It is the beginning of March and the start of Thru-hiking season on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and because of that I thought I would review a new piece of equipment that might be useful. What is this new piece of equipment...ice crampons or specifically YakTrax.
 |
| It is that time... |
 |
| ...thru-hiking season... |
 |
| ...on the AT. |
 |
| *I got the Pro's... |
 |
| *...here are the specs... |
 |
| *...360 view. |
I know some will ask why would I need these? As I mentioned this week I did a hike in the High County of the Smokies on the AT, a stretch that many will pass though heading north to Katahdin. Well when I got to Newfound Gap there was some snow but not too much. However, when I started up the AT I discovered plenty of snow and ice on the trail.
 |
| Newfound Gap (AT to the right). |
 |
| AT got icy pretty quick. |
Luckily I thought to bring my YakTrax. I had received them as a gift two Christmas ago from Dad and Terry, but I hadn't used them before. But after seeing the condition of the trail and hearing a guy explain how he bent his trekking pole after he slipped on the ice I thought time to get the YakTrax out of the pack. So I stopped to put mine on and while I was a couple of guys passed me and said that looked like a good idea. It must have been as I passed them just up the trail getting their crampons out to put on. One of the guys told me that he got his after slipping on ice walking his dog on a flat paved surface. He added that he cracked his head and lost four hours. Let me say that the YakTrax made for a much better hike and I even put them on backwards at the start and they still worked (I did eventually got them on right).
 |
| I put them on, backwards! |
 |
| I got them on... |
 |
| ...the right way. |
 |
| YakTrax |
So, what is the moral of this story? Well while it may be spring in the High County of the Southern Appalachian Mountains one can see snow and ice up to May so in March and April you are guaranteed to run into some. Just last night (Tuesday) there was snow in the High Country and more is expect tomorrow. Remember, I have heard stories of hikers taking refuge in the bathrooms at Newfound Gap to get out of the ice and snow. So, if I were thru-hiking I would carry a pair of YakTrax or any crampon of your choice (they are light weight mine are just about five ounces) trust me they are worth their weight in gold.
* Photos from the YakTrax page.
No comments:
Post a Comment