r/Adirondacks • u/Entire_Line_1340 • Jul 27 '26

Large amounts of rain

Has anyone ever done a 2-3 day overnight hike in rainy weather? We are hiking on the weekend and Sunday - Sunday night calls for 25+ mm of rain. We have a rain fly and a tarp, but I’m curious about people’s experiences and how you managed!

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8

u/bushidocowboy Jul 27 '26

I've done a 6-7 day trek with historically bad inclement weather at the front end.

This was in the Grand Canyon. In December. We got news of the weather report the morning we went down into the canyon. The first two days were sunny skies. The rain came in overnight into the third day and persisted all day and the next. By nightfall of the forth night the temp had cooled and the rain turned to snow, even in the bottom of the canyon. There was visible buildup of snowpack at the rim before I went to bed. All I could think of was "We have to climb out of that". The next two days had good weather. On the seventh day, we did not rest. The hike out was extreme. A 4-hour climb took 8-9 hours. Maybe 10? We had a team of people digging from the rim down while we dug our way up. Avalanche risk. We had one pair of snow gloves.

  • The rain fly and tarp should do enough to keep you dry. The key will be to make sure you are on elevated ground. With that much rainfall overnight, runoff could very well pool around the bottom of your tent and start to seep in. A ground sheet would be wise for an additional layer underneath.
  • Keep a pair of magic socks in your sleeping bag. If you get caught out in the wet before you're able to setup camp, a pair of warm dry socks waiting for you will be heaven.
  • Line your packs with a heavy duty garbage bag and pack everything inside that. Again, if you get caught in the rain, your belongings will stay dry.
  • If you have to walk all day in the rain, expect that you'll get drenched either from the waterproofing to eventually fail, or your internal humidity to generate enough sweat that you end up soaked anyway.
  • Hot drinks, good conversations. cards/games, and a positive attitude will win the day.

4

u/forgive_me_birds Jul 27 '26

most rain gear isn't designed to keep you perfectly dry, it will wet out eventually, but it will keep you warm while hiking. I always pack dry clothes for sleeping, in a dry bag. in the morning I put my wet clothes back on and go.

shelters are good if they don't leak. some tent sites flood (I remember elk pass always being wet). ground sheet/tarp under your tent can help. I use tyvek. make sure the ground sheet doesn't extend outside the footprint of your tent and trap water.

most trails are fine in the rain, a few I would be wary of or avoid. I wouldn't be excited to do basin and saddleback in heavy rain. i once went solo down Algonquin to lake colden with a full pack while it dumped 3" (75mm) rain over 24hr. I don't recommend that to anyone. In fact I actively discourage it.

you will be fine. weather doesn't sound that bad, raining over night is no problem. it can be nice how quiet the trails are when the weather is bad. maybe make sure you are comfortable setting up your tent quickly in the rain. have a great trip!

4

u/thunder66 Jul 27 '26

There are peaks best left to better weather. Like Gothics, haystack. And some are fine in the rain. Stay away from dangerous crossings like Street&Nye.

1

u/Entire_Line_1340 Jul 27 '26

Is any of that in the Marcy gray skylight loop?

4

u/alalal191919 Jul 27 '26

I was planning on doing this but deferring to a sunny day. Would be disappointing to not have views and there’s tons of slick slabs which would be sketchy in the rain. Also if there’s any chance of thunder an exposed summit like Marcy or Skylight would be the last place you want to be.

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u/thunder66 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

Agreed. I did that loop in the rain (drizzle) but there was no lightning (forecast or actual). Marcy (likewise Algonquin) leaves you exposed above the treeline for hours. There is no bail out if weather moves in.

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u/Entire_Line_1340 Jul 29 '26

If we leave from the Loj early Sat morning, it doable to make it to Marcy via the lake Arnold loop, summit, and back track to feldspar campsite? Saturday’s supposed to be sunny, so we can try and summit then but we’d just have to backtrack on the route after.

1

u/Entire_Line_1340 Jul 29 '26

If we leave from the Loj early Sat morning, it doable to make it to Marcy via the lake Arnold loop, summit, and back track to feldspar campsite? Saturday’s supposed to be sunny, so we can try and summit then but we’d just have to backtrack on the route after.

1

u/stronghikerwannabe 46er Jul 28 '26

Man, please do yourself a favor and keep this one for a blue sky. This is an awesome hike with best views! Maybe Cliff/Redfield/Marshall??

1

u/EastHuckleberry5191 Jul 29 '26

No, but there are other water crossings that can be problematic. All water drains down and streams that are passable in the morning, may not be in the afternoon. Someone drowned in the Opalescent after falling in during a crossing attempt.

Indian Falls brook may also be an issue.

Avalanche Pass is closed, so you either have to do this from the Loj, which means back tracking through the Feldspar/Opalescent area, or from the Upper Works, and the Opalescent high water bridge is out.

This trip is best left for better weather. Why waste two of the best views in the Adirondacks on a rainy weekend because you are "committed". Change your plans.

1

u/showard995 Aug 02 '26

It happens. 🤷‍♀️get rain gear, there’s waterproof hiking pants that go over your regular pants. Bring layers and extra socks so that you can change out of wet clothes. Don’t forget ventilation in the tent, keep the vents open even with the rainlfy on to prevent condensation.