High Country Spike

[CO_jakrabt]

When spike camping above 10k feet, does anyone factor in the weather for choosing your camp? I know some guys don't worry about lightning storms etc.

 

[oldgoat]

You want to be off the ridge tops but right next to them and with live healthy trees around, in electrical theory, the higher ground around you or the higher trees should be the easiest route to ground, I don't camp above tree line but do camp slightly below it. I enjoyed a couple of hours of a dazzling light show one evening last year, little unnerving but never had a seriously close strike

 

[muddydogs]

The guy that doesn't consider the weather when setting up camp is the guy that has never been on a mountain ridge with lightning flashing around him wondering if we was going to be alive in the next 1/2 hour. It really doesn't matter what your elevation is, safety should always be considered when setting up camp.

 

[Bynumlife]

Great question. We will be camping at 11,600' this elk season but about 200' below the ridge tucked in some trees. Hoping our stove pipe through our tipi doesn't act as an antenna!


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[Back Country Hunter 2]

When spike camping above 10k feet, does anyone factor in the weather for choosing your camp? I know some guys don't worry about lightning storms etc.

I like to come home alive, so yes.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

just remember, alot of people get wacked hiding under a tree, so dont think having a tree to hide under nearby will help anything. just sayin.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I like to come home alive, so yes.

^this

In all seriousness, mistakes can have deadly consequences in the high country. Potential weather should be one of your top considerations when planning out a high country camp.

 

[chindits]

All of the ROMO states are in the top 10 per capita for lightning deaths. Over all counts aren't as high as a couple coastal states. I would go below tree line just to reduce the severity of the wind. However I see plenty of trees in the woods that have been hit by lightning. A false sense of security is still a type of security just like in the Army false motivation is still motivation.

Lightning Fatalities, Injuries, and Damage Reports in the United States - National Lightning Safety Institute

 

[530Chukar]

There really isn't a safe place when it comes to lightning. It will hit anywhere it wants. Below treeline for winds. Just a little bit of shelter can make a huge difference.

 

[Pontius]

Randy Newberg released a good video on this recently. Definitely pause and look hard at the risk/location graphic included at 1:32.

[video=youtube;XPw7PuN9WDU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPw7PuN9WDU[/video]