This is a giant senecio with a waterfall in the background taken on a rainy day. Supposed to be further down in the blog; couldn't figure out how to do it. Plant is about 25 feet high; picture doesn't really do it justice.
Mt. K from a distance
Mt. K from our 15,000 foot base camp, the day before summitIt was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Little did we know what we were in for. Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 19,341 ft., 4th highest of the 7 summits, was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his book The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1936), then made into a movie (Ava Gardner, Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward 1952). Mt. K is a result of a giant strato volcano (composite, many layers) (like Mt. St. Helens), started about 1 million years ago. Snow capped year round, massive ice fields and glaciers (continuous for the past 12,000 years) (although receding significantly recently), Mt. K is located in East Africa, in the Northeast of Tanzania, bordering Kenya.
Climbing Mt. K is an important part of the local economy. Called "Every man's Everest", 40,000 people attempt the summit each year; 16,000 make it. Common problems are AMS (acute mountain sickness), and there are deaths along the way. I heard from a British gentleman (unconfirmed) that three people died during the past ten days. Given the weather I am not surprised. Two guides in their 50's, with over 400 climbs between them, said this was the worst weather they had seen for climbing in 22 years. October is supposed to be the end of the dry season; not this year. In our 10 day trek, it rained almost every day.
Jim (brother in law) and I ready to go from Hilton Head.Our tour group, Tusker Trail, I cannot say enough about. They are more expensive, but for me, worth every penny. First concern-safety; every morning and evening they would ask a series of questions (Did you take your Diamox (prevent AMS), do you have a headache, did you poop, etc). Then they took our pulse, our blood oxygen, and each morning listened to our lungs with stethoscope. Our three guides were all first medical responders, carrying oxygen and a hyperbaric chamber.
The porters carried most of our gear (tents, etc); we carried 15-20 lb. day packs (mostly water, some clothing, medication, food). Every morning and evening and even lunch most days they had a dining tent with hot soup or hot porridge plus a hot entree of pasta or something similar. After slogging through the rain for hours, a hot lunch hit the spot.
For our group of 7 we had three guides and 32 porters. You should see the porters carrying these huge duffel bags on their heads and backs while navigating some rocky mountain of boulders or a river of mud; you just can't believe it until you see it.
Porter carrying bag on relatively easy terrain.
Our group of seven (Sharon taking the pic). From left, Jose, Lisa, me, Norbert, Jim, Merle.Our group of seven included Jose, 39, accountant from Peurto Rico, inexperienced hiker; Sharon, 48, auditor for UN peace keeping missions, Hague, Netherlands, experienced hiker; Merle, 50, Cree Indian from Alberta, Canada, engineer for Suncor. Merle is a very experienced hiker/climber (climbs ice walls with crampons and axes), very patient, always willing to help; might as well been a fourth guide (side note-of 259 Indians that he started 10th grade with, Merle was one of only three that graduated). Then came Norbert, 55, recently a researcher with Pfizer, lives south of Chicago, inexperienced hiker, but very knowledgeable; you'd think he had doing this for years; Lisa, 57, environmental attorney for the state of California, experienced hiker; me, 64, inexperienced hiker; and Jim, 69, more experienced than me, checking off his "bucket list". We had a good group, no prima donnas, no whiners, everyone encouraging everyone else. A group this size was helpful because whatever you needed and didn't have, someone else had and was willing to share. We bonded well, and that made a big difference.
There are several routes up the mountain; we took the Lemosho route, the longest, better to acclimatize ourselves to the high altitude before attacking the summit. First day it took several hours to get to park registration, where they weigh every porter's bag to make sure it is not overweight (picture at end of blog).
Six wheel drive just before we left.Then a hair raising (and I mean hair raising) six wheel drive incredible ride up a muddy, rutted, rocky dirt/mud path to our starting point (of course it was raining). At one point, the driver went up on the grass bank on the left side until he couldn't fit between two tree stumps and promptly tore off his muffler (can't imagine what they spend on transmissions). We finally made it, promptly cheered the driver. Then we started our trek through the rain forest, up and down and up over rocky, muddy paths; Jim slipped a couple of times, I slipped, even some of the porters slipped; one foot in front of the other, make it to base camp.
Each day was different; we went from rain forest to heather to Alpine desert, always navigating a new series of challenges, rock walls. Can't really describe the Great Barranco wall; let's just say it was very difficult.
Jim climbing the Great Barranco wall; he's in the green coat toward the top, using all four of his limbs (no trekking poles here).
