Learn me about rain

[sbhikes]

I live in Southern California. It doesn't rain much. When it does, it comes down hard and steady, sometimes a foot in a single day. The creeks get flash floods. As a result, I do not do much hiking in the rain or have a lot of experience.

My experience in the rain in Washington on the PCT was strange. The rain was more like a mist. It was only steady like real rain a couple of times. It freaked me out, though, because of my lack of experience. Is the rain on the AT like Washington rain? Or is it more like the rain in Southern California?

How do you deal with so much rain when hiking the trail? How do you deal with soaking wet feet all the time? Is it cold when it rains? Does an umbrella work on the AT? I know about lining your pack with a garbage bag and all that, but what I don't know is what do you wear in the rain while hiking the AT? Do you ever get a chance to dry out your gear. Does your morale suffer with so much rain or is it light and cheery rain that doesn't bother you much?

That's a lot of questions, but I'm pretty sheltered being a life-long Santa Barbarian.

[hobbs]

I live in Virgina now SB but I lived in Texas where the weather is about the same. Wait 5 mins and it will change..Also as a young Boy Scout every trip I went on had rain all the time...Then in the military I was sent to central america for a couple of years...Monsoon season so..To say the least weather unless it's a hurrican which I have been in doesn't make me worry or bother me..As for on the trail.Like any other endeavor where hiking is cncerned do the best you can and tommorow may be different!!!

[waywardfool]

The answer to that question is "yes".


You'll see every "kind" of rain that you can imagine. From mist that just finds it way into everything, to absolute cats and dogs that make you feel more like you are swimming than walking. Rain warm as bathwater, to rain at 33* with snow laying on the ground.

You can see it all. Or none. Spent five days one spring, it was raining when we got out of the truck, and still raining, non stop, day and night, five days later when we got picked up.

[fiddlehead]

Yes, one thing the AT teaches you is how to hike in rain and keep your gear dry.
I double bag my clothes and sleeping bag and ALSO use a pack cover.
Some hikers hole up in shelters but you probably can't do this consistently if you want to finish in one year. (some years it is possible)

Frogg Toggs work.
THings often do NOT dry out and you need to use dryers in the laundromat in town.

I remember one of the best parts about the PCT was that we could wash out our socks everyday and they would dry in hours. Unheard of on the AT. You stink a lot more cause the humidity won't let things dry unless you set up a line at a lookout where you can sometimes find some sunshine.
One thing you don't need on the AT is sunscreen or sunglasses.
But, you do need good raingear and learn how to set up a tent so it stays dry.

[4eyedbuzzard]

It's wet.
A rain shower is nice, cools things off, refreshes the air.
A thunderstorm can be exciting and entertaining.
I don't mind rain when it's hot out. Just get wet and enjoy the free shower. Smells better than the sweat inside rain gear.
I don't like rain when it's cold out. I'd rather have snow. Rain seems to chill you no matter what.
Freezing rain is the worst. Trails can get dangerous. Both slippery and if it accumulates tree limbs can start dropping.
And I hate it when it's sideways. Just makes me miserable.
I don't like it when it rains steady day after day after day, which can often happen in the spring in the east.
Even gear that is kept "dry" gets damp and doesn't feel dry. Everything just seems moist and clammy and sticky.
Shoes get wet and stay wet. You can dry them a bit by a fire (not too close) or put them in the bottom of your sleeping bag (but that makes the bag even more moist). Or try sealskins, goretex socks, or plastic bags on the feet.
Damp is kind of a thing you just deal with on the AT in the spring.
Umbrellas are a mixed bag. Some people love them, some don't. Kind of like hiking poles.

[Pommes]

i can be cold. i can be wet. i really hate being cold and wet. double bag everything.

If you wanna make it to Maine. You have to hike in the rain.

i heard that somewhere.

[lori]

Come hiking with me on the coast sometime, or in the foothills in Central Sierra Nevada. I can show you some different kinds of precip - on one four day trip last October, I hiked through sleet, hail, mist, rain, and graupel. If we'd hung out another day we'd probably have been walking in regular old Sierra snow.

[Serial 07]

your gonna get cold rain...downpours of cold rain...

then the summer rain that is really nice, but occasionally come strong and provide a moment of trepidation...but you'll survive...

morale shouldn't suffer from rain, IMO, i always found plenty of other hikers in or around shelters on rainy days to make'em fun...some of my best memories are from rainy day times...

then cold rain...and blue mountain...but that's for you to find out about....

i survived a thru knowing little and learning a lot...then, i laughed at people carrying rain pants; now i own a pair and love'em...so perspective can change...come with your most breathable raincoat with pit zips...

[Serial 07]

oh, shoes real quick...in the spring time, i'd wear some kind of warm shoe...keen's or even a gortex shoe...they're gonna get wet and dry when they dry, that's what the climate will permit...but come summer, i'd go to the lightest trail shoe that's comfortable...they'll get wet, but dry super easy in the summer heat...

[leaftye]

I learned not to dry synthetic liner socks next to a fire.

[mweinstone]

eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite.

[4eyedbuzzard]

eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite.

Must be that acid rain.

