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| Time to load up and find that mountain! |
A guide for many years, and with ZARA for the last 6, Freddy Martin had summited Kili more than 50 times. Our climbing group was to be 3 people: me, Sue, and Jamie, a med student from Philly. The support team consisted of Freddy (lead guide), Hussein (assistant guide), a cook, waiter, 8 porters, and 1 toilet porter. Favorite guy: toilet porter.
The Route
There are 6 established Kili climbing routes: Marangu, Machame, Umbwe, Lemosho, Shira, and Rongai. There are well documented pros and cons to each route. We chose the popular 7-day Machame route which offers excellent scenery and relatively good altitude acclimatization.
Summit Odds
The number one challenge in summiting Kili is altitude. Some say less than 50% summit successfully because of altitude sickness, known as acute mountain sickness (AMS). But many trekking companies claim a much higher percentage, attributing success to the quality and experience of their guides. The odds of proper acclimatization increase with the number of days spent in the target zone of 12,000 to 15,000 ft. Diamox, designed to stimulate breathing, might help but there are different views on this: one is to start using Diamox at the first signs of AMS, another is to reserve Diamox until other relief methods have been exhausted, yet another is to rely on good hydration and to hike (very) slowly.
Pole-Pole
Poe-lay poe-lay is the constant mantra on the mountain. It means to go slowly. Very slowly. All uphill hiking is done at a pace so slow that at first you think they must surely be joking. It is slow-motion hiking, like trying to step without making any noise or disturbing any dust. However, it is very effective in greatly reducing the exertion level and oxygen requirements.
Gear
Each morning on the mountain, we organized our gear into two categories: stuff we needed during the day (carried in our daypacks) and stuff we didn’t (carried by the porters). Gear carried by porters was limited to 35 lbs (15 kg) per climber, and needed to be packed in waterproof bags, in case of rain. We managed to condense our porter load to 29 lbs total, packed into a medium sized The North Face Base Camp duffel (a very rugged duffel - highly recommended!). We were lightweights.
A key piece of equipment were trekking poles, or "sticks" as the guides called them. These were especially helpful during descents for lessening the load on your knees. But I also found them useful for maintaining balance when hiking pole-pole. Just try a slow-motion walk on uneven ground without an occasional pole stab - hard to do.
Some items we were glad we had: hand towels, pee bottle, sleeping bag liners, travel pillows, wide mouth water bottles, hydration bladders (e.g. camelbak), GoToob soft squeeze bottles (highly recommended for any kind of travel; heck, I'm gonna use 'em in the house too).
Some items we wished we had: short clothesline for drying wet towels and clothing, tripod for long exposure night sky shots, bandana for filtering breathing air, travel guides for all of our destinations, other reading material, games, hand sanitizer, camp shoes (slippers), steriPEN.
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Kili Climb Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp
Start: Machame Gate, 5942 ft
End: Machame Camp, 9911 ft
Ascent: 3969 ft
Distance: 6.7 mi
Machame Gate is an hour’s drive from Moshi and 3300 ft higher in elevation. The drive takes you from the dry and dusty lowlands up through much greener farmland with banana and coffee fields. Symbols of agricultural wealth started to appear in the form of lavish homes, nestled in with the desperately poor. As we continued to climb, trees became more abundant, especially banana trees, and the air was cooler. On the final approach to the gated entrance of Kilimanjaro National Park, dense clusters of shacks and people littered the roadsides, offering provisions, porters, and things you'd never thought of before.
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| The obligatory Machame Gate photo! |
After signing in at the ranger’s desk, we waited in the adjacent pavilion for word from Freddy that we could start. The pavilion sported rambunctious blue monkeys who were keen on grabbing your stuff when you weren’t looking. One camera-toting climber trying to get a close-up found it wasn’t hard to tease some aggression out of the little guys and he retreated quickly before he lost a lens or a finger.
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| Got any Snickers bars? |
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| Hiking at last |
The climb soon turned onto a wide “engineered” trail. Imagine an 8 ft wide trail with gutters formed into the dirt sides to manage runoff and a raised center 5 ft wide path framed with thick wooden curbs (made from branches). Heavy foot traffic necessitated rugged trail construction.
