There’s a special bliss from camping in the rain, hiking in the rain, and just standing in the rain.
It’s hard to capture the feeling in words really but I’ll give it a try.
The calming drops dancing their frigid feet on your skin as you spread your arms and turn your face to the sky, washing away your worries with each cold step on your eyelids. The drumming of the rain on the canopy above sauntering into your body, shifting it to the rhythm. Calming bliss flows through your body from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. You are there, right then, alive.
For a little bit, anyone that has hiked longer distances will have bad memories of soggy socks
I hike a lot‡ and yeah soggy socks suck but the level of suckitude isn’t high enough to overshadow the bliss of a rainy hike. But that’s living in the PNW, you either hike in the rain or get used to not hiking for 4 - 6 months out of the year.
‡ I’ve had a fairly tame year in terms of hiking, I’ve only done about 350 miles since January. I should be able to pass 400 before New Years if the chaos of the year levels out a bit but given we’re heading into the holidays, I’m not going to hold my breath.
Most of my hiking is with the scouts so while I can enjoy the rain, I’m mostly thinking about having to put up my tent or tarp in the rain and having to carry all the now wet and heavy shit tomorrow. (And having to get back into my wet clothes from yesterday cuz I’m choosing between carrying a dry set or lunch)
Luckily there is only a chance of rain 365 days of the year here in NL