[at-l] Crampons

[athiker72950 at sbcglobal.net (Pete Fornof)]

Exactly the case that happened. We curtailed the hike after one night out and completed it in the spring.  It was so cold that you couldn't even stop for lunch. We ate as we hiked. We decided that we would not complete the hike in the alloted time because of the late start due to the preceding team problems and the adverse conditions so we turned around. Actually, the team we received the flag from did have problems because they weren't properly prepared. Early stages of hypothermia and some frost bite. Our team escaped unscathed. I wouldn't let people hike unless they had the proper equipment. I never felt we were in danger, but the hike was not enjoyable because of the cold. 
 
Even if it wasn't as cold as it got, the crampons would have been necessary due to the icing on the trail. The trail was literally a sheet of ice. We didn't have much postholing at all as the wind swept the snow from the trail. 
 
We had a couple of thru-hikers heading southbound at the time we were hiking (Swedish Chef and another guy) and they hiked on the Clingman's Dome road, which parallels the trail. They didn't have crampons. 

W F Thorneloe <thornel@attglobal.net> wrote:
Tom Fort and Pete Fornof offer advice to carry crampons, especially in case 
of blizzard conditions along exposed ridges in the Smokies.

If there is snow on the ground, crampons aren't as useful as snowshoes. 
I've been there, and post holed to mid thigh 8 miles between Tricorner and 
Carter's Knob Shelters in 2001. I never had an opportunity to use the 
crampons.

If the conditions are dangerous, like minus 30 wind chills, ain't it time 
to seek shelter and wait out the storm? Folks died doing this back in the 
Blizzard of '93.

Are crampons about to become Cell Phones - something that encourages 
hikers to get into dangerous environments?

OrangeBug 

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Pete Fornof