Shock Treatment

Now when they backpack, they hike three miles instead of eight. They do more car-camping trips. But they take exotic journeys, too. When they went whale-watching in Mexico and Hawaii, Jude wore a sea-sickness patch. Since the strike, they've also backpacked in Peru, bicycled in China, hiked to an Indonesian volcano and trekked through northern Thailand.

"We can still live a good life, but we also understand that there are permanent repercussions that we will just have to live with," Nelson says. "So we live with them."

John Johnston

Survivor! Jude Friend was struck twenty years ago.

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• Jude Friend
• Garry Rudd
• Mount Everest
• Outdoor Recreation
• Camping

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"In a weird way, these things can be positive," Jude says. "You might not be able to climb Mount Everest, but there are other facets of your life you can enjoy. Maybe it's good to slow down a little. They're bad physically, but spiritually and emotionally, you come out stronger. There is life after lightning."