[pct-l] Its wet out there

[Mary Kwart]

I just finished the state of Washington, crossing over into Canada on September 14. The last 7 days of hiking had 5 days of rain. Although it wasn't torrential, it was bothersome. I use a down sleeping bag and was strict about keeping it dry using a silnylon dry bag. The bag performed well--a Mountain Hardware Phantom 15. I was glad I had it because there were several freezes. One night north of Rainy Pass I camped above 6000 feet and was anticipating snow, which luckily didn't come. I met a woman at Rainy Pass who had just broke her wrist on the steep trail north of there because of snow the previous week.

Every time the sun came out I stopped to dry my tent and other gear as much as possible, which sacrifices mileage.

 One thing I used that was very helpful was a "Shamwow" synthetic chamois cloth that was light weight but can absorb a lot of water and can be wrung out and still absorb more water. I wiped the tent fly down with it before I packed it  to get the excess water off the fabric. This helped a lot to keep the tent dryer. I was glad I had a tent with a rainfly. I also dispensed using the ground cloth because the forest floor was so absorbent the ground cloth often impeded the flow of water into the ground under the tent and would cause a puddle. Condensation was a problem in the half of my tent that was single wall construction--dripping down the inner walls and making it hard to keep the sleeping bag dry. I used camp towels to wipe down the sides of the tent and absorb water.

Even after long periods of rain, large trees provided dry spots to pitch the tent and take a break during the day. Good raingear was a must--I used some H2No lightweight gear with seams sealed from REI and it did not get wet inside except for dampness due to sweat. Much of the water on the trail came from brushing past vegetation and not the rain per se. SO that meant that the day after it cleared you were still getting drenched. When it was cold,  I wore one set of very light weight long underwear under the rain gear to walk in. I used another pair to sleep in that I kept dry. I didn't wear anything under the raingear when it was warm or there was a lot of climbing to do which generated sweat. I lined my pack with a garbage bag, also. The amount of wardrobe adjusting due to heat generated by exercise, cooling off during breaks was greatly increased in the rain.

I was also glad I had Merrel goretex Mid boots and can give rave reviews for my silnylon pack cover. I briefly used an umbrella to keep the rain from going between my head and the pack, but dispensed with it because it was not that effective when weighed with the awkwardness of carrying it. Using an umbrella holder for the pack would solve this.

The trails in that part of Washington are prolongedly exposed and steep, making snow travel on them problematic. I have hiked the Muir Trail in California and the trails in northern Washington are in some ways more steep, exposed and challenging in relation to snow.

--Fireweed