Lightning-struck Longs Peak hiker says he'd do it again

Hike to the top of Longs Peak, that is. Presumably he could do without the lightning, though Brandon Baker is recovering nicely at St. Anthony's. The Minnesota man talked to his hometown Star-Tribune from the hospital and that story fills in some of the details missing from yesterday's initial reports...

By Kiernan Maletsky

August 6, 2010

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Hike to the top of Longs Peak, that is. Presumably he could do without the lightning, though Brandon Baker is recovering nicely at St. Anthony's. The Minnesota man talked to his hometown Star-Tribune from the hospital and that story fills in some of the details missing from yesterday's initial reports. Baker was on his way back down from the summit on Tuesday afternoon when a thunderstorm rolled in. He took shelter under a rock ledge -- which, as it turns out, is not lightning-proof.

Baker was knocked unconscious by the blast and woke up the next morning, still under his rock ledge, with no idea what had happened. He staggered down the mountain until he met a camper who pointed out that he had a fist-sized head wound, and he was airlifted off the mountain at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

A traumatizing experience, without doubt, but Baker seemed in high spirits. "I would go right back up there tomorrow if my legs didn't feel bad," he told the Star-Tribune. "It's amazing once you get up there. You just don't understand until you get to the top of a 14,000-foot peak."

Still, maybe he should start a little earlier next time -- we hear the weather can really turn on you in the afternoon.

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