Let's first break down the possible dangers caused by heavy precipitation in mountainous areas-lightning strikes, flash floods, landslides, temperature loss, slippery roads and other threatening factors. Let's deal with it according to local conditions.
lightning strike
Thunderstorm is a common climate in mountainous areas in summer, and there are often news that tourists are injured or even killed by lightning on the Great Wall or in the wild. This is really terrible. We were taught from childhood not to stay under big trees or in open places when it thunders ... but what I want to say is that this is not easy to grasp in the wild. For example, when it rains, you don't hide under the tree. Would you rather get wet in the rain? For example, sometimes you are on an empty ridge. Where can you go?
To prevent lightning strike, we must first understand the principle: lightning strike is a cloud discharge, the anode charge on the ground should be attracted by the cathode charge at the bottom of the cloud, and all conductors that are conducive to charge meeting will become lightning channels. The human body is a good conductor, so it has the conditions to become a "bridge" to attract lightning strikes. Obviously, avoiding lightning strikes is to prevent the human body from becoming a conductive bridge in the surrounding environment. Therefore:
1. When there is nowhere to hide in an open place, try to find a low-lying place (such as a pit) to hide, or squat down immediately to reduce the height of your body.
2. Stay away from isolated trees.
3. When there are many people, don't lean together, don't hold a group to keep warm, and remind each other to turn off their mobile phones. On the one hand, it reduces the size of the target, on the other hand, it also avoids being killed by lightning at a time.
Therefore, in the wild, we usually try to find a stone crack or a cliff to shelter from the rain. Of course, it is not impossible to choose a big tree on the hillside, but be careful not to choose the biggest and tallest one. On one occasion, several of our team members met with heavy rain and lightning in the mountains. At that time, they were hiding under the trees and stones on the hillside, and they felt the thunder around them, numb all over, and their hair stood on end, which was very scary. Fortunately, everyone turned off their cell phones, which was far away. Finally, nothing happened.
Mountain torrents, landslides and mudslides
Look at flash floods and landslides.
Today, I read on the news that a landslide occurred on the Juyongguan Great Wall in Beijing and the road was blocked. Now the virgin forest has basically disappeared, and the sand and gravel on the mountain can't be fixed by the big tree roots. When it encounters heavy rain, it will loosen and slide, which is easy to cause landslides.
In response to sudden threats such as landslides and mudslides, we must first judge which sections are prone to landslides in the wild: first, steep slopes and places with poor vegetation coverage-mudslides are usually washed out along some small ravines; Second, the two sides of the highway-the continuous surface structure and vegetation are destroyed by construction, and landslides are also prone to occur. Landslides often have some signs, such as small gravel rolling down the hillside. In this dangerous area, be sure to observe more, don't hesitate, pass quickly or don't take risks, and wait in a safe place. For outdoor travelers, some mountains in western Sichuan and Tibet are more prone to landslides and other disasters, because the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is young, the geological structure is unstable, there are many valleys and the surface is loose, which is especially obvious in the mountainous areas around the Wenchuan earthquake.
After the heavy rain, the water level in the mountain stream will skyrocket. Most people know to avoid camping by the river in case of sudden flooding at night. One more thing to mention here: don't venture into the stream easily after the rainstorm. Maybe you are relaxed and happy when crossing the stream, but the heavy rain will make the water level soar, and the impact of water is great, so people are easily knocked down by running water in the water, and the water temperature in mountainous areas is very low, which further reduces people's flexibility in the water. A few years ago, both Langta and Medog had donkey friends who died in the river while wading. These are all lessons. Try to find a place with slow water flow and shallow water depth to wade across the river, even if it takes a long time, which is very important for a lone ranger or a team of two or three people.
Mild hypothermia
The harm of temperature loss is basically understood by all travelers, but few people will worry about temperature loss in summer. The temperature in mountainous areas is already low, and it will be even lower after heavy rain. When the body is wet, it will also take away a lot of heat. Anyone who has experienced heavy rain in the mountains will understand the discomfort after getting wet. Therefore, even in the mountains in summer, rain-proof equipment is still very important. Lightweight hard-shell underwear can be carried with you, or dry spare clothes can be prepared in your backpack, which can reduce the damage caused by the cold caused by rain. After all, even if you have a cold and fever in the mountains, it will be very uncomfortable.
be non-slip
The problem of slippery road surface needs to be highlighted, because it is too easy to be ignored by novices. In the south, mountain people are used to wearing military rubber shoes into the mountains. This is because the mountains in the south are always wet. Although the soft soles of military rubber shoes are easy to make feet tired and painful, they are very non-slip. Hikers' hiking shoes usually use Vibram soles, commonly known as V soles, which are hard and wear-resistant but not slippery. On dry stones and roads, the grip is stable, but once the road gets wet, the situation will be reversed. I have learned the lesson of blood, a prominent and flat rock. It was easy to step on it during the day, and it became slippery when going down the mountain at night because of the light snow. I ignored it and still stepped on it habitually-slipped and broke my calf.
So walk slowly after the rain and try not to walk at night. If possible, prepare a pair of lightweight military rubber shoes or other non-slip shoes in your bag, which will make your trip after the rain safer.
Finally, there is another truth: be optimistic about the weather forecast, don't ignore the early warning, and don't go into the mountains when it rains.