010 // Zuza was struck by lightning

06/12/24 • 42 min

Rescued: An Outdoor Podcast for Hikers and Adventurers

There’s something about the immense power of lightning that has fascinated cultures and people throughout the centuries.

How it behaves, how it moves through the sky and the force and damage that it can bring.

If news reports are anything to go by, it would be easy to think that being struck by lightning only happens to golfers or beach anglers.

My guest today is neither of those and shares her story of being struck by lightning while leading an outdoor activity on a school camp.

Checkout this resource from Outdoors NSW & ACT: https://www.outdoorsnswact.org/post/lightning-and-outdoor-activities-update

And here from Bushwalking Victoria's Bushwalking Manual.

Lessons for being around lightning:

Current advice based on Australian Standard Lightning protection AS 1768:2021; Clause 6.4.2. is: all outdoor activities should stop once thunder is heard, or in the event of weather tracking devices, the storm is 15 kilometres away regardless of the timing of the thunder and lightning.
Understand the previous advice of the 30:30 rule and how that has changed
If in a group, don't stay together - spread out
Get down from high points like ridges and knolls-be low on the landscape
Don't shelter in overhangs or caves
Realise that 'taking shelter' means shelter from the lightning, not the rain
Always check forecasts

There’s something about the immense power of lightning that has fascinated cultures and people throughout the centuries.

How it behaves, how it moves through the sky and the force and damage that it can bring.

If news reports are anything to go by, it would be easy to think that being struck by lightning only happens to golfers or beach anglers.

My guest today is neither of those and shares her story of being struck by lightning while leading an outdoor activity on a school camp.

Checkout this resource from Outdoors NSW & ACT: https://www.outdoorsnswact.org/post/lightning-and-outdoor-activities-update

And here from Bushwalking Victoria's Bushwalking Manual.

Lessons for being around lightning:

Current advice based on Australian Standard Lightning protection AS 1768:2021; Clause 6.4.2. is: all outdoor activities should stop once thunder is heard, or in the event of weather tracking devices, the storm is 15 kilometres away regardless of the timing of the thunder and lightning.
Understand the previous advice of the 30:30 rule and how that has changed
If in a group, don't stay together - spread out
Get down from high points like ridges and knolls-be low on the landscape
Don't shelter in overhangs or caves
Realise that 'taking shelter' means shelter from the lightning, not the rain
Always check forecasts

Previous Episode

009 // Hilary's XC ski boot was facing backwards

At just under 2000m, Mt Bogong is the highest peak in Victoria. It looms over the small township of Mount Beauty, not too far from Falls Creek, and is a classic multiday trip for bushwalkers - who don’t mind over 1200 metres of vertical ascent - or in snow - for keen backcountry skiers.

Sitting within what’s called the “Bogong Remote and Natural Area” of the Alpine National Park, it’s a place of great natural beauty, whatever the season, and for the well-prepared adventurer, a place of exceptional wildness and epic tales.

In this episode, experienced outdoorsy type, Hilary, takes us along on her journey snow camping and cross-country skiing, when her skis stopped moving forward... but her body kept going.

Download the transcript here.

Episode takeaways:

Importance of wearing a helmet skiing/snowboarding
Adventuring with a group verus solo
The importance of knowing how to manage environmental dangers (eg. cold) during first aid emergencies, how to warm someone up and keep them warm... and having the equipment to do so.
The value of thoughtful planning and communication between those doing first aid and the patient
The challenge of lifting/carrying a patient
Hmmmm, fruit cake
The trauma/stress experienced by first aiders - being able to look after themselves too
The power of the green whistle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methoxyflurane
The value of leaving keys with the car
Realising that AU’s Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance or helicopter rescue. It’s different in each state so you need to do the research for your situation.
Why having ambulance cover is essential
Understanding what ‘back to normal’ can for outdoorsy folk vs ‘normal’ folk
Understanding that wellness is a process and being realistic about what that means and being kind to yourself
Injuries don’t just affect our physical body

Glossary

Chook-footing = cross-country skiing (xc) or back-country
Post holing = when you step on what you think is firm snow, but sink deep up to the knee or even higher. Exhausting over distance.
Yard sale = when a skier or snowboarder crashes hard and all their gear goes everywhere. Skiis, poles, backpack. It looks like a yard (Aussie = garage) sale.
AAWT = Australian Alps Walking Track
DIN settings = is set on your ski bindings based on your skiing ability, weight, height, boot and conditions. It is the industry-adopted scale that allows your skis to release your boot when you crash (good, causing a yard sale) versus not releasing your ski which can exert extreme pressure and wonky angles on your body (bad).

Next Episode

011 // Andy needed rescue on the K2K (Kanangra to Katoomba)

My guest today has a long history of working and playing in some of the most rugged and remote parts of NSW. So, with a few days up his sleeve, a bit of research and the right kind of skills and experience behind him, he set off for another steep n’ deep trip through Kanangra Boyd National Park, bound for Katoomba on the traditional K2K route.

WARNING: The K2K route is described online as a classic 3 day trip in the southern Blue Mountains. This description was written before the fires and floods since 2019. It cannot be compared with other walks of a similar length such as the Six Foot Track, which is on well-defined management and fire trails. The K2K has always been a challenging walk that pushes the Australian Walking Track Grading System of 1-5, into an unofficial 6. That was then (before the fires) and now, it's an even more punishing route.

I've written about this route before with this rescue of Chini who shared her written story.

NPWS Alert re: K2K route

Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher, born around 500 BC. Now, I’m wondering if he was a bit of a bushwalker and a lover of nature, cos he’s the one who said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice . For it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”

He’s also the one credited with saying, “the only constant is change.”

Nowhere is this more evident than in nature: The turning of the seasons, the changes this brings in life cycles of plants and animals, erosion from weather, climate change, bushfires, my greying hair, you name it.

And for those of us who love being out on (or off) the track, it’s something that feels more obvious in recent years: there’s more people, more bushfires, weather events and landslides are changing the landscapes that we love to spend time in.

Learnings from this episode:

Having a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) as a critical part of your packing.
The importance of having a 'place to go' within yourself (eg. meditation, mindfulness, faith, etc) when faced with a crisis, helping you remain calm and make wise decisions.
The value of having past experience in similar terrain you expect to encounter.
Just because a track is marked online or on apps, doesn't meant it exists in the landscape. Other than the official land manager apps (eg: NPWS App) data can be out of date and user reviews or descriptions extremely subjective. Apps like AllTrails, etc should be used in conjunction with other research and navigation skills.
If it's been a while between longer or hard walks, consider your overall health from other factors.

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