The serenity atop Humphreys Peak was abruptly shattered for two men when they were struck by lightning during a hike on Oct. 22. Scott Courtright, an experienced outdoorsman and a furloughed archaeologist, recounted the harrowing experience where instantaneous calamity transmuted a tranquil ascent into an ordeal of survival. According to a Fox 10 Phoenix report, Courtright met another hiker named John just minutes before the lightning strike occurred.
Detailing the incident, Courtright said, "I think I must've been kneeling down to get a drink of water or to put my pack on and the next thing I know I woke up on the ground." The two men were knocked unconscious, and upon awakening, Courtright discovered himself paralyzed for nearly an hour. He managed to eventually move and soon jumped into action to assist John, who had absorbed the worst of the lightning's wrath. In a statement obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix, Courtright emphasized the fortuity and necessity of togetherness in their survival, "I knew what I needed to do to survive and that was get with John, cover John, we moved behind the rock wall that's next to the summit marker, we hunkered down there."
Despite initial forecasts that did not predict severe storm threats, the peak's weather turned perilous without warning. According to Yahoo News, Arizona Republic, in a detailed interview with Courtright, shared how the lightning strike resulted in burns that were unexpected but mercifully painless for him. Courtright's account detailed the lightning's path through his body and how the current entered and exited him. He told The Arizona Republic, "The craziest thing: It doesn't hurt," expressing bewilderment at the lack of pain despite the severity of his burns.
Left to rely on their own fortitude as rescue crews struggled to reach them, the duo were stranded for several hours, fighting to maintain body heat against chilling winds. Courtright's preparation, typically involving redundant packing, was a contributing factor in their survival. His account as told to Fox 10 Phoenix, "I always look at stuff and say do I really need to bring all this because it's extra weight, it takes up extra space but I think it was just planning ahead, always plan for the unexpected, and the unexpected showed up this time," speaks to the unpredictability of nature and the value of preparedness.
Their determination to live was evident as they awaited help. "We were both of the mindset that we weren't gonna die on top of that mountain. Because that was really our only other option at that time just based on the weather," Courtright conveyed to The Arizona Republic, according to Yahoo News. Courtright's reunion with his family and John's ongoing recovery at a burn center bring a human element to a tale of sudden disaster and hard-won endurance. Both men have since kept in contact and even expressed a desire to one day return to the mountain that brought them together under such dramatic circumstances.
