Kilimanjaro!!!!!

Amanda and I just finished our successful 7 day climbing trip of Mt. Kilimanjaro. My early appologies for a long blog with no pictures, but coming soon I hope. For those unfamiliar with the mountain, it is located in Tanzania and borders Kenya on the north side. It is the tallest point in Africa at 19,341 feet, making it the second mountain climbed in my quest to climb the tallest mountain on every continent, the seven summits. The mountain is unique in many ways, one being that there are really no technical routes climbed due to either lack of ice from the melting glaciers or sever rock fall. That being said, climbing Kilimanjaro is essentially a high altitude trek, not requiring the use of crampons, ice axes, or ropes. Needless to say my bags were much lighter than they normally would be for a self supported climbing expedition, which I will explain further. In order to climb Kilimanjaro, it is required by the park service that you use a local registered guide and their support crew. Even guide services from the United States or other countries that climb here must be in company with a local outfitter with registered guides. I have mixed feelings about this, because while it stimulates the local economy, which I am all in favor of supporting, it also causes a lot additional impact on the mountain and its environment. For example, in order for just the two of us to climb, it took a crew of 10 people made up of 3 porters per person, 1 guide, 1 assistant guide, 1 waiter/porter, and 1 cook. This number increases exponentially the more people that climb. Over all it makes for very crowded trails, additional trash, noisy camps, and extra human waste. It also takes away from the accomplishment of a self supported expedition, in which you carry your own gear, cook your own food, set your own pace, choose and set up your camp, route find, etc… On that same token, there is a lot less to think about and do other than hike with your day pack and enjoy the scenery, which isn’t such a bad thing since you have paid a respectable price for the services you are receiving.
Day 1: We left our hotel and headed for the Machame Gate, the starting point of our climb which is apx 45 minutes from Moshi. We had to stop at a market to get some fresh veggies and supplies and what not before arriving at the gate. The Machame Gate is somewhat of a chaotic place, as there are hundreds of porters waiting outside the gate to be chosen by guides for their services, and aren’t allowed inside the park until granted permission by a guide. We even witnessed somewhat of a lashing as several porters tried rushing through the gate and were abruptly stopped by park service employees with large sticks to quickly put a stop on things. We had to register with the park service at the gate, and periodically at each camp in order to keep some accountability of climbers and to assure you are not staying over the amount of permitted days you have paid for, which leads to steep fines. Our head guide, David, pronounced Da-veed in the local tongue, led the first stretch of trail which climbs 4,000 ft and begins in dense rain forest and runs into our first camp in an alpine forest. David is an exceptionally nice guy, that is very loud spoken, and has a profile that somewhat resembles that of a stereo typical first baseman. A bit surprising for that of a mountain guide, and his pace was something less to be desired by both Amanda and I at such a low elevation, as it felt like we were moving about as fast as pitch running down a tree. I mean really, it was such a pace that you have to actually concentrate to walk that slowly and made for a much longer day than what was expected. The trail was very well defined and something like following a road with jersey barriers. We were constantly moving aside to let porters pass as they make their way up to the first camp with impressive size loads of gear mostly carried on their heads, often times without using a hand to steady it. It was pretty cool walking through the rain forest listening to the sounds of hundreds of birds, bugs, and who knows what other creatures were out in such a dense canopy of trees and foliage. Amanda had high hopes of seeing a monkey but we had no such luck. The rain forest turns into alpine forest at about 9,000 ft, and it’s almost as if somebody drew a line and you walk out of the rain forest and into this new land of small alpine trees and shrubs. Kilimanjaro has 4 very distinct regions that you cross from the trailhead to the summit, being rainforest, alpine forest, alpine desert, and a world of rock and glaciers near the summit. When we got to our first camp our tent was already set up and we had our own little mess tent complete with chairs, a table, hot tea, popcorn, and cookies awaiting us. Seriously? Seems a little plush for mountain camp, but it nothing was left to do but enjoy it. The food served was incredibly diverse the whole time we were on the mountain and always included a soup of some sort, fresh vegetables and several other dishes of hearty food. I don’t think we once were able to finish an entire meal between the two of us as portion sizes were more than healthy. My hat goes off to our cook who prepared top notch food for the environment given and what he had to work with over a seven day period on a mountain.
Day 2: We were awoken by our waiter who had bowls of hot water for washing in the morning. Climbed from Mechame Camp to Shira Camp located on a large plateau at 12,500’. Camp didn’t have much wind shelter and was exceptionally dusty, coating almost everything we had with a nice layer of powder by the morning. Camp was rather condensed with hundreds of support staff of climbers and I often wondered if I was attending a world cup soccer game or actually in a camp on a mountain. Porters and guides shouted across camp at all hours of the day/night, radios are playing at 5:30 in the morning, and if you lay in your tent it feels like you are in the middle of a bees nest with all the chatter. I’m trying to keep an open mind and I’m not a big complainer, but it became very disturbing when this was the norm for every camp thereafter. Doesn’t make much for a serene mountain environment, or let alone help in getting much needed rest. It is already difficult to sleep at higher altitudes. Probably my least favorite impact the excessive amount of people on the mountain required to support these expeditions causes.
