Hiking in the Rain

Okay, hiking in the rain, is not ideal to most, most of us (myself included), love the sunshine peeking through the trees, and mostly importantly, a SUNNY summit! However, the mountains follow their own rules when it comes to weather. Thus, here are some of my tips for when you get caught in a little sun shower, or a torrential downpour!

Recently, I was hiking two peaks apart of the 46er Hiking Challenge, in New York, specifically, Upper and Lower Wolf Jaws. When I started, the sun was trying to peak through, but then the clouds and rain took over for the whole day. Also, when I had checked the weather that morning, there was No chance of rain, the weather forecasted a cloudy but sunny day. So, again, the mountains truly have their own weather patterns! This is another thing to keep in mind when hiking, the weather can change, very quickly!

So when you hike, I ALWAYS recommend bringing, a rain or wind jacket, even if the weather forecasts says all sun, because like I said, the mountains follow their own rules! North Face has great products for this, that you can find, here, as well as, Eddie Bauer, which you can also find, here.

Also, when it rains, the rocks and rock scrambles become MUCH harder to grab traction on, thus, I HIGHLY recommend investing in HIGH quality hiking boots. I recommend ones with good ankle support, that are waterproof, and that have GOOD traction, here are some that I love, and here as well.

Along with high quality hiking boots, I recommend buying some good collapsible trekking poles. This will help A LOT when it’s muddy and slippery, because you will be able to keep your balance and hold traction, much better. Some good ones, can be found, here.

In addition, if you are hiking early or late season, either March-May, or October-November, I would suggest investing in micro spikes (here is a link to some). My friends and I encountered a lot of snow and ice when we hiked this past April and March of 2020. Thus, my friend, Cat, decided to get some micro spikes, and boy, did I wish I had them too. The micro spikes allow you to walk right on the ice and snow, because they dig into the ice/snow, no problem, where your hiking boots just won’t. Thus, I had to go off trail a lot during March and April to find easier paths to hike up.

Also, during late March and or April, or depending on when the snow melts, it is NOT a time for hiking. This is called mud season and if you do hike, please do not hike anything OVER 3,500ft in elevation (in the northeast US, I’m not sure what the recommendations are for hiking in the western US). Erosion happens very rapidly when the snow melts, thus the more people that aren’t hiking during this season, the better, to help prevent the erosion. Especially, NO high peaks or 4,000 footers during this time.

Okay, so back to my hike. Like I said, within two hours of my hike, the rain did not stop, it just kept coming. Thus, I put my rain/wind jacket on for the rest of the day. Also, another great investment, is a bag cover, so your bag and items inside won’t get soaked. Here, is a link to some. Also, I recommend, even if it’s not raining, to ALWAYS bring an extra pair of clothing.

I always do this, solely because of how much I sweat. Also, in the early season, when it’s still only 50-60 degrees, I have warm clothes to hike back down in. And then during the summer, I have dry clothes, that are not drenched in sweat.

Now, I understand, packing clothes and the right clothes can be an issue, because our bags can only fit so much! Thus, for hiking in the early season, I recommend, bringing a pair of long underwear (here is a link to some) or Under Armor (you can find here). In addition, a lighter sweatshirt for those extra cold days (here is a link to some), GLOVES, and a HAT, an extra sports bra (for women), and even a pair of underwear at times! I suggest changing your under layers up top, because those are the items that will be drenched in sweat, not your heavier layers, and that way, you will be warm on your way down!

Okay, as for the warmer days, again, I recommend packing you’re under layers, such as a sports bra, another pair of underwear, and sometimes even a bathing suit too (I love swimming if I have time after a hike!), another t-shirt, and another pair of shorts/light leggings. Also, I always bring sunglasses, peppermint oil instead of bug spray (here is a link), a head net (here is a link), a baseball cap, and some sunscreen!

Okay, and that wraps up how to prepare for wet weather when hiking! I hope this helps and you found some new, great, and useful gear for your hikes! Thank you for reading and enjoy! Also, below is the weather I experienced on my recent rainy hike, thanks again, and take care!