Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro…
After several successful flights with Ethiopian Airlines I land on “Kilimanjaro International Airport”, Tanzania on Wednesday the 14th of October. Just a few minutes ago we were flying at an altitude of almost 6000 meters. That’s my target height for the next days as Mount Kili is 5.895 meters. Although, it will have to do it on foot…
I spend my last night at the Spring Lands Hotel, located just outside the town of Moshi. This town, located south of Mount Kilimanjaro, is home to all climbers and offers the perfect infrastructure. Several hotels, bars and shops provide the necessary support for those who want to climb or leave on a safari. Despite the fact that I have booked a single climbing expedition I am spending dinner in good company: I am surrounded by lots of other climbers from all over the world. My table includes 2 Norwegians, 1 American, 2 Canadian sisters with an age around 60, an Australian guy and a couple Brazilians. Tomorrow we will all head up the mountain via different routes. Only Luke, a crazy Australian and the Brazilian couple (Maria & Julio) will be on my route (Marangu) climbing the mountain. However, they have chosen the direct ascent while I booked an extra day at 3700 meters for acclimatization. But that might still change…
At 8PM I return to my room for some last preparations. I take my time to sort out my goods one last time. What do I need on the mountain, what can stay in the hotel? It’s a delicate balance. In the end I have about 14 kilograms for my porter. These are the moments I don’t like at all: I prefer to be climbing. But it’s time for a last night in a good bed before I start climbing tomorrow. Whether I have all accounted for… We will see tomorrow on the slopes of the mountain. Let us hope for the best and try to fall asleep for that all important day tomorrow…
Day 1: Marangu Gate (1900 meters) => Mandara Hut (2700 meters) 4 hours
It’s hard to believe but I was woken by my alarm clock. I slept 8 hours in a row. Even at home I don’t sleep that good…Anyway, it is a perfect start. At breakfast Kili shows his true, unique snowy face… But by the time I have my camera at hand all I can see are clouds. We will have to do without an image.
The reason I only climb the mountain and don’t follow a complete safari program afterwards is the fact that I was here before. I tried to climb the mountain in March 2007. Back then, just a few hundred meters short of the summit, I was forced to turn back because of the effects of a severe food poisoning. If it wasn’t for the help of my good friends Rodney and Laurie from Michigan / USA I wouldn’t even have made it down again. That’s how bad I was at the time. So this time I am prepared. Both physically and mentally I ‘m ready to face this challenge. It is now between me and the mountain. My time has come…
The first day we hike through the rainforest. Light hiking pants and T shirt, backpack with a drink and some small snacks and we are off. It’s hard to believe that in only 48 hours from now we will have left the warm rainforest behind while we will be struggling with hard, cold winds and freezing temperatures. Not believe that within 48 hours in a thick coat and walk around will still only dream of the tropical temperatures that prevail at this level. At the lunch site, just 2 hours into the climb, we are entertained by a monkey. He is sitting in a tree just above our table while he (or she?) is enjoying himself by dropping little nutshells on our heads. When a large crow steals part of the lunch of a fellow climber we can’t stop laughing. Is this mountain climbing or some sort of nature walk? We almost forget what we are here for… We are here for only one purpose and that is to summit this beast. A goal we get closer to with every step we make. But by this time I have more knowledge and realize that the first 2 days are just for getting the engines started. The real climb is the last day towards the summit. These first stages only give a little taste of what is to come.
