Lightning knocks shoes off Banff hikers

Lightning left one hiker unconscious and literally knocked the shoes off of another pair, in two separate incidents near Banff.

"We're happy that they're safe," Conrad Janzen with Parks Canada told CBC News Thursday.

And while lightning is not uncommon in the national park, Janzen says in his seven years with the agency, he's never seen it strike anyone, let alone three people.

A Calgary woman was hiking Mount Bourgeau on Saturday by herself when a lightning strike knocked her right out, Janzen said.

"When she came to, she had no recollection of going for a hike, she just found herself sitting on the mountain and injured."

Two male hikers from Idaho were on Mount Temple, about 50 kilometres northwest of Bourgeau, when lightning knocked their shoes off later that day.

"They were able to put them back on and hike back to the parking lot without too much trouble. But they did have some burns on their legs that they'll need to be treated for," Janzen said.

He cautions hikers to get off high peaks into low lying terrain when lightning flashes are less than 30 seconds following a thunder clap.

Getting inside a vehicle is also a good idea.