We had to skip our morning walk this morning, the first since we started taking you along with us on our new Morning Walk with Joe Facebook live feature. The reason: the weather.
We’ve long advocated hiking in the rain — a light rain. Not a driving rain that spend the previous day and night rampaging across the country spawning heavy rain, thunderstorms and tornados, causing death and destruction. That’s what we woke up to this morning. Rather than take a stroll, we opted to hunker down in the bathtub instead.
But while we were curled up in the preferred shelter of place when a tornado is lurking about, we thought of the reasons we like hiking in the rain:
- No one else is out, especially attractive right now.
- Your commune with nature is all the more special as your world (already narrowed) is further condensed into an intimate dome.
- Time is suspended. I know, time already feels that way. But this is in a good way, a way you know is temporary and thus, soothing.
- You have no compunction to get anywhere. Too often on a hike many of us feel compelled to get from Point A to Point B within a certain amount of time. When you’re out in the rain, simply being out is enough. The rain creates obstacles — slippery tree roots, impromptu puddles, normally mellow creeks turned into raging streams — that slow your progress.
Of course, enjoying a rainy day outside is dependent upon dressing for the elements: a rain jacket that doesn’t leak, rain pants that won’t make you sweaty, shoes that don’t leak. In today’s video, we go into more detail on dressing for a light rain.
More rain is in the forecast for Wednesday — just rain. No thunder, no lightening, no tornadoes.
Be prepared and enjoy.
More info
Order a copy of our “Explore Your Neighborhood: A Guide to Discovering the World Immediately Around You in these Shelter-in-Place Times” and we’ll include our three-page tip sheet on Hiking in the Rain. It covers everything from outfitting yourself with the proper clothes, to choosing the right rainy-day trail, to what to be aware of on the trail. Head here for more info and to order.