Anyone ever try boondocking...under power lines?

[TMG51]

You know, the service trails that lead under power lines and off into the hills... I don't see much BLM land in the East but I see these service trails everywhere... Not sure how kindly the line workers would take to my van when they find it parked miles out in the middle of their trail however.

Just wondering if anyone's tried it.

 

[SoulRaven]

The couple of times I tried it, the constant hummmmmm of the lines caused me to move...

 

[highdesertranger]

well, yes but I don't make a habit of it. once I was parked under high power towers when a storm front was moving in, it got overcast and breezy. the static electricity got real bad I couldn't even touch anything on my truck without getting a rather healthy shock. I got out of there. if you do camp along these roads make sure you are not blocking the access for the crews. highdesertranger

 

[karl]

Have driven miles of those service roads in search of moose and other critters as well as views, but never overnighted for the same reason- that infernal buzz!

Some of the lines in my area run through WMA's, and though camping is not "allowed" in those areas there are few enforcers and plenty of logging roads and derelict "log landings" to hide in away from the wires. I never build a fire or leave anything but tracks in those areas.

 

[TMG51]

Interesting. So it sounds like these areas are probably not allowed but seldom enforced. Of course I would not be looking to abuse any land but in some areas those access lines are the only ones I see going away from the towns and into a bit of remote wooded area.

I've heard that people who live under high voltage lines have higher instances of illness. Not sure if that's true. But even if so I expect it applies more to a timeframe of decades and not days.

 

[rvpopeye]

I used to boondock under some hi-lines but not in the wilderness , actually in the lot behind my truck repair friend's shop. Never really noticed the humming , but my ears ring at a few frequencies due to so many years operating high volume sound systems! So........ :-/
I remember using powerline trails a lot when I was younger to go out with the Jeeps trying to get stuck , kheeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww. No fun unless we did!
There was a nuke power plant nearby so LOTS of hi-lines in the area.

 

[ZoNiE]

Put a big coil on the roof and inductively couple some electrons for your battery charger...

 

[rvpopeye]

That would have to be one big (and HEAVY) coil.

 

[blars]

Power lines can also cause radio and TV interference. In some cases, they can cause florecent bulbs to light. I've parked under them, but generally prefer finding somewhere else.

 

[compassrose]

The couple of times I tried it, the constant hummmmmm of the lines caused me to move...

You hear it too? Sometimes I can hear receptacles "sing" with nothing plugged in them. I took electronics in high school and I told my teacher that a capacitor had not discharged. He asked how I knew and I told him I could hear it humming. One of my classmates insisted I was wrong and proceeded to prove it to me. All he did was prove that I was right. Which led to my teacher explaining how some people can hear certain sounds... after he stopped laughing.

 

[ZoNiE]

Reminds me of the old "Catch the capacitor" trick!

 

[TMG51]

When I was a kid we had a beagle and a pitbull with a fenced in area in the backyard. The pitbull would chew through the wire fence and the beagle would escape. We finally had to electrify the fence to stop this. Then, the beagle could tell whether the electricity was on or off. He would sniff at the electrified wire - if it was on, he wouldn't go near it, but when it was off he would show the pitbull and the pitbull would chew through the fence and the beagle would escape again. They made a good team.

I'm not sure if he could sense the electricity by smell or if he could hear it and was only using his nose out of instinct, but, he always sniffed at the wire before going near it.

 

[LeeRevell]

Reminds me of the old "Catch the capacitor" trick!

Old joke in Navy ET spaces aboard ship.  
Here in my AO in north Florida most powerline roads are very sandy, have a lot of barbed wire fences and gates, and are patrolled by sheriff deputies and rangers.  A lot on the foreztland is also posted.  POed me when I got my DS bike back in 2005 and found my old high school haunts closed off.

 

[ramblingvanman]

Old joke in Navy ET spaces aboard ship.  
Here in my AO in north Florida most powerline roads are very sandy, have a lot of barbed wire fences and gates, and are patrolled by sheriff deputies and rangers.  A lot on the foreztland is also posted.  POed me when I got my DS bike back in 2005 and found my old high school haunts closed off.

CEs like it too. Did you guys play with Meggers? I know we did and so did the EMs. lol

 

[LeeRevell]

CEs like it too. Did you guys play with Meggers? I know we did and so did the EMs. lol

Yep, great fun!  We also played with the big u-shaped magnets from Radar systems, using four to 'stick' a shipmate to a bulkhead by his wrists and ankles.   Amazing what bored squids will find to do at sea......  

 

[USExplorer]

I've done so, several times. Buzz never bothered me, and I like the sound of wind whistling in the wires. First time was just outside a suburban neighborhood, hopped a curb and drove down the freshly brush-hogged right of way. However, in many areas of the country, service trails are gated and posted.