some years ago on a canoe trip with a buddy on Brule Lake in Northern Minnesota,in the BWCA canoe park,we had a close strike near our camp.very close,one of those flash-bang strikes.it was a nice day with a storm to the south of us but clear around us.
a few minutes later we saw some smoke just down the shore from the camp and got all the water buckets/cooking pots we had and went down for a look.a big old Cedar had taken the hit and was laying hung up in other trees,the inside was glowing red but nothing was really burning much.we spent the better part of a hour hauling water the 50 or so feet back to the tree and left it dead out.looking around we could see the splinters of wood that were blasted off.i took one with the idea of carving it into a fishing lure but never got around to it--yet--.
for staying safe i do the crouch on the sleeping pad thing in the camp and out on the water get to shore anyplace but in a low swampy area if i can.

CD, you area saint for putting out that fire. Years ago, I spent a summer in the Rincon Mountains (Saguaro Nat'lPark), responding to lightning fires. I got to see a lot of perfectly healthy ponderosa pines reduced to kindling, with splinters flying all over the place. Lightning is nothing to mess around with...

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/ploutdoor.htm

Figured this might be of some interest to some people (note the sleeping pad part).

Speed..good link,getting on a sleeping pad is one of those last resort sort of things,i have woke up at night to the sound of a storm and just hunkered on mine hoping there were no local hits.
a poster at BWCA.COM told about a close hit that went thru the roots of a pine he was under and even on the mat he was shell shocked for awhile.it's the one thing i worry about out on trips because there is nothing you can really do about it.

look just to the left of the canoe across the bay,you don't need to be on high ground to take that hit.i would not wanted to be in that camp that day.




closer look---