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PEAK: Culebra Peak and Red Mountain ROUTE: Northwest Ridge DAY: Sunday, June 27, 2010 ELEVATION GAIN: 4,000 feet ROUNDTRIP LENGTH: 8.0 miles CLIMBING PARTNER(S): Aaron
TRIP REPORT
"A man does not climb a mountain without bringing some of it away with him and leaving something of himself upon it."Martin Conway
My hike of Culebra Peak is a day that I will never forget for the rest of my life. It is a hike I will cherish and a hike that I hope to never relive for the rest of my life as well....
I was part of the group of 4 with John that was on the top with you. We scampered down because we saw that storm coming. Once we pulled out of the ranch, it just started pouring. We were worried about the dad and 2 kids. I am glad everyone made it out safe. Hopefully we will see you again
I just read your report with a lot of interest. Nothing scares me more about climbing 14ers than the treat of lightning. Today we started our climb of Mt Lindsey at 4:30AM so that we would absolutely certain of being below treeline by noon. We got back to the car at 11:15.
I have been a meteorologist since 1979. Look up ”vorticity.” I have an MS in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State.
First: Regarding the ”chance” of thunderstorms. What the 40% means is that given the forecast conditions thunderstorms will form 40% of the time. But remember, that is for the the entire forecast area. 14ers are large enough to create their own weather. So while the entire area might be 40% the 14er will often be 100%. There are lots of reasons for this, but chief among them is ”orographic lifting” which artificially enables parcels of air to reach their condensation level. When water vapor condenses in to droplets, it releases heat. That heat is the engine that forms the storm. NEVER look at where you think a storm in the distance is moving. That's immaterial. The conditions that formed that storm are over you right now. A typical thunderstorm lifecycle in the mountains is 30 minutes. That is from a puffy to a full blown storm and dying out in 30 minutes.
Second: Lightning. This is phenomenon that attempts to balance the difference in charge from the ground to the sky. Treking pols are excellent conductors. ALL but wooden ones are excellent conductors. Graphite poles are exceptional conductors of electricity. When your hair stands on end, you are sending electrons to the sky through your head. Since they are always all the same charge, they repel each other, so your hair stands on end. The treking poles are much more efficient so they crackle and pop. You are going into what is called CORONA. What to do? Get rid of the poles. Get someplace dry. Make yourself small. Pray.
3. Rule of thumb. If you can hear thunder, you can be struck by lightning. Pretty simple. I was once in charge of weather support to Kennedy Space Center. They have incredibly sophisticated lightning detection equipment. KSC has recorded lightning strikes 70 miles from the center of a storm. Clouds are one thing, but rain and graupel are key. They separate charge and generate lightning. If you see rain. If you see virga (rain not touching the ground) ANYWHERE during a 14er attempt, GET BELOW TREELINE NOW!
Glad you made it home safely.
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