Lightning and highcountry camping

[kootenayelkslayer]

So this summer I was camped at about 6000ft on an open ridge line, thousands of vertical feet above the nearest tree. It's about 1 in the morn, and I wake up to extreme rain and wind, and can hear a thunder storm approaching. Eventually this storm ends up right on top of me. The lightning and thunder were occurring simultaneously at a rate of about 1 bolt every 45 seconds. Each lightning bolt would light my tent right up and the thunder sounded like multiple gunshots going off. So of course I start wondering where all these lightning bolts are striking, because I know I am damn near the highest point around, not to mention I'm surrounded by a metal packframe, hiking pole, tent poles, and gun. I kept telling myself that the chances of getting zapped were very slim, but really, being camped in such an exposed spot with all the metal around me, I started to feel like it was more likely that the lightning would hit me than not. My pack frame and hiking pole even began to 'humm' for a while.
Long story short, I made it through the 20 or so minutes when the storm was right on top of me. It was one of my most unpleasant nights in a tent though.
When I got home from the sheep season I started looking into stories about lightning striking campers and mountaineers, and it turns out it's much more of a common occurence than I thought.

So my question is, how many of you take the possibility of lightning into account when you're looking for a highcountry camping spot?
Am I the only one who has overlooked this before?

[boxhitch]

Most probably never consider it. I know I had more respect for approaching storms since a hair-raising time a couple of years ago.
Used to worry more about lightening, but then I got chased off a slope by a giant rockfall, now I think of other things that go crash in the night.:shock:
Sleep tight

[30-378-magnum]

ya if it isnt the wind trying to rip your tent apart or the snow burrying it ...... i havent had lightning that was real close before..... but pretty much everything else .......id rather have lightning close ...over a grizzly coming into camp at night......

[bridger]

I have considered it for years after a similiar experience that you just had. i have also laid my rifle down and moved away from it a time or two. on an earlier post I told how my friends horse was killed this fall by lightening when he was sheep hunting. Pretty serious stuff that i think a lot of guys tend to ignore.

[gamehunter6o]

Wow, some night.
Isn't there something about a metal frame around you that protects you from lightening strike?
Some bright spark will know.

[bensonvalley]

Well considering how many golfers die each year from lightening strikes I'd say you dodged a close one. I've never really thought about it all, suppose I will now.

[kootenayelkslayer]

Wow, some night.
Isn't there something about a metal frame around you that protects you from lightening strike?
Some bright spark will know.

I assume the metal would have more of an attractive quality, no?

[hunter1947]

When I was back in the hi country on a 3 day back pack trip for elk in the Ek one afternoon a big lightning storm came in.

We saw a couple trees get hammered by lightning strikes.

me and my partner talked about what we should do ,we both said that we should take all gear off and also put our rifles on the ground ,we also took any metal off us ,belts and ammo ,knifes etc.

Shortly after we had done this a lightning bolt hit a tree about 20 feet from us ,scared the crap out of us ,it passed by after about 2 hours.

[betteroffishing]

i bet the tree that got hit forgot to take its belt , knife off , thats what sealed the deal . lol

[Gilmore]

I ran into a similar situation on Nine Mile in the early 90's. We were coming along the trail right on top of the ridge and we were heading for the cabin. The lightning was coming from the west right along the top of the ridge and you could see it striking the ground as it was coming along. If you have been on Nine Mile you would know that on a horse you are definetlly the tallest thing around! We made it to the draw the cabin is at in record time and we watched from the cabin door 2 more strikes hit the top of the ridge where we had just been minutes before. One of the scariest things I have encountered hunting for sure.

I do think about it now as where to set up camp, I try to stay off the very top, but I also don't think there is a whole lot you can do either. Lightning is going to do what it wants, I think all you can do is use your common sense and hope for the best!

[RiverOtter]

Being that the human body is about 80% water, I don't fret my pocket knife and wedding band........grin

I don't want to be the highest point in a given area though and will move to a better locale. Usually a guy can see an electrical storm coming for a while before it a arrives and can plan ahead. If nothing else I'm usually looking for a place to get out of the impending rain anyway.

I 've had lighting touch down way to close for comfort on a few occasions. I've also had sheet lightning so close that the thunder damn near preceeded the flash and shook the ground.

