Hi all,
Can anybody give me an idea of the weather in March heading out north from Damascus, or down in the Erwin area or Smokies? Looking at a little break from 3/3 - 3/12 and want to make the most of it, trying to squeeze in a good hike. Or, any other thoughts on hikes that could easily (and cheaply) be squuezed into that time frame??
thanks
-xtn
airferret
March is iffy, just about anywhere. Could be very cold, could be snowy, could be rainy, could be nice. Given that I ran into snow on the AT in May in Virginia on both my thruhikes, if I were you I would be prepared for it in March. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hike then, just be prepared for cold and wet.
If you don’t want to deal with snow, then you have to go to either Florida or the southwestern desert. The Superstitions near Phoenix are nice that time of year. Or Big Bend. Anything over 5000 feet you run into a good chance of snow, either falling or on the ground. Even in Utah you’d have snow.
Ginny
I’ve hiked in 75 degree weather, and I’ve been in three-foot snow drifts with temps in the single digits during those dates. How lucky do you feel?
I’d certainly pack for winter, and hope for the best. Keep in mind that the higher the elevation, the more likely you’ll experience winter-like conditions. That would mean places like Roan Mt., the higher ridges of the Smokies, and Grayson Highlands are places to especially keep an eye on weather and weather forecasts.
Skyline
i like skyline’s joke about gambling…but don’t! everytime i have been to roan it has snowed on me…the 1st time significantly…rain, ice, ice sheets, freezing drizzle, mud slicks…and with yer knees, you understand you’ve been there.
i wouldn’t doubt that march will have significant rain, just cause there always seems to be a considerable ammount of blackberry, dogwood, or whatever winter’s that happen to getcha in the TN portions of the AT.
now yer an old pro, you know how to pack, and how to develop escape plans. i would recommend a map, since the thruhiker of 06 may be few and far between during that time of year, that far north. if you remember, it is generally 8-12 miles to the next road…but the next house or car in frigid ice borne roads may be miles away. let miss janet know yer going out there and she’ll give you a more accurate weather report as ya get closer.
oh, when ya get there and it is 70’s during the day and 20’s at night, you can bet yer hiking TN in march. hehehe
burn