Brilliant Lightning with Fiery Bolts Light Up the Sky

Reciprocal nature prompt for 3rd week of April: thrilling thunderstorm

There’s something mesmerizing about a dance of lightning across a dark sky. I call it nature’s fireworks. It’s frightening yet entertaining. All are aware of the danger. Most wildfires start by lightning. It is a natural phenomenon of nature gone berserk. Best to hunker down until her rage subsides.

Exposed to nature’s wrath on many outdoor adventures, I respect her outbursts. I either seek shelter or abort an adventure. I understand. There are times in my own life where I have a need to vent. Better to get my anger out than bottle it up. Our emotions fluctuate with certain circumstances also.

But what is lightning? It is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere. Most flashes occur from storms originating in clouds. It searches for a connecting spark from earth’s surface. Tall trees, mountains or skyscrapers make a good conductor. There is still debate over how a cloud builds up electrical charges.

Lightning also causes thunder. The energy generated is hotter than that of the sun. That causes the air to explode outward. Light travels faster than sound. You can use that to estimate the lightning’s distance from you. Count the seconds between the flash and the sound of thunder. Divide by five. You’ll get distance in miles. Five seconds equals one mile.

If you hear thunder, seek shelter inside a building or an enclosed vehicle.

Remember that brighter days come after a storm has passed. A beautiful rainbow reminds us that challenging times often precede periods of hope. Extreme weather episodes are more frequent. It should be a cry for action on our part.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The dignity of human nature requires that we must face the storms of life.”

A close call with a raging wildfire

I recall a discomforting time during a backpack in Washington State. Five of us planned a three day campout in the Pasayten wilderness. We took a hike up to a mountainous ridge which straddled the American / Canadian border. We placed one foot in each country. It was so remote, unworthy of border patrol stations.

There was wildfire activity in the distance. We kept a vigilant eye out for its advancement in our direction. Another day we set out to climb one of many peaks in the area. The weather was overcast. We reached a saddle when it started to drizzle. Then a full blown storm hit.

I had an emergency blanket in my knapsack. Three of us huddled under it for protection from the rain. When the intensity diminished, we hiked back to our campsite. We aborted the climb for the day. The risk of further weather deterioration was too great.

After a filling meal we moved our tents to an open area. Lightning strikes were streaking the sky on the far horizon. We felt there was less possibility of being hit there than under some trees.

We crawled into our individual backpack tents for the night. Then the storm hit with a fury. I lay in my sleeping bag listening to raindrops pelt the fabric. Lightning flashes lit the sky above me. Thunder booms crept nearer and nearer. With each noisy roll bolts struck the ground. I felt the earth shake beneath me. I could smell ozone similar to chlorine in the air.

“OMG! Am I going to survive the night?” I didn’t get any sleep. I quaked with fear.

I crawled out of my shelter at first light. There were plumes of smoke in isolated areas nearby. I heard the crackle of fire through the forest. We packed fast, hoisted our packs and hit the trail with utmost speed. We hoped our cars were intact and the road clear to drive away.

We did pass one charred area, evidence of a fire during the night. The road had stopped its progress. It had run out of fuel. Our cars were waiting for us. The air was smoky, causing us to choke. An active fire was heading our way.

We drove the winding road as fast as we could. Mother Nature was definitely in a bad mood. That was the closest I’ve ever come to being cut off by fire. It’s a very scary feeling.

This article is written in response to the prompt suggested by Nature editor Sahil Patel: Thrilling thunderstorm.

Please read this post by Caroline de Braganza. She reminds us of the importance of taking care of our Earth. She included several videos pleading for our commitment to nurture our planet.

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles relates how she grew up with many people in one household. How would you react to those same conditions?