Me, with the red rain cover on my pack, negotiating a tricky step; guide (in yellow, going to hand me my poles if/when I get around the corner; tricky and wet).Can't say enough about the guides; they would do anything to help. Jim had particular difficulty day one because of his balance problems; from then on they took his pack and he always had one or two guides plus Merle helping him, pushing him, pulling him, whatever it took to get over the next obstacle. After day two, falling behind, the guides decided it would be better for Jim to start out early; then when the rest of us caught up, Jim would set the pace. But, make no mistake, Jim climbed every rock, made every trek. A lesser man would have quit. He said it was the toughest thing he has ever done in his life. Kudos to you Jim; the man just wouldn't give up.
Jim taking short siesta after hot lunch. We all drank 4-5 liters water each day; Jim drank 6-7. Yet he was sweating so much and evaporating the liquid, that his urine was still somewhat yellow. The man can sweat!!We did enjoy each other's company, still upbeat at the dinner table, getting to know each other better, sharing poop stories/jokes (the guys) or discussing the differences between Canadian politics and the US. It was a good group.
Take a look/listen to the Lava Point video (at the bottom of the blog; tried to insert it here; couldn't figure out how to do it).
Unfortunately, due to the weather, we didn't get to enjoy the vistas and scenery as much as we would like. But we did have some moments; a full moon with dramatic stargazing, listening to colubus monkeys calling to each other in a crescending chorus, a waterfall amidst flowering grand senecios.
Check out the video at the bottom, Barafu base camp just before the summit.
The final push, our base camp at 15,000 ft; everyone still OK, body wise. Most groups start the final climb at a lower altitude, arrive at our camp around 7pm; get 3 hours sleep, then trek up the final 4,000 feet in the dark, so they can be at the summit at sunrise. Tusker does it differently; we have a hot dinner, spend the night at 15,000 ft, start the final climb at 6am (Jim started about 4:30). The difference is the other groups converge at the top, sometimes 50+ at a time, sharing the picture time under the summit sign. We got there with no other groups; worked out well for us.
It's still a tough climb, because it's so hard to breathe. On that day we experienced every conceivable weather, sun, rain, sleet, snow and 60 mph winds. Rock climbing, loose gravel, one foot in front of the other.
Five of us got to the summit first, most pretty misty eyed, thinking about the important people in our lives, often deceased. Then Simon (lead guide), best in the business said "Jimmy is coming! Babu (grandfather) is coming!" Out of the mist, Jim is slogging forward, Guandance (guide) in front of him, Merle behind him; the man just wouldn't quit! Everyone cheered, he made it!! The guides were so excited they spontaneously formed a ring around Jim and started dancing and singing. I am trying to get a video and will include it when I do.
Jim, at the summit, being danced around.As he approached the summit, Jim told me "I've got to call Jamie (his son)". Merle was alone in this thoughts, very private, Lisa thinking about her parents and brother. Very moving.
Me, under the summit sign.
Jim, under the summit sign.
All of us together. I am 4th from left, back row; Jim is 2nd from right, back row.Eight hours+ up, now 4 hours down to 15,000 feet for five of us; two of the group spent a frosty night at 18,000 feet, admiring the glacier. The slog down was very tough; all of us were exhausted except Merle; what a bull. At one point on the way down I asked Simon what all the white crosses were against the mountain wall in the distance. I opined that maybe they marked those that had died on the climb. Simon and Merle said both said it was just snow. Later they told me they thought I was hallucinating. I am not surprised.
At dinner we toasted our success; unfortunately I was developing a bad sore throat; Simon decided it would be best for me to take a guide and a porter the next morning and walk all the way down to the exit area, then ride back to our town hotel and see the doctor. It was nine hours of descending, but my lower thighs were so sore I was having trouble staying upright. When we reached the exit point it had just turned dark. The four wheel drive could not navigate the mud to get up to us, so we had to walk an extra hour, in the dark, in some pretty muddy areas to get to the vehicle. I was a mess, totally exhausted, had trouble walking; literally took 5 days before I could walk normally again. Tusker brought the doctor to my hotel room, and, after examination, he prescribed anti-biotics. Then he and a Tusker supervisor went to the pharmacy at 9:30 at night and brought back my medication. Pretty impressive!
Our in town hotel, Bristol cottages; very nice.The next day everyone else showed up; we got certificates,
Jim (babu) getting his certificate.
Me, getting my certificate.took lots of pictures, had dinner together one last time. We parted, went our separate ways, quietly knowing that we had just done something special together.
Side note-I mentioned that about 40% summit each year; Tusker's summit success rate, 90%; nuff said. If you or someone you know is interested in the climb, look up Tusker and, in any case, make sure you go during a dry month.
Nothing profound to finish with, just happy Jim and I got through it. More than once Jim said "If I had known what this entailed, I never would have tried it". But once he started, he never gave up. Oh, and many times I could hear Jim say "We're going to climb all the way up there?!! Holy cripes". We learned you don't look up, you follow that person ahead of you, step by step. Some experience.
Points to remember as you enter the park for climbing.
