Your Friendly Hise Hikers Tuesday Tip: Preparing For Unsettled Weather.
First, happy first day of summer!
Last weekend, we hiked to Flora Lake. We had checked the forecast leading up to the trip, so we knew it was going to be chilly (high temp for the day in the low 40s).
We packed the cold-weather gear that we became experts using by way of our snow camping adventures with the Sierra Club.
Fleece beanies, puffy jackets, gloves, base layers… all of the things.
On approach to our exit from the highway, we see a sign that says “Expect unsettled weather.” Which we had seen before in the Sierras and were remiss to recall what it meant exactly.
Throughout this several hours-long adventure, there were snow flurries… and sticky ice… you get the idea, right?
We didn’t have service where we spent the day enjoying listening to the alphorns… so we made a mental note to look up “unsettled weather” when got back into cell service. And I did look it up.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is defined as: “A colloquial term used to describe a condition in the atmosphere conducive to precipitation.”
Essentially, it means there might be some precipitation (I read that to be either liquid in the form of rain or frozen in the form of snow or ice)… so um, how is this different than um just “showers in the area” or something similar?
Anyway… all that to say – when we hike in and around the Sierras, we always triple-check the forecast and double-check that we’ve packed our cold-weather gear to ensure safety… because this happened in the middle of June! 😮
The video I’ve shared here includes some “unsettled weather” over the lake whilst listening to the alphornists play.