NUFORC Sighting 110168

Occurred: 2011-01-22 01:00 Local
Reported: 2014-06-12 20:57 Pacific
Duration: 1 second
No of observers: 1

Location: Eastsound (Orcas Island), WA, USA

Shape: Flash

Super bright flash directly above me (120 feet) while in dark wooded area at 1AM.

I had been chipping ice off of a steep turn of a private road for an hour (1am). The area is in total darkness, with no lighting in the area and no people in the vicinity. There were no sounds of any kind. Although, I had a headlamp, I did not need it due to the reflection off the snow and the relatively clear sky. The area is forested with scattered old growth trees.

There was a sudden, super bright, flash directly above me. The flash was analogous to that of a studio photography flash, amplified many times. The area all around me was illuminated. I had also described the occurrence as that of a transformer blowing, though the light was white and there was no sound, smell, sparks, or any type of power in the area. I estimated the light to be 100 to 120 feet above me.

My reaction consisted of being very startled, surprised, and scared. I actually did a scan of my surroundings in a fraction of a second and ran for several seconds until I came to my senses and asked myself, "what just happened and what are you running from." The date of this report is not accurate, as it happened several years ago. However, there is no fuzziness to my memory or my recollection of the event.

Observer - super active, early 50's, Engineering background, has spent thousands of hours in the mountains climbing, hiking, back country skiing, and is comfortable being in remote areas solo and traveling at night.

Posted 2014-06-13