Rogue_7
08-15-2005, 03:10 AM
This weekend I was up in the Rocky Mountains hiking 14ers. For those of you who don't live in Colorado, a 14er is a mountain whose summit lies above 14,000 feet above sea level. Colorado has 54 of these, the highest average terrain of the lower 48 states. Treeline, the point above which trees cannot grow is at about 11,400 feet above sea level.
Enough with the definitions, on to the story!
My Uncle, Father and I summited Mt Belford (14,197 ft) yesterday at around 11:00 in the morning. The general rule of thumb for hiking above treeline is to be well on your way down by 1:00, to avoid lighting and bad weather. After all, with no trees around, you are the tallest object (target) for lightning. Looking around the summit there were plenty of clouds, but no obvious electrical activity. However having been chased of another 14er last year by lighting around 11:30, my party and I decided to forgo an attempt of Mt Oxford, Belford's next door neighbor. We had walked barely half a mile down Belford's shoulder when the first crack of thunder reached our ears. Now remember, treeline is around 11,000 to 11,400 feet. We were at that time (11:40ish?) at about 13,400 feet or so. Yup, 2,000 feet in vertical and a couple of miles horizontal from "safety." I use the quotes because the only time I have had an actual near miss by lighting I was well below tree line, but that is a story for another time. Walking above treeline with loud thunder and driving hail really has a way of making you feel insignificant and very, very vulnerable. As I noted, I have almost been hit by lighting before, and I do NOT wish to repeat the experience. With this to drive me, I got down off that mountain, and fast. When a particularly close bit of thunder rumbled overhead, my Uncle later described me jumping rather high and turning on the speed. I didn't even pause long enough to dig out my rain jacket and pants. I preferred remaining a moving target to staying dry! As I approached treeline, I slowed a bit, and another hiker caught up with me. The storm had already passed overhead, and it had mostly stopped raining. He asked "How are ya doing?" I replied dryly "Better than I was a half hour ago!" Even though I slowed my pace waaay down to wait for my Dad and Uncle, I still beat them to the trailhead by at least 45 minutes. I had fled off that mountain like Thor himself was nipping at my heels, even though to be totally honest it wasn't that active of a storm. Active enough mind you, but it could have been much worse.
For those who wish to see what Mt. Belford looks like, let me direct you to ( http://www.14ers.com/photos/BelfordOxford/p_belfordoxford.html )
Enough with the definitions, on to the story!
My Uncle, Father and I summited Mt Belford (14,197 ft) yesterday at around 11:00 in the morning. The general rule of thumb for hiking above treeline is to be well on your way down by 1:00, to avoid lighting and bad weather. After all, with no trees around, you are the tallest object (target) for lightning. Looking around the summit there were plenty of clouds, but no obvious electrical activity. However having been chased of another 14er last year by lighting around 11:30, my party and I decided to forgo an attempt of Mt Oxford, Belford's next door neighbor. We had walked barely half a mile down Belford's shoulder when the first crack of thunder reached our ears. Now remember, treeline is around 11,000 to 11,400 feet. We were at that time (11:40ish?) at about 13,400 feet or so. Yup, 2,000 feet in vertical and a couple of miles horizontal from "safety." I use the quotes because the only time I have had an actual near miss by lighting I was well below tree line, but that is a story for another time. Walking above treeline with loud thunder and driving hail really has a way of making you feel insignificant and very, very vulnerable. As I noted, I have almost been hit by lighting before, and I do NOT wish to repeat the experience. With this to drive me, I got down off that mountain, and fast. When a particularly close bit of thunder rumbled overhead, my Uncle later described me jumping rather high and turning on the speed. I didn't even pause long enough to dig out my rain jacket and pants. I preferred remaining a moving target to staying dry! As I approached treeline, I slowed a bit, and another hiker caught up with me. The storm had already passed overhead, and it had mostly stopped raining. He asked "How are ya doing?" I replied dryly "Better than I was a half hour ago!" Even though I slowed my pace waaay down to wait for my Dad and Uncle, I still beat them to the trailhead by at least 45 minutes. I had fled off that mountain like Thor himself was nipping at my heels, even though to be totally honest it wasn't that active of a storm. Active enough mind you, but it could have been much worse.
For those who wish to see what Mt. Belford looks like, let me direct you to ( http://www.14ers.com/photos/BelfordOxford/p_belfordoxford.html )