Out of the shadows of Kilimanjaro - a trek up Mt Kilimanjaro

 

Out of the shadows of Kilimanjaro

 

Introduction

It all began when my daughter, Sophie, sent me an e-mail while we were in Florida in June 2002.  She asked if I would like to climb Mt Kilimanjaro with her.  Having had the idea of doing such a trip with a friend and his party, but which was postponed, I said I would go with Sophie.

We decided early 2003 would be the time to go: one of the dry seasons which lasts from January – March.  We concluded February would be the month.  Sophie favoured the Machame route as being more picturesque and less populated than the Marangu route and it was also better for acclimatisation.  It called for some ascending during the day followed by descending to sleep (“walk high, sleep low”) which would be helpful in getting over / avoiding altitude sickness.

I regarded training as extremely important.  One had to be fit to climb from 6000’ to 19340’ and down in 7 days in a fairly hostile environment: going from heat and possible heavy rain to thin air, strong sun, freezing temperatures and strong winds.

After much i-net research I found an appropriate training programme which I adapted to suit me.  It included gym work, long walks and I continued the running I already did.  Training started in Florida about 12 weeks before our climb and continued in England.  Long walks varied between 6-15 miles and at one point I did 5 successive days walking about 6-11 miles each day to partly match the number of days expected to be spent on the mountain.  On Mt Kilimanjaro we would have to walk some 40-50 miles, with each day being about 6 hours long, and the summit day with 15 hours walking.  As much hill walking as possible was done commensurate with being at home, therefore the highest hill climbed was 600'!  Thus, there was no altitude training.

Clothing and equipment was well tested in walks in rain, sun, wind and even snow in the English winter.

The day of departure came: 13 February, 2003.  The flight was from Heathrow to Nairobi by Kenya Airlines overnight, and by bus from Nairobi to Arusha (Impala Hotel) with the Riverside Shuttle.   We glimpsed Mt K from the bus  - and it looked huge!  Were we really going to climb that?  A meeting at the hotel with Anod from African Adventures (AA) to discuss the route, porters and equipment was our final preparation prior to starting the next day.  We were advised that our porter party was rising from 5 to 7: guide, assistant guide, chef, 4 porters.  While this meant no change to the price of the trip it did mean more tips would be needed at the end.

Day 1: 15 February  Machame Gate – Machame Hut

After a 2 hour drive through banana plantations and lush terrain with Zach (who, incidentally, had made 262 ascents), one of the founders of AA, and Thomas our guide (a mere 150+ ascents), we arrived at Machame Gate.  We met our porters (August, Philbert and the others), handed over the heavier rucksacks (not more than 12 kg allowed), signed into the National Park (and paid fees of US$ 950), were given lunch to put into rucksacks already full (lighter weight at about 12 kg! – it’s all a question of perspective, you see), had the obligatory photo call beside a sign warning us not to do this if we were not physically fit, and at 1130 hrs we started our climb in a  temperature of 31ºC.  I noticed that I was about the oldest, at 56, on the Machame route and Sophie, at 28, the youngest.  We also discovered that the Machame route (“whisky”) is just as populated as the Marangu route (“Coca Cola”).

 

The route was densely surrounded by thick vegetation all the way up till we were 20 minutes from our first camp (Machame Camp) when it thinned out into trees and tall grass.  The going was up a muddy path with many tree routes to snag you; quite steep in places.  It rained twice, the second time hard and for 1 1/2 hours.  I made the mistake of thinking it would not last, did not put on my waterproof trousers and found after 1 ¼ hours water was getting inside my “waterproof” jacket.  So I was soaked! Even in the last few minutes my boots took in water which concerned me as I thought they would never dry out before the end of the trip and we still had 6 days more to do.  

We reached our campsite at 1715 hrs and had to wait while the porters put up our tents.  Being wet it was very cold (temperature now 9 C); somebody produced a cup of tea while we waited in the Machame Hut and it was a Godsend.  Once tents were up clothes were changed and we warmed up at once; it stopped raining, the boys produced popcorn and groundnuts as nibbles, magnificent views were evident, and morale rose again.  

Statistical stuff (SS):

Climbed from 6000 – 10168’ in 5 ¾ hrs from Machame Gate to Machame Hut; temp from 31º to 

9º C.  Arusha is at about 4500’

Day 2: 16 February  Machame Hut – Shira Hut

My notes say:  started from Machame Hut, steep and difficult going – rocks – and slow.  Essential to drink plenty (2 – 3 litres/day) – no headaches either day.  Thomas  provided hot, sweet tea: excellent.  Sun very strong when it shone, but a lot of cloud later.  Views spectacular.  Passed group of Belgians having fancy lunch tables, chairs & numerous eats!  Slight lightheadedness at one point.  Helps to eat sweet things, eg Dextrose and high energy bars.  Sophie did well in spite of suffering stomach cramp.

