06-18-2011, 08:34 AM
Been close a few times, which includes being in planes that were hit, but the on ground experience that gave me nightmares was at Boy Scout Camp one summer, when I walking down the trail from the main camp past the secondary campfire pit seating area towards the, then new, lower "river camp" during a sudden thunder storm. A few lightning bolts hit around the camp area, and then I saw lightning strike the lower camp near a few scouts scampering around, already scared sh!tless from the storm and a fire that had been started by a strike a couple of hundred feet from them. Well, dopey me thought to myself, "gee, I'm glad THAT [last, close] lightning struck near them, rather than me..." and then, BLAM!!!, before I could complete the thought, I felt every hair on my body stand on end (and I was a hairy guy even back then) and the next lightning bolt hit the big tree just a few feet away from me, pretty much cutting the tree in half, and literally knocking me off my feet.
I tried to regain my composure and claw my way onto one of the campfire pit seats (logs and boulders), though I felt almost paralyzed from the experience. Part of the tree had caught fire, and I tried to think of what to do next. Thankfully, under the circumstances, the rain began to pour, and extinguished the fire. I sat where I was for quite awhile, and sorta directed traffic for the few people that went back and forth. The severed part of the tree blocked the trail, so people had to climb around it to get through. I eventually stumbled back to the main camp, and vowed to never make fun of others having a close call ever again... and threw my underwear away. When lightning gets too close, I'm still frightened to this day.
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I tried to regain my composure and claw my way onto one of the campfire pit seats (logs and boulders), though I felt almost paralyzed from the experience. Part of the tree had caught fire, and I tried to think of what to do next. Thankfully, under the circumstances, the rain began to pour, and extinguished the fire. I sat where I was for quite awhile, and sorta directed traffic for the few people that went back and forth. The severed part of the tree blocked the trail, so people had to climb around it to get through. I eventually stumbled back to the main camp, and vowed to never make fun of others having a close call ever again... and threw my underwear away. When lightning gets too close, I'm still frightened to this day.
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