Day 3: Climbed up to a landmark known as Lava Tower at 15,190’ and dropped down to Barranco Camp at 13,000’, keeping the climb high sleep low theory in practice. We both noticed a little sunburn in a few spots from the day before. The sun here being so close to the equator and at high altitude is amazingly bright and powerful, and any uncovered area not caked in heavy sunscreen is quick to fry. I felt a bit like an Arabian all covered up even when it was hot, but had little choice. We had a hot lunch set up for us halfway alongside the trail. Almost felt a little awkward as we sat there in our chairs stuffing our faces with a four course meal as other climbers passed us by. On the way to Barranco Camp we pass several groups of trees, nearly the only form of life in this alpine dessert that resembles something that of what you would see on the Flinstones. Their palms close up into a big ball at night to keep the tree and the other creatures that live within it warm. Barranco Camp is a nice camp and at the base of the Barranco Wall, a 700’ wall that must be scrambled up on the way to the next camp.
Day 4: Climbed to Karanga Camp at 13,100’. This was probably the most enjoyable hiking day I’ve had yet on the mountain, as it involved some class 3 scrambling up the Barranco Wall, a nice change of pace. It is impressive to watch the porters take this same route with the loads on their heads and backs. At Karanga Camp there are several large boulders in camp that make for some nice high altitude bouldering to break up the monotony of hiking with a beautiful backdrop of Kilimanjaro. We went for a short acclimatization hike that evening with our waiter Girfred (sp?) to gain 800’ that turned to be quite eventful. Now those of you sensitive viewers may want to skip then next few lines. On our way back down we spotted a group of 3 girls, Australians we believe, that we passed on the way up as they were headed off the beaten path towards the crest of a canyon. Amanda’s sharp eye noticed they were all standing naked on a big rock, or at least bra-less and pant-less from what we could see at such a distance, as they posed for a self timed picture that I imagine would look something like a Victoria’s Secret Angel add with the clouds in the background haha. Who says nothing exciting ever happens up here. They posed for several pictures and were still up there when we got back to camp. Girfred noticed the action and had a bit of a bashful chuckle himself as he pretended to not pay too much attention. When he broke the news to the rest of the gang back at camp however, he stirred up quite the commotion, and we learned another Swahili word, “mazawa” for boobs. Quickly learning the fundamentals of the language.
Day 5: A short day of climbing to our final high camp, Barafu camp, at 15,331’. Nothing too pleasant about this high camp, as it’s rested in lots of big boulders on a steeper slope and full of people with altitude sickness from either just attempting to climb to the summit or climbing too quickly to this point. Amanda and I have both been acclimating well and only shown minimal symptoms of altitude sickness at this point with a mild headache at camp 3 quickly relieved by ibuprofen. We were off to bed by about 7 with the assistance of a few benadryls, with an 1130 pm wake up time planned to begin our summit attempt.
Day 6: Ate some cookies and hot chocolate before we headed out at 1240 for the summit. We were as rested as you could be for an uncomfortable camp and a few hours of sleep in a windy night. The wind was gusty that am, but the temps were plenty tolerable, especially when the wind died down. Summit day is a +4,000’ day to an altitude much higher than that of which we’ve acclimated to. Climbing went rather smoothly as we passed the majority of people climbing keeping a solid steady pace. There were a few times when we were unsheltered and the wind was rather brutal, dropping the temps substantially, which made for some cold fingers and toes, but nothing worth spoiling our party. We made it to the summit at 6am, with bitter cold temps at the top, and it was just breaking daylight. We opted to take our pictures by the summit sign with the flash rather than hanging out in the cold to wait for a better picture with more light. Minutes are a long time when you are exposed in cold winds. It was just warm enough to take off a glove for a picture, but needed to be quickly put back on. I felt a little shitty, pardon the language, a few hundred feet before the summit from the altitude, but it seemed to relieve itself at the top. Amanda climbed like a champ and went strong the whole way up! After a few quick poses we started descending. It felt good to get my second summit completed and to see Amanda accomplish a task she’s been training for and nervous about for several months. It became light as we passed some of the amazing glaciers that are held at the top of the crater. The glaciers here are believed to be gone by 2020, making it a very unique and beautiful sight to see. Amanda felt sick and was stricken with a little nausea about half way down, but was a trooper and went steady all the way to camp where her symptoms relieved themselves quickly with some rest and fluids. We passed a few climbers on the way down that were quite sick, stumbling all over being assisted down by porters or laying on the ground throwing up. While it is a relatively easy climb, there is not a great success rate on the mountain because of the type of climbers that attempt the non-technical peak, and the dynamics of the climb gaining such an altitude in such a short climb time, most being arranged in 6-7 days, and 4,000’ of them being the last day. After some lunch and a nap we felt like champs and descended the Mweka route another 5,000’ to Mweka camp, making a 9,000’ descent on the day. Most all of the climbs are descended via the Mweka route, which makes it nice not descending the same route you climbed. Our final camp was soggy and near the beginning of the rain forest. It was good to be nearly finished after such a long day. Our guide David treated and surprised us that night with a bottle of South African Red Wine. Neither Amanda nor I are huge wine drinkers, but it was a nice treat to enjoy with our last dinner on the mountain.
Day 7: We descended down an exceptionally muddy trail to the Mweka gate at 5,380’ to wrap up our successful climb. We were greeted by several different groups kids along the way that walk part way up the route to ask climbers for “chocolaties” or carabiners, not sure exactly what they want the carabiners for? The park service gives you a certificate if you summited upon checking out. We were happy to be back in civilization and headed to the Springlands Hotel for a long needed shower and a much deserved cold Kilimanjaro Beer!
We are now in Moshi as we spent our last night at the Springlands, and found a sweet motel for 30 dollars a night with a rooftop bar overlooking the city and Kilimanjaro. We are taking two days off to check out Moshi then we are off to do a 3 day safari. Stay tuned.