Spring time is just around the corner… and that means even more opportunities for beautiful days of hiking and viewing spring time wildflowers. But it also brings along the possibility of hiking in the rain.
Often times spring and early summer weather can be so unpredictable, and it is important to be prepared for some rain!
What you need to making hiking in the rain enjoyable:
A Waterproof Jacket
Isis Tempest Rain Jacket: This jacket is one of my favorites, and the features it has are what you should look for in any good quality rain jacket – it’s lightweight and easy to pack, has taped seams so water doesn’t get in, and breathes really well. Cheap rain jackets do not breathe, which means you’ll be sweating! Check out the Hiking Lady review of the Isis Tempest jacket.
Rain Pants
Marmot Precip Rain Pants: If you think you’ll be out in the rain for awhile and that your nylon hiking pants might really get wet, then you’ll want a pair of rain pants. I highly recommend ones with full zips, because they can easily be put on over your boots…no one really wants to take their boots off when the rains starts!
Broad brimmed hat
OR Seattle Sombrero My favorite hiking hat is the Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero, and with “Seattle” in its name, it definitely can handle inclement weather. I’ve worn mine several times in the rain and the water literally beads up on top of the hat and on the brim. My face always stays dry because the brim is so broad, and I don’t have to deal with a hood on a hiking jacket. Check out the Hiking Lady review of the OR Seattle Sombrero
Other tips!
Bring along a towel in your backpack The small microfiber ones are great to dry things off. Be sure to keep a towel in your car at the trailhead too!
Get a cover for your backpack If I know there is a high probability of rain, I bring along my Ducks Back rain cover for my backpack. An even cheaper, though harder to use option, is a plastic trash bag.
Keep a change of clothes in your car. Who wants to sit in wet clothes for the drive home? Not me!
What else do you do when you’re hiking in the rain?
Dennis Blanchard, the author of the wonderful book about hiking the Appalachian Trail called Three Hundred Zeros (see the Hiking Lady book review of Three Hundred Zeroes) just returned from a 500 mile walk of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He and his wife Jane had an amazing experience, and Jane is going to be writing a book that I can’t wait to read!
Jane Blanchard’s new book will be focused on the women she met along the way. To give us a sneak peak, she has put together a slideshow of pictures of some of these women, clearly from all over the world, each with their own reason for making this spiritual trek. Here’s her slideshow, called Women of the Way:
Camino de Santiago translated into English means the Way of St. James, and has been a Christian pilgrimage for over 1000 years. St. James was one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles, and the story goes that his bones were shipped from Jerusalem to Northern Spain. The 500 mile walk/hike traverses the northern section of Spain, with the final destination being Santiago de Compostela. This was a very popular journey during Medieval Times, and has continued on as a spiritual trek through the present time. In 1987, it was named to be a European Cultural Route, and statistics show that over 100,000 people make the trek each year.
I’m looking forward to Jane’s upcoming book release to learn about her experiences and the other women she met along the way.
Since you are probably sitting in front of a computer right now and need some refreshing views of my favorite national park, take a moment and watch this amazing video of Yosemite.
The photographer did a time lapse collection of many of Yosemite’s remarkable features. Enjoy!
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
How many of you love seeing gorgeous wildflowers when you’re out hiking? I just read a great new book describing in vivid detail 50 of the best places to see wildflowers in the world! A few of the spots are in North America, including one of my favorites, the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, California. I love walking around those trails when the flowers bloom every spring!
Check out my new book review of Wildflower Wonders, and please share any of your favorite wildflower hikes! Happy trails!
Ever wonder what it would be like to ski to the magnetic North Pole? How about doing it alone, at age 50! Helen Thayer did it, and wrote an exciting book about her adventure called Polar Dream.
