Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Page 2 of 2 < 1 2
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#171605 - 11/07/12 09:30 AM Re: Distressed Hiker in Smokies [Re: TomD]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By TomD
I watched a couple of newsclips of his rescue. He had a tent from what I could see and a parka, but not sure if that was given to him by the rescuer before he was winched up into the helo. He didn't have shoes on for some reason-probably soaked is my guess. No snowshoes either, which pretty much stranded him from what he said-took him hours to go a short distance.


The hiker had his own tent and parka. He was sitting in the tent with his boots off when the rescuers arrived.

Top
#171618 - 11/07/12 12:54 PM Re: Distressed Hiker in Smokies [Re: Ewker]
BrianLe Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
Quote:
"I guess if he was carrying a radio he might but how many thru-hikers do carry one?"

Few, but perhaps a few more on that trail. I hiked most of the AT with a tech-challenged friend who asked me to pick out an MP3 player for him and help set it up. I put a lot of his music on for him, but what he ultimately ended up doing instead was listening to NPR and other stuff on the radio --- because on the AT you can so often pick up strong FM radio stations.

But practically speaking, I think very few thru-hikers are going to be listening to the radio, and often enough so as to pick up a rapid and significant weather forecast change in time to make a difference. What I did on the AT instead was to periodically get a weather forecast (internet via cell service). I certainly didn't (couldn't) do this every day, and I was definitely much more informed of weather forecasts than most thru-hikers as a result.

Until I watched the video I was a bit surprised to read that he was waiting in his tent. My inclination in really, surprisingly bad weather in there would be to try to get to the nearest (wooden) shelter, whether on the AT or somewhat off. When I went through the Smokies in March of 2010, they had tarp and similar plastic sheeting across the open fronts to make these shelters pretty good in the nasty weather. Unless you're really low on food (and sometimes even then), the smart thing in tough but transitory weather is to put on all your clothes, get in the sleeping bag, and wait it out. I had to do something similar in New Mexico last year.

In the sort of dump he got, however, it really is better to find some place to hunker down when it's that hard to move, and maybe even consider building some sort of snow shelter (debris hut comes to mind in those conditions, depending on how much snow was falling and how wet it was). Probably his solution of just putting up the tent was the right one, just wake up periodically to knock off accumulated snow on a tent that certainly was not 4-season.
_________________________
Brian Lewis
http://postholer.com/brianle

Top
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 241 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum