Debate: Should you tough it out or turn back when rain hits? Got caught in a storm on the Rae Lakes Loop last June.

I was 8 miles in on the Rae Lakes Loop when a sudden thunderstorm rolled in around 2pm. My first instinct was to push through to the next shelter point, but the trail turned into a muddy creek and lightning was getting close. I decided to hunker down under a rock overhang for 45 minutes until it passed, but my gear got soaked anyway. My buddy says I should have turned back the second I heard thunder, and that saving time wasn't worth the risk. Another friend says you commit to the route and deal with wet gear later, since turning back wastes a whole day. What do you do when weather hits mid-trail and you're already far in? Has anyone else been stuck in a similar spot and had to make that call?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_kim22d ago

Read a blog post a while back from a ranger who said if you can hear thunder you're already in the strike zone. That stuck with me. Turning back is annoying but lightning is no joke, especially above treeline. I'd rather lose a day than risk getting zapped or trapped in a flash flood. Your buddy's advice sounds right to me.

taylorshah22d ago

Thing nobody talks about is how thunder travels different distances depending on the air temperature and humidity. Had a buddy who was a weather guy explain it to me once. Says on a hot humid day the sound can warp and actually make thunder seem closer or farther than it really is. So that "if you can hear it" rule is solid but it's not perfect either. Makes me wish more people understood how tricky that distance can be.

lewis.terry22d ago

Man I used to think the whole "count the seconds" thing was pretty reliable but hearing that humidity and temperature can warp the sound makes a lot of sense. Your buddy sounds like he knew his stuff, definitely changed how I look at storms now.