After 4 hours of slow progress we arrive in group at the Mandara Huts at an altitude of 2700 meters. Along with Luke and the Brazilians I share a cabin on this nice spot. I don’t get much time for resting though. My crew provides me with a bowl of hot water so I can wash myself a bit. Afterwards, I am expected in the central hut where I enjoy popcorn, biscuits and a cup of tea. What a luxury to climb with such a well organized team. My guide, Alphani, makes sure all goes smoothly so I get the best preparation possible for making it to the summit this time. With my waiter and three porters he will look after me during these days…
Before we end this first day we will have to make it up to Maundi Crater and back. This little extinct volcano is just half an hour away from the huts and creates a small attraction to climbers. Most of all it makes a perfect acclimatization walk as the crater lies some 200 meters higher than Mandara. I can not explain why but this place has something mysterious. As if all the forces of nature join here and get bundled together. When I walk on the crater rim, I feel stronger, I feel reborn. I know it sounds crazy but there is something mysterious about this place…
Day 2: Mandara Hut (2700 meters) => Horombo Hut (3700 meters) 6 hours
When I leave Mandara early in the morning, following my guide Alphani, we are the first ones to head up to the Horombo Huts (3700 meter). When most of the climbers are waking up, crawling out of their sleeping bags we are already on the move. Before 7AM we are climbing towards an altitude of 3700 meters and we walk as slow as possible. The fun part of this 2nd day is the fact that after just one hour one leaves the rainforest behind. Once rising above 3000 meters the jungle is replaced by a much less dense vegetation. grow no more trees and make the jungle to a more heath-like vegetation. If one is lucky this day one can enjoy the beautiful scenery, with an additional motivation added: the summit! You can just see the southern ice field and Uhuru peak. It seems surprisingly close but in a straight line its still over 15 kilometers away and an altitude difference of about 2800 meters … We are not there yet….
My fellow climbers (Luke and the Brazilians) took an early start as well and progress slowly but surely by my side. Tomorrow, they will immediately head up to an altitude of 4700 meters and then straight to the summit. I booked an acclimatization day at Horombo but I will make an evaluation tonight to see if I can move on tomorrow to an higher altitude. So far, everything is under control and I feel very strong. Just like yesterday I often take a short break for a drink and a small snack. I remember very well how I suffered from hunger and thirst as I didn’t took the proper time for drinking and eating in 2007. Rather than stopping once I prefer now to take short breaks ever half hour. I don’t want to stop either as the weather is becoming increasingly bad. I am walking trough clouds the whole time and according to Alphani it might start raining after 1PM. But according to his expectations we will have arrived at Horombo by that time…
Alphani knows what he is doing as we arrive at Horombo at 1PM exactly. I have a slight headache but no other problems so far. I don’t even feel tired at all. Alphani awards me with only half an hour of resting time. Barely enough for unpacking and a quick wash. We move straight to the “Zebra Rocks” this afternoon. This place is just over 4000 meters high and is considered a perfect acclimatization walk. On a usual climb you keep this walk for the extra day at Horombo but to see whether we are ready to move higher tomorrow we will go there this afternoon. Just 2 hours later we are enjoying an unparalleled view. The clouds surrounding Mawenzi Peak (just over 5100 meter) have been blocking the view during our climb but now they move out of the way. The result is an impressive view on the snow covered Mawenzi Peak and its side peaks. Moreover, with the clouds moving away, my head ache is gone as well… This is the confirmation I was looking for: I am in perfect shape for climbing another 1000 meters tomorrow…
Day 3: Horombo Hutten (3700 meters) => Kibo Hut (4700 meters) 6 hours
The time for everybody to share stories is at breakfast. Last night I was lying alone in my cabin (VIP-treatment?). But those who think that one can sleep well at this altitude is wrong. One of the underestimated altitude effects is the fact your body start dumping excess fluids. That results in peeing all night long (or so it seems). As the temperature is close to freezing at this altitude it’s not always fun getting out of your sleeping bag for a nightly excursion. For that reason I peed in a plastic bottle last night. An additional advantage is that you get an idea in the morning just how much fluids you lose over night. It was a shock! In my case: 1.2 liter! To cover that loss I usually drink up to 4 liters of water or more a day without counting the cups of tea during breakfast or dinner.
