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| Stevens Trail / North Fork of the American River |
Every day is worth experiencing.
We’ve had a mild, almost tame, winter but now we’re getting wind, rain,
snow, big clouds and days of great-grayness.
These turbulent or grim days are as enjoyable as any other – next August
under a baked blue sky you might be missing the wind and rain in your face, the
smell and texture of bright green moss and the vigor of winter waterways.
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| Moss on Live Oak / South Yuba |
While others take
credit, it was Alfred Wainwright who said, “There's no such thing as bad
weather, only unsuitable clothing.” This is not a glib comment, Wainwright
spent some time outside. Between 1955 and 1966 he wrote and
published his seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the
standard reference to 214 of the fells
of the English Lake District. “Fells” are mountains, hills and upland
stretches of open country. Among his over 40 guides is his Coast to Coast Walk (1973), a
192-mile trail or “footpath”, between the
Irish Sea and the North Sea which remains popular today.
Well, what’s suitable clothing.
There’s a lot of gear out there that claims to be waterproof, a casually
used concept that applies to everything from a $300 high-tech garment to a
black plastic bag. I’m not sure what “water
repellent” means. Wool is good but it’s
bulky, harder to find and getting pricy – I’m sure that John Muir wore wool. I can’t offer advice on what to buy but you
should thoroughly investigate because once you’re wet, especially outside in
cooler temperatures, your perception changes.
Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature
gets lower than 95°. It’s often
described as something that can happen in very cold temperatures but it’s just
as likely at warmer temperatures when wet garments (from rain, sweat or
submersion) can rob a body of heat faster than it can maintain optimal
temperature. Symptoms include a decrease
in blood pressure, shivering, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech,
drowsiness, confusion and apathy. It’s quite insidious because it effects
judgement and it’s most deadly when someone is exhausted and “just needs to
rest” then dozes off while their body temperature keeps descending. I’ve been around people who were losing it to hypothermia,
but fortunately the rest of us were thinking clearly.
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| Nevada City / Deer Creek
Once upon a time, after camping for a few days near Gold Lake
by myself I was heading downslope to my truck when it started to rain and snow,
mostly rain. The walk was less than five
miles and I had a raincoat. Or so I
thought – I never tested it but assumed it would deliver what it promised. After a mile or so of heavy rain I was soaked
but plodding forward nevertheless. I
remembered that there were some summer rental cabins somewhere along this
trail. My thinking was getting fuzzy and
I was exhausted enough to want to rest under a tree but talked myself out of it. Eventually I stumbled onto a cabin but
couldn’t stay focused on why I needed one?
When I realized that it was dry inside I got in, dropped my pack,
sat down on a bench and drowsily fell over on my side ready for a nap. Some part of my brain was working because I
realized that, while I was soaked, I had a dry sleeping bag stashed in a waterproof
bag. Now the next step seems easy enough
but I had to continually fight off the desire to drop everything for sweet
sleep – even when the bag was unpacked and I was undressed. It took tremendous effort to follow through
by simply getting into that lifesaving sleeping bag. The whole experience was subtle, seductive
even, and potentially very deadly. I’m
delighted to be here!
Willow Creek / North Yuba
Shady Creek / South Yuba
So what are the lessons here?
Number 1: Don’t rely on the manufacturer of your rain gear, test it
yourself before you need it. Number 2:
It’s much safer to hike with a companion.
A lot of the stupid exchange I had with myself could have been avoided
with a second opinion.
South Yuba
Castle Peak / South Yuba
Don’t
risk hypothermia but don’t miss the “bad weather” either. Thoreau
put it this way, “Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in
the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute
nature. Be cold and hungry and weary.”
Temporarily, of course.
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