Backcountry/High Country Lightning Safety

[HellsCanyon]

Mike, Lookouts are usually on insulators, so probably a great place to be! Nice vid.

The new ones I've been in are... this one was a bit older and wasn't on insulators! Looks like it's been there and abandoned for 20+ years. I've been in ones that had glass insulators underneath everything. Most lightning protection this place had was a 10' steel pole mounted on two corners of the deck with what looked like a large ground wire attached and ran into the ground...??? every time a strike would happen that pole would sizzle 1/2 second before it and would lightly hum at random! Was pretty exciting stuff! We were getting strikes every 30-60 seconds on average and had it on every side of us...

Mike

 

[BuckSnort]

Mike, can you send some of that rain down here?..Cool video

 

[HellsCanyon]

Its been a surprisingly stormy summer here I wish I could!

 

[swat8888]

Not at all related to hunting, but since we're talking about lightning I did watch lightning strike my neighbors van parked about 50 ft from where I was standing. Of course I was just sitting inside trying to rock my 5 mo old to sleep watching the monsoon....still pretty scary though, sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere outside w/ all that lightning. I really never thought about it since my of my hunting has been in AK where I don't think I've ever experienced any more than a handful of lightning strikes in the backcountry.

 

[bobhunts]

Lightning scares me more than anything the woods has to offer. I took a friend and his three teenaged kids backpacking in the Sangre de Christo range in Colorado last year and to this day have never been so scared from the wild. That stuff comes and goes and then comes back again when you think all is fine. Thank god I was in a good tent that kept me dry but I wondered about the poles being a conducter!

 

[G Posik]

Lightning is one of those things that the only thing you can do is give your metal lightning rod to Curtis and move away quickly! Just remember to use common sense and get your self out of harms way.

Glenn

 

[Curtis C]

What?

 

[dotman]

Lightning is one of those things that the only thing you can do is give your metal lightning rod to Curtis and move away quickly! Just remember to use common sense and get your self out of harms way.

Glenn

Thanks for the tip, Curtis I need a partner this year

 

[G Posik]

Curtis is going with me this year, he was not suppose to read this. Oh well there goes that plan now I guess we will just have to leave the area when the lightning starts. Hope you are feeling better, got your text. I will be in touch in a few days to check on you.

Glenn

 

[HockeyDad]

Opening weekend last year in Colorado was a lightening free for all. The little peak near me (about 1/2 mile) got hammered twice EACH NIGHT. Was restless sleep to say the least - just hoped that my air pad was similar to an insulator. Changed my camping location for the rest of my trips last year.

Of larger concern I think is standing dead trees - get a storm blow through and there is a chance then can topple over. Dont pitch your tent within the fall zone of any dead trees.

 

[Dixie07]

http://www.cmc.org/members/docs/NOLS Lightning Safety Guidelines.pdf

some interesting stuff on lightning, trying to educate myself as this is one of my biggest concerns this year doing my first bivy style hunt

Thanks for the link sk1, but I have to be honest reading none of that made me feel real good inside about lightning!

 

[BuckSnort]

Some info on lightning... http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Cu...S Backcountry Lightning Safety Guidelines.pdf

 

[muleman]

24-year-old man killed by lightning while fishing

Condolences to this mans family.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=21381148&s_cid=rss-148

I had a overnight scouting trip planned with my 11yr old daughter tonight. I canceled it after seeing the forecast called for lightning storms in the area tonight and tomorrow. We normally camp on an exposed ridge that offers little protection from lightning. Lots of the snags, on this ridge, show signs of past lightning strikes. Just not worth it.

 

[sk1]

I know I saw that it's terrible i hope their family is getting the support they need......

This makes my wife not want me to go solo even more

 

[MattEastman]

Oh man, if there is one thing that scares the hell out of me, it's lightning. Been in some flat out scary storms. I don't have any suggestions. Bears and lions, big deal..........but lightning brings out the little girl in me. I HATE IT!

 

[Dixie07]

I know I saw that it's terrible i hope their family is getting the support they need......

This makes my wife not want me to go solo even more

Well I would just tell my wife it doesn't really matter if you are solo or not in most cases involving lightning. Not much they can do when you are done.

 

[muleman]

Today another person got struck by lightning in the Uinta mountains of Utah.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=21472653&ni...htning-in-summit-county-in-critical-condition

 

[sk1]

Today another person got struck by lightning in the Uinta mountains of Utah.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=21472653&ni...htning-in-summit-county-in-critical-condition

i saw that as well, keeps making me wonder about going to the uintas, ill be setting up camp 5 miles in

do they get more lightning in the uintas than most places or something? sure does seem like this happens there several times a year......

 

[muleman]

Some Good News

Today another person got struck by lightning in the Uinta mountains of Utah.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=21472653&ni...htning-in-summit-county-in-critical-condition

http://fox13now.com/2012/08/12/bountiful-man-survives-lightning-strike/

 

[sk1]

i just dont get what it is about the high uintas but people get struck by lightning there all the time..... i leave saturday for my 9 day backpacking hunt, and i can tell you if i see a storm coming in i wont waste a second of time getting to what i consider a "safer" area to wait out the storm

wish me luck, ha