Kilimanjaro

I will start by saying... We made it! Since this is so long after the fact here is a recap of my journal entries with visual reference. Please excuse the inconsistent tenses given the delay.

Day 1: Not off to a great start. The cook was late so we got started very late. We arrived at the mountain and it was raining. Then we sat in the cold rain for 2 1/2 more hours before even starting. ugh. Tanzanian Flexible Time gets us again! Beginning the climb was anti-climatic as we were so anxious to get started. The hike felt long but mostly because of the rain and humidity in the thick rainforest. After about 5 hours we arrived at the first camp just as the sun was setting which was difficult. Unfortunately it was dark, cold and rainy as we tried to change clothes and settle into our tent for the evening. We were soaking wet with sweat and shivering. It was hard to shake off the rain literally and figuratively. I feared that my clothes that would never dry, including my hair! My teeth chattered through our candle-light dinner. The soup, pasta and veggie curry was better than I anticipated though. I'm already freezing and fearful of what lies ahead. No idea how I'll sleep when it is 40 degrees colder days from now. My biggest fears are 1) altitude 2) the cold 3) slipping. I'm really hoping I'm not in over my head.

Musa, our guide who kept me smiling the entire way.

Day 2: Today was great. I didn't sleep too badly and awoke around 5AM. While it rained hard last night we were thankfully dry in our tent. Breakfast of eggs hot dogs and mangoes was quite good. The hot dogs here are real beef or pork with none of that processed crap. I'm not as sore as I feared but unfortunately it starts raining right as we begin. It's slippery, muddy, narrow, very steep and difficult. After an hour we begin shedding our layers and get into a groove. I'm drinking a ton of water and it was much more enjoyable once we got above the fog layer. Finally the sun comes out! It's amazing what the warm sun does for the soul. It's gorgeous here. While the trek is steep and I'm fearful of clumsily stumbling, I'm enjoying every minute of it. Musa, our guide, is patient and kind. We arrive at Shira for lunch at 1:30 with grilled cheese, guacamole, soup and muffins. It begins to get very cold as the wind rips through. We take a brief nap and then climb up to Shira hut to acclimate. The view of the mountain is spectacular. There's not a cloud in the sky. We climb only another 100 meters but then descend to stick with our strategy of climbing high and sleeping low. We are now at around 10,000 ft. Crazy. As I look at the mountain peak though I still cannot comprehend how we will actually make it up there...


Day 3: We awake to sunshine and no wind and don't leave until 9:15. Elena and I now appear to be on Tanzanian time consistently running a few minutes late. We warm up quickly and have a steady pace as we ascend from the Moorland to the Arctic desert. Seeing the change in the climate zones is incredible. We break for lunch at 1:30 at Lava Tower, around 4600 meters. We then hike back down to Barranco camp. I begin to develop a brutal headache which is worrisome. The fear of altitude sickness and the severity of it is hanging over my head. I pound another couple liters of water along with tea and soup. Every night at dinner I pester Musa for details on the day to come. Our daily briefing is exciting to me as it allows me to plan ahead and set my expectations. Interestingly enough he will never answer any questions beyond what will occur in the next 24 hours. It's a solid strategy to just focus on conquering what's right in front of you and not getting distracted by what lies farther ahead. I go to sleep very early with nervousness about climbing the Barranco Wall tomorrow.

Kissing the rock while holding on with a death grip.

Day 4: I am incredibly grateful I awake with no headache as it's a big day ahead. Today we will conquer the Barranco Wall. I admit I was pretty scared although Elena appears fearless. At least 3 times I thought I was going to fall. There is an incredibly steep incline that involves a lot of time on hands and knees with our heavy packs. My center of gravity and balance is completely thrown off and the wind does not help. I laugh as I think how helpful a helmet or ropes would be but then remember I am in Africa! The first big rock to conquer definitely rattled my nerves. My poles got stuck on the ledge and I could feel my pack swinging in the wind. My hands were trembling and I said a few Hail Marys thinking this could be it. The comedy of it all is that while I'm trembling the porters carrying well over 40lbs each marching upright over the rocks with balance and ease that rivals circus acrobats. 


I conquer the first big rock climb and then pause to "kiss the rock" as pictured here. I exhale as I assume the toughest part was over. Today was gorgeous and I thank god for great weather. I could not imagine conquering the wall in the rain. Given the high altitude I am also panting heavily which doesn't help so I want to stop frequently which hurts my pride. I mostly suck it up and keep going My legs are a bit sore and I start to feel the effects of the altitude on my stomach. I only hope I don't get neasues which is the second sign of severe altitude sickness. 