High consumption of water is essential to reduce the likelihood of altitude sickness, therefore I reckoned 3 litres/day while climbing and more when in camp.  It means you pee a lot but the body needs the water.  It certainly kept headaches to the minimum for me.  The Belgians were an interesting party. In fact they turned out to be a group of 23 from 8 nations with 7 liver transplant patients amongst them.  They were sponsored by La Roche and 2 other companies, were supported by 62 porters and, at lunch time each day sat down on chairs to eat at wooden tables what looked like a pretty good feast to me.  (I subsequently met some of them and they were very nice people; no real reason to suppose otherwise just because they ate in style!)  We camped at Shira Hut.  It rained after we were in our tents.  I noticed a weather pattern: clear until 0900 hrs, then cloud coming and going round the “middle” altitude of the mountain, rain at about 1600-1700 hrs, then clear till 0900 hrs next day.  This meant that views across Africa and upwards in the evening, night and mornings were quite wonderful.

 

SS:

Climbed from 10168 – 12600’ between 0900  - 1500 hrs; temp at 0630 hrs 8º C but 14º C in the tent overnight,  12º C at 1500 hrs at Shira Hut.

Day 3:  17 February  Shira  - Barranco

Gentle slope; beautiful views in all directions.  Seeing the full moon come up behind Kili last night was truly magnificent & memorable.  Scenery today impressive: large open valleys, huge buttresses &  rock formations; stones piled on top of one another & through which we picked our way slowly.  Sophie suffering from mountain sickness: cramp in stomach, nausea.  I had slight headache on descent to Barranco.   Groundsel trees near campsite not found anywhere else in the world!

Kili looks huge & high!

Porters have done well.  Food good & plentiful but our appetites not as good as they should be.

Supper: pancakes, lentil soup, meat (?cow), rice, fried potatoes (boiled for S), veg “sauce”, bananas.

Sought help for Sophie’s stomach: met a Belgian doctor who prescribed pills & Diamox.  She was in the group of 23.

The word “slow” took on a new meaning today.  Thomas took the lead and we moved at such a slow pace I thought we would get nowhere!  He was quite right, of course, having had much experience with tourists.  The Africans always say “pole, pole” (=slow).  Sophie had a bad day; after 2 hours the stomach cramp was serious, but with rests she was able to keep going.  After we reached Barranco Camp I sought out the Belgian party and found the doctor who prescribed the pills for Sophie.  She said cramp was a symptom of mountain sickness. Sophie took one and was much better the next day.  We did not take the Diamox.

The food provided was varied and full of calories but on this day our appetites were definitely poor.  I knew that one had to eat plenty in spite of not feeling like it; another symptom of altitude is loss of appetite.  Learning all this from my Himalayan trip in 1999 was very helpful.

SS:

Climbed from 12600’ to high point of 16072’, then descended to 12800’ at Barranco Hut between 0825 hrs and 1625 hrs; temp at 0645 hrs –2º C, inside tent 7º C

Day 4: 18 February   Barranco - Karanga

I write as it rains (for 3^rd day).   Today’s walk started with the Barranco Wall climb.  Looked worse than it was!  First hour quite strenuous: difficult & rocky.  Sophie loved it!  Spectacular views from top of the Wall to Arrow Glacier, & up & down.  On the Wall itself looking up one could see great rocks over-hanging….

Some people were going straight on up to Barafu Hut, but the sensible ones (including the group of 23) were spending the night at Karanga River.

When we crossed the Karanga River I overheard that it was “all up” from now on, so said to Sophie “This is it.  The final assault on the summit begins now.”  (1337 hrs 18 Feb!)

No headache today; slight one yesterday but it went soon after arrival at Barranco.  No headache on Day 1 or 2.  Sophie much better today.  We walked very slowly up which was good, therefore needed fewer rests.

Fortunately, we were in our tents when it rained.  The Wall appeared very daunting but it was simple enough although steep and very rocky.  The porters’ performance was amazing: no sticks to help balance while stepping up 2-3 feet on the edge of a very steep drop and carrying, probably, some 20-25 kg on their heads.  Furthermore, they moved more quickly than us with our modest loads.  I had a long chat in French with one of the principals of the group of 23 as we walked downwards towards the Karanga River.  This was the last watering point before the summit and indeed before we reached Mweka Camp after assaulting the summit.  We took on board about 3 litres each from the river and the porters filled up.  I wanted to be able to leave Barafu ( tomorrow afternoon) with each of us having 4 litres in hand for the 15 hour day.  

