Weather woes

[flyingbison]

Have a 3-night trip planned for the end of this week, and I've been watching the forecast all weekend. Looks pretty crummy throughout the entire area, and the forecast seems to change quite a bit from day to day. Right now, the most concerning part is the wind, but I suspect the forecast will continue to evolve right up to the time I leave. As of now, I am planning 3 nights of base camping at a boat-access site. I only have to get to and from the site, but I'd like to do more paddling while I am there.

When you are tripping, do you tend to change (or cancel) plans based on the weather forecast, or do you just deal with adverse conditions?

 

[riverstrider]

I've never canceled a multi-day trip due to weather forecast, but I usually have padded the schedule a bit so that we can take a day or two off during the trip and still make our mileage if needed to avoid mad windy lakes or torrential downpours. We've only actually done so a couple times, though. And I'm usually planning such trips during times of year when I at least don't have to worry excessively about snow or ice.

I once cancelled a week-long trip after the first day when a planned trip across my HUGE state of RI had to be canned when all of the rivers we planned on paddling went into flood. No choice really...on the first day I lost my boat to a bad mess of trees and logs! It was stupide to be there in the first place, and even then we knew that we could not complete the trip in any case since later days would involve upstream paddling. That trip got postponed for a year.

I've often cancelled, or not shown up for, day trips when either it turned out to be too cold for comfort (I find paddling is not as fun in freezing weather as it used to be, and I am all about having fun), or when thunderstorm warnings have been posted. But that's about it.

-rs

 

[Alan Gage]

My trips used be short ones (long weekend, maybe a week) and pretty spur of the moment. As a result the weather forecast played a prominent role. For many years I rarely had to deal with bad weather. Once I started doing longer trips that was pretty much out the window and the only reason I look at the weather now is for the first few days of the trip. If the weather looks abysmal I'll wait an extra couple days before heading out but otherwise I get what I get and have to deal with it.

I think I actually prefer it that way. While nice weather is great there's a satisfaction that comes from being forced to deal with whatever mother nature throws at you. That being said I don't know if I could convince myself to go on a 3 day trip where I knew the weather was going to be cold, cloudy, wet, and windy the whole time. At least on a long trip the weather usually averages out in your favor.

Alan

 

[dougd]

I've only dropped out or cancelled a trip a few times and that was either severe weather or me injuring myself. We've had to call a fluff day more then once though, usually due to winds, guess who the heck was along??? ;-) There are times when we paddle in pretty ugly weather once in rain so hard we were bailing the canoes from the amount of rain falling and it was pretty cool out. Not a good time. If others are in agreement I'll be first to stay an extra day/night with a big fire to hang out by.

dougd

 

[flyingbison]

While nice weather is great there's a satisfaction that comes from being forced to deal with whatever mother nature throws at you.

That's how I've been trying to think of it over the past week or so - like a challenge. Part of me wants to just stay home and be warm and dry, but another part knows that I'll only get a chance to schedule 2 or 3 solo trips a season, and if I cancel it may be a couple of months until I can find the time to do it again.

A couple of alternatives I am considering now if the forecast looks worse over the next couple of days: Take the canoe with me to a drive-in campsite and hope I get a chance to get it in the water for some of the time I am there, or forget about the canoe and go backpacking instead. That last option, though, changes what I would be bringing and how it would be packed.

 

[Cookannapurna]

I will keep my eye on the weather. If it is a trip I have some leeway as to when I leave, I may go a day or two earlier or later to accommodate the desired weather. If I'm locked into my departure date, I rarely cancel. As several have already stated, weather that creates potentially dangerous conditions are a different matter all together..

My 9yo son and I spent 3 1/2 storm filled days in the Adirondacks this past early fall, and had a blast.

 

[Cookannapurna]

It also comes down to being realistic with your abilities, especially if your solo. Know what you can and can not do, and stay within your limits. And as the Boy Scouts tought me "be prepared" always.

 

[yellowcanoe]

If you have something else you like to do in camp, like journal, photograph or read that one book or two go for it. If you are set on paddling and the forecast doesn't improve by say Wed ask yourself why you want to do this.

On a trip from point a to point b you just have to deal with bad weather if it comes but for base camping the mindset changes a little. I had such a trip in La Verendrye a few years ago .. Days of blah rain.. I aborted the trip thinking it would be more fun to go home and see my grandson.

