High Sierra Topix

Yes, always known lowest point. I was only more, not less, confused when NOLS article said avoid being under trees, but also an open field. Neither seems reasonable.

If you are in a large, densely forested area you should be fine (I say "should", because there is no 100% safe area). When you are in a clearing with a few trees, those trees can act like a lighting rod, as you can when you are in open meadow, with you being the tallest thing around.

And leaving a tent? I want to know - would anyone do that in middle of a storm that has lightning ? Is that actually the right thing to do? I would assume taking shelter is the right call, then get on a mat, take off any metal, and pray.

In a lighting storm, where the storms is directly above you or near you location, leaving your tent is your safest bet, your tent poles, and any other metal object inside your tent make it unsafe (tent pegs & tripod). If you know ahead of time that thunderstorms are forecasted in that area, seek out a safe zone near you ahead of time, so if it does materialize, you can run straight to it, instead of running around looking for one in the rain/hail.

I have not checked out the additional links mentioned in this thread, just yet, but noticed a point not mentioned herein, regarding avoiding the area proximal to the open end of hanging valleys.

I am sure folks noticed the trees located on certain land formations carry more scaring from lightning strikes than other locations. The entrance to a hanging valley midway up the wall of a larger canyon is one of those locations, evidence they should be avoided in a T-storm. This is due to two reasons:

1. The lip of the valley serves as an attractor, similar to an exposed ridge line.
2. More significantly, the topography present at the open end of hanging valleys generate air turbulence, resulting in large, local, static charge differentials, increasing the potential for a lightning event.

Ed