You should know what weather you are heading into. You should know the kinds of conditions you and your equipment may be up against.
Often the knowledge of a possible storm may cause you to cancel hiking trip and make other plans. Or maybe you are a person who enjoys hiking in changing weather conditions, in which case the possibility of a storm makes you want even more to keep your plans.
Always make mental notes as to your route in case you have to hike out the same way. It is preferable to hike out the same way you hiked in. There is less chance of getting lost. In addition, you have already made the trail so use it to your advantage to speed the hike out.
Buy Good Rain Clothing
The summer holds the same potential for violent weather as the winter does. You have to be prepared for bad weather in the same way you are ready for it during the winter.
Gortex rain gear (pants, jacket, hat and gloves) has proven itself to be the clothing of choice. The price of good Gortex storm gear has come down over the years while the quality has gone up. When purchasing consider the fact that in an emergency you may have to sleep in your Gortex!
Always have a baseball type cap for sun and a wool/polyester cap. Mountain weather changes so fast you will be using both on the same day!
Foot Gear for Rain
The hiking boot itself must be warm to begin with. Gortex adds warmth to the boot since it is a semi plastic membrane that keeps the feet drier and therefore warmer.
Boots should be prepared with water proofing sprays or rub on compounds. Gaiters really help keep the boot drier when the terrain gets wet. You can even cross shallow creeks without getting water into your boots. Gaiters also keep your boots drier after the raining has stopped but has left grass wet.
Hypothermia
Being wet during the summer poses the same problems as it does during the winter. There is a higher danger of hypo- thermia during the summer while frostbite is more of a problem during the winter.
Hypothermia occurs more often at temperatures around 50 degrees when it is wet and damp. The hands are feet get very cold as blood is diverted to the heart and body core in an effort to keep the body warm.
It is often less thought of as a danger since the weather is not freezing. But it doesn’t have to be freezing to cause the core body temperature to drop to very low levels (95 degrees). This increases fatigue and slows travel and producing a cycle of fatigue and increase Hypothermia.
Shivering is the first obvious sign along with fumbling and stumbling. Mental acuity problems can cause you to make the wrong decision. Dehydration is a big problem and should be the first problem that needs to be addressed with warm liquids.
Gentle rewarming is mandatory since sudden heat could cause heart problems. Getting the cold body next to a warm one in double sleeping bags is still acceptable advice.
The Use of Trekking Poles
Rain can be expected at any time during the summer. You should have the clothing for rain. Be ready for it!
Rain cause a dirty trail to turn into a muddy trail. Muddy trails turn into slippery trails. Trekking poles help you keep your balance when the trail feels like you are walking on ball bearings. You can even use plain old ski poles if you want!
When people slip they can hurt themselves. A fall with a heavy pack can twist your back. You could twist your ankle or a knee. Not a trip stoppers but a hassle. Duct tape and elastic wraps are great for these problems.
Twisted ankles can be very painful. Apply cold to that ankle as soon as possible. The faster you get cold on your ankle the sooner it will heal. A cold mountain stream is perfect. Keep your ankle in the water until it goes numb. When you pull it out it will heat up sending blood into the sore areas healing them. The sooner you do it, the faster your ankle will recover.
Rain Storm Hazards: Wet Rock
Back to our discussion: wet rock is another problem. While you are hiking off trail on steeper terrain you will run into wet rock. If you slip on wet rock you can land on your butt and hurt your hip or spine.
Trekking poles have a bad habit of slipping themselves and can skip off the rock causing a fall. This is when you want to plant your ski poles in the dirt next to the rocks. Do not plant your trekking poles directly on flat rock-it will slip-count on it!
Stream Crossings on Wooden Bridges and Single Logs
Single Logs that are wet and positioned over rushing rivers can be intimidating and rightly so.
When you are on that log carrying a pack all your see is the rushing water below the log. The water is hypnotic and messes with your concentration.
You have to really concentrate on that log like a laser. Do not think about anything except making it across. Don’t go fast just steady and slow. But don’t stop. It’s better to slow down than stop completely.
You can’t really depend on your ski poles for balance since you are on a log not a bridge. But still use them. Extend them to their longest length. Because as you get closer to the streams edge you may be able to reach the streams edge which will give you some support. Also the weight of the trekking poles give a false sense of security that only you know about but it helps anyway.
