Hiking Castle Rock park in a downpour

"I'm hiiiii-king in the rain, I'm hi-iiiking in the rain." Together with a few colleagues, we hiked Castle Rock state park this morning in the rain. It wasn't just a little drizzle either: high winds, huge downpour and only limited visibility. This was a nice, fast pace hike, up and down the Santa Cruz mountains. It was the perfect opportunity to test my rain gear.

I was disappointed by my Patagonia Torrentshell light-weight jacket. While the hood snaps nicely around my head, my inner-layer got all soaked. It was not clear if it was condensation from the exercise, or whether my jacket isn't really water proof.

My CHP-style rain pants worked great overall. Although I do plan to use shorts underneath it next time, rather than long pants.

I did forget my backpack cover for my twenty year old day pack. I did notice that newer daypacks come with built-in rain cover.

If it rained more in California, I may invest in a good pair of Gore-Tex shoes.

When we returned to our cars after a few hours of hiking, I was all soaked: socks, shoes, upper body and a little bit my pants. Nevertheless, it was a great adventure and we had a lot of fun.

Next time, I will however stash a towel and dry gear in my car.