| Boots..check, pack..check, trekking
poles..check, raingear..check, GPS..check, dog..check, weather
reports..uh, let me see, where did I put the weather report? Did I get
the weather yet? I'd never leave on a hiking trip without knowing what
to expect from the weather. I better get a new report just to be safe.
Let's see, should I use the phone, television, radio, or computer? My
choices are many.
Living and hiking in Alaska, we've pretty much been conditioned to
expect anything from the weather at any time. Obtaining forecasts may
help us decide what gear to take, especially during early and late
season trips. More importantly, weather information will give us
invaluable insights into creek flows, snow pack, winds, and approaching
storms. It may make the difference between being able to ford the creek,
post-holing for three miles, getting blown off the summit, and bivying
in a June blizzard.
The following are good sources of weather. I've left out the
no-brainers like television and radio except for two notable exceptions.
The weather guy on Alaska One (CH. 9) and the Alaska Weather Report on
APRN (FM 89.9) are both done by the National Weather Service and are
much more comprehensive than the nightly news. These reports give
specific regional weather information much like you'll find on the NWS
website and Alaska Weather Line, which I'll cover here in a bit. You
would be wise to start keeping an eye on these sources the days leading
up to your trip. That way you can get the "big picture". |
|
My two personal favorites are the phone and
worldwide web. By worldwide web I don't mean those little smiley suns on
your browser that ask you to put in your town and zip code. I mean real,
up to date NWS weather. The NWS has both an awesome website and
menu-driven phone service. The phone number is 458-3745 and gives you
countless choices. You'll be surprised at how much information you can
glean from this service if you haven't used it yet. The website has the
same information and then some. This is a cool site with lots of good
weather links for you meteorological types out there like myself. Go to
www.alaska.net/~nwsar/. Again, your choices here are virtually
limitless. There's even a list of the local frequencies you can use if
you carry one of those little weather radios around. At a minimum, I go
to the "Texts, Forecasts, and Observations" section. This
contains the same info as the phone line. The obvious advantage of the
web page is you can print it out if you want to. One last note. Don't
forget tide tables when hiking along the coast somewhere. Gear shops and
marine stores sell them pretty inexpensively and they can save your
life. The last place you want to be is stuck out on a headland when the
tide comes in hoping the Coast Guard or a fisherman comes by. Most
people will tell you they are a necessity, not an option, so pick one up
the next time you're heading for the coast. Even if it's just a day
hike, the tides in Alaska can turn fast and be different in the double
digits.
Weather reports..check, food...check, tent..check, maps..darn it, now
where did I put those maps. Man, I'm never going to get out of here.
Maybe I can go to the next FAHC meeting and somebody can give me tips on
how to organize for a trip. |