Challenge 3: Kilimanjaro!

Kilimanjaro Summit Trek – September 2010

Friday 17^th September

I had spent a few days in Arusha staying with my friend Joe Waddington, Founder of ACE Africa, the charity I work for and am fundraising for.  Joe, Anthon and the ACE team had given me a warm welcome and kindly organised 2 days of field visits for me to visit some of the communities ACE have been working with over the past 2 years.  On the Friday morning, I joined the staff meeting at the ACE office in Arusha, and then Imma kindly drove me the 2½ hrs to Marangu.  I arrived at the Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort to meet the rest of the group.  Tour Leader Jenny Waller and Expedition Doctor Claire Clapshaw gave a briefing after dinner on the plans for the trek.  Over dinner there was a discussion over how many Diamox tablets should be taken as everyone had been advised different doses.   I had never taken it before for any previous high altitude trips, but the general consensus was that it was the way forward, and I felt the ‘tingly feet’ side-effects almost immediately after taking it.

Day 1 – Saturday 18^th September

After weighing in our kit bags (strict limit of 15kg each), they were loaded up onto the 2 minibuses which would take us to the start of our trek.  It was absolutely pouring with rain in Marangu as we departed for the 2 hour drive to the Rongai Route Park Gate, which would be the start of our trek.  We reached the Park Gate at around noon, and while Jenny checked us all in and registered us on the mountain, we had a quick pack-lunch while we watched the hundreds of porters lining up hoping for a job. We were introduced to our Head Guide ‘Passian’ and the seven Assistant Guides including David, Viviano, Gasper, Baraka and Crossmar who would be with us for the expedition.

We set off after lunch at a very slow pace up the narrow path through cultivated land and up through the rainforest, spotting a few monkeys on the way.  It was a bit frustrating not to be able to go at a normal pace, but the guides explained that it was important to go ‘pole pole’ (slowly slowly) in order to conserve our energy, acclimatise, and help our chances of reaching the summit safely 5 days later.  We constantly had to stop-start to let the porters through as they raced past us to set up camp for the many different groups trekking up the mountain.  We were a large group (29 including our TL and Doctor) and since we had to walk in single-file, we constantly breathed in a stream of dust.  The rainforest terrain started to give way to moorland as we arrived at the spot where our porters had pitched camp.  We dumped our packs before going on a short ‘acclimatisation’ walk – up a couple of hundred meters before descending again.  We arrived back in camp at about 5pm to find our tents up and our porters waiting for us with ‘washy-washy’ – a welcome bowl of hot water brought to each of our tents for us to clean up before dinner – about as civilised as mountain camping can be!  We were filthy from the dust, but I was very grateful for the gaiters that I had decided to throw in my pack at the last minute – they were brilliant at keeping the dust and stones out of my socks and boots.  The temperature dropped quickly as darkness fell, and we layered up and donned head-torches for dinner.  Dinner commenced rather bizarrely with tea and popcorn (this was to become the evening routine) and followed shortly after by a pretty good dinner – a hearty soup, plenty of carbs and veg and then fruit for dessert.  Bed at 9pm and our first night on the mountain!  I slept fairly well until about 2am – my old thermarest which I had last used about 10 years ago still comfortable, and the 4-season sleeping bag (borrowed from Juliet) nice and snug.  Unfortunately I got woken up by snoring from adjacent tents and that was my sleep quota for the night.  

Day 2 – Sunday 19^th September

We woke up to the most beautiful morning with fabulous clear views high up towards Kibo to the right and the jagged volcanic Mawenzi peaks to the left. The valley floor lay thousands of meters below under a thick layer of fluffy white cumulous clouds.  Breakfast at 7am and we set off afterwards for a fairly long hike up to our lunch stop.  Again the porters sprinted past us laden down with supplies. Sadly Helen had picked up a sick bug and had to turn back.  We also lost Donna (suffering from blurred vision), and then later that day her sister Paula (breathing difficulties) and very sadly the lovely Deb who had also succumbed to the sick bug.  After an excellent lunch, the depleted group pressed on over the heath and marshy land towards Kikelelwa camp. Lynne was sick just before reaching camp, and I too was starting to get a dodgy tummy as we arrived in camp about 6.30pm (a couple of hours behind schedule and shortly before darkness fell).  We had now climbed to 3,700m and it was feeling noticeably colder as the night closed in. Dr Claire had had her work cut out today and was now administering anti-sickness pills to Lynne, myself and various others.  I began to feel a little better as we drifted off to bed at around 9.30pm.   

