Need some help on the high country & lightning

[flight]

Ok over this past weekend I spent 4 hours hiking to a peak and spotted some great muleys and then I noticed a storm coming in and then the lightning started up. my question is, where is the safest place to be? Do you drop all the way back down to the bottom and spend another 4 hours of hiking back up when it is over? also I know you don't want to make yourself the highest point, so do you set up camp in the pines/trees or do you find a open area and set up your tent? I am able to find all kind's of info on lighting and being outside but nothing about being in the high country.

 

[ridgerunner]

I don't know the answer. When I've been in that situation I've always dropped some elevation and put some distance between my rifle and myself. Probably the safest place to be would be the bottom of the basin though. It's pretty scary to be above timberline when it gets going.

 

[gdog]

Doing the same this year for the muzzleloader. Going up high and during our last scouting trip it started lightening. Went looking for some info on the net as well and found all sorts of "suggestions", but nothing fool proof for sure.

I am interested to see what others have to say...

 

[bobcatbess]

2 YEARS AGO I WAS PUTTING THE SNEAK ON A COUPLE OF BUCKS!!!

ONE SHOOTER FOR SURE!!!

I HAD TO GO TO THE TOP OF THE RIDGE OVER & TRY AND COME BACK DOWN ON THEM!!!

1/2 WAY INTO THE BATTLE PLAN GOD HAD A DIFFERENT IDEA!!!

A BIG CLOUD AS BLACK AS THEY GET!!!

LIGHTNING STRUCK 50 YARDS FROM ME,I DECIDED REAL QUICK THE BUCKS WEREN'T WORTH IT!!!

AS I'M HEADED TO LOWER GROUND IT STRIKES AGAIN AT ABOUT 70 YARDS!!!

I CHANGE DIRECTIONS THINKING I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!

LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN AS I'M MOVING QUICKLY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SO CLOSE IT NEARLY TOOK MY RIGHT EAR DRUM OUT!!!

IT WAS LIKE GOD WAS TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING!!!

OR WAS IT I WAS MAKING ALL THE WRONG MOVES???

IMO I DON'T THINK YOU CAN OUT GUESS THE WEATHER OR GOD!!!

THE ONLY bobcat USUALLY TRYING TO GET TO THE TOP,THAT DAY I WAS TRYING TO GET DOWN OFF QUICK,BY STRIKE # 4 I WAS STARTING TO WONDER IF I'D MAKE IT!!!

 

[YukonDall]

THOSE QUADS REALLY COME IN HANDY WHEN YOUR TRYING TO GET OUT OF A WILDERNESS AREA QUICKLY HUH BESS. GOD HAS A FUNNY WAY OF CHASING QUADS OUT OF RESTRICTED AREAS. A LIGHTING BOLT TO THE BLOCK IS THE ORIGINAL HIGH COUNTRY TUNEUP. JUST BUSTIN YOUR BALLS, AND KIDDIN TOO. GOOD LUCK THIS SEASON. YD.

 

[MontanaTines]

I believe the latest Eastmans Bowhunting Journal has some advice on high country lightning. Pretty hard to get a definite answer on something so unpredictable though.

 

[Chef]

Just let your buddies carry your rifle.


Lightning is totally unpredictable. It can even strike downward, then branch off horizontally and strike anything.
Getting off the mountain is the best advice I can give. I'm curious as to what bog game animals do? Has anyone ever heard of or seen a big game animal fried by lightning? I wonder if they know the right plan.

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"

 

[flight]

thanks guys what eastmans journal has the advice on lightning and what page?

as far as animals i did see bunch of Moo cow's all huddled up low in some aspens.

 

[MontanaTines]

It's the newest Eastmans bowhunting, which I think is September/October. There is something on the cover referring to the story inside. I'll look this evening if you still can't track it down.

 

[bobcatbess]

HEY TUFF GUY!!! YukonDall

NO FRICKEN ATV'S THAT DAY!!!

I WAS SERIOUS THINKING ABOUT DITCHING MY INLINE JUST TO GET RID OF THE METAL I WAS PACKING!!!

NO MATTER THE DIRECTION I WENT IT WAS THE WRONG DIRECTION THAT EVENING!!!

I ONLY WISH GOD WOULD START DOING ORIGINAL 'HIGH VOLTAGE' TUNE-UPS!!!

CAN YOU IMAGINE ONE OF THESE LAW BREAKING IDIOTS TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY HAD THEIR LOWLIFE QUAD IN THE WILDERNESS AND IT GOT SMACKED BY 800 MILLION VOLTS???

NOT EVEN 'JACKMASTERS' BAD-AZZ 660 COULD TAKE THAT!!!

THE ONLY bobcat THINKING YOU CAN OUT GUESS ALOT OF THINGS BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA OUT GUESS WHERE GOD MIGHT THROW A JOLT!!!

