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Few things scare hikers more than lightning above the tree line.

Serious injuries are rare, but hikers have been killed on California’s best-known summits.

Megan Eskew did everything right before she climbed Mt. Whitney last month. She got in top physical shape, carefully checked the weather and, noticing a chance of thunderstorms, heeded expert advice to start very early — a few minutes after midnight.

Moving quickly up the 11-mile trail, she climbed out of the trees and onto bare granite — which conducts electricity — long before sunrise. She reached the 14,500-foot summit at 7:45 a.m. and, after snapping a few photos, hightailed it down. She knew she had to get back to the safe

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