Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in a blizzard.

School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA. Bruce W S Robinson, MD, FRACP, FRCP, Professor of Medicine. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA. Mark G Edwards, MB BS, FRACS, FRCS, Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Reprints will not be available from the authors. Correspondence: Professor Bruce W S Robinson, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009. [email protected] The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025729X 6/20 December 2004 181 11/12 646-648 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2004 www.mja.com.au True Stories rain, a strong wind blew up, and the chill fac thermometer plunging. It became so unbelievably co to put on every piece of cold weather gear we had. first sense of just how cold it can be at high altitude. As e sat on a rock to rest, one of us noticed a scr red plastic on a bush and began to deride those nuis who “show a complete lack of respect for the beaut no (19 hik S w-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, stands 5895 m 335 ft) high and is the highest mountain in Africa. The e up the mountain, although considered arduous, is attempted by dozens of people each day. About one in four actually succeed. A few years ago, we set out to climb it, planning to get to the summit and down again in six days. We had pre-arranged an experienced guide and, rather than carrying tents, chose to stay in huts provided on the mountain. We hired some down-filled clothing and sleeping bags with the help of our guide — but, when offered crampons and ice axes for hire, we both laughed at the idea. “This is just a walk”, we joked, “not a real climb”. The first two days of climbing were moderately hard and it became progressively colder. At one point, our guide spent some time talking intently to a colleague who was on the way down. He then explained that a group of hikers, two days ahead of us, had been climbing through a thunderstorm when a young American woman was struck by a bolt of lightning and killed instantly. She had literally “blown up”, with lightning bolts arcing down her body and out through her torso and limbs to the ground, leaving huge flesh wounds. This macabre event caused us some anxiety. Our guide thought she had been struck because she was wearing a red parka, believing that red objects “attract” lightning. We pondered whether there was some scientific rationale for red gear being more likely than other colours to attract lightning. We eventually reached the first hut and stayed overnight. Next morning was initially cold but comfortable. But then we struck tor sent the ld that we had This was our