it’s not harsh, right? what could i expect hiking through virginia during the winter?
hephzibah
Virginia in the winter
system
#2
Gets colder as you go south in Virginia in the winter. But you can run into blizzard conditions at any part of the AT, including Georgia in the winter. Your survival depends on being able to withstand a blizzard in the winter. So prepare for that.
Fact
system
#3
in late November one year… in northern Va i filled a 6L camp waterbag and within 15 min had to “punch” thru the top ice so i could filter…
freighty
system
#4
The higher elevations can get sticky in a hurry. I remember reading of two hikers who had to be rescued out of the Grayson Highlands…but I think they went in completely unprepared and went off trail.
Doc Holiday
system
#5
you can walk in t-shirt and shorts somedays and battle the elements for your life on others. the truth is really to hope for the best but be prepaired for the worst. if you have little to no mountaineering experience keep yourself informed on the weather and dont head into long streches of trail if something is headed your way. for example the higer elevations of mt. Rogers can accumulate 3-4 foot snow pack that may require 6 hrs to travel only 4 miles without snow shoes(been there-done that-trust me.) also the same with that area around Ceres up to Chestnut Knob shelter is quite remote and there are no bail out points. once you get to bastion/bland you are good up past Pearisburg to Troutdale. there are a few towns but mostly you have a lot of roads to bail on and houses are everywhere even though you cant see them from the trail. the rest of the way up is sticky and the Doah’s will be completly closed down. Also worth mentioning is the fact that 40 and wet is worse than 25 and dry. you may not see as much snow as some might expect but you will see a lot precipitaion(sp?). I did VA in feb of this year and have a journal at www.trailjournals.com/magicdinsmore if you would like to know what winter conditions are like on the AT, lots of pictures too.
hellkat
system
#6
Excellent advice and accurate info from hellkat.
Just want to clarify that except during unusual events (Newt Gingrich shutting down the government in '95, forest fires in certain sectors in '98 and '00, Hurricane Fran in '96) the trails of Shenandoah National Park are always open. It’s the main tour road through SNP, Skyline Drive, that shuts down at the first hint of a snow flurry. By the Sunday after Thanksgiving all the lodges, restaurants, and visitor centers are closed until Spring (some earlier than that). And Ranger patrols via car on Skyline Drive, weather permitting, are cut back severely due to lower staffing levels. In short, you can hike but you’re on your own.
Skyline
system
#7
I spent the night on Old Rag two years ago in February. It was well below zero and we were hit with a blizzard on the summit. Always be prepared.
Freeform
system
#8
May the trail rise up up to meet ya,
May all the rain be soft,
Let the sun shine when ya need it,
And may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Doc’s version of an Irish prayer.
Good luck man…you’re livin my dream.
Doc Holiday
system
#9
A great example of Virgina winter weather might be New Years Day 2005. Anyone who hiked in Shenandoah that day will remember starting off in shorts and a T-shirt, but once you made it to higher elevations (like Old Rag), the fleece, gloves and beenie came out.
The best defense: layer, layer, layer, layer, layer, layer … and no cotton!
Suvid
system
#10
yeah, i’d be doing from catawba to harpers ferry. i see only one peak over 4000’. good info, though–thanks.
hephzibah