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Posted: 6/14/2014 2:51:35 AM EDT
Yesterday I was going to do a short overnight trip near me...but did not due to some large storms that rolled in with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

Honestly, lightning just freaks me the fuck out and despite being on multiple backpacking trips I've never really been out on a backpacking trip during a lightning storm...Car camping yes, but backpacking no.

I've read what you should do, stay in low lying areas, keep away from tall trees (difficult to do when in a forest ), backpackers here, if you are out in a remote area and camped out, what the hell do you do in a lightning storm ???
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 8:07:52 AM EDT
[#1]
i remember one camp out when i was in the boyscouts where we were on a good 25 mile backpack trip and it started raining hard and thunder everywhere, it was decided that instead of setting up camp we would just hike the 18 miles out that night. so we basically ran 18miles or what ever it was out with a few wrong turns to go home.
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 8:20:01 AM EDT
[#2]
You take your chances with bears, snakes, and lightning.  The chances of dying from any them on a camping trip is extremely small.





Exercise your adrenal glands and stay dry.


       

 
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 9:31:02 AM EDT
[#3]
I will not cross exposed peaks in lightning, but other than that have not had any problems.

Was on a kayak trip and a big storm came up.

We hit the shore and the lighting was so intense and so frequent, the 5 of us split up and laid down in depressions in case somebody got hit, there would be sone left to provide first aid and evac.

We had multiple strikes within a few hundred feet.
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 12:08:44 PM EDT
[#4]
Start early and camp early when the storms develop later in the afternoon.
Hide-out in the woods away from any unusually tall trees.
Stay off exposed hills, ridges etc and do not let yourself be the tallest thing around.
Enjoy...
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 4:37:01 PM EDT
[#5]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Start early and camp early when the storms develop later in the afternoon.
Hide-out in the woods away from any unusually tall trees.
Stay off exposed hills, ridges etc and do not let yourself be the tallest thing around.
Enjoy...
View Quote


That.  It's what I do in the Sierras.
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 5:11:06 PM EDT
[#6]

Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I will not cross exposed peaks in lightning, but other than that have not had any problems.



Was on a kayak trip and a big storm came up.



We hit the shore and the lighting was so intense and so frequent, the 5 of us split up and laid down in depressions in case somebody got hit, there would be sone left to provide first aid and evac.



We had multiple strikes within a few hundred feet.
View Quote


I remember a day like that canoeing down a river in Missouri.  My brother and I were just paddling along when this icy cold wind blasted us in the backs.  We turned around to see the blackest sky I've ever seen roaring towards us.  Within a few minutes the wind was blowing 50-60 mph and the lightning was cracking down all around us.



We paddled like madmen and actually broke a paddle trying to find a way out of the sheer rock walls.  We finally found a ladder and huddled under someone's metal boathouse shelter until the storm passed.



To this day I don't understand why we didn't hear any thunder prior to getting hit by the storm.



 
Link Posted: 6/14/2014 6:25:11 PM EDT
[#7]
Hike w/ someone taller than you.  Make sure he has an aluminum pack frame.  Just like in bear country - hike w/ someone who runs slower than you do.  In Iraq - make sure you know more Arabic than the other guy you're with.  
Link Posted: 6/15/2014 3:33:31 PM EDT
[#8]
Link Posted: 6/15/2014 3:55:35 PM EDT
[#9]
Ride it out, bro.

I hammock so avoiding trees won't help.
Link Posted: 6/15/2014 7:35:35 PM EDT
[#10]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
You take your chances with bears, snakes, and lightning.  The chances of dying from any them on a camping trip is extremely small.

Exercise your adrenal glands and stay dry.
         
View Quote

 36 years enjoying at least 40-60 nights out a year in all kinds of weather on different states and countries. I have found that when you are truly "out there" where there's no way to paddle or hike back to get out of those storms, the best you can do is always keep an eye to the sky, the ear to the weather radio if you have one and set up accordingly if weather is moving in.

There's a many nights I've laid there figuring if it's my time.....it's my time.

