Thursday, October 23, 2008

Backpacking in the Rain

Sky Watching for Sure

Backpacking in the Rain
Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA

Get out the Rain Gear !
Lightning ?
Let's get over at the base of those cliffs !
I love the sound of thunder rolling down the canyons !

(Click on the photo for a full page view of the coming rain).


Be prepared for the unexpected.
A flat meadow with a nearby stream,
It will make a great campsite !



Have you ever been caught by unexpected weather while backpacking or just a day hike?

Leave us a comment.

For other SWF posts,
see Tom's SkyWatch site here
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Troy and Martha

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44 comments:

Unknown said...

Looks like a storm is brewing. Great photo.

EG CameraGirl said...

OH YES! I have indeed been caught by surprise...but that usually makes for great stories, right?
Happy Sky Watch!

Tess Kincaid said...

Sometimes I think those wonderful dark clouded skies are even more beautiful than the blue ones.

Müge Tekil said...

Hello Troy and Martha,

This photo has not only beautiful colours but also and especially a very nice, very very nice composition. I like very much the Λ letter formed by the trees.

Have a wonderful Friday and week-end! :-)

Louis la Vache said...

Oh, yes! "Louis" has been caught in a sudden rainstorm in the Rockies both in New Mexico and Colorado - not to mention a couple of fast-developing tornados in Texas!

Willard said...

I like the color of the skies.

I have often been caught unexpected and panic can set in if I find that I have forgotten my plastic garbage bags to protect the camera equipment.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Troy: I often get caught on my boat in the rain but I normally know it's coming. Fishing lust just takes over.

Woody said...

I also have been caught by suprise with bad weather. Great photo by the way..

Jim Klenke said...

I love the colors. I dont think I have ever been caught out in a storm while hiking, but its been so long since I have been hiking.

Anonymous said...

I love the wind and the feel of the air just before a storm.

Jackie said...

Oh this is quite the shot. and yes I have been caught unexpectedly in many storms.

I'm in Tornado alley and usually take cover.

But since joining SW I guess I will be chasing them now.

This is only my third time.

http://shinade.blogspot.com/2008/10/skywatch-geese-in-flight.html

Happy SW:-)

Anonymous said...

That's a beautiful shot and yes I've been caught by unexpected storms camping. The worse was sleet a long time ago.

Cicero Sings said...

A group of us went on an over-night back packing trip. Beautiful sunny one day ... thunder and lightning and a Vancouver rain the next. It's true, the thunder reverberating around the mountains is an amazing sound and experience. Have you ever read Hinds Feet on High Places?

I'm now married to a weather man ... we pretty much make sure we are not caught out! LOL

Unknown said...

What a wonderfully dramatic picture and love the contrasting bark on the trees

Dina said...

Love how you (almost) tell the story. A cliff-hanger, literally. :)
Once I was hiking with the Society for the Protection of Nature in a long canyon that led down to the Dead Sea. The Judean Desert is notorious for flash floods. If it rains somewhere up near Jerusalem, the dry wadis to the east suddenly flood with raging boulder-filled streams. Sure enough, our guide got a warning on the walkie talkie and we had to start running to get out of the narrow wadi. Walls too steep to climb. We made it out safely. But that was my scariest hike ever!

Anonymous said...

great and dramatic sky. excellent capture

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a strong feeling this photo has! I wish I could have been there to feel that weather myself! :)

Reader Wil said...

Yes we had once been in a thunderstorm while camping in England, accompanied by heavy rainfall . Not nice when you sleep in a tent with three small children.

Coloradolady said...

Oh, what a lovely photo. Love it. You always have great photos.

Anonymous said...

Oh it looks like it will rain...Happy weekend..

Roan said...

Oh, I love stormy skies. Nice shot. BJ

Brad Myers said...

Good photo, toy have captured the storm rolling in well, I to have be caught unexpected by storms. My concern is always scambling to protect my camera gear.

Unknown said...

Its pouring in Bangalore, India and your picture is apt here as well. And I m off to the jungle to photograph wildlife tomorrow, I m hoping the rains stop by tonight.

You picture reminded me of all these thoughts

Gretchen said...

Gorgeous sky shot! Yes, we've been caught more than once by a downpour while out hiking. :) Just makes for a better story.

AphotoAday said...

Yep... When I was about 14 my aunt and uncle took me along to hike to the top of Mount Whitney... We camped at base-camp at about 11,000 feet and we tried our best to hang on to the tent during a horrendous thunder storm... In the morning the weather still hadn't improved much, so we regretfully made our way back down...

Anonymous said...

What a great shot of these threatening dark clouds!
Have a good weekend.

kjpweb said...

Great image! And are you kidding?
More than once being soaked by one of those typical Florida surprise thunderstorms, that pop up and dissipate within minutes...
Cheers, Klaus

Pat - Arkansas said...

I've been caught out in the rain several times, but as I'm not a backpacker, that part of the question doesn't apply.

Wonderful photo! I love to watch storms, but prefer to be dry and warm while doing so! :)

Kyle said...

Seems to happen to me on a regular basis. (Of course, it might help if I were to watch the weather report a little more often...)

Beautiful photo, Troy and Martha! One of the reasons y'all have become a regular stop on my daily browsing.

Have a great weekend!

~Kyle

Daryl said...

What a wonderful sky .. so ominous ...

:-Daryl

Craver Vii said...

I like that shade of green. The pic is so good... color, light, composition... all very nice!

Dewdrop said...

It's never happened to me... but I think my focus is different. lol

Great capture of the spoiled camping trip. Beautiful storm clouds though.

storyteller said...

Wow … what a threatening sky! We could sure USE some of that rain here in Southern California. My Sky Watch is at Sacred Ruminations with a bit of Haiku as usual.
Hugs and blessings,

photowannabe said...

Stunning storm clouds. I have spent quite a few camping trips in the rain. Camping in a tent with a toddler in the rain was not my idea of fun....but I do love wandering around in it when I have rain gear.

Dar's Foto Faze said...

Those clouds are wonderful.

Lew said...

Great shot of the stormy sky! We've been caught near the Washington Monument in DC on the Fourth of July. We went to the celebration on the mall and got soaked and scared by the thunder and lightning, but ended up staying for the concert and fireworks that night.

Pappy said...

Little late. I was out of town. I love that picture. Storms can be very nice if you are not totally unprotected. Pappy

Maria said...

Beautiful picture of the storm! On my hiking tours, I've also been surprised by storms, but more often I have unbelievable luck. When I don't join my hiking friends on a tour, iyou can be sure that it starts raining :)

Arija said...

Troy and Martha, did you get soaked to the skin? I hardly think so, you two are experienced at this sort of thing.Love your photo, I'm a sucker for rain.
Where we are, you don't want to get cought in a ravine or dry creek bed if there is a thunderstorm upstream somewhere, the wall of unxpected water can have dire consequences. The rule is, never camp in a dry creek bed even if there is no other flat ground.

Anonymous said...

Breath taking!

myonlyphoto said...

Troy and Martha, this is some cool image, scary kind of .... Anna :)

Bob Johnson said...

Great cloudscape.

Shelley said...

The "corrected" version of the clouds rising was very dramatic - my favorite!

Kathie Brown said...

Love the photo with those dark clouds gathering and the feeling of the impending storm. Where's the dry tent and a camp fire! I'll have a cup of tea, thank you!