Possible lightning accident in Smokies

[hiker33]

I was in Hot Springs yesterday talking with a hiker who had just finished the section from Fontana to Hot Springs. He said he had had a close call from lightning last Monday (June 20). He also said that in the same storm two hikers were struck while inside one of the AT shelters and had to be evacuated on horseback by Park personnel.

I ran LexisNexis searches for all of the major North Carolina and Tennessee newspapers but can't find any reports of this accident. If someone was actually struck while inside a shelter it would be rare. The hiker indicated that one person was standing under the roof overhang. The strike arced across the front opening between the roof and ground striking the first hiker before travelling to a second person who was sitting on the bunk.

I find it odd that such an unusual accident wouldn't have made the papers. Does anyone know anything about it? Thanks.

[SGT Rock]

Hmmm, sounds fishy. Seems that he may have embellished the story. If you go to http://data2.itc.nps.gov/morningrepo...greportold.cfm

You will find the morning report for injuries, serious incidents, and deaths within all national parks. If the story was true, it would have been on either the 20th or the 21st report. Note that on the report for I think the 23rd a group of people in Yellowstone were hurt by lightning.

[Bearbait]

I was in the Smokys headed to Silers Bald Monday when the storm came up. It was really bad. When we got to Silers there were several hikers talking about it. Four rangers came up with six horses and carried the girls out. Also two hikers staying in the shelter had a simular encounter as lightning struck the ground between them blowing the two apart and down to the ground. They were lucky, neither was injured but their nerves were shattered. I believe the girls that got struck were at Spence field shelter. I asked a Ranger on Friday at Cades Cove if they new how the girls were doing, but she had no information.

[Bolivershagnasty]

I stayed at Standing Indian Mountaiin Shellter Sunday night, and it was a horific storm but not too bad. We had 3 or 4 inches of rain and hell for lightning. But I don't think anyone was struck by lightning. It was one hell of a storm. bUT my 9 yr old daughter was ok with it but it was one for the record. It was a frog strangler and a scardy cat dancer. And I changed her trail name to STORMY since she ALWAYS gets me into big storms!

[Deb]

"It was a horrific storm but not too bad."


Hmmm...

[Tntrekker52]

The storm looked crazy i was at jerrys cabin went it came up, so we all called it an early night. Didnt hear anything about the accident though

[Bolivershagnasty]

Deb I originally came from NE Oklahoma (Tulsa) and NW Ar where we sit out on the porch counting funnel clouds for sport. Lighning hitting the ground on your property is normal, weekly. In one storm my farm, which I still have, my sisters farm and my brothers house were all hit by the same tornado requiring new roofs and a couple of barns for everyone. To this date we haven't found the roof ventalation vents for any of our houses. We did however find the 20 ft pine tree speared into my brothers living room, which non of us reconized. It wasn't a total roof ripper but the shingles and a few 4x8 sheets blew waking us up. We don't panic in storms it's like a good ice storm with the electric going out here. It's pretty normal it is. My x only went through one storm out there and would never go back, I liked to have never got her moved out of the storm shelter the rest of the week. There scary but exciting. Storms are cool, love em. I've always made light of storms with my daughter and she's not scared of storms. Like kids growing up in the circus not being scared of the tiger. Her true trail name is and should be "Stormy".

[Ramble~On]

Happiness is camping on a bald when on of these storms explodes on top of you.

[icemanat95]

I've been hammered by lightning concussion once or twice...kind of an occupational hazard when you hike in the high places. It'll scare the bejeezus out of you to be certain.

[Nightwalker]

Happiness is camping on a bald when on of these storms explodes on top of you.

The only time that I've ever been afraid out on the trail was when I camped in a large clearing, very near a summit, and had lightning so close during the night that there was no delay before the thunder. (And LOUD!)

[TOW]

Happiness is camping on a bald when on of these storms explodes on top of you.

horsecrappy.....the first time you get a bolt up your butt you'll be back on here crying and babbling to all of us how very gratefull you are still here and what a profound lesson you learned about nature....

[Pencil Pusher]

horsecrappy.....the first time you get a bolt up your butt you'll be back on here crying and babbling to all of us how very gratefull you are still here and what a profound lesson you learned about nature....

What I got from SW's comment was, "Trust me, you don't want to do this. It sucked!" The obvious cue being the cute emote banging himself with a bat.

Happyness is rappelling at night without a headlamp.

[Ramble~On]

horsecrappy.....the first time you get a bolt up your butt you'll be back on here crying and babbling to all of us how very gratefull you are still here and what a profound lesson you learned about nature....

Horsecrappy....since my night on a bald in such a storm I already learned my lesson about nature.