Authorities have identified the man who was killed in a fatal lightning strike in Bridger Teton National Forest on Tuesday.
Jack Murphy, 22, of Boston was killed when lighting struck a National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS) expedition camp of 14 adults near Enos Lake in the Teton Wilderness.
Murphy’s family released a statement on Sunday thanking personnel with NOLS for trying to save his life after the strike.
“The Murphy family wishes to thank the NOLS guides and fellow students who tried bravely to save him,” the family said. “We are rocked by grief at having lost our dear Jack.”
“Jack loved the outdoors and found peace in the physical exertion it takes to climb to a remote place like Enos Lake, so far from the city home he grew up in. We know in his last moments he was with others who shared his passion for the wilderness and helping others. And he was doing what he loved best – being outdoors, in awe of the beauty of nature,” they said.
Another man was injured by the strike and was flown first to St. John’s Health clinic in Moran, Wyoming and then Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
Shana Tater, spokesperson for NOLS, told Cowboy State Daily that the injured man was treated and released from the hospital and rejoined the group in Lander. Many of the group were preparing to return to their homes, she said.
According to CBS News in Boston, Murphy was a 2018 Boston College High School graduate and attended college at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
He leaves behind his parents and two sisters.
A trust fund has been set up in Murphy’s honor to support others who have a “passion to live, teach, and serve in the great outdoors.” For more information on the “Jack Murphy Wilderness Education Fund,” contact jackmurphyfund@gmail.com.
