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  1. #1

    Default Postponing My Section Hike:

    The count down was on! Four more days until we marched to Springer Mountain via FS Rd 42 to complete our remaining miles on the GA section of the Benton MacKaye Trail.


    We had originally planned to hike the last week of February.With some excellent weather, spring like days, and some time on our hands, we were struck by Cabin Fever! We moved the date up and planned to begin our little trek on Saturday, Feb 13th.


    The days started to grow colder right after our decision was made. I began to watch the weather forecast for Dahlonega, GA and Blue Ridge, GA; both are towns that we would be hiking near while finishing out our hike. The days were getting colder but still manageable by my standards. We all know the saying for weather here in the south "if you don't like the weather just give it a minute." Well, I gave it a little more than a minute and things have not gone the way of being in my favor.


    After checking once again this afternoon, it appears that the overnight lows (and the daily highs) are progressively being forecasted as getting colder. With a low of 11 degrees forecasted for Saturday night and highs in the low 30’s I made an executive decision to postpone the trip. Though I was really excited about doing a winter hike along the Benton Mackay Trail, with temps in this range it didn't seem like so much fun anymore.


    So all of my, excitement, packing, planning, reading, and studying have suddenly ceased. Now I feel kinda depressed and at a loss as to what I will do with my time now. I guess that i will move to the next project on my list. No lack of things to do here, I just need to switch gears and point my compass in a new direction. I will get this hike scheduled again for the end of the month and cross my fingers that the weather will cooperate at least a little better. Until then .... Happy Trails!
    946062_4875118991946_1622317150_n.jpg20151209_123144.jpg20151209_123215.jpg20151209_125514.jpg20151209_131515.jpgbmt4.jpg

  2. #2
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    11 degrees isn't that cold. For Winter. Dress warm, go hikin' and have fun!

  3. #3

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    Welllllll, it isn't THAT cold but not that great either! If this was the only time I could hike I would definitely move forward with the plan but we have several more weeks open to complete the 40+ miles (no speed hiker here, avg 10 - 12 miles a day) before other commitments kick in. I am really disappointed but I guess it will be that much sweeter when we get there

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gonecampn View Post
    Welllllll, it isn't THAT cold but not that great either! If this was the only time I could hike I would definitely move forward with the plan but we have several more weeks open to complete the 40+ miles (no speed hiker here, avg 10 - 12 miles a day) before other commitments kick in. I am really disappointed but I guess it will be that much sweeter when we get there

    11 degrees is cold--just trying to sound tough. 0* or 11* ... what's the dern difference...Its not fun, its not as enjoyable. Good job on making the decision to wait out for better weather, cabin fever can have a strong backhand sometimes...laying there feeezing your butt off at 2am (if your not as prepared as you thought you were) thinking..."yep, this could have waited".. Enjoy your hike when you decide to take it!
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
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    BMT: 52.7
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  5. #5
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    I'm not a huge fan of single digit lows and short nights either. I was thinking of going out this weekend to test my new 10F sleeping bag but the forecast around here is for single digit lows and below zero wind chills. Not worth it to me. Better conditions are coming soon.

  6. #6

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    Discretion is the better part of valor. Making the "go" decision without regard to weather and terrain measured against your capabilities and/or comfort can be reckless. It is far more difficult to make the "no-go" decision in those circumstances, however you will likely enjoy your adventure more by skirting weather you do not particularly want to engage.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
    Discretion is the better part of valor. Making the "go" decision without regard to weather and terrain measured against your capabilities and/or comfort can be reckless. It is far more difficult to make the "no-go" decision in those circumstances, however you will likely enjoy your adventure more by skirting weather you do not particularly want to engage.
    Wow very well put!

    I mean yes, I could pack up a backpack of goose feathers so to say, the down mat, the 0* WM bag, the Hilleberg, the down parkas and hats and balaclava...the hestra gloves and liners, and have a hap hap happy time burrowed down in my bag...but to me its about getting out and about playing in the woods around camp, sitting by a fire and being comfortable.. but everyone certainly needs to HTOH
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

  8. #8
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    Wow. I so much prefer colder dry weather 0-30*F, than I do the cold wetness of many places at 30-40*F. Plus, it's an excuse to buy and use more cool fun gear.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  9. #9
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    I prefer 15F-32F anytime over 35-40 and rain but below 15F isn't that great for me, either moving or in camp. A lot of this boils down to personal preference and availability of the proper equipment. For me I don't think that I'd enjoy real cold weather trips enough to invest in the gear I would need (0 degree bag, true four season tent, etc... )

  10. #10

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    So what is you minimum temp point where you'd go on a hike, but if one degree cooler you'd call it off?

    I was up on Springer in March and it was still very cold, near the same temps (around 10*), but with the wind it must have been under zero on this day





    Then there was this time in April when I was up there and it was not much better than zero (especially with the wind), see below...That year it stayed very cold right up til reaching Damascus (Emphasis: I started in April).

    The point being, if you don't like the cold, then you probably should plan for no earlier than a May hike and even then you could see some cold stuff. I once got caught in a snow storm in May, thru SNP.

    P.S. Don't get me started on the weather in Maine and the Whites...



  11. #11
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    -20 would be my limit, only because I'm pretty sure my gear wouldn't keep me warm much below that. In a tent, its usually 5 to ten degrees warmer than outside and it depends a great deal on site location. Moving, -10, some wind, I can handle easily enough.