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| "Engineered" trail construction |
The forest canopy gradually reduced in height during the climb. Bearded lichen, dripping from the trees, thickened. By the time we reached Machame camp after a 4 hour hike, the vegetation was very thin and not much above our heads. Our tent was already pitched and our gear stowed inside. Jamie’s tent was up, as were our mess and toilet tents. We were one of the few groups with a toilet tent. It was cute, just 3 ft sq. and 7 ft high. The portable toilet within had a manual flap valve and flushing pump. The permanent toilets at each of the camps were quite scary. We loved our private toilet.
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| Our compound at Machame Camp. Toilet tent in front, mess tent in back. |
Our waiter, Benjamin, introduced himself and brought us each a basin of hot water in which to wash away the day’s grime. As it started to get dark, he invited us to the mess tent for a candlelit (candle standing in a potato) dinner. Cucumber soup, boiled potatoes, stir-fried slaw, fried fish, and vegetable stew. Delicious would have been an understatement, it was outstanding.
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| Candlelit dinner |
Evening temperatures were falling through the 50’s. The sky had completely cleared of clouds. As we prepared to climb into our tent, we stopped to count the stars. We stopped at a billion.
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Kili Climb Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Caves Camp
Start: Machame Camp, 9911 ft
End: Shira Caves Camp, 12,595 ft
Ascent: 2684 ft
Distance: 3.3 mi
“Hot water for coffee”. Benjamin greeted us every morning with that welcome offering. Almost like breakfast in bed. We unzipped the tent door and he gently lowered the serving tray into our tent. Hmm, frost on the ground. We made our coffee, mine Tanzanian, Sue’s Starbucks Italian Roast, and slid back into our warm sleeping bags. A few minutes later, Benjamin was back with, “hot water for washing”, and left the basin of steaming water.
The morning sky was crystal clear. Kibo, the tallest of the two summits on Kili, was overhead, smiling at us. It seemed so close, but we knew it was days away. We were on the western side of the mountain, shaded from the early morning sun. In the distant west, Mt Meru stood proud, illuminated. We were above the sea of low clouds and could see for miles in every direction. Each morning was to be a repeat performance of this one.
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| Mt Meru in distance |
Benjamin informed us breakfast was ready. Millet porridge, toast, hotdog-like sausages, fried eggs, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Much like at the hotel. Every morning was similar, with small variations from time to time.
The hike to Shira Caves Camp was short, maybe 3 hours. Clouds started to roil above and below us during the hike while the temperature played around in the 50’s. Very little remaining vegetation at 12,000 feet. The campsite was a vast open volcanic field with an ever so slight slope to it. Tents dotted the site in every direction. Punchy clouds rolled quickly up the slope in waves. Kibo played peekaboo.
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| Energetic clouds at Shira Caves Camp |
Our afternoon was free. We strolled over to the caves. Big let down, just big enough to house an Airstream trailer or Mongolian yurt. Jamie whipped out a deck of cards and we played hearts for a couple of hours.
Time for dinner: mushroom soup, yellow rice, beef stew. Excellent, though the “beef” was as tough as what I’d imagine an old wildebeest would be like. Dessert: bananas and avocados.
Star count: a bazillion; the Milky Way was like a whitewashed ceiling. No jet lights or contrails, just pure space.
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Kili Climb Day 3: Shira Caves Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp
Start: Shira Caves Camp, 12,595 ft
Lunch: Lava Tower, 15,180 ft
End: Barranco Camp, 13,077 ft
Morning Ascent: 2585 ft
Afternoon Descent: 2103 ft
Net Ascent: 482 ft
Distance: 6.7 mi
Sue woke with a headache and took 2 ibuprofen. After breaking camp, we hiked for 3 hours to Lava Tower, the remnants of an old volcanic cone. The hike across the vast Shira Plateau was easy, though it conjured the scene after the ring was destroyed and Frodo and Sam were specks amidst volcanic debris and falling fireballs on the slopes of Mount Doom.
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| Approaching Lava Tower above 15,000 |
We consumed a box lunch of roast chicken, corn bread, chapata, and fruit while sitting under the tower. Sue was sure she was feeling the ill effects of altitude and started to take Diamox.
The 3 hour descent into Barranco Valley was also easy but it took on an entirely different personality than that of the Shira Plateau. We descended into rich growths of Lobelia deckenii and Dendrosenecio kilimanjari, fabulous giants from another planet. Barranco Valley is often described as one of Kili’s most scenic but today it was mostly socked in with low clouds.
