In a previous article about sun damage at high altitudes, I touched upon the importance of wearing sunglasses when trekking in the snow. But in doing so, I realised that I had left out one group of trekkers: those who wear eyeglasses/spectacles.

In this article, I will share how people who wear contact lenses or eyeglasses can protect their eyes from UV damage on high-altitude treks.

But first, let’s have a quick recap of why you need to wear sunglasses on a high-altitude trek, especially when trekking in the snow:

Our eyes are prone to sunburns as much as our skin is. The sunburn of the eye is called photokeratitis (also called snow blindness). This condition is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, a component of sunlight. Too much UV exposure can damage the eye’s cornea and cause a burning, gritty sensation in the eyes and temporary blindness.

Now, snow is a very reflective surface. This means that it is very efficient at reflecting UV rays. When you trek in the snow, your eyes are constantly bombarded by these UV rays, putting you at a high risk of snow blindness.

So we know that we need sunglasses when trekking in snow. People who don’t wear spectacles (or are contact lens users) can simply put on UV-protected sunglasses. But what are the options available for bespectacled trekkers? Let’s have a look.

Sunglasses over spectacles

There are a few options for people who use spectacles to protect their eyes from UV rays:

This is an old hack in the books of many trekkers. Indiahikes in-house doctor Sreelakshmi went with this style on her Kashmir Great Lakes trek. “I carried my contact lenses with me but it was too much of a hassle to keep wearing and removing them daily. In the end, I just ended up wearing sunglasses over my spectacles. Although it was a bit tight around my ears and nose, it was not that big of an issue. I was able to complete the whole trek quite comfortably”.

Sunglasses with power lenses

Custom-made sunglasses with corrective power are the most comfortable option for trekkers with spectacles. However, such custom sunglasses are expensive, costing anywhere between Rs 3000 to Rs 7,000 for a good frame with scratch resistance. 

Frankly, we don’t recommend this unless you’re trekking in snow 7-8 times a year. If you’re trekking just once a year or so, this is not an economical option.

A trekker wearing Sunglasses with power lenses, passing the bamboo forest of the Sandakphu Phalut trek. 

Clip-ons over prescription glasses

Clip-on glasses are glasses that you can attach on top of your regular spectacles. They do a pretty decent job and can be attached or removed easily. Clip-on glasses are a much more economical alternative to custom sunglasses with power.

Clip-on glasses are available easily in most trekking stores. Additionally, you can also find clip-ons in local spectacle shops easily. Check this out at Decathlon.

Fit-over-sunglasses

Fit-over sunglasses work on the same idea as clip-on glasses but instead of fixing only a set of lenses over your spectacles, fit-over sunglasses are whole sunglasses that you wear on top of the spectacles.

They look like regular sunglasses but are built like a light-weight shell so that they can fit snugly over most styles of spectacles.

Fit-over sunglasses sit comfortably over your regular spectacles and are quite convenient to trek with. Photo by Deep Thakkar

One of our trekkers who is a regular user of these fit-over sunglasses had brought one to our Bangalore office. We tried it out ourselves and the sunglasses fit comfortably over our spectacles. Those were so comfortable that we didn’t notice that we were wearing another set of glasses over our spectacles.

These fit-over sunglasses are found at local spectacle stores, lenskart, and other brand outlets.

A trekker wearing fit-over sunglasses on the Dayara Bugyal trek. Notice that the sunglasses are covered on the sides as well thereby preventing any glare or UV rays from reaching the eyes. Photo by Harikrishnan

Photochromic lenses

Photochromic glasses are spectacles that can transition from clear glass to dark shades that are anti-glare, depending on exposure to the sun. However, there are some things that you must consider before using these glasses on a trek:

Ensure that you get these lenses in a full-frame spectacle. Frameless glasses are fragile and can easily break on a trek.

Because photochromic lenses change colour automatically depending on light exposure, some people find it uncomfortable to use.

These types of lenses are expensive and might not be worth spending your money on.

There are a good number of eye protection options available for bespectacled trekkers. From our experience, fit-over and clip-on sunglasses are affordable and work pretty well. However, fit-over sunglasses should be preferred in snow conditions since they can cut off the side glare which a clip-on lens will not be able to do.

If you wear glasses, your best option is to get clip-on sunglasses. It is hassle-free and economical. 

