This is the best and yet most frightening reply so far.
I have a lot of respect for lightning, when I was camping as a boy scout I came across a hill with a
rock formation and a sign that read "Lightning Rock", looked like a small Stonehenge and being dim
witted I put up my 12 boy tent in the middle of it. About 3 am I discovered why it was called
Lightning Rock. I figure every lightning strike for 1,000 sq. miles was concentrated into that rock
formation. A lot of crying and wetting ourselves, but one hell of a light show.
Farmers used to put Lightning Rods on the top of barns. I wonder if the perfect solution for a
tadpole would be to use a telescopic aluminum pole that would serve as a mast for your red flag and
then when Lightning is seen...crank up the Mast to say 25 feet with a Lightning Rod on top and run
for cover...in case it right angles after hitting the trike.
I know one area of my intended route is like Tornado Alley...but with Dry Thunderstorms..Dry meaning
no rain but lots of thunder and lightning.
Joshua
*****
"GeoB" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Just curious about this. When someone is in a car/truck they are told
the
> > all those rubber tires protect them from being a crispy critter if
lightning
> > strikes.
>
> Yes, but as has been said, it is the steel cage.
>
> > Would the same apply to a bent
>
> No.
>
> > if the lightning hit you and not the bent you are on, then it is game over.
>
> Yes.
>
> > But if the lightning hits the pavement of something very close...would your tires protect you.
>
> Maybe, but don't count on it. Depends.
>
> The best thing to do is go read a hiking and backpacking advice page, they all repeat the same
> things. Working with lightning strikes, and working in fire lookout towers, I have had my ears
> open to lightning wisdom for years. I have ben around lightning purdy close. With my first
> command, a 5-man fire crew, I was so gung-ho that I had a mutiny. I wanted to get out there and
> put out the strike while the lightning was still hitting all over the slope. Sheesh. My crew
> wouldn't get out of the truck. :-(
>
> Other times, I have run for my life, with bolts landing all around.
>
> 1) Run, don't walk, to the nearest low place.
>
> 2) Get away from your bike, fast.
>
> 3) Grab everything metal on you, or in your pockets, chains, watches, coins and fling them away
> from you. Quickly. How far? Dunno... how far away do you want the lightning?
>
> 4) If you hair is standing on end, don't assume it is from fright. It maybe because you are about
> to become a conductor for more than you can handle.
>
> 5) DON'T lay on the ground! Kneel, just the legs from knee to feet should touch the ground. Keep
> head down, keep hands off the ground, on the legs/knees is OK I think.
>
> Metal isn't just a conductor, it can be an actual attractor as charged metal emits ions which can
> stream up and become like a flagpole-high conductor screaming "Pick me! PICK Me!"
>
> A human body is a better conductor than the ground in most cases. If you lie down, the strike near
> you is likely to flow through you as it moves outward from the strike point. Thus only the legs on
> the ground so current doesn't flow through your heart or brain. Most cattle that are killed by
> strikes are lying down. Blood has about the same concentration of salt in it as does the ocean.
> Salt water is an excellent conductor. Salt, in water, disassociates into polarized ions and
> becomes a good conductor. Sweat mixed with rain water might feel similar to a lightning bolt too.
>
> Don't hide under a tall boulder. I like to climb rocky peaks. On top, I sometimes find boulders
> with a void under them, as in a rock pile. I like to collect the melted sand that is down there
> from lightning shooting out of the bottom of the boulder towards the ground (or the opposite way,
> whatever).
>
> Not so long ago several of this last TV watching generation were up on Half Dome (100 miles from
> here). A Thunderstorm cloud came floating by, shooting sparks. They hooted and yelled and danced
> up there on the lip above 5000' of nothing. Lightning did what lightning does. Out of four or
> five, I think 2 died. Think 2 were paralized partially. Think only one had minor injuries. One
> that died was on the rock having convulsions and rolled off the edge. It isn't clear why no one
> helped him, maybe they weren't in good enugh shape to do so. I think the survivor was a girl who
> was a way back yelling at them to get back and try to find a safe spot.
>
> TRIVIA:
> Q. What, aside from burns, are the most common injury from non-fatal lightning strikes?
> A. Nerve damage. 3rd most common? The tips of your toes blown off.
>
> Old Geezer: Are you here? Bet you could add something here from your store of knowledge and
> wisdom. (Old Geezer is an avid hiker)
