July 12, 2008 on Donohue Pass - with tent and gear these two still got in serious trouble, and we were not the only ones who were surprised by the monster storm that washed out houses in Independence and trucks on 395.
Lots of rain, massive lighting, and 6 inches of hail piled up around our tent. All on a day that had a blue sky until 2:00 pm
We met some ultra runners without any gear on the pass, just before it started. I later read on their blog that they had
tough time getting back to Tuolumne Meadows..
That was a
very well known and well tracked storm since it broke the record dry spring (during the last official drought) and unleashed thousands of lightning strikes from the coast to the mountains known as "The Northern California Lightning Series." It triggered massive forest fires all over the northern state. If someone headed out on an overnight trip (like Whitney) without being aware of and prepared for that huge event coming their way, then they just weren't paying attention.
I've been in the same situation with my kids, snuggled into their sleeping bags in the tent with hail piling up and lightning. It's an awesome afternoon adventure if you're prepared. I just wouldn't want to face it on a wide open pass. Note that the trail running blog (I think it's SoCalGirl's site) mentioned seeing the family headed UP the pass as she was turned back. They should have been over the pass before noon in "typical" afternoon thunderstorm weather. With a storm of that magnitude bearing down, an even earlier crossing might be needed. It's very wide open and exposed on the south side. They could've also headed down to Lyell Canyon to ride it out.
Is it just me or does it seem like a bad idea to wrap kids in an aluminumized space blanket in a thunderstorm on a mountain pass. I'm not positive about the physics, but it just doesn't "strike" me as a good idea.