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| One of many groves of Dendrosenecio kilimanjari in the Barranco Valley |
I noticed I had a headache so I took some ibuprofen. I wasn’t ready to conclude it was AMS but I intended to monitor the situation in case a different course of action was needed. By dinner time, no more headache. Speaking of dinner, tonight it was potato soup, elbow pasta, shish-kabob (with the old wildebeest meat), and sauteed veggies in our favorite African sauce. Watermelon for dessert. Despite the tough meat, everything was as tasty as ever.
Freddy and Benjamin stopped by to socialize after dinner. Both are originally from Tanga, on the coast near Zanzibar. Freddy has a 6-yr old son, Colin, named after Colin Powell who he and other Tanzanians greatly admire. Freddy’s name for me was Baba (Father) and for Sue, Mama (Mother). Jamie was Kaka (Brother). He and Benjamin were happy that we liked to talk to them on a personal level. They seemed to imply this was not common.
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Kili Climb Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp
Start: Barranco Camp, 13,077 ft
End: Karanga Camp, 13,235 ft
Ascent: 158 ft
Distance: 3.2 mi
The morning air was brisk and the sky clear. Kibo, above and larger than ever, and Mt Meru to the west, greeted us as usual. Today and tomorrow were to be short hikes for acclimatization purposes and distinguished our 7-day Machame route from the 6-day Machame route which combined the the 2 days into one. We were looking forward to the fabled Barranco Wall (aka Breakfast Wall), a 700 ft near-vertical scramble to exit the valley. It wasn’t long before we were hanging from our finger tips; there were a few sections that required precise hand and foot placement to avoid plummeting to your death. Well, maybe that’s overly dramatic but it was a bit like the wall that Frodo and Sam followed Gollum up to sneak into Mordor.
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| Midway up Barranco Wall |
The afternoon was spent playing Dou Di Zhu (Fight the Landlord), a card game for 3 people that Jamie learned 10 years ago in China. A fun game, but the outcome was predictable - Jamie beat the two of us soundly.
Dinner: Cucumber soup, Zanzibar rice, green beans, and our favorite veggie stew. Still loving it.
Afterward, Freddy stopped by for a summit strategy meeting. This turned out to be a key discussion. The normal itinerary from this point forward is to hike to Barafu Camp in the morning, rest in the afternoon, sleep early, wake at midnight for a headlamped summit climb, see the sunrise, descend to Barafu for lunch, descend to Mweka Camp for overnight, and descend to Mweka Gate the next morning. Apparently, some people felt it’s meaningful to experience the sunrise at the summit. Lots of negatives with this plan though: it can be really cold and windy at midnight, it’s crowded, and the only scenery during the climb is the backside of the person in front of you.
The alternative: Hike to Barafu Camp in the morning, eat a quick lunch, then climb to the summit in the bright sunshine and warmth of the afternoon, followed by a descent to Barafu for the overnight (headlamps might be required depending on the descent speed). Then descend all the way to Mweka Gate the next day, stopping only for lunch midway at Mweka Camp.
Freddy said our group was small and strong enough to pull this off. And as a bonus, Freddy, Hussein, and Benjamin would carry our daypacks for us during the final summit push, just to make things a little more pleasant. He also said this plan would make the porters happy because they could go home one day early. After a brief analysis, we gave him the thumbs up.
On the way to our tents, we stopped to gaze upon the lights of Moshi, way, way below us. It was a cloudless night and we fell silent as we took in the view. It was as if we were suspended from a weather balloon.
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Kili Climb Day 5: Karanga Camp to Uhuru Peak to Barafu Camp
Start: Karanga Camp, 13,235 ft
Summit: Uhuru Peak, 19,341 ft
End: Barafu Camp, 15,295 ft
Ascent: 6106 ft
Descent: 4046 ft
Distance: 8.1 mi
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| Kibo hovering above Karanga Camp in the morning |
An early departure, 7:30am, enabled us to reach Barafu Camp by 10:30am. Barafu was a spiny bouldery shoulder with difficult and tight tent pitching sites. Our porters chose the highest area, a smart choice for our post-descent arrival late in the day.
