Hiking in the rain

Nighthiker · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1714

Anyone like to hike in the rain ? Yes it poses risks, but stay off rock and out of canyons and you should be okay. And I am talking about hiking in a nice gentle rain, not a frog strangler or a Mogollon Rim Temper Tantrum.

plummer150 · Posted: 2/25/2003, 8:47 am Post subject: re:

Yes, hiking in the rain is fun; but have you ever hiked in the snow?...while it's snowing? Now that's great! Wink

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Daddee · Posted: 2/25/2003, 10:10 am Post subject:

Done both - I prefer hiking while it's snowing - simply because it's so rare. But I have done many a hike in the rain. Sometimes it's fun - sometimes not. Usually the distinction arises when you aren't expecting it and aren't properly prepared physically or mentally.
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cactuscat · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 459 Location: Phoenix

Yes, I enjoy hiking in the rain. The only problem with it is hiking on muddy trails can contribute heavily to trail erosion. I like easy strolls in the rain such as the North trail at McDowell Mt. Park - never done anything really hard in the rain, but I'd like to!

Canyon Dweller · Joined: 06 Jan 2003 Posts: 712 Location: Denver, CO

I've done all sorts of hiking in the rain. I've hiked in the rain in Colorado (only below treeline), On Mt. Elden, Humphrys Peak, and in the Grand Canyon. I was camping at Cottonwood camp and it was raining on us, but a few hundred feet above us it was snowing. We took a hike up the north Kiabab trail and started hiking in the snow. It was neat going from rain to snow, back down to rain. We could see where the snow quit sticking. We turned around when we got to about 6 inches of snow on the trail. Cool

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desert dweller · Joined: 06 Jan 2003 Posts: 46 Location: Tucson

Summer rains are a little more fun than the winter ones. I like hiking in shorts in the pouring down monsoon. I usually am prepared for just about any weather.

I did a hike a few years back that started out sunny then, as I got higher, progressed to rain to sleet to hail to snow to full blown blizzard. All in a space of five miles and 3000' feet elevation gain.

I love the weather extremes.

Arizonaheat · Posted: 2/25/2003, 4:53 pm Post subject:

Yes, I like to hike in the rain. One of my goals is to be in a specific canyon in the Supes during a torrential down pour and it is running at flood stage. I have the exact vantage point already pegged, just waiting for the weather.(Been waiting 4 years so far, I know it happens because I have seen pics)

I've had my fill of snow, from 40 plus years in northwest Colorado where we averaged over 200 inches a year in town and from 400 to 600 in the higher mountains.( not a typo) I have seen the snow 27 feet deep on the level up on Buffalo Pass. The neutral wire on a power line that passes over was under the snow the phase wire carrying 280Kv which is 30 ft above bare ground was 3 ft above the snow. This was not drifted snow either. The line had to be marked so some snowmobiler didn't clothesline themselves. Confused

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Canyon Dweller · Joined: 06 Jan 2003 Posts: 712 Location: Denver, CO

Today I hiked Camelback mountain in the rain, both trails. It was barly drizzaling when I started and by my second ascent up to the peak I was very wet. The rain was comming down pretty good. The time I got back to my car I was drenched. It felt so good to be hiking in the rain again. It's been a long time since I have done that. I was pretty cold when I got back to my car. In all I was 3 hours in the rain. Bouncing

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Mountains are there to be climbed!

"Meaningless! Meaningless," says the teacher, "Utterly Meaningless, Everything is meaningless."-Ecclesiastes 1:2

mike · What box? Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Posts: 3134

I'm with Daddee on this one, I prefer hiking in the snow. I've hiked in snow on some memorable trips; coming out on the Bright Angel on my first rim-to-river-to-rim dayhike, on the Reavis Ranch Trail returning from Reavis Falls, at the saddle above Hieroglyphics Canyon on the Superstition Ridgeline!

phrankster · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 65 Location: Chandler

A few years back I was hiking out of Havasupai, and got caught in a pretty good downpour as we got to the narrow part of the trail about halfway out from the village. it lasted anout 10 minutes, the thunder was awesome Shocked

we got under a rock ledge and put on our rain gear and started back on our way when we could hear another roar and found that just around the next bend was a sizable waterfall. and a small wall of water/mud heading our way!! (If I can get the pictures scanned I'll post them) Seems all the rain that was falling in the higher elevations was making it's way down to where we were at. We had to scramble up the side and watch as the water rose to what we later measured to be about 3 ft. About 45 minutes later the water level dropped and we walked a good part of the train out in anywhere from ankle deep to shin deep water/red mud. That was an experience ( a good one) I won't soon forget.