Re: [at-l] Winter on AT

[slackpacker@juno.com (Richard K Mann)]

be very careful if hiking in PA in winter.  every winter there are
reports of lost hikers in PA, and people die here.  as with anywhere that
has mountains, the weather is not predictable.  this seems to be
especially so in PA.  growing up in Pittsburgh, we never knew what the
weather was going to be, virtually ignoring the weather people on
tv/radio.  these people had a tough, tough job, and were often wrong,
sometimes very, very wrong...

PA had an extreme winter in 1996, with record amounts of snow, then a
thaw that melted this snow and swelled the rivers, taking down bridges,
then a severe cold snap that virtually closed the state.  there are snow
drifts in PA that cover automobiles.  roads are closed weeks at a time. 
if you are going to hike in PA in the winter, please make sure that
someone has your exact schedule, and check in with these people daily. 
carry a cell phone to call your schedule keeperes and rescuers, gps to
let rescuers know where you are, and a radio to listen to the weather...

pittsburgh
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