  12. #12

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    I hiked the approach trail and did an overnighter on Springer earlier in May 2013 and it was really warm however; We did a 5 day section hike on BMT in early July and FROZE on the top of Big Frog with the winds and driving rain. It rained for 4 days straight and in the evenings and nights, I was cold. Thank God I had my Marmot 20 bag with me. Due to that experience I'm a little "gun shy"! I car camped and participated in a SAR training event two years ago at DuPont State Forest and it was around 10 degrees at night. I enjoyed it but that was car camping, no limitation on gear. Kinda sucked starting the morning exercises with 5 layers on and slowly shedding them through out the day just to start layering them back on as soon as you were down to one layer. I'd LOVE to do a hike in the snow with temps just around freezing (and no wind)
    but I've never gotten that opportunity. Maybe someday .....

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    . . . For me I don't think that I'd enjoy real cold weather trips enough to invest in the gear I would need (0 degree bag, true four season tent, etc... )
    Please, don't get trapped in the pricey gear hesitation stuff. Yeah, 4-season tents are a bit warmer than tarps or 3-season tents, and 4-season tents handle hurricane force winds better than most tarps and 3-season tents, but, tarps and 3-season tents work just find or better than heavier 4-season tents for most winter travel in most places discussed on these forums. As for sleeping bags, I have an expedition down bag that I never use because it is just too much. I prefer my three season 20*F bag (lots of winter weather is not below 20* anyway) and I have a cheap Thermorest Tech Blanket that I use as a synthetic over-quilt to take my 20* bag down to -15*, so long as I wear all my other insulation at night as well. . . and then, of course, there are those Ikea synthetic quilts that one can purchase in a pinch for about $15 for the same purpose, albeit slightly heavier than the tech blanket. My combined 20* bag and tech quilt weigh slightly less than my expedition bag and cost about 1/2 as much. . . they also aren't quite as warm, thank goodness.

    The only legitimate reason I can think of to not go backpacking in the single digits is just "I don't want to". There really isn't any other good reason.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gambit McCrae View Post
    Wow very well put!

    I mean yes, I could pack up a backpack of goose feathers so to say, the down mat, the 0* WM bag, the Hilleberg, the down parkas and hats and balaclava...the hestra gloves and liners, and have a hap hap happy time burrowed down in my bag...but to me its about getting out and about playing in the woods around camp, sitting by a fire and being comfortable.. but everyone certainly needs to HTOH
    +1 Totally Agree! I go to the slot canyons of Utah for a beat down and a challenge. I go to the mtns and trails for solitude, relaxation, and stress relief!

  15. #15
    Registered User AO2134's Avatar
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    To each his own Gonecampn. I like cold weather. I don't like too much below freezing weather. A night in the teens will likely keep me away. The lowest I've gone is 17 degrees and that is about the lowest I would want to go. Tghat being said, the biggest factor with cold isn't exactly cold for me, but wet. Cold and wet = utter misery at best.

    One good thing about the trail is that it will be there when you have time to do this section in better weather.

    If cabin fever becomes too much, go for a day hike somewhere to quell the feeling for a little while.
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  16. #16

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    It all comes down to how much gear do you want to carry? Winter camping can be fun when there is snow on the ground and we can drag our gear in pulk but throwing it in backpack and hauling it is another thing. I used to figure at least 20 pounds of extra gear for winter camping. Heck my -30 winter bag is right close to 9 pounds and even with a compression sack would eat up the volume of my summer backpack. Winter Down bags can weigh much less and pack smaller but very pricey. In the whites we play the four thousand footer game year round and what most folks have figured out is that its far easier to pick the days and do long day hikes instead of overnighting. Alternatively we pulk in the gear to basecamp and then dayhike from there. As for tents if we basecamped we would use standard tents and dig them in. An hour or two with a shovel can make quite a cozy campsite, basically dig a hole for the tent and pile the snow in the direction of the prevailing wind and watch out for cold air draining down valleys. Add in fire pit and its nice way to spend a night.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    11 degrees isn't that cold. For Winter. Dress warm, go hikin' and have fun!
    It's not that cold for hiking, but is darn chilly for camping! And since 2/3ds of your day is camping, you need some really warm clothes and sleeping bag.
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  18. #18
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    It is a matter of being able to enjoy all aspects of a backpacking trip. Moving during the day, taking breaks, spending time awake in camp, and sleeping. I think that everyone is a bit different in what is enjoyable. I don't have any doubt that I could do a trip with highs in the teens and lows in the single digits if I wanted to and if I had some additional equipment. I would not enjoy sleeping in zero degree weather with a 20 degree bag. Would I survive? Yes, but I wouldn't enjoy it. I'm ready to accept some very cold conditions as part of a long hike starting in April but I wouldn't seek out those conditions which is really what a February or March hike would be like. The coldest hike I've ever been on was the Foothills trail which I actually started exactly one year ago today. Lows were in the teens and highs were in the 40s the first two days and then got a lot colder for the final two days. This was an enjoyable trip. It probably wouldn't have been if highs were in the teens and lows were around zero, which I think would have been the case on the AT section I was considering (GSMNP) instead of the Foothills Trail at the same timeframe.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by AO2134 View Post
    If cabin fever becomes too much, go for a day hike somewhere to quell the feeling for a little while.
    That's what I typically do in winter - day hikes. If the forecast is favorable I might do an overnight.

  20. #20

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    As a heads up, if you are heading out for the mountains, theres going to be dangerous cold weather this weekend (February 13 - 15, 2016) throughout the northeast and much of the AT down through GSMP. Temperatures in CT are expected to be around -30 with the forecasted wind (-12 standing temperature). This is weather frostbite loves, can burn lungs, and create all kinds of mischief with gear.

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