Re: Your opinion...overnighter turned nasty...

Wow... 

Now my first reaction involved the ringing in my ears of the famous Cheech & Chong line, “Honorable Captain, Sir! But are you our of your F____ mind?”

“how could we have made this trip enjoyable...”

Recognize the effects the conditions at the time could have on you, made worse by your choice of gear and seasonal timing, and not go out at all. 

You’re lucky to come home alive. I hope it wasn’t a shocking revelation that it was wise to turn around and run back to the car.

Nevertheless, to answer your question,
- Recognize the Hazards present (dark, rain, near freezing temperature, little visibility, high wind chill) and plan to protect yourselves from them to stay alive much less have “fun.”
- Layer-up before leaving the car or at least carry all those layers because you anticipated the worst. This means layers like thermals, fleece pants, and waterproof shells, gloves, balaclavas, etc..
- A real tent that will keep the horizontal, wind-driven rain from getting you wet and hypothermic as you try to eat or sleep to make it through the storm might be nice. Maybe this is the wrong place to say this, but the truth will shake you awake otherwise, Ultralight has its place. If you have to go out in nasty weather, know what it will take to guarantee your safety and comfort and bring it with you from the start.
- Down clothing and gear is great for the cold, but it has to remain dry while used. Even sweat can reduce its effectiveness to where you get cold, not to mention what would happen to it if the rain had open access while sleeping. 


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org

From: Jim Augustine 
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2012 2:43 PM
To: [email protected] 
Subject: [BackpackingLight] Your opinion...overnighter turned nasty...

  
Attempted an overnighter, 16 pounds of gear, knowing the potential for rain. Got up to 9000 feet at dark, in the clouds, raining (medium), 36 degrees, with cloud / fog hitting us from the side and high winds. We decided to turn around and come back, thinking it wouldn't be very enjoyable.

We brought an 8x10 sil-nylon tarp, a gateway cape for shelters. Tyvek ground cloth, WM down bag with backpacking light vapr bivy. WM down jacket with OR shell. 

So my question is...how could we have made this trip enjoyable with such potential of being soaked to the bone, while freezing to death?

I could have substituted the down jacket for synthetic fill, but the rain / fog / cloud mist / condensation and cold....???

Thanks so much,

Jim Augustine