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Published: February 24th 2014
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People often asked me why I had decided to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I would reply with "I don't know, it would be kinda cool I guess." It was part of a volunteer excursion so I thought "how hard could it be, just a bush walk, right?" Wrong. Summiting Kili was the most incredible and ridiculous thing I've ever done and would recommend it to everyone. Would I ever do it again? Not a chance.
I took the Machame route. It's said to be physically one of the hardest routes due to its steepness but don't let that put you off. Machame has one of the highest success rates for summiting due to the way you're able to acclimatise. Machame is also one of the most picturesque routes. I would absolutely recommend Machame purely based on it's ability to acclimatise you better than any other route.
Every morning we would wake early, have breakfast and head off To bring ourselves that much closer to the ultimate goal.
Mt Kilimanjaro is not a climb as such, just a very long, hard walk. However the Barranco wall is a section where you will literally be climbing up and across rocks and
boulders. You don't need climbing equipment but it is quite challenging and will require the help of your guides.
Summit day was nothing short of painful. We woke at 12:30am to start our ascent at 1:30am. Most groups would leave a lot earlier than that however 10 whinging girls just didn't allow for that. Typically it's supposed to take 6 hours to reach the summit to arrive at sunrise. It took me 11 hours as I stopped so frequently to catch my breath.
It's exhausting and you'll want to give up but you haven't flown half way across the world to look at the summit from a distance. I've heard a lot of people stop at Stella Point because the walk to Uhuru Peak is the hardest part. Do not stop here! After what you have just been through to get to this point the walk to the summit is by far the easiest. Also if there's bad weather this is where it will hit hard as it's in a bit of a ditch so keep going. reaching the summit was probably the most satisfying thing I've done. I will admit we all shed a tear out of
relief that we made it.
Some pointers I worked out on the way and recommend for anyone preparing to climb Kili...
• Stock up on wet wipes. These will be your source of any form of cleanliness. Keep them in your backpack for freshening up during the day as well as your duffle bag for 'showering' at night. I used the Body Wipes from Kathmandu - large and durable.
• Purchase a waterproof cover for your backpack even if your bag is waterproof. Once something gets wet it won't dry on the mountain.
• Only pack the essentials in your backpack, you'll already be carrying at least 3 litres of water and it's amazing how quick your bag will get heavy with bits and pieces.
• If you haven't had to use an outback/squatting 'toilet' before I would suggest learning how to successfully squat before leaving. Getting up during the night in complete darkness whiling wearing thermals and returning completely dry isn't the easiest of tasks.
• On the subject of toilets, be one with Mother Nature and just use a bush. I can't describe the state and smell of the 'toilets' but you will quickly get over relieving yourself in public.
• You don't have to be the fittest person on the planet to summit Kili but training beforehand will certainly help and make things more comfortable.
• Bring food that you like. A side effect of altitude sickness is loss of apatite so bring snacks you enjoy eating and won't get sick of. Also bring food in your backpack to snack on throughout the day.
• Camel backs are extremely handy. Your guides will stress the importance of drinking plenty of water and these make ingesting water easy without having to stop and get your water bottle out.
• Have a water bottle specifically for a sports drink, electrolyte, hydrolyte etc. Salt is important for the long trek and it's nice to have something different than water.
• If the company your trekking with doesn't provide thermal sleeping bags bring an insert. I can't describe the cold I felt some of those nights on the mountain.
• Bring and take altitude sickness tablets. I know there's some controversy over them and when to take them so do consult a doctor but they worked an absolute treat for me. I took two tablets per day, one with breakfast and one with dinner and begun them the night
before day 1. They didn't work for everyone so it does come down to the individual but I definitely recommend looking into them.
• Bring a balaclava for the summit or anything that will ensure your whole face is covered. I can't stress this enough, especially if you get high winds at Stella Point. My group didn't have their faces covered and I can't explain the pain we were in the next morning. Swelling, burnt, blisters. I don't know what pain was worse- our faces the next day or the climb itself. Cover up!
• Bring an Ipod. It's amazing how music can distract you and take your mind away from the pain and exhaustion. Make up a playlist of cheesy motivational songs to help you push through. Here's a few of the songs I listened to that really helped me;
- Can't Be Touched; Roy Jones Jr
- Til I Collapse; Eminem
- Go Hard or Go Home; Stomp the Yard soundtrack
- Fighter; Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder
- I Believe I can fly; R Kelly
- Lose Yourself; Eminem
- Soldier; Eminem
- Stronger; Kanye West
- Survivor; Destiny's Child
- I Believe; Honey soundtrack
- Holy Grail; Hunters and Collectors
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molsen
Michael Olsen
Amazing!
Looks like a great experience. Just wondering how much does it cost to get a guide? I would like to do it when I travel there and thanks for the good pointers.