Test yourself: #1

[Sarge47]

This is #1 of a 3 part self-test. #1 is a "solo scenario". You are in the mid-west woods on a hike. It is late spring/early summer & although the weather has been nice, there have been severe thunderstorm warnings & you see what could be a nasty system coming from the direction you recently started from. You are not lost & have your day-pack & all the equipment you'd normally carry. You've also left info with your family & the ranger station as well. It's starting to get late & you've hiked quite a distance already. What do you do?:cool2:

[FVR]

Break out the poncho, find a nice area that will keep me dry, eat a candybar, take a drink and have an exciting night.

I did this one deerhunting, it was just awsome. The storm came in fast, I pulled out my mil. poncho and found a nice place to sit where I would not get my butt wet. The storm came in, lightning and thunder, I stayed nice and dry for many hours and even took a long sleep.

[doug1980]

No real cause for alarm. Enjoy a great night in the wilderness.

[crashdive123]

Depends on the return time that I told everybody. I don't want rangers or sar to be mobilized because of a little rain. I carry my rain gear with me and can easily make shelter to weather the storm. I can shelter temporarily, or for the night - whichever the situation dictates - but I will not hazard another individual unless it is an emergency.

[rat31465]

Break out the poncho and head back...hiking as long as the day light and the weather permitted...reevaluate once it is closer to dark.

[hoosierarcher]

If it's late and I'm not on the way back I was planning on spending the night. So I'd find a slightly elavated area at least 25 yards from the nearest tree over 15 feet tall. Set up my golite shangri la 3, dig a run off trench around it. Build an elevated fire platform with an evergreen bough cover, gather fuel for an hour or so for that night and breakfast in the morning cover it with my spare tarp or poncho. Get the fire going, make supper, eat, drink and sleep.

[tonester]

being that its getting late and ive hiked for a whole day already i would take out my poncho and get ready to stay the night.

first thing i would do is gather as much dry fire wood as i could in a timely matter and stash it away in a dry spot so i would have dry firewood to last me for the night.

next thing i would do is make a shelter to keep me dry. type of shelter would depend on what type of environment im in and whats around me.

[Schleprok]

uh....
call the MotherShip to beam me up?

[Stairman]

Start running towards home as fast as I can. Trying not to cry as to blurr my vision thru the tears. Im ascared of da boogieman.:bat:

[doren]

I have two answers,

Am I expected to return tonight? If the answer is yes, I would get my poncho out and head home.

If the answer is no, The I make a frame for a shelter. I have my plastic sheeting with me and enough other supplies that I do not need anything else to ride out a harsh storm.

[mcfd45]

As most people have answered I just find somewhere dry to sit. Put on the poncho. Relax and probably fall asleep.

[Rick]

I'm with Doren and Crash. I definitely left info with someone so I'll not let that time slip by. If I have no cell phone/service then I'll head back. I don't mind hiking in the rain. It gives the woods a bit of reverence. All the animals and birds are hunkered down against the rain and rivulets and waterfalls suddenly appear where none were before.

[oly]

Panic and run home, the only safe place to be during a thunder storm is in my lumpy chair, or I can just call the wife and have my lumpy chair air lifted to me with a 6 pack of beer.

[Rick]

Everyone wave!!! Bye Oly!!!!!!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/702391516_5c8584e30c.jpg

[crashdive123]

Now that there's funny, I don't care who you are.

[Ken]

Kinda like Frank said. I've hiked, hunkered down, and slept nice and cozy through many a thunderstorm.

The real fun was those few times when I was in a 25' boat fishing off the coast at night when the sky lit up a bit. That's when we put the poles down until the storm passed. No reason to take any unnecessary chances. :innocent:

[Texas Rebel]

Myself I would take out poncho,find a somewhat sheltered area and wait it out.No-one will worry about if I am home that night or not.They are use to me disappearing for few days as it is.


Start running towards home as fast as I can. Trying not to cry as to blurr my vision thru the tears. Im ascared of da boogieman.:bat:

:bat: He not that bad.
He going to hunker down for storm so won't bother you.:)

[DOGMAN]

activate my PLB get choppered to the nearest starbucks and use their WIFI to post my survival epic on this here forum, while sipping a cafe latte

[Rick]

and trying to get your site back on line. (sorry. couldn't resist)

[DOGMAN]

up and running man.....Although, I did get 10 hits from people through adwords and it costs me 5 bucks, and they couldn't even see my site!!!