We got into the worst thunderstorm of our lives! | Day 2.2 of TMB from Col de Tricot to Chalets de Miages


Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/8OPZ0JbZHRg

We were almost at the peak when the dark low clouds started to come down at us and we heard the thunder. It was very scary as it was very close to us. So we tried to go faster. But it was hard with the tireness that we had already. We hoped that it will go away soon and it wont rain heavily. So we got over the mountain quickly but soon realized that the clouds are staying abd it getting worse with the fierce wind and rain with thunder. We started coming down hoping that we manage to come down in time but it was too late.


The wind started to blow extremely strong and it was not only pouring rain but ice coming down at us. We got all wet in seconds. So we just had to stop at the side of the rocky steep trail right in the wet grass and wait for it to calm. We took out our raincoats, covered our heads and backpacks and got almost in panic praying for it to stop or at least to calm down. We haven't been in such harsh conditions before and so didn't know how to behave. The thunder and lightning were just right over our heads and the wind was trying to blow us away with the ice that was crushing onto our heads. That was the scariest weather conditions we've been to in our lives.

Later we realized that if we pitched up a tent up on the mountain it would have been better to wait for the storm to go away. But we just didn't have a good reaction in the moment. Also some piece of waterproof sheet would be helpful to have to be able to set it up quickly over our heads everywhere. This way we would feel less stressful about bad weather conditions. But that's something to consider for the future.

When the wind calmed down a bit and it wasn't ice raining we started to descend down. The ground was extremely slippery and our legs were very sore already from the long uphill, they were shivering so we really tried hard not to lose the balance.

We did the downhill in around 30 min and headed straight to the refuge house as we were very cold and wet and at least needed to dry up our clothes. When we saw the prices 25 euros a person for the night we were s bit shocked as we expected that the name refugee means for everybody and it should be cheap or even donative. Because everybody has the right to have a shelter from the storm. So we already knew that we are not going to stay there. But we asked for some tea and place to dry our clothes and fortunately they had a roofed glass terrace with a fireplace. So we spent there a good couple of hours and the rain was persistently staying all that time.

We could dry our pants and most of the clothes but not the shoes unfortunately, they were still completely wet. And we were so hungry at that time that our heads were spinning. At one moment the rain almost stopped and we had to get out of this warm place.

We knew that we are not gonna be doing it till the planned village so we had to search for the place to camp here in the outskirts. So we collected some water from the source and found our place at the river bank as it seemed quite flat and the trees were protecting us from others sight. Luckily we still had some daylight left to properly pitch up a tent and set up everything for the night. So we cooked our delicious cereals with mushrooms and tomatoes, ate as much as we could and went to sleep.

Have you ever been in such extreme weather conditions? How did you behave?

That's normal weather at high altitude, at least in the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming, where such thunderstorms often occur daily, usually in mid to late afternoon. Plan your trip so you're down off high, exposed places (where lightning is a considerable risk) by early afternoon. Such planning may necessitate starting on the trail at dawn.

Also, put on that rain gear before you get soaked! Mine goes on at the first drops, even if I have to take it off 15 minutes later.

Thats normal for the alps too, even in summer. 2 inches if rain in an hour or so, high wind. Hot sea very close mountains equal some bad weather.

When it gets really bad it makes the news

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_tropical-like_cyclone

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10...red-flooded-st/

2019 october is noted.

Yeah, we got it only after being hiking there for a couple of days. We have never been on such high mountains trails and overestimated our powers a bit. Also didn't realize it could be so fierceful. But we definetely learnt the lesson after this case. And yes starting earlier is a great tip, usually that helps a lot.

Yes, that can get quite extreme. We were just lucky to never encounter ourselves in such conditions before.

A harrowing experience. You were fortunate to have found refuge.

We had a similar experience in The Winds of Wyoming. The rain turned to sleet and hail on our ridge. When it was over, the mountain looked snow covered with the hail stones. We put on our rain gear immediately when the first drops fell as we knew whft to expect. The scariest was the lightning as it was an exposed ridge.

Last summer canoeing in Canada we saw an approaching storm cloud, so we quickly made our way to a site on an island. A tarp was deployed. The storm that ensued was so great, the rains were torrents with massive winds. The tarp did only a little. The lightning was all around us. We actually were concerned for our lives. After 30 minutes, it was over. The site was flooded with 2 inches of standing water.

Thanks for sharing, that is absolutely terrifying! We perfectly realize that we weren't in the most extreme weather conditions, it was just pure luck.

But how did you change after these experiences? Were you able to predict the weather better? Go more equipped? Keep more calm when it is happening? Because obviuosly it can't stop all of us to be outdoors and continue hiking and camping.