How to Handle Rain when Hiking

Video Transcript

"Hi this is David Jackel on behalf of Expert Village, and I am here to talk to you about handling rain in the Appalachian Mountains. Now if you are hiking in the Appalachian Mountains you will find that the rain can come and go very quickly. You never really know how the weather is going to change. It is very flighty up there. So you have to be careful and prepare for the worst. And rain is not your friend when you are in the mountains, because once your equipment and your clothing gets wet, it is going to be stuck that way for awhile. So at all costs, avoid the rain. There are a couple of things you can do. First of all, if you are going hiking, check the weather ahead of time and make sure rain is not coming. If it is, do not do the hike. But even if the weather is sunny and nice, it could start raining, especially as you get higher up into the mountains. You should always bring rain gear with you. That means a light jacket you can put on top of whatever else you are wearing that will keep out the rain, a light jacket with a hood is even better. You also want to bring some plastic bags, a large garbage bag will do just fine, that you can put on top of your backpack in the case it starts raining, so that way whatever is in side is not going to get soaked. You do not want your food to get ruined, you do not want your clothing to get ruined, so do everything you can to keep the rain off your gear. Rain will also make rocks slippery which is something you have to avoid when you are hiking, so if it is raining, be extra careful when you are walking around. Remember, you never know how the weather is going to change in the Appalachians, so prepare for the worst and bring rain gear."