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Vent: Got caught in a surprise hailstorm above treeline on the John Muir Trail last August

I had to wedge myself under a rocky overhang for 45 minutes near Muir Pass while golf-ball sized ice pounded my pack, and my rain fly shredded on day 3 of a 10 day trip - has anyone else used a tyvek groundsheet as an emergency tarp because mine barely worked.
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3 Comments
jason_robinson
Dude that sounds absolutely brutal. Muir Pass is no joke even in perfect weather, getting pelted by golf ball ice up there is a nightmare. Tyvek as an emergency tarp is basically just a trash bag with delusions of grandeur lol. It barely keeps rain off a picnic table, let alone a hailstorm at 12k feet. Honestly you probably got hypothermia risk just from the wind cutting through it. Hope your gear survived better than your rain fly did.
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lewis.charlie
jason, tyvek actually blocks wind pretty well, I've used it for years.
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david_stone
Fold that tyvek tight and use it as a windbreak on the leeward side next time, that's what I do. The real trick is combining it with your pack liner as a ground sheet for insulation from the wet rock.
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