I am planning to take a months vacation from work to hike a portion of the Trail from Davenport Gap northward. I am planning on starting mid-March, so my question is: What kind of weather should I expect. I know that it will still be cold and there is a good chance of snow but this doesn’t bother me as I am an experienced winter backpacker. Just wondering if I should take any unusual precautions. Thanks in advance for any and all info.
Yoda
Josh
Ah, the memories and near death experiences. Typical winter stuff, sleet, wind, sun, rain, ice. All the fun stuff, Depends on the year. Watch the weather radar for the mountains, www.intellicast.com to see how this years El’Nino is coming along. If the jet stream hasn’t moved yet, it’s pulling from the Gulf every day, it could be quite wet-or snowy. Wish I were there now, sniff*
Bushwhack
Sounds like you have a good idea of what you’re getting into, so no, you don’t haveta do anything unusual except obviously make sure your cold-weather gear is in good shape and stays dry, as you’ll likely need it. I’ve almost ALWAYS run into some pretty hellish weather here in March or April, so it’s good you’re prepared for the possibility. The only advice I’d give is that in addition to paying extra attention to your storm and end-of-day clothes, bring a little extra food along as you may find expected progress slower in some places due to weather and you don’t wanna get caught short; you may even have to hunker down for awhile (tent or shelter) in case weather is truly awful. Bring plenty of food that doesn’t need cooking in case using your stove proves difficult or impossible. And bring extra money, as bad weather in this stretch inevitably results in more town time, i.e additional expenses, esp. unplanned for lodging and meals. Oh, thought of one other thing—make sure you’re 100% happy with your personal shelter, whether it’s tent, tarp, or whatever, as you’ll be with lots of other hikers, and I wouldn’t count on always getting shelter space, even if you wanted to stay in the shelters, which a lot of sensible folks don’t wanna do. Oh, you might also wanna consider packing a small flask of the appropriate adult restorative beverage; I assure you that if you’re stuck in a shelter in the Smokies during a storm with 27 other folks, as I have been more than once, you will be grateful for a drink.
Baltimore Jack