 

Day 3 – Monday 20^th September

An overcast start to the day took us on our next hike up towards Mawenzi Tarn.  Halfway up, poor Kirsty was advised to head back down as she had a terrible chest infection and we had an emotional goodbye as she convinced her father Ivie to continue on the trek alone.  The terrain had become more rugged with rocky outcrops from time to time as we climbed higher. By lunchtime we had reached Mawenzi Tarn at 4,300m – our home for the next 2 nights.  Ronnie had been struggling with his breathing on the way up, and his health started to deteriorate rapidly at lunchtime, to the extent where our Doctor could not rule out a possible heart-attack. So poor Ronnie was stretchered back down the mountain and accompanied by Dr Claire.  In the afternoon, the rest of us took a short acclimatisation walk up the spectacular craggy rocks below the Mawenzi peaks to about 4,500m before dropping back down again into camp. As we returned, we were rewarded with fabulous views back over the tarn into camp.  Unfortunately my tent was pitched right next to the mess tent and porters’ tents so I was in for a noisy couple of nights.  It was also bitterly cold, and we sat in the mess tent for dinner with 2 pairs of thermals, 2 socks, woolly hat, gloves, fleece and down jacket – I kept most of this kit on throughout the night!   

 

Day 4 – Tuesday 21^st September

We awoke to the most beautiful morning with views over towards the majestic Kibo bathed in a glowing warm morning light. It was a beautiful crisp clear morning as we set off for our acclimatisation walk over towards Kibo.  We were rewarded with the incredible panoramic views down over the plains far below in the distance.  We could see far away the rainforest that we had trekked through a few days earlier.   As we trekked over the plain, I began to get stomach cramps again.  I was worried I might be sent down if I let on, but despite trying to make it back to camp undetected, I was violently sick on the way back. I was very fearful that my chances of being allowed to stay were slim, but when Passian the Head guide offered to take my backpack I insisted I was absolutely fine and perfectly fit to carry on, and in my efforts to convince them all was well, I forced myself to have a bit of soup for lunch to prove I was well enough to stay on.  Luckily for me, we had planned to rest in camp that afternoon, in preparation for our ascent to Kibo hut the following day, and to help us preserve our energy for ‘summit night’.  I was also very fortunate to have my own tent, so I was able to throw up in a bowl in the privacy of my own tent all night!  I think Passian thought I had altitude sickness as he mentioned several times that I would feel better at a lower altitude, but whilst I completely respect his many years experience as a mountain guide, I really was absolutely 100% sure that I was not suffering from AMS but had picked up the wretched tummy bug.   

 

Day 5 – Wednesday 22^nd September

Thankfully, after my busy night, I was feeling a lot better the next day.   As we left Mawenzi camp that morning, we were shocked to see how the water level in the tarn had shrunk to a small pool of dirty stagnant water.  I had started purifying my water despite being assured that the water was being boiled as I didn’t want to take any chances.  We feared that if there was no rain in the next few days they may actually have to close the Rongai route if the tarn ran completely dry. We departed Mawenzi Tarn camp at 8am and began the 5 hour hike over towards Kibo Hut – ‘base-camp’ for our summit expedition later that night.  As we climbed higher, the terrain gave way to high desert with very little vegetation.  We walked past the wreckage of a small plane that had crashed there a couple of years ago, and was now offering tourists a rather morbid detour to see the wrecked pieces scattered over the desert plains. As we reached camp, our ‘helping porters’ were ready for us as usual and had placed our bags in our tents.  They gave our boots and gaiters a good brushing to get rid of the accumulated dust in preparation for the summit climb.  Sadly poor Karen had to turn back at this point – she had been having breathing difficulties and our doctor feared for a pulmonary oedema if she didn’t descend quickly.  We were served a hearty carb-loaded lunch and then rested until our early dinner at 5.30pm.  We then had a final chance to get a few hours sleep in before waking at around 11pm.  We had been split into two separate parties to keep the group sizes more manageable.  Dr Claire had decided not to take part in the summit ascent and Scotty sadly also decided not to do the climb, and so this left us with a group of 18 people out of the original 27. We had strict timings to be ready to depart for the summit climb.  I had on seven layers, and we all donned head-torches, although it was a clear night with a full moon, and we had perfect conditions for our climb.  I did take a couple of precautionary anti-sick pills, but thankfully I was feeling a great deal better by the time we departed (other than an untimely nose-bleed just as we were setting off).

