[pct-l] Lightening risks using external frame pack?

[Gary Wright]

On Feb 6, 2011, at 2:20 PM, eckert wrote:
> 
> However, I must confess that when I begin to hear thunder and see the 
> flash, I quietly collapse my aluminum sticks and stow them in my pack. <g>

I had several friends hiking on the AT in 2003 get shocked via their
hiking poles due to a nearby lightning strike.  There is a significant
ground current generated near a lightning strike.

Just to be clear, they were using their poles as intended while walking (they
were not stowed in their packs) and a nearby strike 'zapped' them though
their poles.  They luckily were not injured just shaken up a bit.

Radar