I can remember vividly eight  times, where anyone else would have just given up and sold off their shit. Yes......that bad. Thank you, Guardian Angel or whoever was looking over me at the time. There's been some bad ones.
Link Posted: 6/15/2014 10:39:12 PM EDT
[#11]
Climbing mountains, I've been stuck out super exposed under thunder storms a few times. Sitting on glacier, knowing that if the mountain gets struck anywhere, you're going to get zapped to some degree... fortunately, I never have. I know guys who have, though. Near misses hurt, but they don't kill you. If it's not wet/glacier, near misses are usually just that- misses. Scary, but no pain.

Closest strike I've endured was probably a quarter mile... still scary as hell, but might as well be 10 miles away, for all the harm it does you. If you're not a prominent feature in the area, you're not likely to get hit. You just have to resolve yourself to not worry about it. Lord God, if it's my day, please just let it be quick. is a prayer I have prayed many times.
Link Posted: 6/18/2014 2:23:35 PM EDT
[#12]
I love being caught in high mountain thunder and lightning storms when we're out. Must be weird
Link Posted: 6/18/2014 2:37:57 PM EDT
[#13]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I love being caught in high mountain thunder and lightning storms when we're out. Must be weird
View Quote


You must be short.  
Link Posted: 6/18/2014 2:54:55 PM EDT
[#14]
Link Posted: 6/19/2014 5:19:43 AM EDT
[#15]
I worked for the US Forest while in college cruising timber in the summer. I got caught in a bad thunderstorm and couldn't avoid it. I took shelter in a dry creek bed. A tree very close to me was struck. The tree stayed upright and it appeared to me that the biggest drawback was flying debris. The bark from a good portion of the pine tree exploded and I found some of it embeded in other trees up to 20' away.
Depression I was in was just enough to get my body below ground line but it was enough to avoid the exploding bark, this in an area where the terrain is almost as flat as if it were surveyed out that way. A tree was hit close to my house before as well and the bark did the same thing. Some of it completely penetrated the 3/4" facia from a distance of about 15' away and lots more of it made significant dings in it.





Start noticing how many trees look like this one while you're out hiking or whatever. That's a lightning scar, you can easily tell becuase they are almost always in a spiral pattern. Once you start noticing them in high lightning strike areas it really will open your eyes about how often they occur.










 
Link Posted: 6/19/2014 6:51:00 AM EDT
[#16]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I worked for the US Forest while in college cruising timber in the summer. I got caught in a bad thunderstorm and couldn't avoid it. I took shelter in a dry creek bed. A tree very close to me was struck. The tree stayed upright and it appeared to me that the biggest drawback was flying debris. The bark from a good portion of the pine tree exploded and I found some of it embeded in other trees up to 20' away.

Depression I was in was just enough to get my body below ground line but it was enough to avoid the exploding bark, this in an area where the terrain is almost as flat as if it were surveyed out that way. A tree was hit close to my house before as well and the bark did the same thing. Some of it completely penetrated the 3/4" facia from a distance of about 15' away and lots more of it made significant dings in it.

Start noticing how many trees look like this one while you're out hiking or whatever. That's a lightning scar, you can easily tell becuase they are almost always in a spiral pattern. Once you start noticing them in high lightning strike areas it really will open your eyes about how often they occur.

http://www.mcelroy.ca/bushlog/images/10d-3897.jpg

http://www.photographyontherun.com/content/binary/SRidgeLightningTree1020502b.jpg
 
View Quote


The one I know that was struck by lightning had two straight lines down the tree and bark was blown 50+ feet away. The current also arced out of the tree into some nearby objects and burned a hole in a piece of metal. Now I know why to stay away from trees.
Link Posted: 6/20/2014 7:16:38 AM EDT
[#17]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Start early and camp early when the storms develop later in the afternoon.
Hide-out in the woods away from any unusually tall trees.
Stay off exposed hills, ridges etc and do not let yourself be the tallest thing around.
Enjoy...
View Quote


Well, my wife and I can't plan our trips around the weather...we just have to deal with it.  My wife was reminded on the first part of her trip last week (she started solo on the 115 mile AT section and I joined for the last 60 miles) why you don't camp on ridges.  A few other hikers she was with talked about a great view and camp site on this ridge.  She went along and set up her hammock by another guy...massive thunder storm roles in and they were slammed hard.  She had her fly all the way to the ground and the wind still tore up the stakes.  They both broke camp and headed back down to their original site; off the ridge and sheltered...a good decision as the storm lasted until morning.

