[pct-l] going wet....

[bmclaughlin at bigplanet.com (Brian McLaughlin)]

----- Original Message -----

> Not long ago, someone posted a theory of hiking in perrenial wet weather--
> deliberately going 'wet'. The theory was something like, forget keeping
out
> the rain, find a way to tolerate wetness while hiking on the trail, then
dry
> off and keep dry the normal way in camp.

The issue is seldom wetness. After all, your skin is waterproof.
The issue is usually warmth, or the lack of it. Cold rain and
wind are notorious for sucking warmth out of you. Hiking
wet is perfectly acceptable as long as you don't leave yourself
vulnerable to hypothermia from evaporative and convective
cooling.

In fact, many a hiker has hiked wet all day, even while wearing
rain gear that was meant to keep them dry. Didn't kill them,
either. OTOH, hypothermia has killed thousands of hikers.