amping is a time-honored pastime for many families -- a treasured way to get up close and personal with Mother Nature. But as veteran campers can tell you, nature isn't always benevolent, particularly in springtime. The single greatest danger is lightning, and spring thunderstorms all produce lightning in varying amounts. While the odds are against you being struck, several hundred people each year beat those odds -- paying with their lives. The human body is essentially a bag of salty water, and it conducts electricity much better than the surrounding air. That's why lighting will often try to travel through you to reach the ground. If you're riding out a storm during your campout, improve the odds that you'll be safe with these guidelines: Don't lie down inside your tent. This puts you at risk from electrical currents in the ground, which might well run through you and stop your heart. Instead, squat down with your feet together and only your feet touching the ground. If your campsite is in an exposed location where tents are the highest point around, abandon them immediately and move to a better location. Non-metallic tent frames don't provide any more protection than metallic ones. You're safer inside your car. Avoid being the tallest object around. Get as low as you can without lying prone on the ground. If you're wearing a backpack, take it off and seek the best shelter you can find. Avoid being near the tallest object around. Many people are struck when they shelter under a tall isolated tree, for instance. Rock depressions and shallow caves don't offer much protection either. Your best bet is to get down from higher elevation or away from the objects as quickly as possible. Climb to high elevations early. Since mountain thunderstorms tend to form in the early to mid afternoon, do your hiking to high peaks in the early morning, so you can be on the way down before it strikes. Watch the weather. Storms don't always behave "normally," so keep your eyes on the sky and be prepared to abandon hiking plans if one develops. Remember, there is no reliable warning sign that lightning is about to strike. Don't depend on feeling electricity in the air, having your hair stand on end or whatever. The first sign of a lightning strike often is the strike itself. Of course, if your hair does stand on end, take steps to protect yourself right away. If you are on the water, head for dry land immediately. Even if your boat isn't metal, you're safer on land. Follow the "30-30" rule. Take shelter if the time from seeing a flash to the time you hear thunder is 30 seconds or less, and don't resume activities until 30 minutes have elapsed from the last lightning and thunder. Remember, some storms travel slowly, and there is no distance from a thunderstorm that is absolutely safe. If you can see the lightning, then you are under some threat. Lightning occasionally can jump out of a thunderstorm and strike the ground miles away. Avoid any fence or power lines that lead into areas where lightning is occurring. A flash can easily travel along the wires and jump over to you. Remember, you do not have to be directly hit by lightning to be affected. Lightning can travel along the ground from a nearby strike to you or can jump from nearby objects that are struck. Go or call for medical help immediately if someone is struck. While you're waiting for help, administer CPR if the victim's heart has stopped or he has stopped breathing. If the person is merely unconscious, take precautions against shock and hypothermia, especially if the victim has been exposed to the rain. Make sure medical professionals know that lightning was the culprit. Treatment for lightning is not the same as treatment for someone electrocuted by household current. © Your HealthStyle, 2002.