Photographer Captures Lightning Striking Mountain in Storm That Killed 19-Year-Old Hiker
A photographer captured the moment lightning struck a mountain — unaware that the powerful storm had just claimed the life of a 19-year-old hiker nearby.
The teenage male was killed and several others were injured on Friday after being struck by lightning at the summit of the peak of Mount Timpanogos in Utah County.
When the group reached the summit, a thunderstorm had moved into the area and forced them to seek shelter inside a well-known lookout spot known as the “Tin Shack” atop the peak of the 11,752-foot Mount Timpanogos. The metal structure was struck by lightning leading to the hiker’s death, according to a statement by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, photographer Taylor Ehat was watching the storm sweep across Mount Timpanogos from below when he captured a bolt of lightning striking the mountain — the same storm that had killed the 19-year-old hiker at the summit.
Speaking to KUTV, Ehat says he had gotten up early that morning and driven to a favorite spot near Mill Canyon, located several miles from the Mount Timpanogos trailhead.
“I’ve been up to this spot near Mill Canyon several times, and it’s one of my favorite places to go shoot,” Ehat says. “Whenever there’s a storm that comes in, I love to get up there.”
Ehat arrived before sunrise and says he could already make out the lights of hikers making their way along the mountain.
“When I first arrived about 6 in the morning, I could see there were headlamps on Timpanogos,” he explains.
‘How Powerful Nature Can Be’
As Ehat tracked the storm cells moving across Mount Timpanogos, he captured what he described as the largest lightning strike he saw that morning at around 6:20 a.m. At the time, he considered it a remarkable photograph and spent the day showing it to others, but learning that the storm had killed a 19-year-old hiker gave the image an entirely different and heartbreaking significance he could never have anticipated.
“The very first photo I set up to take was this shot that I got — the lightning striking at like 6:20 a.m.,” Ehat tells KUTV. “The whole day I’ve been showing it off, and then I learned the unfortunate news that somebody was killed.”
“It’s very tragic and makes me very grateful,” Ehat adds. “It hits close to home. I’m very sad that this individual lost their life.”
The tragedy struck particularly close to home for Ehat, whose daughter is around the victim’s age and had recently considered taking the same hike before canceling because of the weather. The photographer says his thoughts are with the victim’s family and those who were injured in the lightning strike.
“My heart goes out to them and his family,” Ehat says. “It makes it very real — and how powerful nature can be.”
Taylor Ehat’s photography can be found on Instagram and his website.
Affiliate Disclosure PetaPixel articles may include affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you buy through one.
