Inflammable Means Flammable: Mount Kilimanjaro

Hey all!

My dad arrived safely from the US, and even though his bags made an extended pit stop in Amsterdam, we arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport with everything. We stayed at Hatari Lodge, named for the John Wayne movie, and it was awesome! Similarly to the Fort restaurant, for those of you who have had the pleasure, the ambience was a mix of rustic and elegant. We went on several game drives through Arusha National Park and captured our first glimpse of Kili at dusk. More often than not, "the little hill" is shrouded in clouds, and our guide told us that it's a shy mountain.

After having my first hot shower in a month, Dad and I were off to Moshi to join our treking group for Kili. The company Zara Tours organizes a lot of different types of safaris out of one hotel in Moshi called the Springlands. First, we joined a bunch of other people and heard the spiel about group set up, equipment, and safety. Then we all had to yell, "All the way to the top!" and it was time for beer. I submitted a lot of applications to residencies, and joined Dad in the beer garden. We decided that we would just have an all liquid dinner and turn in early.

The next morning, we met our group and set off on the bus ride around the north/east side of Kilimanjaro to start the Rongai route.

From left to right in the picture are me, Kim, Sheila, and Steve with my dad in the back, and Pegi in the front. The four additions to our dynamic duo are Canadians from Cologna (sp?). Steve and Sheila are married; Kim is Steve's co-worker; and Pegi is Steve's sister. It was a fun group! This picture was taken after our first day hiking through pine forest for 2.5 hours. The trail was nice and manicured and not too steep (no flashbacks to Lupanga, luckily). We also hiked the first day with a pair of Irish gals. this first day, we gained 650m in altitude, going from 2000 to 2650.

Day 2 was from Simba camp to Second Cave, 2650m to 3,400m. It was a nice hike, and we were at the Second Cave by lunch time. Our guide's name was Emanuel, and he was excellent. He told us starting our climb that he knew every rock, bush, and leaf and to make sure to ask him about it. The mountain is his home. The porters would scream past us every morning after packing up the camp after breakfast, carrying bags and baskets and buckets on their heads. They certainly earn their money a hard way. After finishing the day, everyone else decided to take a nap before dinner, so I handed out some candy to the porters. They invited me into their tent to play... you guessed it- Uno (or lasti cardi in Swahili). The addition of my stinky body to the 4-man tent made it six in total, so we were packed in tight. The porters had spread little foam mats all over the floor so the whole thing was comfortable. At one point, one of the assistant guides Tony showed me that he was going to play two jokers on me when it was his turn, forcing me to take 10 cards. So I told him "Subiri!" (wait) and played an 8 to change the direction. We all had a good laugh when he destroyed the guy to his left instead of me, named Geoffrey. Finally, I won a round, and everyone had a good mocking of the guy I beat named Nyari. It was great! People started to trickle out of the tent to prep for dinner, and I snapped this shot of Geoffrey (left) and Nyari (right)

Day 3 was Second Cave to Kikelewa camp 3400m to 3650. I had been drinking a lot of water to help prevent altitude sickness, so I got up around dawn to use the choo (pronouced with a long 'o'- toilet). Luckily for me, Kibo (one of the peaks of Kilimanjaro) was lit up nicely by the the pink dawn light.

Day 4 was Kikelewa to Mawenzi Tarn 3650 to 4330m. This day was a bit more uphill, and Kim said she felt like she was really "sucking air." We were rewarded with the most beautiful camp, however. It sat at the base of Mawenzi peak, an eruption that after Kibo. I found this fact surprising, because Mawenzi looks much more raw and rugged. The caldera is like a giant, jagged crown. From Mawenzi, we could see all the way across a giant desert plain to Kibo hut. It was a fantastic view.

Day 5 was Mawenzi Tarn to Kibo hut, across the desert, 4330m to 4750 along 10km. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I thought it was one of the most beautiful days. The terrain was like the moon with nothing but dust stretching away from you. There was also a plane crash about 2/3rds of the way to Kibo. This seemed odd because it was the flattest stretch the whole way- maybe the pilot was attempting to land? All that remained were the wings and the nose/cockpit. This day destroyed Kim. I think she was developing a cold, which she subsequently shared with the rest of us. Across the desert, I found one big boulder and decided that it was the only option for a bathroom break. Apparently, every other traveler passing this way thought the same thing.

From this point on, the days blurred together. After our hike across the desert, we slept until 1045pm and got up to climb the mountain. Kim decided that after suffering so badly on the flats, she couldn't make the hill. The five of us piled out of the tents wearing almost everything we owned to prep for the cold, and we started walking. It was pitch black except for the light of headlamps. All you could see was the person in front of you's boots and the patch of gravel between you. If you looked up the hill, you could see clusters of head lamps rising straight up above you like high rise condos. Pole pole! I felt a little nauseated after a while, but not too badly. Pegi had to turn back from feeling ill, and our main guide Emanuel went with her. The four of us continued on with Tony and Christian for guides. Not too much later, Steve vomitted his guts out, and Tony told him, "Good job!" We continued on. There was nothing to see or think about except putting one foot in front of the other. I kept checking my watch, just to make sure time was continuing and to check the temperature, which never dropped below 20F. The windchill was another story.

Finally, a pink glow appeared behind us, and a wooden crossed loomed out of the darkness- Gillman's point!!! We had made it up the worst part. This picture is Dad and Christian with the backdrop of the crater behind. The terrain inside looked like Martian soil with the sun turning it orange at dawn.