[Sierra Echo]

Must be that acid rain.

LMAO!!!! 10 points for yoU!

[Tinker]

Must be that acid rain.

Acid maybe - rain, no.

[mweinstone]

just started a thread about pole shift in response to just this perception.

[MuffinMan11]

Rain is what I prepare every hiking trip for no matter what. I will no longer carry a poncho because of high wind rain. I must have camp shoes and dry socks because my feet freeze in wet boots even if using vapor barriers of some sort after a rainy day with dry socks. I use dry bags, a pack liner(trash bag), and pack cover because rain always gets in no matter what. I live by the addage of seperate hiking clothes and camp clothes.

I live in texas and I pretty much can't go backpacking without expecting a low of 85 for the over night temp and possible rain(summer,early fall/early spring time) or heavy multi day straight/cold/side blowing or sleeting/freezing rain. We rarely get snow but even if we get that its just wet 5 minutes later.

My one trip east into smokey mountain np was just that in oct 09. I can't bring my self to plan for anything else for my thru hike this year or risk feeling miserable. I get cold in 30 degree nights with a montbell #1 and midweight thermals. I carry light as I can but read about what you and many others carry and can't believe how anyone can stay warm.

I guess this was more of a vent then any help but from all I have read the AT definitely gets more rain then what I can ever imagine from the pct or at least closer to what I deal with backpackng in texas.

I never know What the rain will be I just have to prepare for the worst : (

[MuffinMan11]

Rain is what I prepare every hiking trip for no matter what. I will no longer carry a poncho because of high wind rain. I must have camp shoes and dry socks because my feet freeze in wet boots even if using vapor barriers of some sort after a rainy day with dry socks. I use dry bags, a pack liner(trash bag), and pack cover because rain always gets in no matter what. I live by the addage of seperate hiking clothes and camp clothes.

I live in texas and I pretty much can't go backpacking without expecting a low of 85 for the over night temp and possible rain(summer,early fall/early spring time) or heavy multi day straight/cold/side blowing or sleeting/freezing rain. We rarely get snow but even if we get that its just wet 5 minutes later.

My one trip east into smokey mountain np was just that in oct 09. I can't bring my self to plan for anything else for my thru hike this year or risk feeling miserable. I get cold in 30 degree nights with a montbell #1 and midweight thermals. I carry light as I can but read about what you and many others carry and can't believe how anyone can stay warm.

I guess this was more of a vent then any help but from all I have read the AT definitely gets more rain then what I can ever imagine from the pct or at least closer to what I deal with backpackng in texas.

I never know What the rain will be I just have to prepare for the worst : (

[MuffinMan11]

After all that above a rainyvday backpacking is bettet than not.

[sbhikes]

In my area I didn't even own any rain gear for many years. I didn't buy rain gear until I planned to hike the PCT, and then I only bought partial rain gear. Sometimes I've gone backpacking with no rain gear and no tent. Maybe a poncho at the bottom of my pack but I never for a minute expected to use it. I like living in a dry climate!

I've seen graupel in the Sierras! Strange styrofoam stuff! I love thunderstorms. That is one thing I would enjoy about the AT. Does an umbrella work on the AT or is the trail really overgrown?

[royalusa]

We had a lot of rain on our 2008 thru-hike - 48% of our days or nights had some sort of precipitation, either snow or rain. Some days were all day rains. Others were partial days. Some were downpour days. Others were mist only days. Sometimes it rained only at night. Other times we got 4 different showers a day. Most rains found us in full rain gear (Marmot Precip jacket/pants). In colder temps, our full rain gear included Seal Socks. We tried an umbrella but didn't like it as the wind would still cause the rain to drench us. Some rains we welcomed as we could use a shower to bathe us and our clothes - but that was rare as normally it was a bit chilly. You name it, you can get it on the AT.

We hiked in Maine during 10-year record rains. Streams were swollen to the point where we could not get across one of them and had to take a detour via jeep roads, logging roads and regular roads. See http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=322223

Our gear was wet for days on end. Mold started to grow in our food bag and on our tent. Shoes and socks stayed wet for many many days. We had to rely on town stops to dry out clothes, shoes and the tent. Sleeping bags (down) were protected in garbage bags, so they were fine, although damp.

Our feet were also a major concern, as we were afraid that any open sore we got could soon develop into an issue. Our feet were like prunes for a very long time:
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=322214 Luckily, we did escape with no issues to our feet, though we heard others did have problems.

Trail conditions can really deteriorate with so much rain. There were times that the trail was almost knee deep with water. Many fords that should have been rock hoppers were now fords. The messy trail conditions slowed us down each day.

But it was all part of the experience. Yes, morale can suffer. Sometimes after hiking under dry but very gray skies, you just wanted to holler at the clouds and say "WILL YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND RAIN SO WE CAN GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON". Other times the rain does not bother you as it is not as bad as "xyz" - which for us was a bone chilling all day rain in PA (http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=310696). That day became our benchmark - any day that was wet, but not as coldy was an OK day after all.

This was just our experience and outlook. Others will have different experiences and outlooks.

Hopefully that helps with your questions.