It was a striking view.
Two men from New York were struck by lightning while hiking a peak in Colorado and were subsequently airlifted to safety, marking what is believed to be the state’s highest-altitude helicopter rescue.
The pair, whose identities have not been released, called for assistance on Thursday at approximately 5 p.m. after deviating from their intended path while trying to ascend Torreys Peak, which is one of Colorado’s tallest mountains, standing at 14,300 feet.
“It appears they lacked significant experience,” said Jack Smith, a spokesperson for the Alpine Rescue Team. He explained that the men decided to scale the peak during a road trip through Colorado.
“I think it was probably just a lack of awareness.”
Emergency crews had just steered the men back on course when they were zapped by lightning minutes later — leaving one hiker unresponsive and in critical condition.
About 30 rescuers ascended the mountain while a Colorado National Guard Black Hawk chopper hoisted the injured man off the peak at 14,200 feet.
He was then rushed to the burn unit of a Denver hospital, where he remains in fair condition.
The helicopter returned around midnight to rescue the other wounded man, briefly touching down on the mountain before he was treated and released from a nearby hospital.
Emergency personnel believe the daring rescue shattered the state’s previous record of 13,700 feet — with such missions a challenge due to thinning air reducing a chopper’s lift at higher altitudes.
The Black Hawk’s max ceiling is around 19,000 feet.
Torreys Peak stands as the 11th-highest summit in Colorado.
With Post wires