[M.Dean]

We've had a number of lighting strikes close to where I live, one hit about 100 yrds from the house a few years ago, another hit just behind us on the neighbors place, yet another hit the ranch house just down the road from us, burnt it to the ground. I was looking for a friend one night about 6 yrs ago during a hell of a storm, was on the quad driving a trail above the lake when i swore i died of a heart attack! The bang and flash was incredible, I'm unsure how close it was but it was bloody close! If lighting hits real close to you you can smell it, not real sure what brimestone smells like but i bet it's real close to what i smelled that night! As far as adjusting your camp or plans because of lighting, I think I'd worry about a potental fire from lighting more than being struck by it.

[RiverOtter]

Good point about the fire, that could definately be a concern in certain places.

I'd still not set up camp on an exposed ridge though, where I would be the most prominent point. Lightning rods are made of the same material as most light weight tent frames, for a good reason, high conductability....

[kootenayelkslayer]

Good point about the fire, that could definately be a concern in certain places.

I'd still not set up camp on an exposed ridge though, where I would be the most prominent point. Lightning rods are made of the same material as most light weight tent frames, for a good reason, high conductability....

The problem when you're in the highcountry though is that ridge tops are often the only flat spots suitable for placing a couple of tents. Sometimes you just don't have much for options.
But after that experience I definitely make an effort to camp somewhere close to a higher point.

[Monashee]

I think it was last year that Beautiful BC magazine had an article about mountain climbers in BC who were killed by a lightning strike . It didn't hit them directly but electrified the whole area which was bare rock.

It would seem wise to get out of the alpine and into the trees and seek shelter under a tarp rather than a metal framed tent.

[boxhitch]

And practice the lightening-survival technique of crouching low, deep-knee bend, hugging your knees against your chest, and rocking forward and resting on the balls of your feet to minimize contact area.
Hold that for the duration of the electrical exposure..........
No!....Really! it is a taught technique !.....

[RiverOtter]

The problem when you're in the highcountry though is that ridge tops are often the only flat spots suitable for placing a couple of tents. Sometimes you just don't have much for options.
But after that experience I definitely make an effort to camp somewhere close to a higher point.

I've camped plenty above treeline. I know how rare a 5' x 8' piece of semi-flat ground can be sometimes......grin

All a guy can do is try....

[RiverOtter]

And practice the lightening-survival technique of crouching low, deep-knee bend, hugging your knees against your chest, and rocking forward and resting on the balls of your feet to minimize contact area.
Hold that for the duration of the electrical exposure..........
No!....Really! it is a taught technique !.....

I believe that's called the fetal position......:lol:

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I believe that's called the fetal position......:lol:

Don't forget to open mouth and insert thumb;-).


SSS

[gamehunter6o]

I believe that's called the fetal position......:lol:

That's the position you assume when you curl up and die.:(

[BCrams]

I hate lightning storms.


Saw my dad's suburban get hit and see the flash shroud around the vehicle.
4 of us got knocked down when a lightning bolt hit a stump less than 100 yards from us while tree planting..... the flash, deafening boom and heat ......
on a goat hunt when a crazy dry lightning storm hit .... caught up high....my partner mentions hearing the rifles humming and a funny blue halo like look I had with lightning crashing around :???: ..... dropped rifles / packs on the spot and bailed off as fast as we could down the steep mountain for cover ....just about couldn't find our stuff afterwards
never saw a work partner run so fast down the mountain as a massive electrical storm approached from affar ..... lightning striking mountain tops all over like in some movie .....
while pulling off a Bowron Lake paddle record, we came around the corner on Isaac Lake (to head south) and in the distance a massive lightning storm was moving in to erase the full moon / calm waters we had ...... carbon fibre paddles, carbon fibre canoe - so dark I couldn't see my partner in the bow ....and the only way I knew we were headed straight down the lake was the lightning illuminating its length with each flash ...... dumb dumb dumb.....
Spent more than one night on a mountain ridge as a lightning storm played out praying no bolt would hit the tent.
while packing out my ram, a dry lightning storm hit with bolts hitting all over .....freaked me out .....
while packing out my dad's ram, a lightning storm we were in the 'clouds' / 'mist' and at first I thought I was seeing flashes because I was so fatigued ...... but in the fading light I realized we were right in the midst of an electrical sheet storm in the clouds.....my rifle was practically sizzling as we bailed our packs off and left our rifles as we tried to get away ........ one of the most miserable 1 and half hours of sitting in pouring rain waiting it out ....
SSS and I saw one of the most spectacular thunderheads I've ever seen approaching us .....fortunatly we caught the edge of it and sat out the ensuing hail storm ....but not before losing a lot of elevation first :roll:
Saw a few direct hit lightning strikes causing fires!!

