Bob Madgic

This, to me, was another example of putting the lives of experts at risk to save nincompoops. Five "experienced" climbers decided to climb Yosemite's Half-Dome. Despite warnings along the trail they continued in the face of an oncoming storm. Two died from lightning strikes and three others were severely injured. Med-Evac helicopters made heroic flights at extreme risk to get two of the injured down and safely off to hospitals. The pilot was forced to use only slivers of moonlight and he had no reference points in the blackness.

This is a fascinating biographical account of the participants and a hair-raising (pun-intended) story of how the lightning was conducted all around and ultimately through them.… (mais)