However, if you’re a trekker who is in snow several times a year, then you could go for sunglasses that are tuned to your power. That’s the most convenient option. 

I hope this article helped you with a lot of questions about what to use & how to use sunglasses with your spectacles. Additionally, if you are confused about whether to wear spectacles or contact lenses on a trek: Head over to this article which discusses the pros and cons of using either of them on a trek. 

Sunglasses for trekkers who wear spectacles. Different options for eye protection. Need for wearing sunglasses on a high altitude or snow trek.

How To Use Sunglasses With Spectacles

I’m writing this post with a bit of exasperation. 

These stats will explain why: Out of the 260 calls we receive every day, at least 40 are about the Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar treks, requesting slots in full groups. 

Most of our KGL and Tarsar Marsar groups were filled last year. Even after opening new groups, we are left only with the last few slots. The trek doesn’t have a higher carrying capacity. 

But here’s something most trekkers don’t know. 

We have seven other equally fantastic treks in Jammu and Kashmir. Most are on par with the beauty and adventure of the Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar. 

Given that these are new treks, trekkers don’t know them yet. But give it two years, and you’ll see these treks with a rush similar to KGL and TM. 

As a subscriber to my emails, I hope you use this information well and plan treks to other Kashmir treks instead of waiting on the most famous (and crowded) ones. 

Here’s the full list of 7 other great treks in J&K. 

If you have the Kashmir Great Lakes in mind, then Nafran Valley is a trek that makes the best alternative. I strongly recommend it. 

There are three reasons it makes a great alternative to KGL 

(a) The beautiful lakes of Harnag and Harbhagwan. 

Here’s a fact. This trek is so picturesque that it has been featured in our Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar since we discovered it. Only a handful of treks are chosen to be featured here, yet we can never ignore this trek. 

The big bonus is that you camp right next to the famous Kolahoi glacier.

Harnag Lake is the biggest and the most beautiful lake on the Nafran Valley trek. You get to walk beside this lake for two days! Picture by Bijju Shekar.

Bhaj Margi meadow is the grandest meadow of the Nafran Valley trek. If you are blessed with the clear weather, the morning or evening sunlight hitting the meadows is a stunning sight to witness. Picture by Diptarka Gupta.

Here’s the ultimate grassland trek in Jammu and Kashmir. Trekking from one valley to another, you will be treated to some of the region's most expansive grasslands. By now, trekkers know that if any grasslands come close to the Swiss Alps, they are the grasslands of J&K. That’s what you see on this trek. 

Yet, the grasslands are just one of the highlights of this trek. You also see around seven beautiful lakes on this trek, which gives you a classic Kashmir experience. 

The sunset from the Ashtaar Valley campsite makes you never want to leave this campsite. In fact, this is the case with almost all the campsites on the Bodpathri meadows trek. Photo by Nitesh Kumar.

A 10-minute gradual ascent from the Ashtaar Valley, you'll view the Tatakooti mountain. The sunrise from here is majestic, making the valley below, look magical. Picture by Pritish Bhanushali.

Bodsar lake is arguably one of the most beautiful lakes on the trek. You keep seeing the lake for hours even after you start ascending to Gadtar, you just have to turn back to take a look every now and then. Photo by Pritish Bhanushali.

This is the rarest of the treks you can do in J&K because it is our only trek in the Kishtwar region. Kishtwar, in the south of J&K, has some of the most beautiful valleys you can see. 

The Brammah Valley is no ordinary valley. Rising at the end of the valley is a peak that betrays most mountaineers who attempt to climb it: Brammah Peak, a most sought-after summit to climb, but very few mountaineers have scaled it. It is among the most beautiful 6,000-metre summits in our country. On the Brammah Valley trek, you see the full face of the mountain from bottom to top. But two more towering peaks exist in the valley: the Brammah Wife and the Eiger.

On the other hand, this is the culture trek of the region. Much like how Har Ki Dun in Uttarakhand is teeming with culture, history and mythology, Brammah Valley gives you a wonderful cultural immersion. You see something rare in this isolated valley: a beautiful blend of Hindu and Muslim culture in this region: With mixed traditions, architecture, rituals and festivals, it’s a rare amalgamation of cultures, which is heartening to see. 