Like yesterday we are moving before 7AM. The first 2 hours are very heavy and hard. The track winds its way up the steep slopes. So far today the weather is holding and we can climb under a clear blue sky. On our way we pass the “last water point”. It’s the last place where one can fill bottles with… water off course! Unfortunately for us there is barely water. I have an empty bottle strapped to my back pack but it will stay empty I am afraid.
About halfway we take a short break at the lunch site. At about the same time Marie and her husband arrive at the site. She has a bad headache and is feeling sick: all clear signs of altitude sickness. I give her 4 pills of Diamox and advice her to take one with a strong painkilling drug like Brufen or Aspirin. That should help. Diamox is a drug that apparently helps fight altitude sickness although the drug is used for people suffering from epileptic symptoms. I have never tried Diamox myself but Alphani is a big supporter of the stuff. We will see what the result is in a few hours.
I leave my Brazilian friends behind and continue onwards. It’s considerably colder and the wind is blowing fiercely in our faces. It seems that we are moving on trough some sort of lunar landscape. All vegetation has disappeared apart from some grasses and small plants. There isn’t much life left at this altitude. The last refuge, Kibo hut, is situated at an altitude of 4700 meters which is barely a 110 meter below the summit of Mont Blanc in France! From there we still need to get a mere 1200 meters higher to reach the summit. When I arrive at Kibo I am suffering from a severe headache on the left side of my face.. I suspect that it comes from the freezing wind that tortured us the past 3 hours. Since the Diamox seemed to have helped Maria a great deal I decide that its time for me to start taking some as well. I also combine the stuff with a Brufen.
Most climbers eat a little bit when arriving at Kibo prepare their stuff for the summit attempt and go to bed for a few hours of sleep before midnight. Everybody that is besides me: I enjoy my dinner, get my stuff ready and go out again. Even now, despite the cold, long night that awaits me, I find it important to gain a bit of altitude so I can acclimatize better. I think it’s better to stay outside (despite the cold) than to lie in an 8 person dorm where the air isn’t always good quality. The sun is still out there and the views at this altitude are breathtaking. Luke and the Brazilians have the same idea about resting and accompany me on my little evening walk. Together we gain about 100 meters of altitude and stay there until the sun sets behind the mountain. Lets hope we can welcome the sun back from on the actual summit tomorrow morning. But once the sun sets behind the horizon it get very chilly… Time to get inside.
Before I crawl into my sleeping bag around 6PM I consult Alphani: we make a schedule for tonight. The aim is to get up at 10PM and to head out around 11PM tonight. Most climbers leave after midnight but I want more time so I can go slower. I still have my headache so I need to go slow tonight not to make things worse… If things don’t go well tonight I can still stay 1 day at Kibo and try a second time tomorrow night.
Day 4: Kibo Hut (4700 meters) => Top (5895 meters) 7 hours
Actually, it is still day 3 when I crawl out of bed around 10:30PM. For some reason, Alphani hasn’t woken me, and there is no trace of my cook either. I don’t want to wait much longer and get out of bed and dress myself for my summit attempt. I think they are both still asleep but when I take a look at the kitchen my cook is preparing my soup and bread. He tells me Alphani will be there in a few minutes. I don’t care actually. Believe it or not but just those 2 hours I could sleep made my headache go away completely. I feel so perfect for the moment, it’s hard to believe. Maybe it’s the Diamox that did it, I don’t know…Moments later Alphani shows himself and start saying he is sorry for this delay. I tell him I don’t care and that this half hour of delay will not keep me from reaching the summit. After a bowl of soup and 2 slices of bread (with lots of butter) I am ready to go… I am pretty lucky as Alphani will carry my backpack all night! Its not that I don’t want to carry it but my left shoulder hurts a lot. That will need some medical care at home.
