Long distance hiking in the rain

When you're hiking, you have a lot of control.  You choose your own gear, food, and itinerary.  You often choose your companions.  You walk at your own pace.  You can listen to your own music.  You choose what days to take off.  But there is one thing you can't control.

Weather.

Generally speaking, when you picture yourself hiking, you probably imagine nice weather.  What kind of masochist automatically pictures pouring rain?  But the reality is that if you are long distance hiking, you will eventually end up walking in the rain.  Or sooner than eventually.  Both hikes I started at Springer Mountain started in rain (and a little snow.)  Going out for long periods means you give up the ability to plan around the weather.  You can't say "Oh, let's not go this weekend.  It shouldn't be raining next weekend."  For one thing, you may not know if it's currently a weekend or not.* 

But for another, you're already there.  Likely you don't have handy transportation.  And you have a limited** amount of time (and maybe a limited amount of food) to get where you're going, so you can't just not hike when it's raining.  Thruhiking means walking when it's beautiful and also when it's utterly crappy out.

Both conditions often happen on the same day.  Multiple times.  Sun, rain, sun, rain, until you lose count.  To some extent, you might stop noticing.  You know your gear is stowed as securely as you can get it in your backpack, and you just keep hiking.  You probably think most about it when you want to get something out of your pocket, and remember that you shouldn't because moisture will damage it.***

Just hiking in the rain isn't so bad.  It can be fun.  Remember stomping in puddles?  Still fun now.  For a while.  But hiking in rain that goes on all day, or for several days or weeks at a time, loses the attraction.  Wet feet are unhappy feet.  How many pair of socks do you carry?  And how long do you think the dry pair will stay dry after you shove your blistered feet back into those wet boots?****

The first time you get soaked, you will probably want to wear your dry clothes the following day.  This is a mistake most only make once.  Because once you've gotten them wet, you have nothing dry to put on when you stop.  And that's hypothermia time.  It's vital to keep dry clothing in reserve.  And what this means, every damn wet morning, is putting on your cold. wet.  stinky. clothing.  It's shudder-worthy, but necessary.  Knowing that you have to do this is a survival skill.

If you're lucky, when you wake up with wet clothes, it's sunny and warm out.  You can put on those clothes and they'll dry while you wear them.  But likely it's not sunny and warm.  Likely it's still drizzly.  So put those dry clothes back in their drysack, camper.*****  Put on your wet stuff.  Scream if you must.  Don your raingear****** and get moving.  Stay moving until the time comes when you can set up camp and get back into your dry stuff and your nice warm sleeping bag.  Or you will be one very, very sorry person.

*Weekends are best defined by day hikers.  You see dayhikers for the first time in a while, it's probably a Saturday.

**Six months is still a limit.

***Your ipod, your toilet paper, your journal, your food, your guidebook, your one remaining dry item of clothing.

****15-65 seconds, depending on your socks.  Btw, don't wear socks at night if your feet are blistered.  Even dry socks hold in moisture.  Let your feet dry out as much as possible.

*****Or double layered trash bag, or ziplocks, or whatever method you use to keep dry things dry. 

******If you have any.  Some people don't.  I think they're nuts.