Ma Nature has quite the sense of humor

Once again Ma Nature has prevented us from starting our hike. Snow, freezing rain and ice has shut down not only Shenandoah National Park, but has made driving in general a somewhat hazardous undertaking. Ma Nature has proven to be quite the jokester when it comes to me and my plans. I guess I'll re-direct my "planning" from the hike itself to hike-related periphery.

I'm being lazy and cozy this weekend. Everyone needs a lazy & cozy weekend now and then. I did set up my REI Chrysalis solo tent with just the rainfly/footprint pitch. Thinking I will carry it this winter as an emergency shelter when appropriate. I got it down to the rainfly, footprint, poles and 3 stakes. It's a freestanding pitch, so I only need 3 stakes: one for the vestibule, and one on each side to pull the sides away. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'm guessing I got it down to about 2.5lbs. I may end up ditching the idea of carrying a shelter, especially since our hike will never take us too far from Skyline Drive and the safety of civilization.

I found a reasonably priced set of snowshoes at Sams Club. Snowshoes, carry bag and two poles for $80 bucks. I'm sure they're heavier than the more expensive options, but considering I'm not sure how much I will use them, they are a great starter set. If it turns out snowshoeing is in my DNA, I will invest in a higher quality set down the road. Now I just need to figure out the best way to attach them to my pack. I plan on carrying my REI Lookout 40 pack. It's the one I got for Alaska. It's roomier than my TNF pack, so I have more capacity to carry my winter gear.

Of course I will dress in layers including thermals/fleece/shell/hat/gloves/etc. And here's my winter gear list I plan on carrying in my pack:

  1. Emergency shelter (Chrysalis solo minimum UL pitch)  2.5lbs
  2. Winter gloves
  3. Extra knit cap
  4. Extra long underwear
  5. Dry socks
  6. First aid kit
  7. Headlamp
  8. Swiss Army knife
  9. Lighter & waterproof matches
10. Rain gear
11. Water (at least one Nalgene)
12. Food/snacks
13. Hand warmers
Optional gear depending on weather conditions:
14. Snowshoes
15. Katahoola Microspikes

I'm skipping the map/compass since we both have the PATC AT map on our smart phones. And the AT intersects Skyline Drive literally every couple of miles or so. Getting "unlost" consists of remembering which side of Skyline you are on (east or west), then walking uphill until you hit the road. I've also hiked in Shenandoah pretty extensively, and even though I don't know every foot of every trail, I know my way around pretty good. I will probably carry a printout of the specific area of the park we will be hiking as a backup.

The weather for next weekend is looking better, but we'll have to wait and see what Ma Nature has up her sleeve.