PS: This is the only J&K trek you can do in May and June. This is a great option if you plan to trek in the summer and want to avoid the Uttarakhand rush. Most treks in J&K open only in July and August. 

The grand Kiddhar Maidan, which is also a delta with backdrop of Mt. Eiger, Mt. Tarparan, and Brammah glacier. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

The Mighty Mt. Brammah I (left) and Mt. Brammah Wife (right). Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

You will trek for long days in the forests in Brammah Valley. But they don't feel monotonous. Trekking under the shade of tall pine trees next to the gushing Nath River is an experience cherished by everyone to date. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

I’m almost hesitant to announce this trek because we feel it is too good to be true. With an astounding 8-10 lakes, multiple meadows, and endless jaw-dropping moments, this trek will likely be the greatest trek in Jammu and Kashmir. Our team explored, designed and documented this trail in 2023 and has been making outrageous statements like “It’s better than Kashmir Great Lakes” or “It’s better than Warwan Valley.” 

On Day 4, during the trail from Khuan to Neelsar, you will come across the pristine Sarota meadows. During dawn and dusk, the grass in these meadows turns golden to the human eye. Picture by Nithyam Nachappa. 

The mesmerizing lake of Neelsar. Imagine camping with such setting and the blue color. This is the first lake that you get to see on the trek. Photo by Nitesh Kumar.

The meadows in the Pir Panjal trek are so huge that even an entire day is not enough to explore them completely! Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

Our founders have always maintained one thing: you would never do a trek like Warwan Valley. The grandeur, the remote setting, and the uniqueness of this trek are so rare that even Kashmiris have not seen something so terrific. 

There are some unusual highlights on this trek: 

The dramatic crossover from the bone-dry landscapes of Ladakh to the luxuriant grasslands of Kashmir. It begins in trans-Himalayan settings, among barren, purplish mountains around Panikhar. The trail goes through an oasis, river deltas, wildflower meadows, and glaciers—all among these stark mountains. It makes for hauntingly beautiful settings. After spending two days encircled by desert mountains, the effect is striking as the trail gradually enters the lush greenery of Kashmir.

Traversing the Bracken Glacier: It is on very few treks that you see glaciers; most of the time, you see them from far away. It is on even fewer treks that you get to walk on a glacier. If you do, it’s usually a hurried 10-15 minute walk across the glacier. This is the only trek we’ve come across where you traverse along the entire length of a glacier, for hours together! With gaping crevasses beside you, the gurgling of a river deep beneath you, and the roar of car-sized chunks of ice falling down, it’s a sight that will stay with you for life.

The luxuriant grasslands of Warwan Valley: The setting of villages in Warwan Valley is too perfect, even for pictures. Fences border the trail you walk on. Willow trees jut out between houses. Mud-baked lanes crisscross the village. Flower beds line the hills around the houses. To top it, a clear stream runs through the village! All in a way that distinctly resembles the Gaulish village from Asterix comics. This setting is unique to this part of Kashmir.

The alpine lakes: You cannot talk about the Warwan Valley trek without mentioning the two alpine lakes formed by melting glaciers. Starting from clear at dawn to sea green to light blue to inky blue by evening. The two lakes on the pass crossing day will blow your mind away and make you grateful to witness this spectacular sight in front of your eyes.

The glacial lake above Kalapari often takes trekkers by surprise. You go here for an acclimatisation walk and also, pass the lake the next day of your trek. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

The bracken glacier is massive. What makes this special is you rarely see such huge glacier in its original form on any of our other treks. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

Basmina is a village surrounded by farmlands. This is on the Jammu and Kashmir side. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

India ends at Gurez. The significance of this is enormous. If you look at our country as a whole, we travel upwards from Kanyakumari. There comes a point where we cannot travel any further north. That part of our country is Gurez.

The significance is that the Gurez is the last latitude of India. The Razdan pass you cross to get to Gurez pushes you into a very different landscape. The topography changes, even though it is only 6 hours north of Srinagar. In fact, our trek in Gurez reminds us more of our treks in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia than they do of our treks in Kashmir -- so different is the landscape. 

The cherry on top is the appearance of two massive lakes: Patalwansar I and Patalwansar II. Though the names are similar, these two lakes are radically different from each other. You get to camp right beside one of the lakes. 