The significant difference between parties who climbed the mountain in 5 days or 6 was evident on this day: the “5 dayers”  had a longer day  than us and more difficult as they went on up to Barafu while we went to Karanga which is at about the same altitude as Barranco.  The extra day + night allowed us more time to acclimatise and rest.

SS:

Climbed from 12800’ to 14000’ with a higher point reached in between 0840 and 1405 hrs; temp at 0630 hrs –3º C, 8º C inside tent.  At 1130 hrs 30º C in the sun; at 1630 hrs 10º C in shade.

Day 5: 19 February   Karanga - Barafu

Route across amazing terrain: old lava rocks, some slate (as though blown high out of the volcano and smashed on impact, and then broken up by heat and frost).

Going slow, not too difficult until last 40 minutes which was steep.

Wonderful view (for first time) of Mt Mawenzi as we arrived at Barafu.  Views all around stunning: upwards (very steep) to Kibo, down along route we took today, and across to Mawenzi.  It  is difficult to appreciate what a huge mountain this is until you are on it.

Good supper: cream of chicken soup, pasta, potato, pineapple – and tea!

Slept for a few minutes (?10) this afternoon.  Up at 2100 hrs, food at 2200 hrs, climb at 2310 hrs.

Sun on tent and outside absolutely scorching, but when it goes in it is quite cold.

The contrast between the different types of rock and terrain over which we walked was remarkable: in fact everything about this mountain I found remarkable, probably because I have little experience of operating in mountainous country.  Whatever, I found it all spectacular even though the going was at times becoming tiring.  This was on account of the thinning of the oxygen I reckon.

The first sight of Mawenzi occurred as we topped a crest; looked over and there it was, 10 km away across “the Saddle”, stark and beautiful against the sky, and, at that moment, free of clouds.

The final approach to Barafu Hut was steep and wearing so we were pleased to stop at our new tent site.  Excellent views, sun felt absolutely burning, so much so, in fact, one could not allow bare skin to be exposed to it.  However, very shortly after arriving we noticed the wind which was strong and cold so one had to sit in amongst the rocks to escape it.  We were now above the clouds which interfered with views downwards until 5pm when we could see down onto the plain of Africa and other mountains in the distance rising up through the heat haze.

The idea at Barafu was to rest in the afternoon and feed prior to starting our climb at 2300 hrs in order to be on Stella Ridge before the sun rose over Mt Mawenzi which was reported to be a view / an experience worth having.  Also, climbing on the scree would be easier if done before sunrise when it would still be frozen.  I managed 10 minutes sleep in about the 5 hrs rest time we had, unlike Sophie who managed 2-3 hrs!

SS:

Climbed from 14000’ to 15088’ between 0840h and 1235h.  Temp at 0645h outside –5ºC, inside 4ºC at Karanga. At Barafu at 1320h temp in sun 34ºC, in shade 15ºC (sheltered).

Day 6: 20 February   Barafu – Uhuru Peak - Mweka

 

Departed at 2310h for the assault on the summit.  As always at altitude the weather was beautiful: fine views.  Saw the moon rise behind Mawenzi: lovely.  Trek was very arduous.  Sophie had great trouble with altitude; made her breathless, as did the strong wind which continued from the afternoon at Barafu. (It blew the whole time thus causing wind chill.) 

Thomas “pulled” Sophie up the mountain for the last hour but we both made it.

Lack of oxygen made for lethargy, rapid exhaustion on what were very steep slopes.  They just went on and on!  Going, for the most part, not difficult, just steep.  I used the moonlight to find my way, but Sophie used her expensive torch (which was good).

The views by moonlight were excellent and were confirmed during our descent.

I cannot believe I have climbed / descended through a vertical interval of about 13500’ today in 17 1/2 hrs (with a break for refreshment at Barafu of about 1 ½ hrs).  Sophie did really well.  We reached Stella Point at 0630 hrs as the sun was rising behind Mawenzi and it provided for a spectacular view.  The sky’s changing hues were not unreal but beautiful.  The Hemm Glacier, right next to Stella Point, reflected a faint pink glow.  Over the rim of the Point is a huge crater and one could already see masses of people on Uhuru Peak.  We eased our way up the gentle slope to Uhuru, had the photo call (bitterly cold, but still sunny) and then hastened down. Had great fun “scree skiing” for 2 hrs on the way down.

The climb was very demanding because of the lack of oxygen.  My worry about water freezing was justified: it froze in the pipe from the Platypus container, therefore I only drank one litre of water on the ascent.  Virtually no headache, but on the descent at Barafu Hut I did have one (disappeared later as we descended to Mweka Camp).

