Surviving a Lightning Storm

[BirdDogWebb]

If you are in the backcountry and get caught in a severe storm with lightning (lots of lightning), what do most of you do?

Do you head for clearings away from trees?
If there are no clearings and only trees, what do you do?

Do you go to the extent of separating yourself from all metals and electronics that you have on you?, watch, gps, rifle, knife, binos, ect.

If you are in a tent with aluminum poles or rods. What do you do?

If you are on horses. What do you do?

Do you just continue on with what you were doing and hope for the best, with lots of praying, of course.

Several years ago we were on horses and got hammered by a severe storm. So severe the other riders said they could feel the static electricity. We all survived but I still think about the incident and what I could have done differently.

Just looking for tips, thoughts, personel experience that might help myself or others.

Grizzly used to be my main fear. After that deal a few years ago, I think the fear of lightning is running close to that of the Griz.


Robert

 

[CabinFever]

A friend and college teammate of mine died in the Tetons a few years ago from a lightning storm while climbing Grand. It was national news. Lightning up high is as scary as it gets. I'd like to hear more on this as well, all I know is after knowing what happened with him, I'm much more cautious when I was before. Nother rattles me like a thunder bumper rambling through when I'm above treeline. I head down, and as fast as I can.

 

[kevin_t]

I was pacing a friend in the hardrock 100 race a few years ago. He had already done about 70 miles. We were heading up a pass , I think Oscars pass or something like that and it was getting stormy. We had about a mile above tree line with some snow in the way. In the hardrock, you sort of have to balance risk reward. If you wait out too many storms you may never finish and this was a stormy year. We decided to push on. About half way through a storm came in bad. Hail was blowing sideways, and causing welts on our legs that looked like buckshot. Lighting was coming down all around us in the basin. We had about another half mile to go to hit the pass and then it was down hill. Basically, we ran like hell. It was sketchy, but it is what it is. About half way down the weather cleared. At the aid station my friend was so drained from our encounter (the adrenaline push after already having done 70 + miles) that he didn't know if he could continue. He passed out for a good two hours and I thought he was done. He finally woke up, and fell promptly in a creek face first. That will wake you up We went up and over another pass and storms started coming in again. He continued on through the night and finished up despite the drain. If running out of it is an option, that is what I will do. Otherwise, take good cover, keep something taller than you, and try to insulate yourself from the ground.

 

[spook12]

The recommendations may have changed but I lose elevation,stay in the open, if in timber get around the shorter trees,lose the metal(bow or rifle). When the Storm is on you crouch down with the soles of your boots flat on the ground,hands on your knees. Don't lay down,only the soles of your boots should be in contact with the ground.

 

[montanadogs]

The recommendations may have changed but I lose elevation,stay in the open, if in timber get around the shorter trees,lose the metal(bow or rifle). When the Storm is on you crouch down with the soles of your boots flat on the ground,hands on your knees. Don't lay down,only the soles of your boots should be in contact with the ground.

What he said expect for tuck your head between your legs and kiss your butt good bye. I've heard as many have I'm sure, that it's better to get struck in the butt anyway.

 

[tarheel]

Tough situation to be in. If heavy timber is attainable, you're better off there than in the open or near scattered trees. If you play golf, carry a #1 iron with you and hold it aloft; Lee Trevino once said that even God couldn't hit a #1 iron.
A buddy of mine and our 8yr. old sons were fishing Echo Lake on Mt. Evans west of Denver many years ago when a hail & lightning storm popped over the rampart from the SW. We had to make it 1/4 mile in heavy half inch hail and bolts popping all around. We didn't dare seek refuge from the hail by a tree, so we gutted it out, jumping over 2 foot high wind rows of piled up hail which was washing down the slope; I mean it was heavy!! After making it to the jeep we sat there freezing and watched a huge bolt strike a large blue spruce 40 feet from us. I think I know now why my son was never too keen on going on hunting and fishing trips with me.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

if you hunt at all, you have been caught in a storm at one time or another for sure. I have only been really worried (scared) twice. Once, in CO bowhunting elk and again in the BWCA fishing. The CO one really scared the heck out of me and a buddy, and like someone else was saying, we could feel the static and the ground was shaking from the thunder. We were in the dark timber with nowhere to go, we just dug in and waited for it to pass. . very scary. The BWCA storm caught us miles from camp in a canoe. . . didn't take me long to paddle to shore for sure. . .Dad said it was like having a 5Hp Johnson on the front of the canoe. . .whitecaps, hail, wind, not good in a canoe!

 

[Z Barebow]

Simply do not be the highest object around. Lightning can hit anywhere but it is more likely to hit the tallest objects. (Think trees on ridges, boats on a lake, etc)

I used to be a radio communications tech for over 20 years designing, installing and maintaining communications equipment at, of all places, towers. Having studied lightning and seeing what it does, there isn't anything you can do to prevent it. But you can up your odds by staying away from high points or being the highest point will up your odds of not being struck.

Additionally, do not wait for the storm to hit before you get low. Many lightning strikes happen 5-10 miles out ahead of the storm. No rain, wind, etc. Just BAM. As soon as you know a storm is closing in, get low ASAP.

For every lightning strike, they are 500-1000 potential strikes. (IE Locations/objects where the static electricity is discharging) Not a great feeling when you are one of these objects. (It has happened to me 3 times in my life, two were in a boat. Nothing like feeding your fishing line out and it goes straight up vs into the water)

What many do not realize is that lighning is not a singular bolt, but as it is near the ground it has "tentacles" (For lack of better description). That is why objects nearby can have damage even though the primary energy strike was some distance away. As far as insulating yourself, think about this. The bolt of energy has arced a distance of at least two miles. Is it reasonable to assume that electricity traveling through the rubber sole of a shoe is not that much of a deterent? Not trying to start a pissin' contest.

