Hiking in a Thunderstrom

I was hunting once and a bad thunderstorm came up, but I have never been on a hiking trip and had to deal with it. I got off the trail once just in time and wondered what it was like out there. Do any of have thoughts or a plan for dealing with one either when you are at camp or on the trail?

Last March on the OHT, there was a bad thunderstorm that came up, and it rained an inch every ten minutes. All I can say is button up and wait it out. I had 2 boys with me, and they got impatient, so we eneded up hiking back up to a road. I got soaked, but most of my gear stayed dry.

Looking back, we shoud have stayed there unde the tarps and just had a relaxful day. We were dry, off the ground in our hammocks, and we had plenty of food. It would have taken a day or two off our hike (an extra day for the creeks to go down) but it still would have been a good time.

If I was already on the trail, I would have set up my tarp in a storm pitch and waited it out. I can set up my tarp and stay dry under it at the same time. It takes some extra work to do this, but at least you stay dry

We had a couple of thunderstorms blow through one night on the Butterfield last year. These came in after midnight, so there wasn't much you could do except hope that you had staked everything down really good and that you had chose a high spot so as not to get flooded out. (I know, you tree hangers, but we don't all swing from the trees.)
If a storm blows up during the day, you pretty much find a sheltered area, stay away from bluff overhangs (works like a spark plug and you get fried) and if things get really intense and lightening is right on top of you, put your sleeping pad under your feet (prevents grounding), crouch down in the smallest ball possible, and ride it out. Don't lie flat on the ground as this provides much more ground contact and the likelihood of getting hit by ground lightening is greater. Don't get under a tree and if you're on top of a ridge when a storm blows in, get down to a lower bench.
Hope this helps,
UL

Well depending on the time of the year plan on having good rain gear and a pack cover.
Back in 05 the wife grandson and I were on the OHT in the Hurricane Creek Wilderness and we had to deal with torrential rains. It was dry and hot the first day. The second day started out with a misting rain and developed into a light rain by afternoon. We got across the creek and set up camp. That night we had to deal with thunderstorm after thunderstorm. The afternoon before the storms the creek looked like this:





The next morning it looked like this:




(the date on this pic should show the 22nd not 21st)
We didn't have to deal with heavy rain the next day but what we and anyone else will have to contend with is the trail will become a stream. You will eventually get soaked, esp. your boots and socks. We just kept pushing on and made it out at about
ten that night, went 12 miles that day! It was misurable for sure!

By the way PM can relate to stormy conditions!

OH

I remember the Buttefield storms also. The thing I remember most was trying to sleep through the lightning. It was like someone was standing over me with a disco strobe. I was in my Hubba Hubba tent so I stayed dry. Figg

I actually got stormed off the ERL once. We were at the parking area just west of Little Missouri Falls and the 40% chance of showers became 100% chance of severe thunderstorms. It being around 65 degrees and the rain starting light, we decided to high tail it and find a camp site to hunker down at.

The temperature began to drop and, despite our frantic pace and all the campsites available, we saw none outside of the flood plain or sheltered from the lightening that was flashing all around us. So we jogged to the Falls as the temperature continued to drop and the rain came down harder. Each time it would intensify I would think "there is no way it could rain any harder"...and then it would. A buddy of mine actually saw a tree get struck by lightening as he bolted past it about 100 yards away. Anyways, we made it to the falls and realized that 1) the river had been rising FAST so it's good we didn't stop but 2) that we were still six miles from the truck and needed to get OUT. So we hunkered in the chemical toilet and hoped someone would happen by us, which they did.

On the way out after getting a ride to the truck we passed many campsites that had been flooded and abandoned. Camping gear was floating past us in torrential runoff. We even had to wait in a line of traffic for awhile for water to recede from flowing over the highway so we could continue. A much closer call than I wanted to admit at the time. Pretty harrowing in hindsight.

My other experiences hiking in thunderstorms have been rather placid...even pleasant. It seems like the woods are more alive in the rain. Like you can see the blood in its veins.