Sleeping on top of 14ers

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carson_h
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by carson_h »

Does anyone have experience with lightning detectors?

I'm wondering how well they would work when a peak is blocking views of the sky.

Also, would the electronics inside a GPS or SPOT/InReach interfere?

Neither of these factors would be an issue for sleeping on top of a 14er since you would have a full view of the sky and you can shut off your GPS; however, I probably wouldn't buy a detector just to sleep on a 14er...

http://www.ambientweather.com/lightning.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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-Carson
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Fisching
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by Fisching »

carson_h wrote:Does anyone have experience with lightning detectors?

I'm wondering how well they would work when a peak is blocking views of the sky.
IMHO, they suck (that's the blunt way of putting it; "unreliable" might be a better description). As a JV soccer coach at Woodland Park last year, we were required by state law to carry one at games, but we never relied on them to make a call on whether to postpone. I witnessed one detector at a game go from predicting lighting was 24-48 miles away to 0-6 to None in a 30 second span.
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jdorje
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by jdorje »

carson_h wrote:Neither of these factors would be an issue for sleeping on top of a 14er since you would have a full view of the sky
Actually sleeping would be the biggest danger then. If you just want to spend the night awake on top of a mountain the storm hazard can be mitigated substantially, I would think. Summertime full moon...would be fun.

Regardless - you know what the Welsh say about people who stay on mountain peaks at night, don't you?
"I don't think about the past, and the future is a mystery. Only the present matters."
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pioletski
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by pioletski »

OK Jason, I'll bite. What do the Welsh say of people who stay on mountain peaks at night?
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Jim Davies
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by Jim Davies »

Although I'm 1/4 Welsh, I haven't heard of that one before. But it's probably 95% vowels and sounds like a frog clearing its throat.

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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by unclegar »

carson_h wrote:Does anyone have experience with lightning detectors
Bring an ice ax. Both times I have been on Evans my ice ax hummed before lightning strikes. :shock:
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Re: Sleeping on top of 14ers

Post by mewithout14ers »

Okay, so as far as I know, if there is absolutely no storms coming in a particular afternoon/night and its just a beautiful, cloudless period of time then its not necessary to worry about lightning, correct? It kinda sounds like some people either assume I'll be sleeping on top of a 14er when there IS a chance of thunderstorms, or there still can be lightning storms even on a cloudless day.
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