Kilimanjaro … cause the
Grumbler said so!
In February 2012 a group of 12 trekkers including marathon
runners, seasoned trekkers, and gym rats like me, decided to climb Kilimanjaro
from the west via the Lemosho route. Our typical day started by being woken up
at 06:30 with bed tea followed by a bowl of warm water at 06:45 for a quick
brush and wash. Breakfast followed at 07:15 and we broke camp at 08:00. We
hiked all day, sometimes having packed lunch along the trail and sometimes a
hot lunch at camp. Dinner was at 19:00. Everyone tucked in at 20:30.
We started at Londrossi Gate (2,250m) and spent the first 2
days trekking through beautiful lush rainforest. We then climbed out of the
forest to reach the Shira Ridge (3,500m) where the views opened out and there
was a tangible sense of wilderness. We spent the next 2 days traversing the
enormously vast Shira plateau with views of Mount Meru floating on the clouds
in the distance.
Our Tanzanian trek leader soon familiarized us with 2 key
concepts necessary for trekking at high altitude. The Swahili phrase ‘Pole
Pole’ meaning ‘slowly slowly’, and the need to drink 4-5 liters of water a day,
simple only if replaced with beer.
We descended into the Great Barranco valley (3,900m) sheltered
by enormous cliffs that we later learnt were called the Great Barranco Wall and
needed to be scaled the following day.
The wall struck fear into many hearts and drew tears for one.
But only 2 enjoyable hours of concerted effort got us up this wall and then the
terrain changed to volcanic scree with vegetation confined to sheltered
hollows. We could now see the southern ice fields on Kilimanjaro and there was
a powerful sense of mountain wilderness.
Our next camp was at Karanga (4,000m) the last water point.
All water required beyond here had to be carried. A gradual but steady climb on
compacted scree took us to our final camp on the Barafu Ridge (4,600m) from
where we would launch our midnight summit bid.
After barely any shut-eye we were woken up at 23:15. A quick
hot drink and snack and we began our summit bid at 23:45. A section of
scrambling by torchlight was followed by a long steep climb up loose volcanic
scree. As we climbed higher, the winds got stronger, the temperature plummeted
further and we struggled uphill questioning our wisdom of choosing to be where
we were. Temperatures dipped well below -20C and rest stops were few, lasting only
1-2 minutes to prevent freezing and seizing up. With agonizing exhaustion the
physical battle was becoming a psychological one as we met descending
individuals and groups who had aborted their summit bids for various reasons.
While the final summit ascent is a hard slog coupled with
the discomfort of high altitude including severe cold, sleep deprivation and
lack of oxygen, these struggles are soon forgotten as one stands at the roof of
Africa at 5,895 meters (19,340 feet) AMSL. As the sun rises over Mawenzi, the
views become spectacular.
The descent was surprisingly fast as we sliced through loose
avalanching scree at breath taking speed using skiing action. We descended all
morning and afternoon till we reached the Millenium camp (3,800m) for our final
night on the mountain. A sustained descent the following day took us to Mweka
Gate (1,650m) from where we were a tantalizing 100Km bus ride away from well
deserved showers, beer and a swimming pool.
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