I began to notice a strange feeling in my head, like a disconnection from reality. I was talking to Sue but it seemed like it was someone else talking to her and I was observing from a distance. This, along with the headache that had developed led me to conclude I was suffering from AMS symptoms so I finally decided to take a Diamox pill. No nausea yet, so I lunched with the others and got ready for the summit attempt.
We started climbing at 11am. It was bright and sunny. The views in every direction were spectacular. It was hard to imagine sacrificing this amazing grandeur for a midnight climb. The terrain was rocky and varied, but not strenuous. However, as the hours wore on, my symptoms worsened. The headache persisted. I could feel my heart racing. I was a little dizzy and constantly felt my body’s desire to shut things down and faint on the spot. I developed a coping mechanism to stay conscious - focusing on the feet in front of me, I inhaled deeply as the right foot advanced and exhaled while mentally yelling “STAY AWAKE” as the left foot advanced. I maintained my concentration this way for hours. Realizing the others might be freaking out a little bit over my situation, I announced, “there’s a song going through my head”. I heard an “uh-oh”, I think from Sue. I launched into a wobbly version of the Oscar Meyer Wiener Song - Sue joined in as soon as she heard me flub some words. I think everyone started freaking out a little more after this.
Fortunately, I was still able to look around and marvel at my surroundings. From time to time, I would look towards the summit rim and pick a reference point for monitoring our progress. Strangely, we never seemed to get any closer to the reference points I’d picked so I’d choose another hoping it would yield more quickly. We made several stops to take on water and snacks. I popped more Diamox.
We were meeting a number of descending climbers, some who had summited successfully, some who had not. There were words of encouragement from some of them. “Keep going, it’s worth it”. I found the advice, “One step at a time”, to be spot-on. Sadly, none of them said, “You’re almost there!”
Around 4pm, we reached Stella Point, the edge of the summit plateau. At 4:40pm, we reached Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.
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| On top of Africa! |
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| Mt Mawenzi poking through the clouds |
Taking stock of our conditions, we found Sue and Jamie to be relatively strong, perhaps benefitting from their Diamox regimen. I was weak, looking forward to the descent. With a final look around, we headed for Stella Point.
The descent was fast. We skied down 2000 ft of loose scree at the top. It was a slow motion telemark ride in a talcum and lentil mix. The dust covered us and infiltrated all the holes in our heads. We reached Barafu Camp in 90 minutes, just as the sun was setting. I crawled immediately into my sleeping bag. Sue and Jamie stopped at the mess tent but decided food was not of interest. We had been hiking for nearly 12 hours. We could think of nothing but sleep. It started to snow flurry as we drifted off.
Around midnight, we became away of activity all around us. Tent zippers, voices, wind. Most of Barafu was awake, preparing for their summit attempt. We snuggled deeper into our warm sleeping bags and fell quickly back asleep.
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Kili Climb Day 6: Barafu Camp to Mweka Gate
Start: Barafu Camp, 15,295 ft
End: Mweka Gate, 10,190 ft
Descent: 5105 ft
Distance: 4.0 mi
We woke with an odd feeling. Nothing hurt. No residual AMS symptoms. Great appetite. Well rested, like brand new. Amazing. We had breakfast, packed up, and started our final decent.
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| Our last morning on the mountain, at Barafu Camp |
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| Africa's highest outhouse |
We
stopped at Mweka Camp for lunch. It was relatively deserted. Mweka is
packed at night as it’s the main descent route on the mountain. Everyone
clears out after breakfast and the next batch shows up later in the
afternoon. No one shows up at noon, unless they’d summited the prior
afternoon. It was nice to feel like you had the whole mountain to
yourself.
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| Lunch with Jamie at Mweka Camp |
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| Sue and Yu girl-talking |
My knees started to really ache on the final leg of the descent. I’m sure the trekking poles helped keep the pain from being worse than it was but by the time we reached Mweka Gate in the early afternoon I was hobbling noticeably.
The ride back to Moshi was delightful. The basking-in-glory part was nice, but mostly it was the seat padding that made me happy. And the idea of a shower.
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| Our climbing team. Freddy front & center. Second row: me on right end. Third row: Sue on left end, Jamie on right end. Hussein on Jamie's right. Benjamin on Hussein's right. |
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Honeymoon in Tanzania
Part 1: Arrival
Part 2: Safari
Part 3: Kilimanjaro
Part 4: Zanzibar
Part 5: Memories
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