known to stay all day in shelter. I'd probably go nuts from boredom if I did that but boredom might be better than the alternative.
rocketsocks
05-10-2013, 20:56
The restaurant isn't too bad---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Bald-River-with-Tipi-Walter/i-Brf62dn/0/L/TRIP%20127%20171-L.jpgI see fresh fruit...Nice. Walter is this the skillet you'd be wanting to replace..or a new one you found to replace the old one?
A Scottish caddy once said to me, "we are humans, we are waterproof".
Tipi Walter
05-10-2013, 22:15
I see fresh fruit...Nice. Walter is this the skillet you'd be wanting to replace..or a new one you found to replace the old one?
It's an excellent "green" fry pan which took some work to get the two handle rivets removed(and the handle). Still the pan is too heavy for backpacking and I stopped carrying it. Don't carry eggs much anymore.
Real life is not like the internet or a book... it's harder. But it's also real.
hikerboy57
05-10-2013, 22:31
Real life is not like the internet or a book... it's harder. But it's also real.
not that hard.
but real.
Chaco Taco
05-10-2013, 22:46
life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long
Tipi, you got a real nice UL kit there! :D Those are the small UL eggs right?
Did I just see a pink elephant playing an instrument in the back corner of Tipi's Hilieberg Keron? :D
Last weekend was some of the worse hiking weather I can remember here in North GA. And for those thinking May would not be miserably cold they quickly discovered that early May weather can be worse than hiking in in awful weather in January. We had lots of rain, temps in the 30s & 40s, but the killer was the wind. Steady winds at 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. I was out in it and cannot remember the last time I was so cold.
I was surprised to see as many section & weekend hikers as I did on Saturday & Sunday and everyone I spoke with was miserable. Most were cutting their hikes short and exiting at Woody or Neels. I helped two women off the trail here at Grassy Gap and drove them back down to Springer to their car.
Tipi Walter
05-11-2013, 11:00
Last weekend was some of the worse hiking weather I can remember here in North GA. And for those thinking May would not be miserably cold they quickly discovered that early May weather can be worse than hiking in in awful weather in January. We had lots of rain, temps in the 30s & 40s, but the killer was the wind. Steady winds at 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. I was out in it and cannot remember the last time I was so cold.
I was surprised to see as many section & weekend hikers as I did on Saturday & Sunday and everyone I spoke with was miserable. Most were cutting their hikes short and exiting at Woody or Neels. I helped two women off the trail here at Grassy Gap and drove them back down to Springer to their car.
Miss Nature runs Ridgetop University and to attend we must pay the tuition.
Monkeywrench
05-11-2013, 14:44
There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing choices.
daddytwosticks
05-11-2013, 18:20
Last weekend was some of the worse hiking weather I can remember here in North GA. And for those thinking May would not be miserably cold they quickly discovered that early May weather can be worse than hiking in in awful weather in January. We had lots of rain, temps in the 30s & 40s, but the killer was the wind. Steady winds at 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. I was out in it and cannot remember the last time I was so cold.
I was surprised to see as many section & weekend hikers as I did on Saturday & Sunday and everyone I spoke with was miserable. Most were cutting their hikes short and exiting at Woody or Neels. I helped two women off the trail here at Grassy Gap and drove them back down to Springer to their car. That was mighty good of you Fat Man. You are a true friend of the trail. :)
SawnieRobertson
05-12-2013, 17:10
Tonight Partnership Shelter dwellers are going to have reason to be very glad not to have sent their winter gear home already. The accepted deadline for frost/freezing is May 15. It is cutting pretty close. I have been wearing my micropuff jacket all day while sniffing from the pollen that is being blown in from this hopefully last puff of Winter.
Typical last or first frost dates are different than typical last or first freeze/hard freeze dates for the same location. Unless you are hiking on crutches, if I hear ANYONE say that FROST on the AT seriously played into their decision to stop hiking I'm gonna scream - of course quietly here in my own little world. YES, I knew someone who hiked the AT in some part(about a third) while on crutches. Trail name? You guessed it - Crutch! And, even he, would not have missed the AT, ON CRUTCHES, if had experienced frost.
theoilman
05-12-2013, 18:51
I was just out for a week in North Georgia, started out in this rain on Saturday. Sunday noon I couldn't open a zip lock bag with both hands and my teeth. Bailed out after a half day to a motel - got warm and dry. The rain had quit and was clearing Monday morning and went back and finished my planned section Thursday evening.
Really enjoyed it. Glad I bailed out, even though I lost a 1/2 day. Talked to many others on the trail - many had bailed and come back!