Day 6 – Thursday 23^rd September

I was in the second group of ten to set off just before midnight, and with Passian leading the way, accompanied by six other guides in each group, we plodded up the long volcanic slopes for several hours, with few breaks.  At some point we caught up with the first group and so we combined for a while, until gradually a few people tailed off and were accompanied by one of the guides for safety.  I enjoyed the experience of trekking up under the moonlit sky, and at last we seemed to be going at a decent pace!  We looked back down towards camp and saw hundreds of tiny head-torches snaking up the slope in a zig-zag and we were glad to have got a good early start and not got stuck behind the many other groups now on their way up.  By about 5am we had reached Gillman’s Point at 5,686m, and Jenny was thrilled to announce that this was the fastest ascent yet by a Charity Challenge group.  We stopped for a quick swig of tea here before carrying on around the crater ring on up towards the summit.  It was bitterly cold as we curled around the rim.  My fingers were icy cold, and Passian kindly swapped gloves with me.  Our group started to spread out as everyone decided on their own pace.  The air had started to get very thin – we were above 5,500m now and it was freezing as the wind picked up around the crater rim.  Passian conducted a quick ‘health-check’ before we proceeded further to ensure no one was at risk.  We trekked past the fabulous glacier on the left and up towards the summit as the most beautiful sunrise unfolded before us and dawn broke. 

I arrived at Uhuru Peak (5,895m) shortly before 7am with Passian, Jenny, Gilly, Rudy and Ryan, closely followed by the next few from our group just a couple of minutes behind.  As we neared the summit marker, we saw a few returning early trekkers heading back towards us.  We had reached the trig point and were lucky to snap a quick photo at the famous sign-board before turning around and hurrying back the way we came.  It was very cold, the air was thin at nearly 6,000m altitude and it was important not to hang around.   It may have seemed relatively safe in the morning sun, but sadly many people have died here over the years, and the dangers of this extreme summit were not to be under-estimated.   As we headed back, we saw more of our group arriving, and it was quite an emotional moment as they congratulated us and we wished them luck for reaching the summit.  Our water had completely frozen solid some time ago, despite our best efforts in keeping it warm, and in the thin air we were getting very de-hydrated. 

We re-traced our steps back past Gilman’s Point – now in daylight and busy with trekkers jostling for position.  As we turned the corner to descend to Kibo base-camp, we could see our tents nearly 1,000m down below in the distance.  By 8am the sun was burning down on us and we stripped off a few layers before running down the long scree slopes to Kibo Hut camp.  I made it back into camp at around 9.30am, my face was absolutely burning from the sun, wind and dust.   To minimise the risks of AMS and other altitude-related problems, our plan was to descend another 1,000m and camp further down at Horombo.  We just had time to pack up our kit in our tents and get organised, a quick hearty lunch and then on with the next 1,000m vertical descent!  It was a stunning walk down – back across the wide open high desert plains with magnificent clear views towards Mawenzi.  It was the most perfect day with blue skies and clear air. This time we forked right and skirted around the other side of the majestic volcanic Mawenzi peaks.  The dry air and lack of recent rain meant that we had to put scarves over our mouths to try to limit breathing in the steady stream of dust that kicked up.  Despite the rigours of the day, it was a fairly relaxed hike down to Horombo, with the terrain changing visibly, and as we descended further down we noticed more vegetation and the dusty desert plains giving way to giant green senecios and other high altitude moorland plants.  The route down towards Marangu was absolutely beautiful, and as we arrived into camp at Horombo we had more incredible views over the distant valley floor below. 

