Great idea to move this discussion into it's own topic OregonMouse!

And a big thanks to Lori for posting that link. It's more than worth the time to read it.

I'd never even heard of assuming "The Position" (at least not in that context )

OM, we do have vicious lightning storms here. I live on a ridge that get struck quite often. Half the trees in my front yard have been hit.

There are "Weather Apps" for both cell phones and smart phones that show the number of lightning strikes a storm is producing and some of them number in the thousands in a 30-60 minute period.

I know we can't always rely on these kinds of apps when we're in the backcountry, but they have saved my butt more times than I can count. Stopping to take a look at the radar every hour or two is a good habit to get into around here.

Having a tool that allows you to see a storm front heading your way, and to estimate how long it will take to hit you, is simply amazing.

The severity of the storms we get here is one of the main reasons I plan my trips when there is little chance of them. Rain isn't a big issue, wind is a bit unnerving in the forest here. Big trees are just as likely to blow over as small ones, and big, healthy looking branches crash down even in perfect calm, so wind adds to that likelihood too. But lightning adds the same sort of thrill that bombs hitting all around you might. We get it in droves.

This offers at least a little comfort:

"the laws of probability say you are hundreds of times safer in a forest with hundreds of trees than you are near a lone tree in an open space."

"High pointed terrain attracts lightning to the high points, and even to the terrain around it. Avoid peaks, ridges, and significantly higher ground during an electrical storm."

I wonder if that's where the old saying "Head for the hollers!" came from?