Field Observations
The look of the sky and the feel of moisture in the air can tell you if a storm is moving in.
There are many indications that bad weather is moving in. You simply must know what to look for. For example, clockwise or anticyclonic wind and cloud movement is related to high pressure and good weather. When the clouds are moving counter clockwise, you can expect low pressure and bad weather within 24 hours.
The Following are some other observations you can make.
Rings Around the Sun or Moon
Rings around the sun or moon indicate moisture in the air and announce incoming bad weather. However, sometimes they just mean some harmless moisture is in the air.
As the storm approaches, the halo around the orb will shrink due to increased moisture in the air. The important observation is the speed at which the halo shrinks.
If there is no front, the halo will stay one size. The faster the shrinking, the higher the probability of stormy weather. While most people think a full-moon period guarantees good weather, this is not necessarily the case. It is often the opposite!
Star Visibility
The stars will twinkle brightly during periods of high pressure and good weather, especially if it’s windy. If the stars seem vague or misty, then moisture is aloft. If you can almost see any stars, then obviously some clouds are present. There may be moisture instead of clouds that still means that the weather may be changing.
A clear night sky with a high barometer (over 30 mm Hg) is a sign of good weather. A lower night barometer reading means bad weather is coming. Morning clouds down in the valley confirm the low barometer reading. These clouds down the valley can rise out of the valley, engulfing the hiker.
Sound
When sound travels far and wide, a stormy day likes betide‚ is an old saying based on the echoing effect thick clouds or a clear sky holding moisture have on sound. You notice that the sound of a jet plane is sharp and clear as it passes overhead during dry, clear weather. Because moisture dulls sound, the plane will sound hollow when moisture and clouds are aloft.
Compass Direction
It’s easy to lose your sense of direction in the mountains when you are tired. Your compass will tell you precisely where the clouds are coming from. This way you can’t miss. Remember the storm system you saw on TV? Are those clouds coming from the same direction?
Temperature
Temperature can give you clues to future weather.
During winter, a period of good weather with high temperatures often precedes a few days of bad weather. This is because the low pressure cells are spaced between high pressure areas.
Warm weather is pushed in front of the cold front. As the cold front arrives, temperature drops and snow and wind begin. But when it clears up, it is really cold! (As the cold front passes, it is followed by very cold air for at least 24 hours after the storm.).
If you are in your sleeping bag, you can tell 80 percent of the time whether it is clear outside just by the temperature. Cloud cover acts like a blanket, keeping warmth closer to the ground. With clearing, the warmth of the earth escapes to the atmosphere.
Lightening In The Mountains
Every hiker knows that booming sound in the background is not a good one. It is the thunder that proceeds the storm that is coming. The growing darkness is not encouraging.
Lightening is feared by hikers during the summer and even skiers during spring skiing in the high mountains. Lightening can even occur if it’s sunny!
What is the Lightening Attracted To?
Lightening is always trying to neutralize itself by “grounding” itself with the earth so “it” is always looking for high points in the mountains: high trees, especially those on ridge lines, ridges themselves, or summits. It will follow the water ways of the mountain: couloirs, gullies, cracks.
You should not be carrying skis or long ice axes on your back. They should be abandoned and recovered at a later time. Also stay away from metal railings or any other metal structures in the mountains such as ski lifts, electrical towers or radio or weather towers.
How Do You Know If You Are In Danger?
You will know that you are in a dangerous area especially when you start to feel tingling on your skin-as if you ran into a spider web! You know you are in a potential strike zone if your hair stands on end!
How do You Reduce Your Chances of Being Hit by Lightening?
- Leave the area and increase the distance between you and the storm.
- Reduce your profile and height so you don’t stand out.
- Insulate yourself from the ground so that electrical currents from above or below cannot use you as a conductor!
- Remember, lightening doesn’t hit a single point of contact. The lightening hits a zone and spreads out instantly as an electrical wave called a Ground Current.
- Do not get under a rocky overhang or inside a gully or crack.
- Do not sit under a solitary boulder in the middle of a field as the lightening will seek out that high point.
- Don’t sit in an open pit as currents can jump a ditch and hit you.
- Lone trees should be avoided of course. But a large thick forest can offer safe protection.