Thru-hiking in the rain…seriously?
Why?
It’s more fun to be warm and dry and not worried about lightning, slipping on a rock or in the mud and falling, or getting lost in your hurry to reach some distant destination.
I love the weather, but never forget that it can kick my ass anytime it wants. All I have to do is get out of its way.
So, I do!
– if it’s raining in the morning, I stay in my tent and do the things I can’t do while hiking.
– if it starts raining during the day, I pitch my tent and enjoy a nice, hot lunch under the pitter-pat sounds of raindrops on my tent fly. If it keeps raining and storming, I stay for the night or until it stops, knowing on a clear, warm day, after the storm passes, I can catch up on needed miles.
– if black and threatening clouds build overhead and distant rumbles of thunder approach, I’ll stay down in the dense forest and make camp early for the day, rather than emerge to traverse the high and exposed expanses of rock to a beaconing pass and get struck by lightning in the process. Miles can wait for another day.
Once you realize this, you won’t need to push through rain, cold, and lightning, risking potential injury and hypothermia. With thorough planning based on lowered expectations, you might, actually, have more fun.
Why are you hiking in the rain?