Kilimanjaro

My 5 day trek up Kili was perfect! Eight out of Eight of us made it to
the top, Uhuru Peak, at 7:15am on Dec. 9th Uhuru Day (Tanzania's
Independence Day). The entire trip was really fun and I am so glad I
did it.
We left the ridiculously nice hotel on the morning of the 5th and
traveled (in an over priced 6 seat taxi with eight of us and all of
our bags) to the Marangu Hotel at the base of Kili. The hotel was so
nice with big grounds and cute cottages with amazingly warm showers.
All day we just sat around the hotel preserving our energy for the
19,340ft mountain we were preparing to climb. It was a lovely day
topped off with an amazing four course meal complete with a gourmet
cheese platter! I must say the cheese was quite a treat because cheese
doesn't seem to exist in the African diet.
Day 1 was a little slow to start, but as we have all adjusted to
Africa time it didn't bother us that it took about two hours to sort
out our payments or that our briefing that was supposed to take place
at 9 happened at about 11. It was quite amusing to watch all the
other wazungu get antsy as we sat around waiting to get started.
Finally after noon we loaded up the truck and set off for the entrance
gate. Four of us (Charles, Rachel, Adam, and I) decided to carry our
own bags instead of just a day pack. Our guides thought we were a
little crazy, especially Rachel and I, but I am sure the porters
appreciated the lighter loads. After a quick lunch at the trailhead
we started our 7K hike. Although the hike wasn't long it took a while
because we had to practice our Pole (very slow) pace for
acclimatization. It took about 3.5 hours to reach the first camp,
Mandara Huts, and we gained about 1000m elevation. The hike took us
through rain forest that was actually quite reminiscent of Portland.
Although it was a pretty easy day, I was exhausted by the time we
reached camp and very appreciative of the tea and popcorn upon arrival
because it was getting late and chilly. Our dinner was also so good,
but we had to wait for the dining hall to clear out the group of 48
Aussie teens before we got to eat. It was crazy how busy it was, but
still quite enjoyable. Also on this day our guide started calling me
Witness, which everyone started calling me by the end.
Day 2 was a longer hike, 11K, that went into the alpine zone with the
funkiest looking conifers I have ever seen. All morning there were
great views of Kili and near by Mawenzi until it clouded over in the
afternoon. Hiking up to Horombo Hut, 12,370 ft, I definitely started
to notice the affect of altitude on my breathing, but it was a nice
hike and we made it to camp by 2:30. This camp was really cool with
views of the most magnificent sunset and sunrise above the clouds.
The trees around this camp were by far the weirdest because they
looked like something out of Super Mario. We went to bed after
another delicious dinner at about 6:30 to prepare for the next epic 24
hrs.
Day 3 was on of my favorite hikes because we took the upper route to
Kibo Hut, the last hut at 15,520 ft, which was completely empty and so
beautiful. It went up between Kili and Mawenzi and then dropped into
a valley that when we crossed it felt like we were walking on Mars.
We arrived at Kibo at 3 or so and rested until 5 o'clock dinner and
then bed. We tried to sleep (difficult because of the altitude and
noisy Aussies) until 11pm when we had to wake up and get ready to make
our assent.
Summit Day! When I woke up at 11 and ran to the bathroom (combination
of staying super hydrated and taking Diamox, and altitude sickness
preventative drug, made all of us pee about every hour) I discovered a
completely snow covered winter wonderland and it was still coming
down. I was so happy to see snow! After a cup of tea and putting on
so many layers we started climbing at midnight. After about 10
minutes I was overheating so we all stopped and delayered. Luckily
for me the proceeding 6 hrs were actually quite enjoyable, but a few
people in the group were feeling quite sick. By the time we reached
the half way point we were high enough above the clouds to see the
stars. They seemed so close, it was phenomenal. So finally after
almost 6 hrs of steep uphill we reached Gilman's Point on the crater
rim at 5:45 am. It was amazing, there was enough ambient light to
see parts of the magnificent crater and it felt so good to finally be
close to the summit. Although the first 6 hrs were tough, the easier
1.5 hr walk up to Uhuru peak actually gave me more trouble. The first
part was amazing because the sun was coming up and revealing some of
the most breathtaking views, but after about an hour the altitude
finally stated to get to me and I got a head ache and felt a little
nauseous. However once I saw the top, my symptoms disappeared and I
enjoyed a giant feast for my eyes. There was even a faint rainbow
above the peak. After taking a lot of pictures we started back down.
I thankfully still had quite a bit of energy and enjoyed the amazing
360 degree views and had a great time skiing down the skree. I made
it back to Kibo a little after 10 and got to rest until lunch, but
after lunch we still had to get back down to Horombo. 14 hrs on trail
was extremely tiring, but I loved almost all of it.
That night after a snickers bar and some dinner I slept so well, but
we had a long way to go down the next day.
Day 5 was my least favorite because I got so sick of walking downhill.
My knees killed and by the end I felt like a cripple, but it was
worth it. When we got back to the hotel we had a couple rounds of
drinks with the crew and then headed back to Arusha. That night we
all went out to dinner and stayed in a hotel. In the morning everyone
else left while I moved to the Orphanage. It was scary to say
goodbye, but it has been a great first few days volunteering.