[kootenayelkslayer]

BCrams, I'm with you on that one. As much I enjoy watching a good storm from the safety of home, I'm starting to develop a similar hatred towards them when I'm in the field, especially at high elevations.

[Monashee]

And practice the lightening-survival technique of crouching low, deep-knee bend, hugging your knees against your chest, and rocking forward and resting on the balls of your feet to minimize contact area.
Hold that for the duration of the electrical exposure..........
No!....Really! it is a taught technique !.....

and wear your rubbers no steel toes or steel shank ;-)

[RiverOtter]

and wear your rubbers no steel toes or steel shank ;-)

Can't say I've ever packed rubbers on a hunting trip.........:lol:

In all honesty though, I'm pretty particular about who I hunt with......

[Kody94]

I used to enjoy thunder/lightning storms too, but now they get my heart rate up.

While backpacking solo on a 10 day trip one fall, I pitched camp in a mountain pass. About midnight a lightning storm rolled in, with wicked winds and tonnes of rain. The wind woke me up first, when I felt the tent flatten out on my face. I had to support the aluminum tent poles with both my hands and feet to keep the tent from blowing over on top of me, with lightning going off all around me. It lasted about 4 hours...I was pretty frazzled. Meanwhile, my pack dog snored pretty much the whole time. He always has been bombproof.

Not sure what you can do to avoid the hazard if you want to hunt mountain game. Guess your times up when its up. Like I said before though..it gets the ol heart rate up.

Cheers,

[ryanb]

The best thing to do when caught in the open is get below some surrounding terrain (much more important than what you are holding or wearing)...not that hard when you're on a ridge top.

Another important thing to do is to keep your feet very close together...if sheltered, squat with your feet togehter. This minimizes the possibility for a circuit through your torso in the case of a nearby strike.

Human lightning strikes may be rare, but not nearly as rare as you think given just how many folks are out there on the golf course or in the mountains.

[Wildfoot]

gotta love the electrical hum that metal gets during a storm. I was stuck on a multipitch climb in jasper about 5 years ago during a big electrical storm.. when my buddy came up to the belay station we could see blueish halos around each other from all the electricity in the air! Not much we could do other than continue to climb. was very scary indeed. the hum from all the carabiners and gear was crazy.. definately thought i was going to get nailed that time! Now I always check the forecasts before heading out on a long climb haha.

[PGK]

Can't say I've ever packed rubbers on a hunting trip.........:lol:

In all honesty though, I'm pretty particular about who I hunt with......

You've obviously never hunted with bartell :lol:

[dana]

I always try to be mindful of where I set up my tent. While it is nice to crawl out of your tent at first light and start glassin cause you camped right on your perch, it ain't always the best thing to do. Sometimes, it's best to set up in and around the clumps of subalpine fir and get up a tad earlier for a predawn climb to your perch.

[rock]

25 yrs ago a lightening storm went over us around 2:00 am in the morning, the tent light up more then a few times, what got me was the concussion on the ground, it was like a minny earthquake, we where camped 200 feet of the top backed into a few rocks with shrubs, we had 4 trees around us and in the morning one of the trees was split and smoking.
Thank goodness we didnt pick under one of the trees good point by the way made me remember that long night.

[Big Lew]

I used to trek through the high country a lot when I was younger and had lightning storms about me quite often, it's amazing how fast they can come in and up the side of a mountian. Several times the lightning would hit ground or trees above and below me as the storm passed over. In the earlier years I used large "trapper nelson" packs, which were wooden framed. During the latter years I have used metal framed packs, and lay them down, along with guns, fishing rods etc. and try to get into a draw, cutbank, or lay down away from the gear until the storm passes. I've seen boulders shattered and trees blown to bits close enough to feel the wind. Once a friend and I were fishing on plateau lake in a wooden punt close to shore when a lightning storm raced in, struck a tree on shore close enough to us that the friend, Keith Fraser, (who had long bushy hair) looked like a giant puff ball from the static charge. You can bet we made like popeye on spinach, and rowed on top of the waves off that lake before the thunder roll had finished! Always worried about the bits and bridle on my horses, have heard stories of horses getting struck, but never had any problems with mine. I would dis-mount, tie them with the halter rope (which was always left on the horses when travelling in the mountians) to something strong, and get away from them.