Having spent a considerable time in the High country of CO, I've seen my share of lightning. It is quite frightening to be caught in. There are many situations where your experience and skill can save you in the backcountry, but getting caught in a heavy lightning storm, doesn't make you feel that way at all, at least not me, it scares the heck out of me. My course of action has always been to descend, rather then sit, avoiding anything of size, if I can. The worst I've been in was on Pikes Peak ( Barr trail). My hair was standing up and I felt the energy around me very clearly. I chucked my Trekking poles off trail ( got them 3 weeks later) and ran down. As far as sitting on a pad as referenced in the illustration, I guess it couldn't hurt, but if it gets wet, I don't see the benefit, not that I'm anything close to a lightning expert. It's kind of like Russian roulette, if your caught in it, how good can you be at that? The best advice from my experience, avoidance by weather forecasting before and during your hike.