It was incredibly hot as we reached camp and our tents were like furnaces!  Our trusty helping porters gave us a warm welcome and greeted us with bowls of hot water for our final ‘washy washy’ on Kilimanjaro to try to get rid of the layers of dust from the days arduous trek.  At 3,700m however, as soon as the sun went down, Horombo camp was freezing cold under the clear skies, and we layered up again for our final night on the mountain.  We enjoyed our last camp dinner in the mess tent, and Jenny briefed us on the plans for the last day which would include the traditional ‘tipping ceremony’ for the guides and porters who had been such a tremendous support to us over the past week.  We headed off for our last night sleep on Mount Kilimanjaro.  With my sick bug finally abating, along with some of my fellow-trekkers I was now suffering from some heavy nose-bleeds – caused by a combination of cold, dusty air and the high altitude.  My supply of tissues was rapidly diminishing, but Rudy came to the rescue and kindly donated me his loo roll!  It had been a big day – a 1,200m ascent and 2,000m descent, and we had reached Kilimanjaro’s summit.  I lay wrapped up in my cosy tent thinking back over the past week – at the amazing scenery we had been lucky enough to see, the friendships we had made along the way, the thrill and emotion of reaching the summit and the tiny snapshot we had seen of the lives of the many local people who work as porters and guides. 

Day 7 – Friday 24^th September

A final breakfast, and our trusty chef ‘Spiderman’ did not disappoint.  A last group get-together in the mess-tent, the last time we would hear shouts of ‘can you pass the ginger tea’ from our fellow-trekkers.  Jenny had worked really hard on sorting out tip envelopes for the various Guides, Assistant Guides, Helping Porters, Chefs and Porters.  There had been an incredible team of over 90 support crew for our group of 27.  It sounds amazing and an embarrassing statistic, but that’s how it works on Kilimanjaro.  I thought back to my visit to Arusha the previous week – to the hundreds of desperately poor children running around in filthy torn clothes, with almost nothing to eat, and I took some comfort in the knowledge that our expedition was at least helping to provide livelihoods for some  people who would otherwise be living in even more extreme poverty.  The tipping ceremony was incredibly humbling and very emotional.  Guides, porters and chefs lined up to be thanked and were handed their small tip.  They all then sang the Kilimanjaro song to us as a final farewell.  It was time for us to pack up camp and head down the last 2,000m to Marangu gate.  Our Kilimanjaro trek was nearing it’s end.  At the Park Gate, Helen, Deb, Ronnie and Kirsty were waiting for us to arrive.  They had sweetly come to welcome us back. 

Saturday 25^th September

Back at the Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort Hotel at Marangu, we had a much-needed bath, and although the layers of dust disappeared down the plug, the memories of this extraordinary adventure will remain with us forever. 

Sunday 26^th September

At Heathrow we said our goodbyes to our fellow-trekkers.  I am sitting here in my flat in London now thinking back on the experiences of the past couple of weeks and wondering what everyone is doing now.  Most of us reached Kilimanjaro’s majestic summit, appreciated the breathtaking views from the world’s highest free-standing mountain, raised funds for our charities, made some friendships along the way, experienced the magic of spending a week on Africa’s highest mountain and gained a tiny insight into the lives of some of the local people in Tanzania who find work as porters and guides.  As I type up these last few notes in the comfort of my flat, they will all be at the Park Gates lining up and hoping for work before packing up supplies and beginning another gruelling walk up Kilimanjaro ready to prepare washy washy and bring tea for the next group. 

Kilimanjaro Song

Jambo, Jambo Bwana (Hello, Hello Sir)
Habari gani (How are you?)
Mzuri sana  (Very well)
Wageni, mwakaribishwa (Foreigners, you’re welcome)
Kilimanjaro yetu (to Kilimanjaro)
Hakuna Matata (No worries)

 ******

Thank you to all of our wonderful Guides, Chefs and Porters, to our TL Jenny and our amazing Doctor Claire, and to all of our fellow-trekkers who helped make this incredibly unique experience so special. 

Samantha Kite – September 2010