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Your odds of being struck by lightning are certainly low. Colorado, though, is the nation’s third-most dangerous for lightning strike fatalities, with 24 deaths from 2006 to 2023, or an average of about two (and 12 injuries) per year. Only Florida and Texas recorded more deaths from lightning during that period.
Earlier this month, a hiker visiting from New York narrowly avoided becoming one of those statistics. He and his friend, whose names haven’t been released, were climbing Torreys Peak via the challenging Kelso Ridge when they were caught in an evening thunderstorm. The two soon realized they were out of their depth, and were on the phone with rescuers while one of them was hit by lightning. Five hours later, they were evacuated in what is believed to be the highest-altitude helicopter rescue using a hoist in state history at 14,200 feet. (The previous record-holding rescue was at 13,700 feet; the Black Hawk helicopter used in the evacuation tops out around 19,000 feet, with air any thinner than that making it impossible to fly.)
Jake Smith, a public information officer and volunteer with the Evergreen-based nonprofit Alpine Rescue Team, was on the call and on the mountain that night. He spoke with 5280 about how his fellow volunteers teamed up with those from several other agencies to pull off the perilous save.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: How and when did the initial call come in from the hikers?
Jake Smith: We got the call around 5 o’clock in the evening of June 12 from two gentlemen, friends visiting from New York state. They were on Kelso Ridge, one of the routes at Torreys Peak. It’s semi-technical, so not something you’d need ropes on, but past a certain point, you can’t really go down—you have to finish [in order to downclimb via an easier route from the summit]. That’s where they were, probably 200 feet below the summit, on a knife-edge where it’s very easy to get off-route. They called and said, “We didn’t know what this route entailed, we’re worried we’re off-route, and we’re not sure what to do. Should we continue or descend?”
We average maybe about 10 to 15 calls like this on Torreys per year, and not every call becomes a rescue. One of our mission leaders spoke with the guys and coached them through their next steps, and we got the team on standby just in case. About half a dozen members responded to the Shack, our facility in Evergreen. After about an hour, the two guys reached the summit, and that’s when they started to say, “The weather is changing up here. We’re stuck in hail, we’re losing the trail.” Then the lightning strike happened.
Read More: After Shock: Dying from a bolt of electricity may not be nearly as frightening as surviving one.
What was it like listening to a lightning strike on the phone?
It was chaotic, to say the least. We heard a loud commotion; the phone dropped, and then screaming. After a few moments, one of the guys said, “My partner’s been struck by lightning. He’s foaming at the mouth, he’s unresponsive. What do I do? Do I start CPR?” Woody Woodward, one of our members and a well-known figure in Colorado search and rescue, coached him through how to check if he was breathing, and as Woody was doing that, the line went dead.
Was CPR necessary?
No, which was miraculous.
How many people jumped in to help at this point?
About 40 all in all, including Alpine Rescue Team, Clear Creek Fire and Clear Creek EMS, Vail Mountain Rescue, and the National Guard flight crew on the Black Hawk helicopter.
With that big of a team, is it challenging to coordinate and communicate clearly?
It is. To keep it all straight, we use two kinds of radios: 800 and VHF. The VHF we use for communicating within the team arriving on the scene, and the 800 is for talking to operations in the parking lot, kind of orchestrating the big picture. An adrenaline dump is happening for everyone, but you stay busy planning the next steps.
How much time passed between the lightning strike and the rescue?
Five hours. The patient was going in and out of consciousness, and his partner was hypothermic. Temperatures were in the low 40s, upper 30s, with high winds, so after five hours of that he was not in a state that he could walk. We had roughly 15 calls with him, but we knew his phone battery was low, so they were very brief, 30-second calls.
This was likely the highest-altitude helicopter hoist rescue in Colorado history. Why are those so rare and difficult?
The weather and the elevation make it really hard. Thankfully, the storm fizzled out fairly quickly—there was still wind, but we weren’t dealing with lightning. So the main challenge becomes if the helicopter has the ability to hover safely while a rescuer is lowered on a cable, loads the patient into a flight bag, and then they are both raised back up. It helped that it was at night, because lower temperatures mean the air is a bit less thin, and the Black Hawk had a bit more lift. We might not have been able to do this rescue during the day.
Any update on the condition of the men?
The lightning strike patient had severe burns, and he’s still in the hospital. His partner was released a couple days later.
What are the lessons from this story for Colorado hikers?
Start early in the morning, when the weather is likely to be better, and make sure you’re prepared for the route you choose. These guys would’ve been fine doing the standard route up Torreys. Unfortunately, AllTrails and other apps will show Kelso Ridge as an option, but they don’t always show how much more difficult that route can be, and people just see that it’s shorter and decide to take it.
Another lesson is don’t wait to call, because rescues can take many hours. People worry that there will be a charge for rescue, so they sometimes hesitate to call, but our services are free. We are always willing to chat with people who might need a little help.
Search and rescue volunteers are unpaid, right? What’s your day job?
Right, we are all volunteers. I’m a director for a software consulting firm. Others are teachers, engineers, nurses, stay-at-home parents, landscapers. It’s a very tough training process to join the team. Probably about 100 people apply for what becomes a 10-person group.
Especially after a big call like this, the transition back to regular life can be challenging. You go from trying to get someone off a mountain to solving a problem at your desk. I got home [to Lakewood] around 3 a.m., and that’s kind of when the emotions and fatigue finally hit. So I told my team at work that I might be in a little late that next day.