Nothing like the sounds and sights of a lighning storm in the mtns. Get low, be low profile, hang on and you will likely be fine.

 

[Dinkshooter]

If it ever does get me, it is only going to be because it put a REALLY big lead on me. Usain Bolt has nothing on me when that stuff gets me riled up.

Man I hate it, probably my least favorite thing, I think I'd rather have a scary bear walking around the tent at night.

 

[Oak]

For every lightning strike, they are 500-1000 potential strikes. (IE Locations/objects where the static electricity is discharging) Not a great feeling when you are one of these objects. (It has happened to me 3 times in my life, two were in a boat. Nothing like feeding your fishing line out and it goes straight up vs into the water)

I've been there one time. Three of us hustling back to the truck from sitting on the rim of a redrock canyon as a storm approached. Spotting scope tripods sticking up out of our packs a we hustled across a pinyon/juniper flat. We had a bolt hit within a 1/4 mile, so dropped our packs and just knelt down. We all three experienced a similar tickling or "buzzing" feeling on our heads, hairs standing up. Very strange. Never want to be that close again.

I don't know if it would make one bit of difference, but I've heard that you should kneel down and put your hands flat on the ground, so that if you are struck you are giving the electricity additional paths to the ground besides through your boiler room. Sounds good in theory, but I am skeptical.

 

[spook12]

I don't know if it would make one bit of difference, but I've heard that you should kneel down and put your hands flat on the ground, so that if you are struck you are giving the electricity additional paths to the ground besides through your boiler room. Sounds good in theory, but I am skeptical.

I was trained to never let anything but the soles of your boots touch the ground. I guess that's how Urban Legends start. We might need to sick the Myth Busters on this one.

 

[blb078]

I was trained to never let anything but the soles of your boots touch the ground. I guess that's how Urban Legends start. We might need to sick the Myth Busters on this one.

Me too, kind of like in one of the earlier posts, just crunch down and only let your feet be on the ground. I think what Oak is referring to is that is you have more points on the ground then it gives more routes for the electricity to get to the ground instead right through the vitals. Where as the crunch down w/only your feet on the ground you're just trying to reduce being hit all together. Problem is you don't know if you're going to get hit. I myself just prefer the haul a$$ method and get out of dodge.

 

[idnative1948]

Some good info here:

http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Cu...S Backcountry Lightning Safety Guidelines.pdf

 

[emrah1028]

So what is the consensus? Out in the open or by trees? I never understood why you'd want to be out in the open and not by trees. I do get the fact that trees are tall lightning rods. But there are so many of them. Aren't you better off by a tree (or in the woods in general) where you have safety in numbers? Wouldn't the chance of getting hit be exponentially less if lightning has hundreds (thousands?) of trees to "choose" from instead of you being the ONLY thing out in the middle of a pasture?

Emrah

 

[spook12]

Some good info here:

http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Cu...S Backcountry Lightning Safety Guidelines.pdf

Lots of good info in that Link,Native.

 

[steamfitter]

I know I definitely get off my horse and tie him up and move away. He is really grounded with shoes on.

 

[BirdDogWebb]

@ Cabinfever, Sorry for the loss of your friend. I remember when that happened.


Thanks for the info everyone. It will give me something to think about and hopefully help others also.

We can't change the past , only learn for the future. Like kevin t said " It was sketchy, but it is what it is". That pretty well covers my incident, making the best decision I could during the given circumstance. I guess its human nature to look back and think "What If".

After reading Z Barebow's post, I guess we are more lucky than I thought, to make it out alive. That's a quite scary.

I have noticed in the past while hunting ridgelines that were a third the elevation of the crest of the mountain, were trees, in a close proximity, had been struck. Some bared scars from recent strikes and some had scars from past years. Luckily we were never caught in those places, during a storm.

 

[BillyGoat]

Don't really know what the best thing to do is but here are some interesting statistics recently published. Colorado has by far the highest number of lightning fatalities in the West and fishing is the #1 activity when struck...

http://www.hcn.org/issues/45.13/en-lightning-statistics

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/resources/RecentLightningDeaths.pdf

 

[schmalts]

(It has happened to me 3 times in my life, two were in a boat. Nothing like feeding your fishing line out and it goes straight up vs into the water)
Been there. done that. 4 lb test floating in the air like a spider web.
I always wondered if my hammock is the safest way to sleep VS a tent in a storm since I offer no direct path to ground and have no poles as lightning rods. The tree may get hit but it may take the brunt of it instead of me since I am not a good path. Your thoughts?? I wish I had not seen this thread, going solo in CO in 3 weeks and I hate those high country storms

 

[BirdDogWebb]

Sorry for the thread Shmalts. Good luck on your hunt!
I have seen complete trees blown into shreds and I've seen trees with only a streak of the bark peeled on one side and down into the ground blowing the root system into shreds.

In a storm I am guessing the ropes on your hammock will be wet. If so it may not be a good thing by reading idnative's link,
"Lightning tends to hit long electrical conductors. Metal fences, power lines, handrails, measuring tapes, bridges and other long metallic objects can concentrate currents. Wet ropes also conduct current and should be treated with the same respect as wires. Longer objects tend to concentrate more current and reach more strike point s."

Not to dampen your thoughts, I would think your hammock would act as a conductor from one tree to the other or even as the root system into the ground via the other tree (direct path).

You are the first to mention the tent and lightning rods. I would like to hear others thoughts on tents and the aluminum rods. I'm guessing pick the best spot you see fit to set up camp. The lowest and away from the tallest structures?