Lightening is less of an issue than just plain exposure to the rain, wind and dropping temperatures…unless you’re above the tree line and you’re the only prominent feature on the terrain.  Paying attention to the forecast and just keeping an eye on dark cloud activity goes a long way to making good decisions so as to avoid getting caught in the open and exposed.

49north is spot and and this was exactly what we did on this last hike.  We broke camp very early and hit the trail about 0630-0700, hiking about 11-12 miles a day to make camp in the early afternoon.  All the thunderstorms would hit about 1600 and it only takes once at hiking in a downpour to remind you why it's best to hike early and be in your hammock, warm, dry and comfortable when the thunder showers hit.

ROCK6
Link Posted: 6/20/2014 12:21:14 PM EDT
[#18]
Sometimes you just have to hope/pray and hang on. It helps if you can try to enjoy the fear, if that makes any sense.

The strangest one for me was sitting in the back of a 5-ton truck trying to hold down the overhead tarp while a spring thunderstorm in Oklahoma raged around me.

When the storm started blowing in, I tried to convince everyone that it was better to raise the tube of the howizter to act as a lightning rod, and move the truck further away, but I didn't have much success
Link Posted: 6/21/2014 4:17:50 PM EDT
[#19]
Two weeks ago my wife and I did our weekly AT backpack hike. Within 5 minutes, the skies opened up and all hell broke loose. We broke out a pair of military ponchos and trekked on, No lightening but torrential downpours enough that the trail was solid water and small falls. We did the 5 hour hike in it. Ended up fine, main thing was watching the canopy as trees were snapping around us. Water only impacted us that in the last 30 minutes out, we actually were cold even though we had a 70 air temp.
Link Posted: 6/22/2014 11:24:11 AM EDT
[#20]
This is why if love hiking camping in the Oct/Nov timeframe. Usually the storms are gone. I have a rediculous fear of lightning yet can't get enough of the outdoors. In the summer I plan around weather.
Link Posted: 6/22/2014 12:36:31 PM EDT
[#21]
In Boy Scouts , we were on top of a mountain, above tree line, when a big storm rolled in.  A flash woke up one of the adult leaders, and we were up at 2 or 3 in the morning, pouring down rain, tearing down camp and hauling ass off the mountain.

Around that same time period, a few scouts got killed in KS or NE when their tent got struck.  

I've spent a few nights in a tent since then in thunderstorms.  When I can, I go get in my vehicle.  I figure that's slightly better than being in the tent in the event of a strike.
Link Posted: 7/24/2014 12:10:41 PM EDT
[#22]
Last year, my son and I bugged out at 1:00 in the morning because of a lightning storm.  We were camping on a dune in Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness...about 200 yards from the woodline, and completely exposed.

I heard the rumble across Lake Michigan, and when I looked outside I could see a lit up ship about 6 miles out on the water.  One second it was there, the next second...poof!  It sailed into the squall line and vanished.  Along with seeing lightning every few seconds, that was enough for me to wake up my son (no easy feat), cram everything into our packs, and make a beeline for the woods.

The rain hit us while we were well inside the woods, and the lightning abated slightly.  We decided to bag our trip and we bushwhacked back to the truck a couple miles away.  Drove an hour, pulled off on the side of the highway, and crashed in the back of my pickup for a few hours.  Got a few strange looks as I fired up the stove to cook some dehydrated eggs on the picnic bench.

Link Posted: 7/24/2014 1:39:30 PM EDT
[#23]
I was in the Bighorns at Lake Mead, 9800 feet up.  The thunderstorm was so intense it was a physical manifestation of some angry gods.  The lightning would blast and the thunder sound waves would flatten the tent on top of me.  The tent would pop back up and get crushed again, over an over.  It was like someone had a strobe light going outside the tent.  I looked at the pretty silver loops of aluminum arching over my head and thought seriously about running up the Mt to a cave I had found earlier.  Then I just said fuck it, if it's time to go it's time to go.  I didn't go, and since then thunderstorms while I hike are just a minor irritation.  And I hammock camp now.
Link Posted: 7/24/2014 1:44:06 PM EDT
[#24]
I've spent at least 4 thunderstorms in a lean to.

Not the moat pleadent experience but beats sitting on a couch.
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