READERS COMMENTS

My first climb up the Peak using the Barr Trail was in 1969 with a group of young men. The hike was a "qualification hike" for our planned trip to the Grand Canyon the next spring. All went well on that backpack hike. Years later another pack trip was made with my wife, daughter and son. We hiked to the Fremont Forest on the first afternoon and spent the night there. Early next morning we hiked to Barr Camp, set up our camp and with day packs headed for the top at around 10AM. I brought up the rear as I usually do. My family gradually gained distance from me while on the trail, to the point that I lost sight of them. I was about 1/2 mile from the top when it hit. Lightening, deafening thunder, and blinding hail. Really scary! And there I was in the midst. Nothing to do but go on and hope that my family had made the top before this calamity hit. My routine was to crouch and wait until lightening flashed, then get up and go as fast as I could and stop just before then next bolt. (I had previously counted seconds between bolts.) This will probably be considered foolhardy by some but it made sense to me at the time, and I have lived to tell the story. The warnings posted by others on this page are very good advice. I lived at the foot of Pikes Peak for 35 years and violent electrical storms are the norm during the summer months and may appear any time around noon. Get your activity done before noon if possible, then be prepared for probable violent weather.
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 Colorado Pete

I just hiked Pikes Peak with a small team yesterday. The keys to making it safely and most enjoyably are to be prepared physically (although in my opinion it is not a difficult technical climb), have the right clothing packed (including rain/wind protective clothing), carry sufficient water and a few high-carb snacks, and START EARLY because the region typically develops inclement weather in the early to mid-afternoon. That's when cold, wind, snow, rain and lightning will threaten you the most. We started at around 6:00 a.m. and still had light, very odd snow-hail as we neared the summit on the final stretch of the sixteen golden stairs. In my opinion, mid-summer has more severe afternoon weather, especially lightning, than late summer, but cold and snow becomes a bigger factor in late summer/early fall.
Posted: Sep 12, 2009 JohnnyK

I hiked Barr with my young son on a sunshine day with not a cloud in sight. Near the top, within 30 minutes a cloud started to form and light sleet and rain started falling. My son complained about something stinging his back. I removed his backpack to check, and drew a 6 inch arc of electricity from the metal frame to the ground as I set it down. Another 10 minutes and lightening was popping all around the mountain. At that altitude, lightening and thunder are nearly simultaneous (and really loud). I've also seen people on top of the mountain standing near a metal pole that was buzzing with static electricity. Above timberline, expect and prepare for fast weather changes.
Posted: Jan 01, 2009 ken

I hiked Barr with my young son on a sunshine day with not a cloud in sight. Near the top, within 30 minutes a cloud started to form and light sleet and rain started falling. My son complained about something stinging his back. I removed his backpack to check, and drew a 6 inch arc of electricity from the metal frame to the ground as I set it down. Another 10 minutes and lightening was popping all around the mountain. At that altitude, lightening and thunder are nearly simultaneous (and really loud). I've also seen people on top of the mountain standing near a metal pole that was buzzing with static electricity. Above timberline, expect and prepare for fast weather changes.
Posted: Jan 01, 2009 ken

I hiked Barr with my young son on a sunshine day with not a cloud in sight. Near the top, within 30 minutes a cloud started to form and light sleet and rain started falling. My son complained about something stinging his back. I removed his backpack to check, and drew a 6 inch arc of electricity from the metal frame to the ground as I set it down. Another 10 minutes and lightening was popping all around the mountain. At that altitude, lightening and thunder are nearly simultaneous (and really loud). I've also seen people on top of the mountain standing near a metal pole that was buzzing with static electricity. Above timberline, expect and prepare for fast weather changes.
Posted: Jan 01, 2009 ken

I hiked Barr with my young son on a sunshine day with not a cloud in sight. Near the top, within 30 minutes a cloud started to form and light sleet and rain started falling. My son complained about something stinging his back. I removed his backpack to check, and drew a 6 inch arc of electricity from the metal frame to the ground as I set it down. Another 10 minutes and lightening was popping all around the mountain. At that altitude, lightening and thunder are nearly simultaneous (and really loud). I've also seen people on top of the mountain standing near a metal pole that was buzzing with static electricity. Above timberline, expect and prepare for fast weather changes.
Posted: Jan 01, 2009 ken

I hiked Barr with my young son on a sunshine day with not a cloud in sight. Near the top, within 30 minutes a cloud started to form and light sleet and rain started falling. My son complained about something stinging his back. I removed his backpack to check, and drew a 6 inch arc of electricity from the metal frame to the ground as I set it down. Another 10 minutes and lightening was popping all around the mountain. At that altitude, lightening and thunder are nearly simultaneous (and really loud). I've also seen people on top of the mountain standing near a metal pole that was buzzing with static electricity. Above timberline, expect and prepare for fast weather changes.
Posted: Jan 01, 2009 ken

the biggest problems with Barr Trail is that uninitiated hikers start off in a town, close to civilization with one bottle of water, t-shirt, shorts, and have an expectation of up and down in 8 hours. The lightning can be a problem but stupidity and poor preparation are at the top of the list.
Posted: Dec 08, 2008 dave

Why even have a comment section if you're just going to delete anything even the slightest bit derogatory? Bunch of Fox News trainees over here.
Posted: Nov 23, 2008 Nice.

This is kind of silly - Barr trail is a very safe hike, and I've done it several dozen times and never seen a bolt. It's dangerous to be out when it's lightning in general, so you shouldn't be hiking ANYWHERE if it is. Maybe it should be included in "America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes If You're Dumb Enough To Go Up During A Lightning Storm".
Posted: Nov 23, 2008 Dan

This is kind of silly - Barr trail is a very safe hike, and I've done it several dozen times and never seen a bolt. It's dangerous to be out when it's lightning in general, so you shouldn't be hiking ANYWHERE if it is. Maybe it should be included in "America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes If You're Dumb Enough To Go Up During A Lightning Storm".
Posted: Nov 23, 2008 Dan

Anytime you're hiking above tree line in summer when the likelihood of lightning strike is high, it's a good idea to know how to do a lightning drill. Carry a sleeping pad--they're light. Lay it on the ground, put your SOFT pack on it and sit in holding your knees to your chest with your feet off the ground. Ideally you'll want to do this below treeline, but if you can't get there try not to be the tallest thing around. You may want to skip the pack part and just sit on a rolled up pad if you've got lots of metal in your pack (e.g. external frame, etc.). Check out this link from NOLS and WMI for more details.
http://www.nols.edu/resources/research/pdfs/lightningsafetyguideline.pdf
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 Mitch, WFR

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