[Paulie59]

On Sat I arrived at the Mt Aix trailhead at 6:30 am under sunny skies. An uneventful hike up –but for the ptarmigan that exploded out of a tree not five feet from me and startled the bejeezuz out of me. As I approached the summit I noticed storms to the east and south – but just some puffy clouds close to where I was. Then I got out my camera and tri-pod to take some shots. I figured I’d wait to eat & sign the summit register. First do some panos and a ‘summit-shot’ of myself and I set up the camera and tripod accordingly. I took a shot and went back to the camera to check how it turned out and found that the portion of the picture with me in it was under-exposed. “Whoops…have to adjust the exposure.” Just then I thought I heard some faint noise – a ‘buzzing’. I stopped and listened. Nothing. I attempted to adjust the exposure setting on my camera, but could not. The display on the view screen was frozen. The camera was not responding to any input or adjustment I tried to make. “Gee….that’s odd...” Next, everything took place in a matter of seconds…. I put my hands on my camera and felt it vibrating… “Huh…what the heck...?” Just then, an inch-long gold colored spark jumped from my camera to my left hand. “Whoa..!!” All of a sudden, the ground was humming….my trekking poles were buzzing like a nest of angry hornets...and I heard a loud rumbling. I looked up to see angry purplish clouds boiling above me. “ Holy @$%# ! “ If there was a panicked mountain goat running down from the summit, he would have been passed by yours truly. I was jumping, hopping, and leaping down the rocky terrain below the summit like Baryshnikov at a command performance; not a small feat for my 6’4” frame. I hunkered down in rocky nook and felt my hair starting to stand on end- not being sure if I was feeling an electrical charge or that there was so much adrenaline pumping thru my system it was going into my follicles. There I sat…no gear with me and my camera and tripod sitting atop the summit of Mt Aix like a very expensive lighting rod. I looked above me and saw rain coming down across a valley. I listened to the thunder rumble above the seemingly endless terrain to the east and south. It may be peculiar to the terrain, but I have never heard a thunderclap with the ensuing rumbles persisting for as long as they did. “Well…I have to get my stuff.” So, I decided to wait for a lull and watched as the storms seemed to be brewing due south. They were not going to come to a quick end. So, I dashed up and – without really stopping – swiped my gear from the summit and bounded again down the rocks. Back in my – I hoped – ‘safe’ place, I gazed upwards towards the angry expanse of purple skies leading to an almost otherworldly orange horizon to the south. I looked east and saw gleaming white, almost jubilant – thunderheads forming in the sunny skies. I bided my time for another lull and went down. I missed the path I came up and had to down-climb the rocks on the west side of Aix to intercept what passes for a trail along the talus slope. As I did, I peered above and saw that the major portion of the storm was to the east with just a bit straying over my side of the ridge. Many thoughts came to me on the way down to the trailhead – as one’s mind wanders on the way back. Many of those thoughts seemed to concern the subject of ‘electricity’ - but the predominant thought of mine was, ‘That’s as close as I want to come.”

[Flora]

Glad you and your gear made it home safely. Electric storms can surprise by coming uphill rather than down. Saw that once in the Rockies. Be safe out there, folks.

[Malachai Constant]

We had a similar experience at the same place a few years ago and Lynda actually had a leader take off from her head

[Criminal]

[Tigerotor77W]

Wow. Pretty crazy -- glad you're all right!

[Paulie59]

Malachai Constant wrote:

[Malachai Constant]

I was bending down to pick up an ice axe and she said, "Why did you hit me?" hen she say I was 12' away. She had a splitting headache for an hour or so. Needless to say we got off the top the same way you did.

[the Zachster]

Amazing description of being caught in a really bad situation...REALLY glad you made it down OK. Does the camera still work or was it toast?

[Paulie59]

the Zachster wrote:

[the Zachster]

And post them please!