23hr15:
The start of the actual trip… All the rest has been nothing more than warming up! It’s maybe hard to believe but it’s at this moment that the lack of sleep and the effects of the thin air will become obvious. The past months I have been working towards this moment. The route is very steep, with an angle of up to 45°. The first section is the hardest and the longest. We go up to an altitude of 5681 meters towards Gilmans Point. It is positioned on the crater rim itself. From there on the track flattens out and leads you about 200 meters higher to the actual summit.
So I start the long night at Kibo without a headache or any other malfunctioning parts on my body. My goal is to get to Gilmans Point without problems. But Gilmans Point is lying nearly 1000 meters higher: a long way to go! Slowly we wonder trough the dark night under a snowy sky. There is a light breeze and the temperature is 6 degrees below zero. Overall, pretty good circumstances to make it to the summit. From time to time I keep on stopping for a drink or a little snack. My fellow climbers are all feeling bad, some are even throwing up, while I am sitting on the side enjoying a little cake or a sausage. My biggest problem so far is the unstoppable hungry feeling. My belly is screaming the whole time: “Stop, and have a decent meal buddy”! So if you would have been on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro on Sunday the 18th of October you would have seen me eating my way up… After my climb several people came to me asking if I was that guy who was sitting there along the route eating… Yep, that was me!
The hardest point comes around 3AM. Getting to Gilmans Point is a struggle as large boulders and rocks keep you from moving and climbing smoothly. While I am climbing I am wondering how I get down these slopes later. Because “what goes up must come down” off course… So far I still feel 100%: the so hated headache isn’t popping up again. I am not feeling tired at all. A little later we finally reach Gilmans Point, the edge of the crater. Just after 4AM we reach the sign. A few tears roll over my cheek as I know now I will make the summit. First I take some pictures but then I need to eat again. I can’t help it but I have a massive appetite! Amazing! I am sitting in temperatures that are close to 15 degrees below zero now and still I am hungry. It’s a very good sign my body adapts to these altitudes very well….My guide is very pleased as well: this is going very smooth and he knows we will make the summit in less than two hours from now. After eating that last piece of cake (frozen solid) we move on…
Despite the difficult circumstances I keep taking pictures. I even try to film a part of the track. While I am filming a light glow appears on the horizon. Dawn is coming. I can not wait to finally see the summit. We keep on passing small hills and piles of volcanic rock when I see a glacier on my left side. The first light of the new day reveals a massive ice sheet covering the south side of the mountain. This thing is big, really big! People have told me of the glaciers on the summit but I never realized they were so impressive. From a far distance one thinks there is only a bit of snow on the mountain but these are massive walls of solid ice…
6hr05:
Then out of the blue, after crossing another pile of volcanic rock I see the sign that marks the highest point of Africa! Uhuru peak is just 100 meters away now. Just a few last steps and I reach the magic point. It may sound arrogant but this wasn’t so bad at all. Maybe because I am lucky I don’t have too many physical problems. I am now at an altitude of 5895 meters and feel super. A slight buzz in my head and the start of a headache but otherwise I feel so fine. The tears roll down my cheeks while I hug Alphani. Together we enjoy this moment. I take lots of time to take pictures with my camera (my back up fails because of the temperatures) and to pose for the signal on the summit. I only make one mistake: I take of my gloves. Within a few minutes two fingers hurt like h*ll. A bit later both fingertips go numb… (They will stay that way for 24 hours) A good reminder of what conditions are at those altitudes.
The sunrise at this point is truly unique. If you see what effort one has to put into climbing this mountain I can only enjoy the sunrays on my chilly face. After more than 2 years of frustration of not making the summit in 2007 I get my revenge. I know it’s not a nice word but still… Its about time I can close this chapter. When I make the equation I am left the hotel just 70 hours ago and am standing now nearly 5000 meters higher. What a feeling….
But it doesn’t end here. While most climbers start dreaming of a well deserved beach holiday or safari I keep on moving on. I keep on working towards my next goal: the climb of Mount Aconcagua (6,962 m) in Argentina next year…
One Life … Live it!
Wim De Backer
October 29, 2009