Note: This trek will be run in our Do-It-Yourself (DIY) style. Which means trekkers, along with a trek leader, are going to be doing the trek all without a support system. You will be helping to carry a few of the gear and equipment as a team. So we expect your backpack to weigh about 12 kg per trekker.

This is Patalwansar II, a huge circular lake at 12,795 ft. Notice how tiny the explorer standing at the edge of the lake looks. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

Your first campsite of the trek is Disson campsite. From here you will see clear views of Mt Habba Khatoon and villages in PoK. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

Kashmir treks are synonymous with lakes and meadows. With treks like the Kashmir Great Lakes, the Tarsar Marsar, the Bodhpatri, and the Nafran Valley already in the picture, it’s hard for any trek to match them. Yet, we have another terrific trek in Kashmir—the Tulian Lake trek—that does equal justice to these great treks. 

Along with stunning meadows and an alpine lake, the Tulian Lake trek has something that our other treks in Kashmir do not: the famous flora of Kashmir. There are pine, fir and spruce trees. You may think you have seen these trees before, but you have not. These forests differ significantly from those in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, or Sikkim. They resemble European vegetation more than our Indian forests.

The turquoise blue Tulian Lake at 12,000 ft, with icebergs floating on it, is unlike our other Kashmir lakes. Beyond the 8-shaped lake, snow-capped peaks tower to over 15,000 feet. It’s among the easiest treks you can do in J&K. 

Tulian Lake is an alpine lake at 12,087 ft, shaped in the figure of 8 and is surrounded by high mountains. What makes this trek special is you trek 3 days to get to this stunning lake. Picture by Amit Fatnani. 

On the Tulian Lake trek, you trek in the dense coniferous forests for 3 days of the trek. This is what makes Tulian Lake stand out from other Kashmir treks. It helps you experience the flora of Kashmir like never before. Picture by Lucas Bragagnollo. 

That brings me to the end of this list of alternatives for Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar. 

Indiahikes has particularly documented and stitched together five of these routes. Our sole aim is to diversify trails as much as possible and avoid overcrowding a handful of trails. 

As I said earlier, these treks are not likely to remain isolated and quiet for more than a year or two. Grab your opportunity now to be among the first trekkers on these trails. Our dates for 2024 are open and available on this page.

If you have any questions about these treks, drop them in a comment below. We are right here to help you out. 

Here are 7 Terrific Alternatives within J&K

STOP crowding Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar

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STOP crowding Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar: Here are 7 Terrific Alternatives within J&K

The past month has been fraught with snowfall. The snow is so deep that our tents are almost buried to the top. 

Take a look at this picture, for instance: 

Bhojadhadi campsite on the Kedarkantha trek. Picture by Sanjay Mistry. 

This is not a mountaineering expedition. It is our easy-moderate Kedarkantha trek. While some snow will melt, we expect high snow conditions to remain until mid-April.

But the reality is this: This kind of beauty needs preparation before you step into it. 

I sat down with Ravi Ranjan, a senior member at Indiahikes, who has spent several winters in the wilderness of the Himalayas. He has some excellent tips for you to follow. Despite trekking for eight years, many of these were eye-openers for me. They are so simple to follow, yet so effective.

We’ll go from bottom to top, feet to head: the wetness-prone parts to the driest parts. 

“If only waterproof socks existed five years ago, a lot of frostbites and chilblains could have been avoided,” ruminates Ravi Ranjan, remembering the case of one of our trek leaders, who had to stop all physical activity for six months after getting a bad case of frostbite in the snow. 

We all know that trekking in the snow is fun. The not-so-fun part is when the snow gets into your shoes. In 3–4 hours of walking on snow, the water seeps in through the shoe's fabric to its inner layer, wetting your socks and, eventually, your feet. That’s when the misery starts. 

Even though modern trekking shoes are water-resistant, they do not prevent water from seeping in. Very soon, your feet get painfully cold and numb. Worse, thanks to your cold feet, your core body temperature drops even without your knowledge. When that happens, you shiver all night, cocooned in a warm sleeping bag. The next day, you are tired, unable to trek much, and your body does not cope. You wonder why. But this is the reality of trekking in snow.

This is where waterproof socks can change the way you trek in snow. They keep your feet dry. You can wear these socks and walk around in a tub of water. With these socks, you can step on wet snow without shoes (our staff do this to clear out snow at our camps). They will remain dry. Your feet won’t feel a thing.

