chuck3

For some reason the dog escaped injury. ??? ???

Mexstan

Story in today's newspaper:<br><br>Man dies as lightning strikes twice<br> <br>Associated Press <br> <br>Cheyenne, Wyo. — A college student survived a lightning strike while mountain climbing, but was killed in a second strike about an hour later as he and his girlfriend waited out the storm, authorities said.<br><br>The body of Ryan Sayers, 20, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was recovered Tuesday, the day after he was killed on Steeple Peak in the Wind River mountain range in central Wyoming.<br><br>Mr. Sayers and Katrin Birmann, 24, of Munich, Germany, were climbing a cliff on the 3,660-metre-high peak Monday afternoon when lightning first hit them about 460 metres from the summit.<br><br>Removing their equipment, the couple decided to sit out the storm. But about an hour later, they were hit by another lightning strike, and Mr. Sayers fell about 90 metres into a ravine.<br><br>Ms. Birmann, who suffered minor burns, found her boyfriend dead when she rappelled down to him. She spent the night at the base of the mountain and hiked out the next day, calling authorities on a cellphone she borrowed from two hikers.<br><br>&quot;She is amazingly tough,&quot; said Mr. Sayers' father, Tom Mr. Sayers. &quot;She had to spend the night with him. God, I don't know how she did it.&quot;<br><br>A rescue team recovered Mr. Sayers' body. An examination determined he died from the lightning strikes, not the fall, Sublette County Sheriff Hank Ruland said Thursday.<br><br>The elder Mr. Sayers said his son never took a chance on a mountain and often held friends back from ascents in bad weather.<br><br>&quot;Ryan was always touted as too safe a climber on all these expeditions.... It's very unusual,&quot; Mr. Sayers said in a telephone interview Thursday. He said both his son and Ms. Birmann were expert climbers.<br><br>Mr. Sayers' biggest passion in life was climbing, but mathematics was his real talent, his father said.<br><br>Mr. Sayers earned a perfect score on the math section of the SAT, the college entrance exam, while still in eighth grade, his family said. He was one year away from completing a double major in math and physics at the Colorado School of Mines, where he met Ms. Birmann.<br> <br><br><br>

Hoss

Wow....

phox_mulder

That reminds me of another little tale.

Last year, about this time, I was conned into a midnight hike in the local mountains.
(yes, by a female here at work : )
(I'm not in the best shape, and a smoker, knew I would be a huffing puffing ball of sweat
by 1/4 of the way, but did it anyway)

Perfect weather for hiking in the dark .
Almost full moon, wispy clouds.

Got to the top, admired the view.
Suddenly noticed storm clouds forming, and lightning striking the next peak to the south.
Directly overhead of us was clear still.
Decided to head back down, got to the truck when the clouds started forming over us.

Next day on the news was the story of some hikers who got stuck up on Mount Olympus (the next peak over),
when lighting started striking.
I think one was killed, but might have been more.

I'll save my hiking for daylight hours, clear skies for miles and miles.
(unless another female asks, make that a good looking female )


phox

Suburbanite

Daylight &amp; clear skies for miles &amp; miles ... are no guarantee you won't be struck. There have been bizarre strikes seemingly coming out of nowhere but actually originating from storm systems many miles away. There's one in particular that I remember that, I believe, occurred out west in which lightning &quot;...reached out &amp; touched someone...&quot; from something like 5 or 10 miles away. Storm was in one valley but the strike occurred in a neighboring valley.

Hoss

I read somewhere that lightning could strike as far out as 10 miles from the actual storm that is producing it.

Gonzo

[quote author=Hoss link=board=10;threadid=16052;start=45#153144 date=1056545046]<br>I read somewhere that lightning could strike as far out as 10 miles from the actual storm that is producing it. <br>[/quote]<br><br>True, the bolt comes from the side of the cloud, the positively charged particles extend 2-3 feet above the surface(trees,ground), lightning completes the circuit and creates a nice light show.

2500CTD

A while back, in FL (lighting capitol??) A friend and I where standing out side in clear clouldless skies. Arm hiars stood up, by time I realized it BANG! FLASH! I swear it it was so quick the boom hit before the lighting. after a mere seconds of my hairs standing up. I didnt even have time to drop. I was in the driveway, my buddy was standing next to a metal ornament and a small spark jumped and shocked him. He lived nextdoor, the lighting hit a plant potter on the ground next to the house and split it in half. Completed missed the house. After discovering that, walking back to my dads house, another BOOM! and heard like a sizzling sound. Went to investagate that, the lighting hit behind a neighbors house in the water channel. We'll just say if you had a net the fish on top were already cooked We both concluded, "time to go inside"

TomW

Good gawd. This thread is over 2 years old!

2500CTD

I brought it back 2 yrs and 2 months to the day. Cool. Almost to the hr too? ok thats wierd

Chrisreyn

Did y'all know that there are more lightening bolts that go "up" from a storm than "down "......
The static in teh atmosphere caused by the passage of a severe storm draws most lightening " up".....

courtesy National Geographic Magazine...........