00:00What are you up to now Chuck? Well the new five hour energy holiday flavors have got me in the
00:05spirit so I'm decorating the studio! Oh I see so Thanksgiving, Cranberry Lime, Christmas is the
00:11gingerbread snap but what about Halloween? POPKIN SPICE!
00:23If you were with us this time yesterday we were talking about the fact that two guys
00:27were struck by lightning while hiking on an Arizona mountain yes two guys that didn't even know each
00:34other no hiking separately the chances by the way of that sucks so bad crazy now we get to hear
00:43from one of those guys here's the story let's see how they sound from 12 news
00:49this was a first for me oh by far well yeah and hopefully the last Scott Courtright is probably
00:58one of the luckiest and unluckiest people you will ever meet like I tell everybody I'm glad just to be
01:04alive on Wednesday Scott who lives in Flagstaff an avid hiker and archaeologist decided to hike
01:10Humphrey's Peak it was beautiful morning hardly any clouds in the sky he's hiked it before and started
01:15his journey at seven in the morning after seeing that weather was supposed to roll in that evening
01:20he made it all the way to the top in about three and a half hours some low clouds blew in and it
01:25started to snow a little bit but it was it's just what you expect on that mountain it was at the top
01:30where he met John who was visiting from Canada he asked Scott if he could take his picture and I had
01:36taken his picture at the summit I'd walk back to my backpack and I think I was kneeling down to get a drink
01:42and put my pack on when it happened it was at that moment Scott and John were struck by lightning there
01:48was no noise I just woke up on my back unable to move they were both unconscious for about 15 minutes
01:55can you even describe what it was like to be hit by lightning complete total paralysis my first memory
02:02was laying there and trying to lift my right arm and I remember holding it up and I thought I had broken
02:08my arm in half at the forearm and I visually remember that when I tried to do that my whole
02:13arm to me looked like a noodle I could not feel my arm it was around this time when John woke up
02:19asking if someone else was there and I let John know I said John I'm here we were struck by lightning
02:24saying John was hit directly and I know that because oh no his almost his entire wardrobe was destroyed by
02:30the lightning strike he was almost completely naked because the lightning had just destroyed
02:38Scott made his way to John covering him up in extra jackets he had to try to keep him warm Scott says
02:43John was shaking uncontrollably from the cold weather brutal wind as rain and hail hit them I was 110% in
02:52survival mode devoting a lot of energy and just materials you know to keeping John warm by a miracle
02:59Scott was able to call 911 for help but just looking at what they were going through he knew
03:04a helicopter wouldn't be able to save them we were stuck at the summit for over three hours it was at
03:10that point when both tried to hike down the mountain themselves but John could only make it so far
03:15he's like I can't go anymore you know I'm like I'm too tired I'm afraid I'm gonna pass out Scott then
03:21trekked a little further finally able to meet with the Coconino County Sheriff's search and rescue team
03:26who took him down the rest of the way I can't explain how happy I was it was shortly after
03:30when crews were able to get to John and also bring him down both were taken to the hospital for treatment
03:36Scott suffering multiple burns I have uh burns on both of my feet where the lightning bolt of my body
03:43and those are pretty deep burns when I asked about John I texted him shortly before
03:48our interview here he says he's doing well and looking at his burns two strangers bonded by an
03:54incredibly rare experience one that could have easily ended both of their lives but Scott believes
04:00the only reason why they made it out of this alive is because they had each other if I hadn't been there
04:07and John was there by himself oh he's dead he's gone it'd be a completely different outcome
04:12and the same can be said for for me if John hadn't been up there and I was by myself and was struck
04:18I probably would have died on there well yeah because it would have got him directly now Scott
04:23tells me he went to the doctor today and he may have to have some skin grafts down the road depending
04:28on how his healing goes but he also told me once he is fully recovered he does plan on hiking Humphrey's
04:33peak again but this time with absolutely no clouds in the sky if Chuck ever does go hiking he'll have 47 layers of
04:40clothes oh yeah just because he's not found nude on a mountain he does not want to be found nude
04:46i'll have rubber underwear on i will have rubber underwear on that will not come off
04:55be like but just throw me off the mountain just throw me off the mountain please
05:01do it just roll me to the edge and launch me man it's cold i've got no clothes on it's
05:21rain get me out of here shrinkage in full effect why does it blow my clothes off
05:27oh that poor guy that oh that poor canadian guy oh my god are they best friends now those two should
05:32be best friends you kind of saved my life you've gone through something yeah you know you've gone
05:37through something and then you warmed me and covered me yeah yeah i don't know i mean we're kind of dating
05:42after that i think you know you're kind of dating the guy well you've seen me nude so that's that's
05:50that's half the battle you know what i'm dealing with yep you got the same stuff going on i've worn
05:57your jacket i mean that's a big step i feel like you know i mean i don't know how many other men's
06:03jackets you've put on lately but probably none none yeah you know
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