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Published: August 16th 2008
On Sunday, we left the hotel early and headed over to the Marangu gate right at the foot of Kili. We sorted out some paperwork and I met my porter, John, and cook, Good Luck. I was unofficially grouped with 5 Japanese people, two of whom were in their 60s, and an Aussie guy named Troy. I'm still not sure what the reason was to group us all together, but it had something to do with making the paperwork more convenient. The first day was a 3 hour hike through a forest with lots of waterfalls and streams. We reached the Mandara camp by about 3 or 4. I slept in a 24 bed dorm that was located above the dining hall. So needless to say, sleep wasn't on the agenda that night.
The next day we split up so it was just me and my guide, John. It took 5 hours to walk the 11 km to Horombo camp. It was the same kind of scenery but we were in the clouds at that point. That night I was put into a 3 bed hut with an American named John and a Spanish girl named Laura. I also ran into Tyler and Eric, two Canadians from an Acacia tour that was criss-crossing with ours the whole way up from Cape Town. They were also with a Dutch girl named Nikki.
On Kili, it's amazing at night once you ascend above the clouds. It's like an ocean of clouds with mountain peaks sporadically poking through. It really looks like a different planet. It was the only thing that didn't suck about going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. By the way, Diamox and altitude both make you pee constantly.
The next day was another easy 5 hours to Kibo, the last camp before the summit attempt. I was liberally taking my Diamox so I had no problems acclimitizing up to that point. It was tough to stay awake for very long though at that altitude (I think Kibo is at 14,000 feet roughly).
I woke up at 11 pm that night and we began the final ascent at midnight. It was freezing already at Kibo, and we still had another 1,000 meters to go. The first hour wasn't too bad. We reached a cave about an hour in and then the "zig-zag" zone started. That's when it got tough. That's also when you start to see fellow climbers puking all over the place. People were already turning around at that point. Other than numbingly cold extremities, I was still going strong though. We eventually met up with Tyler somewhere in the zig zags. Both Eric and Nikki had to turn back and he was all alone, so he finished with us.
There were 24 zig-zags and it felt like an eternity. In reality, it probably took 2 or 3 hours to get through them all. They finish at Gillman's Point, which is sort've like the silver medal summit of Kili. After reaching Gillman's, I was fully confident in reaching Uhuru. It is still another 90 minutes but it's not nearly as steep as the zig zag zone.
We reached Uhuru, the official highest point in Africa, at 5:45 am. I was completely exhausted but it was really the biggest sense of accomplishment of my life. It quickly turned into one of those "I'm really glad I did it but I'll never do it again" kind of things.
I was a little disappointed that we summitted before sunrise. It was much too cold to wait for it too. By the time we got back down to Gillman's, the sun was up though. I've been to a lot of places at this point now and I can honestly say it was the best scenery I've ever seen. The glaciers were amazing. I only took about 3 or 4 pics because my fingers were so numb I could barely handle my camera. I hate to sound cliche, but the pics wouldn't do it the slightest bit of justice anyway.
We descended back down to Horombu that night and had some celebratory beers. By the way, alcohol affects you a lot faster at altitude.
The next day we ended up back at the same hotel in Moshi. I was living like a king there. The place was pretty much a 5 star resort compared to the standards I've become accustomed to around here. I managed to take a shower for the first time in 5 days and also use the bathroom without going outside and using a headlamp to get there.
That night, Troy, John and I went out with some of the guides into town to celebrate. We rode on their motorcycles and were the only mzungus (white people) around, so we got a lot of attention, especially from the kids.
I'm now in Cairo, after a long day of flying through literally every country on the way from Tanzania to Egypt. I flew from Kili to Nairobi to somewhere in Sudan and finally to Cairo. It took an hour for the bus ride down town and more time to find my hostel. I'm waiting for noon when I can check in and go to sleep for a few hours. I'll probably hit up the pyramids tomorrow and then head south on Monday. The game plan is to get over to the Red Sea for some diving, then head through the Sinai into Jordan. By the way, the Egyptians are by far the nicest people on this trip so far.
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mom
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Phewww!!
Phewww!!! It seemed like an eternity from when we spoke (emailed) before you reached Kili to now...the longest wait was from Aug 15th though, when I knew you were flying to Egypt til now seeing this blog. I guess I was expecting a quick "I survived Kili" email. I understand though and I'm trying to remember that it's difficult to find places and the time for blogging. I'm trying real hard to not worry, but that's what moms are for. With all that said, CONGRATS on your climb!!! What a feat!! Hopefully you're finding time to journal your daily adventures capturing your experiences for good reading for the rest of your life. Life is good....for you, and for us. We're settling happily and peacefully in our new home. Can't wait for Dec. 21 for you to join us. I think it will be our happiest Christmas ever. Have Fun...Be Safe...My thoughts and prayers are with you everyday! Love you, Mom XOXOXO