The National Weather Service advised western parts of Arizona to brace for strong winds and potentially damaging hail as the storms passed on June 1.
* Scott Courtright said his fellow hiker, a Canadian visiting Arizona, had nearly all of his clothing burned away.
* The pair were out cold for about 15 minutes before they came to and were immobile on the ground for about another 45 minutes.
* Courtright was determined to return home to Flagstaff and reunite with his wife of 24 years and his two daughters.
Scott Courtright reached the summit of Humphreys Peak and breathed in a tranquility that quickly turned into a jolting trek for him and another hiker -- a fight to survive on Arizona's highest mountain.
The two hikers exchanged pleasantries, with Courtright snapping a photo of his newly acquainted companion when, without warning, both men were struck by lightning on the morning of Oct. 22.
"I was kneeling down to get a drink of water and then put my pack on," Courtright said Oct. 24 in an interview with The Arizona Republic. "The next thing I know, I woke up. There was no bang."
Courtright, 50, said that based on his injuries, the lightning's current appears to have shot into his right forearm, spilt two ways and exited through both his right heel and centimeters below his left pinkie toe.
"The craziest thing: It doesn't hurt," Courtright said of the burns he sustained.
Courtright said his fellow hiker, a Canadian visiting Arizona, had nearly all of his clothing burned away, leaving him almost completely naked.
The pair were out cold for about 15 minutes before they came to and were immobile on the ground for about another 45 minutes.
As clouds engulfed the summit and 40 mph winds swept in, the men hunkered behind a low-standing wall of piled rocks gathered by prior visitors to the peak, Courtright said. They huddled together for warmth, he added.
He was determined to return home to Flagstaff and reunite with his wife of 24 years and his two daughters.
'We weren't gonna die on top of that mountain'
"We were both of the mindset that we weren't gonna die on top of that mountain. Because that was really our only other option at that time just based on the weather." Courtright said.
At least one hiker has perished on Humphreys Peak. In July 2016, a lightning strike claimed the life of 17-year-old Wade Young, a recent high school graduate from Tempe.
After enduring three grueling hours at the summit of Humphreys Peak, the two men began their descent toward the tree line, where rescue workers, whom they had managed to contact by cell phone, were waiting.
Located about 14 miles north of Flagstaff, Humphreys Peak rises more than 12,600 feet as part of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The dormant volcano presents a daunting challenge even for experienced hikers, with steep, treacherous slopes inhabited by bears and mountain lions.
After navigating about a mile of difficult terrain, Courtright's injured companion could go no farther. Courtright continued another 200 yards and reached the search and rescue team. He was taken by UTV to the team's command center, while his companion was carried down the mountain on a gurney.
An avid outdoorsman, Courtright said he regularly hikes as part of his work as an archeologist. On what was his second trip to Humprheys Peak, he heard no thunder rumbling, saw no flash of lightning and felt no static electricity.
"There was zero sign," Courtwright said. "I know when I need to not be someplace. Absolutely no indication that I was going to be struck by lightning."
On the evening of Oct. 24, Courtwright texted the hiker whom he traversed close to death with on Humphreys Peak. He learned the man was recuperating well.
Along with escaping with his life from Humphreys Peak to be with his family, Courtright had music on his mind. He refused to miss The Cult, one of his favorite rock bands, which was slated to perform the night of Oct. 25 at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix.
He will, however, likely not be back to Humphreys Peak for a while.
"I'm going to take a break," he said with a laugh.