Dodge Lightning Strikes

Question:

What is the best lightning safety strategy when camping above treeline, and the storm strikes in the middle of the night when you are all asleep in tents?

Submitted by – Jon, Woods Cross, UT

Answer:

First of all, you want, of course, to set your tent in the safest possible spot. That means not out on open ridges or in places where your tent sits higher than anything else around. A low spot in low rolling terrain is considered generally safe, as are spots near boulder fields where no boulder sticks up obviously and attractively higher.

During the storm, it is almost always safer to stay in your tent, sitting up on your pad and not touching the ground. Dome tents may be slightly safer than tents that rise to points. In the end, it is always safer to drop below treeline to camp during lightning season.