Day 5: Today should be a short and easy day. 'Pole pole' as we are reminded over and over - take it very, very slow. The views are spectacular and I try and take it all in and not be distracted by how cold I often am. We hit some steep spots where I attempt to not to look down. After lunch we take a brief nap and I am thankful again at how much I am enjoying the experience and not in too much pain. Tomorrow we begin to climb to the summit. I am nervous and hope to not be one of those people puking on the side of the mountain. I say some prayers for no slipping and not freezing. I try and doze off with my warm water bottles in my sleeping bag knowing I will woken up in just about 3 hours.


Day 6 12AM Summit Day: We are bundled up in layers and using our hand and foot warmers. It's an incredible sight to see all of the headlamps trekking up the mountain like little ants marching with tiny glow sticks. My nose runs constantly and my face is already chapped. I reminded myself that if this is the biggest challenge I am very, very lucky. It gets increasingly hard to breathe as there is only 50% the amount of oxygen as at sea level. Around 3AM the bitter cold becomes almost unbearable and I am so tired all I wanted to do is curl up and sleep. Time stands still. I take a Gu as we pass a number of people getting sick and unable to continue. I slip a few times on the large slate rocks that reminds me we are essentially scaling an extinct volcano.  Jafari, our assitant guide nicely grabs my hand to ease my nerves and help balance me where he can sense my trepidation. It is scary doing this in the dark and I try not to look down. I think multiple times that I must be insane for doing this. It is a surreal experience that is hard to put into words. The gravel, slate and vertical climbs are much harder then I expected. Being that I'm climbing the tallest mountain in Africa though, I laugh at the fact that I expected anything different. I chuckle at times and think I must be an idiot. I just keep waiting for the sun. Musa says in about an hour and a half it will start to rise. That seems an eternity away.

Frozen solid. I'm actually wondering how you know if you have frostbite.

We finally see a few rays of light poking up.  This means 1) we must be close to Stella Point 2) it is almost 6AM. Only 2 more hours up and then 7 down...Watching the sun peak over the glaciers is absolutely incredible. We have some tea Musa has carryied for us, and we shiver as we attempt to stand still for a few minutes. Only 45 more minutes to reach Uhuru. The sun being out does wonders for our mood and energy as we trek up the slippery ice to the very top. I can't believe neither of us has had any altitude problems, just a lot of frozen snot, exhaustion and huffing and puffing. We arrive at Uhuru peak breathless and snap a few photos. It is so cold we don't plan to stay much longer than a few minutes. It's hard to take the achievement in knowing we still have a long way to go in order to get down safely.


We then start the brutal descent. In a strange way I've almost been dreading this more than anything. 3 1/2 hours down, lunch, a quick nap, then another 4 hours down on virtually zero sleep. Our bodies are so exhausted I slip and slide all over the place praying to not injure myself. Every step is painful for my knees. It took an eternity before we reached camp. I swear this was one of the longest days of my life. I remind myself to be thankful I am not puking, pooping and hallucinating like the horror stories I've heard of this day. It starts to drizzle and I almost start to cry realizing how much more is ahead of us. We finally arrive down to the night's camp and are so exhausted we crash for a delirious 9 hour deep sleep. 

Day 7: We awake happily well-rested knowing that a shower and big meal is finally in sight. Our hard-working porters sing to us gleefully. The trek down was muddy but overall not too bad. I'm just glad I can walk given how badly my knees throbbed just a few hours before. We arrive at the bottom of the mountain at 11:45. I can't believe we made it! Once back at the hotel I enjoyed a cold beer and egg fried rice. Yum. My sore body passed out.

This massive physical and mental challenge reminded me of lessons that I should apply to my daily life:

• Life is a journey, not a destination.
• Take things slow, "pole pole." Life is not a race, and I should take things at my own pace to achieve great things. 
• Pray. Pray in thanks for health, pray in need for safety and survival.
• Some things in life are harder than expected, and some easier. 
• If I put my mind to something I can achieve it. 
• Focus on the immediate future and what lies directly ahead. Don't let the fear of the unknown distract from what is right there. The present is wasted if I only am thinking about the future. 
• Sunshine and the outdoors does wonders for the soul. So does a little solitude with nature. 
• It takes a village (seriously, could not have made it without the incredible team with us).
• Eat well, hydrate, sleep, breathe deeply, and lay off the booze!