Yet, these socks are breathable. In addition to keeping you warm, they have the same comfortable feel as standard socks and do not produce odour. 

We imported these socks last year, and trekkers have loved using them. If you’re trekking in snow, it’s a very good investment. It will last you for years. 

Put on these socks the day you touch the snow line. Keep them on until you leave the snowline. Wear these socks whenever you are in the snow.

The socks will keep your feet from getting damp, dramatically changing how you trek. Even if your shoes are soaked, your feet will stay dry (and remain warmer).

Effectively, these socks remove most chances of chilblains, frost nips, or frostbites. 

2. Carry at least one pair of sports socks for each day

If you cannot buy waterproof socks, because, I must admit, they are quite expensive, then this is a must-do: carrying many pairs of socks.

“At the end of the day’s trek, your socks will get wet despite gaiters, water-resistant shoes, and waterproof pants. So the first thing you do when you reach the campsite is change into a dry pair of socks. You must repeat this every time you get to camp on a snow trek,” stresses Ravi. 

Why is this so important? Cold weather and moisture are a nightmare combination. Your body loses heat much quicker when wet than when you are dry, accelerating the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia. 

That’s why you need to carry more socks for a snow trek than on a regular one. 

3. Carry newspaper to stuff into your shoes at night 

After a long day’s trek, shoes tend to have a good amount of moisture. This moisture usually freezes overnight inside the shoe, making it as hard as a rock in the morning. 

This is where it helps to carry newspapers, which you can stuff into your shoes at night. The newspapers absorb water, drying out your shoes as much as possible. 

While it doesn’t suck out all the moisture, it goes a long way towards keeping your shoes flexible in the mornings. 

4. Use only dry-fit layers while trekking

This goes in line with avoiding the cold and moisture-killer combination. Cotton layers tend to get wet with sweat and refuse to dry. A moisture-wicking fabric helps for both your top and bottom layers.

Use dry-fit layers or modern fabrics like merino wool, which wick moisture away when wet. 

Even then, once you reach the campsite, make it a point to change into dry clothes immediately. 

5. Use at least two layers for your lower half, even while trekking

Carrying five warm layers for the upper body is normal in Indian trekking. However, trekkers often need clarification about their bottom layers. Should I layer up? Is it required? Should I trek while wearing layers? 

In such deep snow, the answer is yes. You must carry at least two layers of pants and even wear them while trekking. 

But what kind of layers should these be? 

Use light, moisture-wicking fabric even for your lower. The top layer must be good trekking pants with some level of water resistance. The inner layer can be a pair of dry-fit tights. Avoid cotton at all costs in such snowy conditions. 

To trek wearing thermals or not to? “I once trekked wearing thermals, and it was a nightmare,” recalls Ravi, recollecting his younger days. “I got severely dehydrated and struggled throughout the day.” Thermals are heavy materials that get soaked with sweat. Avoid thermals while trekking at all costs. Keep them dry and save them for the night. 

6. Wear your rain pants while sliding in snow

One of the most fun parts of snow treks is sliding on snow during your descent. However, your pants are the first to get wet. Given that you always have your rainwear with you, it’s a good idea to pull out your rain pants quickly and put them on for your slide. 

We wouldn’t recommend wearing ponchos on your slide because you could completely lose control of it, but rain pants are a good idea. 

7. Two layers of gloves are a must: first, a fitting layer and then a waterproof synthetic layer

Given that the cold affects your extremities first, it is crucial to safeguard them at all costs. This is a good practice not just to avoid cold hands but also to avoid post-trek issues like numb and painful fingers. 

Here’s where trekkers make a mistake. They know they need waterproof gloves for warmth, so they take a good pair. And that’s it. 

Yet, your hands are doing things on treks: drinking water, taking pictures on your phone, retying your shoelace, having a snack... You cannot do any of these while wearing big, bulky, waterproof gloves. 

This is why you must always have a smaller, tighter pair of gloves inside. Even when you pull off your big gloves, you have the small ones protecting your extremities from the cold. 

A small pair of fleece gloves (which cost less than Rs 300) is enough for this. They’re not sufficient on their own, but they save your body heat when you take off your big gloves. 

