Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation

A few pics of a pine tree freshly struck by lightning on San G.

Note that the course tends to follow the internal trunk growth "twist," due to the conductive pathway it affords, readily apparent in the third photo.

Trees with old scars like this are ubiquitous. The markings are different than the trunk and bark damage seen with wind-buckling/twisting, which is also commonly seen in our local haunts.

The WPSMB has a good active thread on lightning; NB the pdf on Backcountry Lightning.







Maybe I should rethink the tinfoil hat?

^_^

Just hold your hiking poles up. They'll act as a lightning rod.

Cool photos. I've seen a lot of those scars. I assume this was a secondary or low voltage hit. Wouldn't a direct or high voltage hit blow the top off the tree?

HJ

not due to a stepped leader, if that is what you mean. Likely a C-to-G stroke, anything but low-voltage.

I've seen a couple of trees on San G and one on San J which appear to have been obliterated crown-down due to lightning, and somewhere I have pics of one near Dollar Lake Saddle about four or five years ago IIRC. Impressive, and inspires prodigious respect. I'll look for remnants next time I am up there.

Sounds like you continue to support my use of a tinfoil hat, eh?

Well, I'll be ready for John Wyndham's upcoming "The Day Of The RFIDS."

arocknoid wrote:The WPSMB has a good active thread on lightning; NB the pdf on Backcountry Lightning.

I love shortcuts myself, but I hate when someone else pounds me with obscure acronyms. I finally found
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/magic.pdf

Sorry, HH8, no pounding intended; I thought the WPSMB/ Whitney Portal Store Message Board was well-known here.


Perry's hot links:
http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=1033

WPSMB:
http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum ... d=1&page=1

The lightning thread, which contains much additional useful and interesting info:
http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum ... #Post91440

and the pdf to which I referred:

http://www.wec.ufl.edu/safety/Backcount ... Safety.pdf


BTW here is a brief and concise page-link re: tree scars and abnormalities, including many which folks encounter all the time, but don't "see" or interpret. A five minute perusal can have high yield in more fully understanding and appreciating the forests we so enjoy. In depth guides put most folks to sleep, but this is one with quick and easy benefit---if one is so inclined. Of course everyone around here is familiar with blister rust and bark beetle effects and findings, which are not covered in this link:

http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/risc/pubs/tee ... enscom.htm


will forward more comprehensive content if preferred, rather than have the reader filter thru google dreck to find the most useful content.


(of course for acronyms, the smart alekses would have just :
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wpsmb

and then relied on contextual link thinking.)

howls and growls,
arocknoid

arocknoid wrote: here is a brief and concise page-link re: tree scars and abnormalities
http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/risc/pubs/tee ... enscom.htm

Thanks. Now I know what these things that looked like oak-cones were:
Conks
Fruiting bodies of stem decay fungi are reliable indicators of decay. They are typically thick, hard, and woody-like perennial structures that may appear anywhere on the main stem or branches, but that usually appear around knots and on the underside of dead branch stubs and live branches.

arocknoid wrote: the pdf to which I referred:

http://www.wec.ufl.edu/safety/Backcount ... Safety.pdf

I learned some things from this. Thanks.

arocknoid wrote:http://www.wec.ufl.edu/safety/BackcountryLightningSafety.pdf

I learned to keep my feet together and avoid cows! Seriously, good article.

-Florian

arocknoid wrote:not due to a stepped leader, if that is what you mean. Likely a C-to-G stroke, anything but low-voltage.

Dude, what language is you a-speaking?

I've heard of a step ladder, but never a stepped leader. My thought that it couldn't be high voltage or there wouldn't be a tree left. I'll peruse the links and see if I can see what you mean.

HJ