From Barafu to Mweka was 4 hrs, and after the climb earlier it was tough!  Sore toes and upper front thighs!

The night sky was black before the moon rose, pricked with thousands of stars, the Southern Cross (I think), the twinkling lights of Moshi and other towns far below.  The moon cast its ghostly but bright light and as we ascended from Barafu when we looked back down we could see the bobbing head torches of the other climbers behind us moving gradually upwards.  We moved very slowly with me behind Sophie, led in turn by Thomas, and accompanied by August who was going to climb to the top with us.  If Sophie had a difficulty, buffeted by wind or had trouble with her footing, I nearly bumped into her or had to plant my walking stick to prevent her sliding back.  Rests were frequent; I felt light headed but no headache.  It was disappointing to discover that Thomas did not bring a hot drink.  This was the time when we really needed it: 6 layers of clothes + 3 pairs of trousers, balaclava and hood were not enough to keep warm but they did keep out the wind.  Drinking ice cold water was no fun and even though I did not want it I knew I had to drink.  This worked as long as I kept chewing the water tube to break the ice but eventually it froze and there was no more water unless I unpacked the bottle from inside my pack. Too difficult until Stella Point was reached!  Nibbles of a high energy bar and Dextrose helped to keep up my strength.  

There is no doubt that I frequently wondered when we would reach the ridge.  Others passed us; we looked up and saw their torches and the ridge above never seemed to get nearer.  At one point August stopped and Thomas explained that he was unwell and had to go back down.  I thought he would have to be accompanied and that this meant the end of our assault. However, August said he could get down on his own and we continued onwards and upwards. After hours of starting and stopping we discerned a slight change in the colour of the sky to the east so what a relief I thought: dawn, being near the top and some heat from the sun to look forward to and, possibly an abatement of the wind (sun often brings a change in weather conditions).

Near 0630 hrs we reached Stella Point, stopped to watch the sun coming up through the haze and directly over Mawenzi.  It was quite magnificent: a worthwhile experience!  The changing colour of the sky was reflected in the glaciers changing from white to faintly pink through faintly yellow to a bluish white. 

 I was surprised at the numbers of people who were already at Stella Point and who had reached Uhuru Point, still some 1 ½ hrs hrs away.  We moved on up the gentle slope to the Peak but many people were having trouble having to rest – as did we – but, at last, at 0750 hrs, we stood on the roof of Africa.  Brilliant, but freezing cold!  Did not want to linger: tired, lightheaded.  Good views into the crater.  I wondered if I would wish to walk about in the crater and view the glaciers for a day or 2 but, at that time, I did not feel enthusiastic.  I think I would need more acclimatisation time before attempting that.

The descent was good news: warmer, good “scree skiing” but tiring; excellent views.  At Barafu, after 3 hrs descending, a really appreciated gesture: we were greeted by a porter standing waiting with a glass of cool orange juice even as we walked into the camp.  Just what we needed!  You might think an alcoholic celebration might be more in order but such refreshment was far from my knackered mind…….my body required something far more basic!

After a rest and lunch we set out again (no wind either) for Mweka Hut, 4 hrs away.  This stretch turned out to be quite tiring – but then perhaps it was not too surprising as we had been up since 2200hrs last night, and a lot of the mountain had passed under our feet by the time we reached Mweka Camp!

SS:

Climbed from 15088’ at Barafu to 19340’ Uhuru Peak between 2310h and 0750h; descended Uhuru to Barafu between 0820h and 1130h, and Barafu to Mweka 1235h and 1635h.  Alt of Mweka 10168’.  Vertical interval travelled 13500’.

Temp at Barafu at 1100h –4ºC; at Stella and Uhuru –9ºC (+wind); at Mweka at 1810h 14ºC, at 2100h 8ºC.

Day 7: 21 February   Mweke – Mweka Gate

After breakfast started 3hr walk down through lush and attractive forest to Mweka Gate; 0820-1120hrs.  Easy going!  Signed out of Park and walked to village for drink with porters.

Slept for 8 hrs last night; usually it was 3-6 hrs per night.  In very good shape this morning.  One of the porters tried to up his tip on the grounds that he was our “waiter” and porter, but August and Thomas said they had all been given enough.

Anod met us in a bar in Mweka  village.  While drinking there was a contest between vendors trying to sell us wooden goods; and there were several stalls in the village.  Bought a Kili t-shirt for S7-.

Took porters home to Moshi, and then returned to Arusha.

All in all a great experience.  The porters supported us very well, in particular Thomas.  Feet up by the pool in the afternoon ….. and looking forward to the safari tomorrow.

Graeme Bennett

21 February, 2003