8. Don’t forget sunglasses and sunscreen lotion

Trekkers tend to forget about the sun when it comes to snow treks. Yet, the sun is the most comforting and harshest experience in snow. Once the sun comes out, snow begins to reflect sunlight like a mirror, so it’s like having multiple suns shine at you. 

Here, two things are important: (a) protecting your eyes and (b) protecting your skin. 

Unknown to most, our eyes are prone to sunburns as much as our skin is. The sunburn of the eye is called photokeratitis (also called snow blindness). Too much UV exposure can damage the eye’s cornea and cause a burning, gritty sensation in the eyes and temporary blindness. 

To avoid this, carry sunglasses and wear them right from the time you see snow around you until you get out of the snow zone. 

If you have a good pair of sunglasses (whether Aviators, Wayfarers, or shielded sunglasses), they will all work. The best suited to trekking are well-fitting shielded sunglasses that leave less or no gaps in your vision. 

What should you do if you wear spectacles/contact lenses? We tackle that below. 

Use sunscreen rated SPF 40 or more. If you can’t find SPF 40, go for SPF 30, but not lower than that.

Apply sunscreen to all exposed body parts 30 minutes before setting out on the trek.

No matter what rating of SPF your cream has, reapply every 2 hours.

Apply abundantly. A good layer of sunscreen is essential for its effective action, so don’t be stingy with it.

Buy a ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreen. Broad-spectrum sunscreens block out both UVA and UVB rays. They usually have the phrase ‘broad spectrum’ printed on their labels. 

9. Layer up as soon as you reach the camp, BEFORE you start feeling cold 

By now, trekkers know to carry five warm layers for such snowy settings. It has become a well-defined practice. 

But still, trekkers make a big mistake. They tend to wait until sundown to start putting on their layers. But this defies logic. Layers work by trapping your body heat and using that heat to keep you warm.

So layer up as soon as you reach the campsite, from head to toe. 

10. Keep one flask and one regular bottle

Many trekkers carry a flask and keep the water at a good drinking temperature. 

But here’s the magic trick. Fill the insulated bottle with hot, scalding water and mix it with regular mountain water. This gives you more hot water to sip on throughout the day, ensuring you hydrate more. 

Additionally, carry dry fruits like dates and raisins, which release a bit of juice and hydrate you more than nuts like peanuts or cashews. 

There are several other good practices that our trek leaders and trekkers follow. You’ll find them in these articles: 

7 Expert Camping Tips for Winter Treks from Indiahikes Trek Leaders

15 Winter Trek Tips that Experienced Trekkers Swear By

This was an expert-curated article. These days, I find too many articles people write, taking things off the internet or asking AI to write articles for them. Even in well-known publications, the articles could be better-sourced. They do not come with real experience.

Which is why this article is golden. It has real-life experience from many years seeped into every sentence. 

Please share it with anyone likely to trek in the snow, even in the summer. It may be the best advice for them. 

How to Prepare for High Snow on Treks

prepare - snow treks - high snow - preparation for snow - layering - cold - temperature - gears

The weather in the mountains can change dramatically. It doesn’t take long for a nice sunny day to turn into a nightmarish thunderstorm. Lightning as a phenomenon is not a household topic, but it claims more lives a year than floods, landslides, and cyclones. Data from the Indian Meteorological Department shows over 49,000 fatalities in the past two decades. The stakes are higher, especially when you are out in the wild, where emergency evacuations might not always be possible. “Planning ahead and preventing being caught in a storm is the best way to be safe from it,” says Arjun Majumdar, founder of IndiaHikes. This guide will help you to do just that.

What is lightning? 

The definition of lightning has stayed the same since we studied it at school. It is a bright flash of electricity produced by thunderclouds. “You can recognise approaching thunderstorms by the dark colour of the clouds, but it is not impossible for a seemingly safe white cloud to discharge lightning too,” says Nithyam Nachappa, a senior Trek Leader at IndiaHikes. You can recognise these clouds from their large, multilayered, and thick size. It is an unpredictable phenomenon that we can do little about in the wild. 

What are the dangers of lightning and aftercare?

I do not wish to scare you in this section. Many a time, we are not serious about this phenomenon because we have not experienced it. Getting directly hit by lightning is not very common. Most lightning-related injuries come as a result of receiving the ground currents as it dissipates from the object that has been hit.

