Glad youre safe a taking a few days to recover.
I've had bad weather issues in good weather! You did well to get off safely, Lost. Happy hiking!
Your body is a giant atom-smashing machine...or, wait...the sun is a giant atom smashing machine.
You can use both to dry your stuff. It takes a long time, and can be difficult in wet weather. But you should never break camp without knowing how you're going to be dry at the end of the day. If you have to you can stay in the bag all day. That'll dry it eventually. Or, as Panzer suggested, throw a line up in the sun.
Otherwise, high-tail it out of there to fight another day.
Originally Posted by JAK
My dunk in the lake taught me that lesson... Since then, i'm likely overly diligent about insuring I keep my bag dry, but it has not happened again.. (Bag liner, pack cover, drysack stuff sack for sleeping bag...
As for the fire starting... We both live in the same neck of the woods, and i've yet to experience any weather in which I couldn't have a good fire burning in less than 10 minutes from deciding to have a fire.. 3 inches of bailing twine, a straw, a striker, and a wide variety of undergrowth/bark found up and down the east coast will have you a nice small fire in minutes, regardless of the weather. Choose a wise site to suit the conditions, and never burn any sticks larger than your largest finger.. You'll have a very warm, managable, efficient cooking fire in minutes.. Knowing how to start a fire in an emergency is an essential skill for this time for year..
There is a TrailJournals.com account by one of the two thrus whom he mentioned had decided to return to Plumorchard after snow got waist high if any would like to follow up on that. Can Spring be far behind? And, when it comes, will the snow melt create horrendous high water problems? Stay tuned.--Kinnickinic
PS: I think that "Lost" is a great trailname that will be a conversation starter for years to come.
You never know just what you can do until you realize you absolutely have to do it.
--Salaun
I would agree.
Still, after dark, howling wind, freezing rain at 20F, with deep snow on ground...
It does get tricky at times.
Still, you should always be able to make tea. Good rule.
To answer your question about the bag. It got wet a few nights back while sleeping in a shelter. I think I will avoid shelters or at least bivy it up in the future. I basically awoke in the shelter covered in snow. It was not sunny the next 48 hours and all attempts to dry my bag left it covered in ice. I knew u could only make it one more night given the conditions. Whew this has been an interesting experience. I am glad my story can serve as a teaching tool and am happy for the postive support from the WB community. Thanks all.
looks like lost&found is a good name as 4 or 5 people have used it for you.. glad your safe and keep steppin'
L&F- Who were the guys that "rescued" you?
Side note, there needs to be a moms support group for AT thruhikers, this is not the first incident of this type.
Glad you're safe LF. Hope the rest of your trip goes well.
Sailor
If 'Lost', and 'Lost and Found' are already taken, how about...
'Lost and Found with a Frozen Bag' ?
Zip Lock Freezer Bag.
SGT Rock
http://hikinghq.net
My 2008 Trail Journal of the BMT/AT
BMT Thru-Hikers' Guide
-----------------------------------------
NO SNIVELING
I prefer "Saved by Mom" as a trail name..
Lost and Lost and Found are good too.. Just make sure it references this incident as it will be a great conversation opener...
Jack and others who jumped on this as a teaching story: I think you got it a bit wrong in your haste. L&F seems to have had the situation fairly well under control, and would have gotten off the trail the next day on his own. The real mistakes seem to have been:
1. Wet bag from poor weather management in the shelter. He should probably have either set up his tent or whatever shelter he was carrying, or alternately have used a top cover from said shelter to keep the snow off. And having got it wet in those conditions, he should probably have at least acted more prudently later on.
But that's real hindsight and inexperience. And that doesn't seem to have been his worst problem.
2. His next problem was to discount the trail info from the other hikers, and try to stick to his original plan. That's a bit like mistrusting your compass: generally a bad move, especially when it is late in the day and the adverse conditions are piling on.
Still, he didn't panic or get himself into any real trouble. He knew he lost the trail and knew about how to get back to it. Just ran out of time. His story shows he had a good sense of the terrain and shelter possibilities, and where he probably turned off into the boonies, which as we all know is really easy to do in heavy snow. Lots of "trails" open up in the snow that just aren't there ordinarily.
3. It was the third problem that got him into the deepest trouble: As Touron says, bad mother management. Mothers are not really good at waiting while their children are out in the big bad forest and "lost" in a "snowstorm". Children on the trail need to know this, and take it into account. The phone call itself may have been a mistake, but if L&F wanted some reassurance himself, perhaps he could have thought of a more judicious choice of phone buddy.
The turning off the phone part I don't think of as a mistake. If the phone is your lifeline, you don't want to use up the batteries when they're not needed. The mistake was to not anticipate mom's panic.
I can almost run the phone call through my mind, and I am almost certain I can hear L&F sending subtle cues that mom could easily misread. L&F: Well, I'm pretty tired and cold and my bag is wet, and I don't really know where I am or what the overnight weather is going to be, but don't worry, I'll be ok. Really. Mom: Oh My God. Who do I call to make this go away. A few hours of worrying, and out goes the distress call.
Conclusion: A bit of novice thick head disease, some really bad trail conditions, too much overconfidence, and not enough prudence in planning (eg maps) and in trail walking (into the deep snow, off the trail, etc.). It could have been a complete disaster, but wasn't. It was a healthy learning experience instead. May this young man go far.
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