Two men hiking a popular trail in Arizona waited for hours to be rescued after they were struck by lightning.
According to 12 News, Scott Courtright embarked on the nearly four-hour climb to reach the top (12,633-foot peak) of Mount Humphreys last week in Flagstaff, Arizona. Courtright said he was enjoying a cup of coffee when another hiker, John, arrived behind him.
But in a matter of just minutes, Courtright says the two men, who did not know each other, were struck by lightning. Courtright said he blacked out for about 15 minutes before waking up and hearing John screaming in pain and begging for help.
Courtright told the news station that John was incapacitated and had suffered burns. Somehow, Courtright says his phone still worked. He tried calling for help but kept getting disconnected due to a poor connection. Finally, Courtright says he got someone on the phone, but emergency responders couldn’t arrive via helicopter due to wind gusts reaching up to 50 miles per hour.
That meant the rescue team had to hike nearly four hours to reach the men, who kept each other alive by keeping themselves awake and warm amid plummeting temperatures.
Courtright told 12 News that he knew they would be completely exposed if they stayed at the summit, so they descended about a mile to reach a safer elevation and refuge from the strong winds.
Crews eventually found them, and John was transported to a burn center in Phoenix. That both men survived the ordeal’s nothing short of a miracle.
“I think I have the right to say that I’m one of the luckiest people on this planet right now to be able to tell the story,” Courtright said.