Rare direct strikes are often fatal, and there is not much you can do about it. However, in cases of being struck by ground current, temporary paralysis, rupture of eardrums, confusion, disorientation, amnesia, temporary deafness, or blindness are the possible symptoms. 

Lightning injuries can harm you physically as well as mentally. “The psychological trauma one has in the aftermath of a lightning strike can be far more serious than physical harm,” says Sharwari Brahme, Head of Green Trails at IndiaHikes. Sharwari was struck twice by lightning on her recent trek to Kuari Pass and is currently recovering from it.  She says it is similar to someone fearing deep water after one has experienced drowning. One can take the help of therapy from a sports psychologist to overcome the lingering fear.

How do you prevent getting hit by lightning?

Prevention is better than cure is an overused phrase, but this is one mantra that you have to remember while trekking in adverse conditions. Our trek leaders say getting hit by lightning is not common but it is only so because the team has prepared for any unforeseen scenarios. Here are some ways that you can do this if you are trekking solo or with a group of friends: 

Rules for lightning safety before going out on a trek: 

Plan ahead by checking the local weather forecasts and patterns. The IMD website regularly gives updates about upcoming thunderstorms and areas more prone to lightning strikes. 

If trekking solo or with a group of friends, have an emergency backup plan you can follow. Make sure everyone in the group knows what to do in emergencies. Having a radio on yourself is ideal to get sudden warnings from the base camp. 

What are the safety rules for lightning?

As mentioned above, the weather in the mountains can be unpredictable. More so because of climate change. If you are caught in a sudden thunderstorm or see dark clouds approaching, get ready!

The sound of thunder is a clear sign to seek shelter. It can be heard from 15 km away on calm days. Seek shelter immediately. 

Gauge which direction the clouds are coming from. Pay attention to the wind direction and cloud’s buildup. 

Know which structures are more prone to being hit by lightning and quickly get away from them on the first signs of thunder:

A big exposed rock: People often consider big rocks safe because they think the rock will take the brunt of the lightning strike. However, side splash and ground current are equally dangerous. Hence a big rock is a no-go. 

Water bodies: Water is a great conductor of electricity regardless of its volume. Deep waters are dangerous, but you need to move away from small puddles on the trail too, especially if it is raining.

Fences: Metal fences and long metal structures attract lightning.  

Huge trees: This is common knowledge for the shepherds. They never take shelter under the tallest tree. Because of its height, a tall tree is the first to get hit.

Mountain tops, vast meadows, ridges, ledges and summits are dangerous places to be in. Any place that makes your body the highest structure is always dangerous. 

It is more likely that lightning may occur if the weather is very humid or it is raining or snowing. 

In case of thunderstorms, do not huddle with fellow trekkers or your group. The minimum distance you should maintain is 15-20 feet away from each other.

You can roughly calculate how far a lightning storm is from you by counting the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder and then dividing it by 5. Knowing this gives you the time to prepare and run to cover. A 5-second delay means the lightning is 1.6 km away from you. 15 seconds delay means 4.8 km. Any delay of less than 30 seconds means the lightning is close enough to be dangerous. Quickly use this time to find shelter or prepare accordingly.

What to do when lightning strikes near you?

What should you do when lightning strikes near you?

First of all, you must try your best to not put yourself in a situation where you have to practise the drills given below. But in the unprecedented event that you have no choice left, please remember these points:

Run! Run to the nearest forest canopy that you can see. Uniform trees on low grounds are one of the safest places to be in the absence of solid structures. 

Do not take shelter under a tall or a standalone tree. There is a high chance of ground current dissipating from the tree if it gets hit. 

Remember to switch off your electronic devices and put them in your bag. You must be ready to throw them on the ground if lightning strikes near you. 

Try to take shelter in a deep cave. It is not a good idea to be in a small cave or an overhang. 

Remember that the human body is a good conductor of electricity too. 

If your backpack has metal frames, external or internal, put them on the ground. The same goes for trekking poles and anything metallic. This matters if you are at an exposed section like a summit, ridge or meadow. 

If in a group, maintain a 20-foot distance from each other at the least and sit in a circle in a lightning position. After every round of lightning strikes, remember to call each member and check if anyone is hit by it.

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