AT Georgia Weather

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#1

I am planning a section hike in August from Georgia thru the Smokies. I keep hearing it is very hot this time of year. I have been on some weather websites and they are all agreeing on “hot” days ranging from low 80’s to mid 90’s and cool evenings. Not one who relies to much on weather media, can anyone give me some first hand knowledge of the weather there.

I live in Texas where the average temps are above 100* in the shade and not much cooler in the evening. I am trying to get a comparison so I can sort out my gear.

Freespirit

#2

Freespirit - I just got back from 2 weeks in Houston. Based on what I experienced, as a native Texan you’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect in Georgia. In August, it’s not so much the heat (80-90 sounds about right), it’s the humidity. You’ll be soaked with sweat all day long. At night, it’s still steamy but to a lesser degree. You’ll definitley see some temp decrease when the sun sets, but roll around too much and you’ll start dripping again. I’d carry a lite sleeping bag (45ish degree), a rain jacket, and a light set of dry clothes strictly for camp. That’s all the insulation you’ll need. Happy Trails.

Matt

#3

It’s a bit of a crap shoot in August in the Georgia mountains. I did section hikes the past two years in August with totally different weather:
8/07 - Springer Mountain to Neels Gap - hot and humid and totally miserable.
8/08 - Neels Gap to Dicks Creek Gap - warm days, cool nights, and low humidity = wonderful weather.

Matt is right - it’s the humidity that’s the controlling factor in summer, and in August you probably have a 75% chance of dealing with it in the mountains.

Dan Roper

#4

Matt and Dan are right, it’s the humidity that will get you. Nobody can predict the weather, but I would bet on it being HOT and HUMID. A fleece bag or liner should be all you need. Sometimes I just sleep on my air mattress. Take a good sponge bath as soon as you set up your tent for the evening. It cools you down and gets all that sweat off.

Tenting is a little more cooler at night than staying in a shelter. Keep your fly handy, but keep it off at night. You might want to carry a little more water than usual, you can get dehydrated easily. Being from Texas will definitely be too your advantage.

Think about breaking camp early (5 or 6 AM) and hiking until about 11 or 12. Find a nice shady spot and take a long afternoon nap during the hot part of the day. Stay out of the afternoon heat as much as possible. Start hiking again around 2 or 3. Of course the elevation will make a difference on the temperature.

I’m sure it will be a great hike. You might want to bring something for chafing, but otherwise not much gear change is needed.

Bilko

#5

Thanks guys. That pretty much was my thought too. It is just good to get knowledge from the people in the area to confirm. Here is what I am taking:

Tarp/tent Squall

Light fleece blanket. I figure a sleeping bag maybe overkill.

3 Light weight shirts. Wicking fabric, one is too be worn only around camp.

2 pairs of light weight shorts for hiking
1 pair of boxers for camp

Freepirit

#6

In the spirit of your lightweight philosophical shift, why not consider losing 1 shirt? That leaves you one to wear in camp and one to hike in every day. A second hiking shirt would get as wet and stinky as the first about an hour after you put it on. Then you’d have one smelly heap of nylon on your back and another festering in your pack. Keep it simple - SSDD (same shirt different day). You can always rinse a hiking shirt out in an out-of-the way creek if it gets too stiff!

I also presume one of the pair of shorts is for going over the boxers in camp to cover the barn door. But if not, think about losing the extra pair of hiking shorts as well. Same theory applies.

Matt

#7

Point takin. The “boxer shorts” are nylon walking shorts I use around here. Very light and breezee and no “barn door”.As for the extra shirt, well, hey I just thought I could look uhhhh…good. :tongue

Freespirit

#8

I did 6 days from the approach trail to Helen last week of June and lucked out! Humidity felt like 0, nice cool winds was a real pleasure! Good thing because being from SC I was not prepared for mountain hiking! I thought I could do 20 a day but ended up happy to make approx 60m in 6 days. I have re-supplied, adjusted my gear and am going back out Aug 28th to Sept 12th. My question is, was I just lucky and got great weather or can I expect it to remain less humid up on the trail? It has been about 92% humidity here. Last question, I got bad blisters on the bottom of my foot due to the steep down hills, I changed my insoles as recommended but am wondering if light sock liners is the way to go or just to double up my smartwool socks? Thank you and my hat is off to all you animals who can do 15-20 miles a day in the GA mountains!!!

blunt

#9

I am from this area and would agree with the other posts. I would also add that this is our dry season and that springs will dry up if we’re low on rain.

Brian

#10

Blunt - You got kinda lucky. The real rough summer weather doesn’t usually hit the Ga. mountains until mid-July. The end of August though will be guaranteed humid!!! Prepare for a soaking.

As for your feet, I would suggest liners. Two pairs of smartwools seems like a lot of sock for one foot.

Happy Trails.

Matt

#11

Matt,
You are correct I did get lucky and thanks to your and others advice I was open to quickly changing my orginal game plan of trying to do 20m a day and adjusted to 10 miles a day for the 6 days. Still felt pain but me and my son had a better time then killing our selves. Sock liners it is!

Blunt

#12

I just finished another section hike - Dicks Creek Gap, GA to Wallace Gap, NC - 37 miles in three days. We were at high elevation and the weather was a tad on the cool side with higher humidity. The hiking was comfortable, but I perspired heavily. At 4,000 to 5,000 feet, this probably wasn’t unusual temps for this section (check the forecast for Highlands, NC, for similar elevation).

In our long summer section hikes in GA, we’re able to minimize our packs. I carry only about 28-30 pounds at the start, inlcuding water. I wear shorts, carry no extras, carry one extra shirt (a dry cloth one for camp), and carry one extra pair of socks and underwear. We also wear our running shoes (New Balance) rather than boots - much lighter, we’re used to them, and we don’t need heavier stuff this time of year. We carry a lightweight sleeping bag.

Dan Roper