Weather be darned!

[Artex]

Last weekend's rains led me to cancel my hiking plans, and I've come to regret it. In retrospect, I look back quite fondly on those trips where it did rain, even though I might have been cursing the weather gods at the time. Unless gnarly thunderstorms are inevitable, I vow never to let a few rain drops keep me off the trail again. As someone here posted, it just makes you appreciate those dry clothes that much more afterwards.

How much, if at all, does rain hold you back?

 

[stu]

Rain!

I generally don't let a little rain or drizzle stop me, in fact I love being in the mountains during stormy weather. The White Mts. and wet conditions are a fact of life. That said, I admit I am not a big fan of hiking in an all day down pour and have put off trips based on a wet forcast...STU

 

[anita514]

we wanted to do washington on the weekend of the 23rd and had to turn back about an 45 mins into the hike. the rain was coming down hard. part of tucks trail was flooded, and we couldn't find any way around it so we just waded through.
crossed the first bridge and it was practically engulfed. after a little while of being wet and miserable, we decided to turn around.
wading through the mini-torrent was fun, in the 20 or so mins that had elapsed, it deepened by an inch or so. thank god for my scarpas!
we later found out that the first bridge was totally engulfed towards mid-afternoon and the girl at the visitor's centre mentioned that the avalanche dangers were all high and that the ranger was most likely telling people to go back.

that was the first time we turned around because of weather.

 

[Sean]

I hiked Garfield yesterday. Normally I would have cancelled the trip, but I was jonesing for a hike. Wet and muddy trails, slushy snow the last two miles, and rain the whole way. Why am I still grinning today?

 

[JeffAndrews]

Last year, if it wasn't for hiking in the rain, I wouldn't have gotten to do any hiking at all. Every trip I went on I got poured on (see picture at left - my water resistant to 50 meter watch stopped working on that trip - apparently the resistance doesn't work if you push any of the buttons).

I wish I had a more flexible schedule, but the way it stands I've got to go when I can - come rain or shine.

One nice thing about hiking in the rain - less bugs.

 

[Head]

Hiking in the rain doesnt usually stop me. We did a hike on Sat morning before the all-day-down-pour started (we got a little wet on the way out) and had planned to do Tecumseh in the afternoon but the 40 degree temps and lack of dry clothes was a great setup for hypothermia. We headed home, needless to say. Those mountains arent going anywhere

 

[audrey]

My wettest hike was Owls Head: it started thundering and pouring just after we got down off the slide. By the time we got to Lincoln Brook, it was running high and milky white with silt from a probable slide upstream. The rain continued for the next 5 or 6 miles, but it was wonderful: it had been a humid unpleasant day, and the cool rain made everything fresh. It's the getting wet that we don't like. Once you're soaked, if you're not cold, it can be very enjoyable.

 

[sapblatt]

Hiking in the Rain

I really enjoyed hiking in the rain this past weekend. I feel like if I keep telling my wife I need all of this great waterproof gear I should at least have the decency to use some of it once in awhile. One thing I have figured out for myself is that it pays to stop and take the appropriate gear out and use it at the first sign of needing it.

There are certainly days that one should seek shelter and get out of the rain, particulary when it is accompanied by high winds.

Some other motivators to hike in the rain include:

1) the desire to finish a list sometime in the not too distant future.

2) AMC hut reservations...nonrefundable...if you are booked and do not go you are kissing a lot of money goodbye

 

[--M.]

Except for safety, Go has always been Go. I've just felt (first that the time won't be refunded by work or family, so I'd better use it, but also that) Nature's tales can be told in any weather. After a couple of days of rain, however....

Once in high school, I was hiking Washington and was kept off the summit by the wind/rain/sleet. I descended to Tuck's lip... and the sun broke out. So around I turned and headed back up, when it began again. I did this three more times (I'm kind of slow in the head) before I realized that the elements were having their game only on the very summit. Even there on the lawn, I laughed about this, uncharacteristically, and whistled my way back to Hojo's shelters.