Date: 2010-01-25
To: Rain. Lots and lots of rain.
Miles today: 0.0

When I looked out the window this morning, this massive mess was dominating everything. The winds are at a constant 20 mph with gusts over 45. The rain is coming down in sheets sideways and the clouds and fog are melting together ¢ never can tell when in the mountains if I¢m in clouds or fog? Nasty is one way to describe what¢s outside; another way is to think, ¢just another day on the AT. ¢I hadn¢t planned on going out in it, but wading mentally back into some of this wet weather that finds us is part of the preparation. Since going out for a day hike usually coincides with nice weather, having experience with the bad stuff many times catches hikers off guard ¢ tends to rattle a lot of us. In the past, that constant roar of the gale-force winds used to unnerve me. Somehow I acclimated to it where it¢s no longer an issue. Amazingly, the one thing I thought I¢d never get a touch more comfortable with is the distant BoomBoomBoom. Where there¢s thunder there¢s lightning and nothing makes me jump out of my shoes higher than a cloud to ground CRACK. Don¢t think I¢m alone on that. To be clear, I¢m not comfortable with lightning, just a tad less uncomfortable. Rain, on the other hand is not lightning and really need not be feared. Annoying yes, but with the appropriate clothing and pack preparations is quite manageable. Over the recent years I¢ve altered my rain gear to help add breathability and weight savings ¢ I did most of this for my PCT hike since rain is so rare on that big hike, no sense carrying extra ounces that will be hardly used. But I never actually field-tested those changes out there and the AT is obviously a whole other animal when it comes to rain. So, when I looked out the window this morning and saw the howling winds and sideways rain, naturally I thought, ¢I should go for a walk.¢ See how a thru-hike changes your outlook, crazy.As I slid on my rain leggings (1.6 oz) and then pulled up my rain skirt (2.9 oz) ¢ Buddy started thinking, ¢You¢re kid¢n, right? We¢re not actually going out in that?¢ Then my rain jacket pullover (6.9 oz) and gave the shoes a tightening and shouted, ¢Let¢s go Buddy. Buddy? ...where¢d you go?¢After a 3-inch limb hurdled down from a tree just yards from us, I cut the foul weather walk to a wimpy two miles. Buddy, feeling this was two miles too long, eagerly agreed with the decision. However, I did return home dry (even my socks) and the breathability performance is vastly better with the leggings-skirt combo ¢ saving a half-pound in the process over my old rain pants. My take on foul-weather gear is this, if you wrap yourself up well, so long as its not lightning, it really doesn¢t matter if the dogs and cats deluge are joined by giraffe, elephants and buffalo, you just walk inside your protective shell. Rain walking is sort of a Zen thing ¢ it can be tranquil and texturally different without consequence if you can keep your anxiety at bay, and good rain gear can help you with that. In the absence of lightning, rain is really just a temporary nuisance when you get into camp ¢ dealing with all the wet clothing, crowded shelters or tent set up. Key word here is ¢temporary,¢ the sun WILL come out again. Maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. (My two cents)