 

[flyingbison]

If you have something else you like to do in camp, like journal, photograph or read that one book or two go for it.

Forecast is improving somewhat, so it looks like I will go. When it is too cold/wet/windy to paddle, I can enjoy gathering and cutting firewood!

 

[Guest]

When you are tripping, do you tend to change (or cancel) plans based on the weather forecast, or do you just deal with adverse conditions?

Once I am actually “in” dealing with adverse conditions is kind of batten down the hatches enjoyable. Provided I have a layover day to whittle away and have a good tent, tarp and site selection dealing with adverse weather is kinda fun. I sometimes reenact this, complete with wild cackles and fist shaking provocation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Doyh7gGeoo

Change plans certainly, mostly advancing or delaying put in day for adverse wind conditions. And by building in an “insurance” day for every 4-5 paddling days, in case I am windbound or just want to linger at some fine campsite for a day.

In all lifestyle honesty some of my weather consideration has changed, at least for local (day’s drive or less) trips. Now that I am retired and footloose if Monday’s forecast is a day of hard rain or high winds, hmmmm, how does Tuesday look? Same for paddle out day if I have a weather radio forecast and some extra food.

That has been a welcome change from gotta go workaday scheduling. And from pre-scheduled group trip dates, where we went come heck or high water, and higher wind and wave.

Those were some very memorable trips in sometimes utterly stupid conditions, and while I wouldn’t trade those for glasslike calm, well, been there, done that, don’t really need to do so again if I can avoid it, especially if I am paddling local or solo.

 

[flyingbison]

... Now that I am retired and footloose if Monday’s forecast is a day of hard rain or high winds, hmmmm, how does Tuesday look? Same for paddle out day if I have a weather radio forecast and some extra food.

That has been a welcome change from gotta go workaday scheduling...

I look forward to that day ... not sure when it will come, but I hold out hope. A full-time job, a young kid at home, and all the other household/yard chores really take a bite out of my recreation time!

 

[stripperguy]

If I'm in a small group or solo, I might delay the start or shorten the trip if it's really miserable.
If I'm in a larger group, with only one possible set of dates, we go heck or high water, or high wind, or skim ice, or...

Some of the most memorable (notice I didn't say enjoyable) trips were the ones in the challenging conditions.
With that said, I'll choose a dry sunny April or October trip over one in a humid July every time!

 

[BWCA66]

Just got back from an April paddle in the BWCA and for the first time in 52 years and probably over 200 trips I came back a day late. It was too windy on Monday to paddle out, reviewing weather data after the fact the winds were sustained at 20-25 MPH all day with constant gusts up to 35. Open lake with the portage out on the other side and would not been able to avoid being driven into the rocks at the portage plus getting off camp wasn't too good either. Got out yesterday just before a winter storm hit last night.

I have twice cancelled winter camping trips because of the weather forecast but never a paddling trip.

 

[flyingbison]

Forecast is improving somewhat, so it looks like I will go. When it is too cold/wet/windy to paddle, I can enjoy gathering and cutting firewood!

That "improving" forecast took a turn for the worse on the day I was leaving (Thursday). Not only was it supposed to rain all day, but when I watched the morning news they were predicting snowfall for the afternoon.

I packed up all my gear and dropped the dog off at the kennel, still not sure what I would do. I was checking the hourly forecast online throughout the morning, and then it seemed like the temps were getting higher and the rain would end by mid-afternoon. So I loaded up the car and headed out around 1:00 pm, with my destination about 2 hours away.

When I got about 20 minutes from the state forest office, I noticed a few stray flakes mixed in with the rain. By the time I arrived to check in for camping, it was a steady snowfall. Oh well, I guess snow isn't much different than rain, right? Got to the boat landing, loaded the canoe, and it was still coming down pretty hard. It was only about a mile or so to the campsite from the landing, and my rain gear kept me dry and warm. It was kind of surreal paddling through the snow, but the paddle in was a lot more peaceful than the way out this morning with the wind and waves tossing me around.

 

[wgiles]

The weather here in the Midwest took a phenomenally bad turn last weekend. Where I am, we got 5" of rain and the wind Saturday afternoon was the worst that I think I've been through. I was watching the forecasts prior to the storm and would have canceled any trip that I had planned for the weekend. The wind isn't forecast to let up before next week.