Storms and lightning

by Bruce Morrow

A little after 3 p.m. on July 8, 2000, John Alberter was struck by lightning near the top of Mt. Evans. The charge entered his left shoulder. “The power was twisting and crushing me. Rocks flew into the air. It felt like my leg was being torn off. I felt a tingling all over, and then the hot pain started.”

The heat from the discharge instantaneously vaporized moisture in the shoulder of his Gore-Tex jacket, literally causing the fabric to explode. The majority of the current passed over the outside of his torso, vaporizing his sweat and scalding his skin. The current exited through his right hip and buttock, causing extensive burns as John’s synthetic clothing melted to his skin. The doctor who examined John later said that John should have died: If more of the current had passed through John’s internal organs he likely would have.

John and his friends’ plan that day had been to attempt Mt. Bierstadt, then traverse over to Mt. Evans and ride bikes they’d cached on Mt. Evans down to their cars. But the party moved more slowly than expected, and shortly before the storm arrived, John was faced with the choice of getting his party down to Abyss Lake or continuing to Mt. Evans, the bikes, and a quick descent.

Fearing injury if they tried to descend, John chose to continue towards Mt. Evans. By the time the storm struck, they were near the summit, and John had arranged his party in a lightning drill. He felt pretty good about their situation.

“The storm was somewhat south of us. I was watching some idiot on the summit of Evans, on top of a boulder with both arms in the air, screaming ‘yahoo!’ at the top of his lungs. I thought I was going to watch him die.” Instead, John and a companion were struck. Witnesses later said that only one lightning bolt struck the area where John and his companions were crouched.

Disaster waiting to happen

John is disturbed by the fact that, when the storm hit the top of Mt. Evans, more than thirty people were still outside their vehicles in the parking area, and more than a few were hiking towards the top. The storm had been brewing for some time, and while John was making the hard choice whether to get across the ridge or attempt to get down, others were oblivious to the danger or chose to ignore it.

A few summers ago lightning in the vicinity of Grays and Torreys Peaks killed an entire herd of elk. Every weekend in summer, hundreds of hikers ascend easier Fourteeners such as Mt. Evans. Many of these hikers are inexperienced in the alpine environment, and many have little awareness of, or regard for, lightning hazard. It is frighteningly possible that a mass casualty will occur on a high peak in Colorado in the near future. If it can happen to elk it can happen to humans.

What to do? Plan ahead and prepare. Avoid the hazard in the first place. Start your ascent pre-dawn. This will give you the best chance of summitting before storms that produce lightning have time to form. Discuss with your companions before the fact what you will do if confronted by a lightning storm, so that you can take swift action. Be observant. Watch how fast clouds build. Prevailing winds in Colorado are westerly. If you are climbing a peak from the east you may not have a view of what these winds are bringing your way. Also be aware that lightning can strike as much as ten kilometers in front of a storm cell. Storms that produce lightning also bring winds and rain that can rapidly cause hypothermia, which interferes with judgment. Have proper rain gear and other clothing.

Don’t ascend into a storm; descend. Recent research indicates that there may be or such thing as a “safe zone” above timberline. Only dense, uniform timber provides protection. If you are caught in a storm and unable to move down quickly, crouch in the lightning position, insulated from the ground by a pad or pack.

Colorado’s high peaks have rewards other than summits. If the weather looks chancy, stay in the valley. Bring a flower book and learn some new names. Cooler weather brought by afternoon rains often stimulates animal activity and can mean great wildlife viewing. Or visit one of Colorado’s great mountain communities. Check out a hot spring. The peaks will be always be there.

Morrow is education and outreach manager for the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.