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So, I am sitting here in my dorm room and theres a massive thunderstorm outside. Lots of fun lighting, infact it keeps hitting the building (makes popping noises when it does). We were supposed to go hiking this morning, but didnt on account that we were all to lazy to get up, but if we had gone we would have still been out there during the storm and thats when this little question popped into my head. What do you do when it is lighting and you are hiking? I mean rain is fine I willingly go hiking in the rain (cause I am just strange like that) but lighting is another story. Does the BSA have a specific protocol for this? I mean what do you do when you are hiking and out of nowhere there comes a thunderstorm (I know youre supposed to check weather conditions before you leave but for the sake of the question lets pretend that the weather man is wrong).

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I refer you to "Wilderness Medicine", By Auerbach for an excellent discussion. In general, stay away from highpoints, bodies of water, and the base of trees. Do not seek shelter under a lone tree. Squat down (do not lie down due to possible ground currents) so that only your feet are touching the ground. This makes you the smallest target. Lightning can strike as far away as 10 miles ahead of the thunder clouds! Once again, consult "Wilderness Medicine" and visit www.wms.org

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The new "Weather Smart" training on the BSA online learning center addresses this.

 

First you would have watched the weather forecast, and cancelled if the danger was great.

 

If you went anyway. The procedure is to move away from trees, and spread yourselves out, so the charge can not jump from one person to another. You crouch down to minimize your exposure.

 

Go take the training, it's quite interesting.

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Stay away from any high point by 45 degrees. If you look up at a tree top at a 45 degree angle, you are getting too close. Crouch down and leave only the rubber soles of your feet touching the ground, dump the metal framed backpack away from you. If you are above the tree line or on an open top mountain, get down into the tree line before dumping gear and getting into position. Preventing emergencies is always a better plan than trying to deal with one.

 

Stosh

 

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Yah, hmmm...

 

IMO, not worth spendin' too much time worrying about, eh?

 

I suppose if yeh want you can follow the guidance and always stay in a spot where yeh can get to a lightning-protected building as soon as yeh can hear any thunder. Never go into the backcountry. Never go campin'. Just look at all those people who were hurt or killed by lightning while doin' those things! Of course lots more people are seriously injured by elevators each year.

 

There's a little bit of "obvious" here, eh? If yeh can avoid it, don't hang out in an open field, open water, or at a high point / high ridge / under da tallest tree when there's a good sized storm brewin'. And if yeh can't avoid it then I suppose spreadin' out makes some sense. The other recommendations yeh year at these "safety seminars" are just a riot. I suppose squattin' down might make yeh feel like you're doin' something (for all da good that last 3' of height matters to a jolt of electricity that's travelin' several miles).

 

I reckon lightning, falling trees and/or rocks, biting insects and critters, etc. are just part of the risks of being alive in the outdoors. In most parts of the country, yeh just can't avoid being out in storms if yeh want to go camping. Just like airborne pollution, automobiles & machinery, electricity, gasoline & combustion chemicals, and elevators are part of da (more serious!) risk of being alive in modern cities and towns.

 

Beavah

 

 

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On Beavah's points about being overly safety minded - I agree. I put the 10 mile distance in so that if a storm is brewing the hikers should be more aware of the surroundings and avoid obvious dangerous areas such as the top of a steep ridge or crossing out areas as quickly as possible. One should crouch when there is electricity in the air - your hair starts to 'stand-up' which implies that a lightning strike might be imminent. Once again, "Widerness Medicine has a rather long chapter devoted to lightning strikes, myths, injuries, and treatment. I recommend that at least one leader have a copy (the troop may wish to purchase because it is expensive) and read about issues that the troop may be facing.

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I'll have to check out some of those sources.

I think our problem is that we are not overly safety minded we are usually the opposite so when things do get bad they are worse then they need to be because no one knows how to handle the situation.

I've hiked in the rain before (by accident and on purpose) I usually check the weather when I get up (and still end up dressing wrong on a daily basis...I call it a gift) but if it's not cold outside and not raining hard I'm not going to melt, so I don't worry about it.

 

I def. Understand about the electricity in the air! That and there are warnings when a storm is coming. I've lived through enough Tornados for one thing to know some of the sighns of bad storms and I've watched them come in a matter of seconds and I mean seconds...I think it has something to do with the mountains. But yeah, I don't like lightning at all, this morning it came through the speakers of our appartments PA system and zapped down to the floor messed with the speakers too because we could actually 'hear'the lightning...so it had me thinking if we aren't even safe in our house what about when you are outside. (needless to say I stayed inside all day...got lots of sleep though) :)

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