 

[YukonDall]

AT LEAST YOU DIDN'T GET HURT, DID SOUND DAM SCARY THOUGH. TAKE CARE.. YD.

 

[bobcatbess]

YukonDall

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DIDN'T GET HURT???

I WANTED TO PLACE A 600 GRAIN SLUG THROUGH THE FRONT SHOULDERS OF THE BIGGER BUCK!!!

I WAS HURT MENTALLY!!!

I GUESS THATS BETTER THAN BEING HURT PHYSICALLY???

THE ONLY bobcat LETTING A BUCK GO DUE TO CONDITIONS!!!

 

[AspenAdventures]

Hey you electricians!

Does aluminum conduct electricity?

I was on a ridge a week ago when some huge bolts of lightning started hitting everywhere. Litterally one strike every 10 to 20 seconds. It was as crazy as I have seen it. The evening had been clear and the forcast was for sunny skies. We were taken by surprise and had camped under the largest pine on the top of a peak.

We woke up real quick at 2AM and dumped down into the trees for an hour. Found camp again and went back to sleep. Woke up at 4AM to the ground shaking again. Dumped off again down into the trees about 200 yards below.

My question is, will my aluminum poles make me more vulnerable to lightning? Also, am I safer on a foam pad or does it matter? Also, should I sit up and make less contact with the ground or lie down?

Or does it all not really make a difference? I had never really thought about this stuff until last week.

 

[easymoney]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-09-05 AT 08:38AM (MST)[p]I'm not an electrician but, aluminum is one of the best conductors of electricity. It used to used for electrical wiring in construction of residential homes and many still have it.
The best advice is seek cover down away from the open peaks, and under an overhang of rock...
Get away from the aluminum poles, aluminum pack frames and golf clubs(remember Caddy Shack?)...

 

[gdog]

Here's some info I came across:

Lightning Safety in the Mountains
According to the Colorado Lightning Resource Center, "It is a hard fact that there is NO safe place in the high country to be during a lightning activity. There is nothing you can do to guarantee safety if you are caught hiking in the mountains during a lighting storm." Their advice is to try to plan hikes and climbs early and get off mountain peaks by 11:00 am. If you are caught in an approaching storm, quickly get below treeline and get into a grove of small trees.

In the mountains there are accounts of people being injured and killed while hiding in caves, under rocks, in tents and under trees. Putting a rubber mat under you to avoid being struck by lightning is an old wives tale. The only thing one can do if caught in the open while hiking in the high country is to get in the lightning-safe position and wait the storm out.

 

[gdog]

Some additional info. I think the "lightening" position is just to get into to kiss your ass goodbye!




Being stranded outdoors when lightning is striking nearby is a harrowing experience. Your first and only truly safe choice is to get to a safe building or vehicle. If are camping, climbing, on a motorcycle or bicycle, boating, scuba diving, or enjoying other outdoor activities and cannot get to a safe vehicle or shelter, follow these last resort tips.

* Do NOT seek shelter under tall isolated trees! The tree may help you stay dry but will significantly increase your risk of being struck by lightning. Rain will not kill you, but the lightning can!
* Do NOT seek shelter under partially enclosed buildings
* Stay away from tall, isolated objects. Lightning typically strikes the tallest object. That may be you in an open field or clearing.
* Know the weather patterns of the area. For example, in mountainous areas, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so plan to hike early in the day and be down the mountain by noon.
* Know the weather forecast. If there is a high chance of thunderstorms, curtail your outdoor activities.
* Do not place your campsite in an open field on the top of a hill or on a ridge top. Keep your site away from tall isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees. If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low area. A tent offers NO protection from lighting.
* Wet ropes can make excellent conductors. This is BAD news when it comes to lightning activity. If you are mountain climbing and see lightning, and can do so safely, remove unnecessary ropes extended or attached to you. If a rope is extended across a mountain face and lightning makes contact with it, the electrical current will likely travel along the rope, especially if it is wet.
* Stay away from metal objects, such as fences, poles and backpacks. Metal is an excellent conductor. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances (See Figure 1) cows killed by lightning near metal fence


If lightning is in the immediate area, and there is no safe location nearby, get into the lightning desperation position. Crouch down but do NOT lay down. Bend your knees down while keeping your feet together

 

[sremim]

I've found a dead bull elk during the monsoon season that had died near a fence line, and another not too far away. There were no marks (bullet/arrow holes) or anything that suggested poaching, and the racks were still on them. This was not too long after a thunderstorm passed through the area. Also, my wife's parents horse died in their pasture due to lightning last year, so it does surely strike animals.

 

[fowladdict]

There is an excellent article on this in either this months or last months Outdoor Life magazine. I read it and will read it again prior to going into the high country again. It gave suggestions to several situations. Worth the read.