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Published: October 5th 2009
I can’t believe that I started climbing the mountain almost 3 weeks ago! Things started out great. I met 2 of my team mates in the Amsterdam Airport and immediately we hit it off. Don from Cornwall Ontario is everything you would expect from a Construction Working, French Canadian Nurse. He had tons of energy and was always in good spirits. Michael James became like a little brother - he established the sibling relationship right off the bat! We were the young ones and made it our role to be the entertainment. After landing in Arusha we met the other 4 members of our team - Jim & Deb and Peter & Shirley. Deb became my comforting mother away from home and Shirley became a great friend. The men were very supportive and especially helpful later on in the climb. Needless to say we all finished the climb with a tremendous amount of respect for each other and developed extremely close and comfortable relationships.
As I mentioned…it started out great! The first day I saw the beast I was slightly intimidated….it was HUGE! The rest of my team admitted that they were worried about us Ontarians…especially this one who has never been on a mountain before…let alone climbed one! Day one was good….I was feeling good and the hike was a great pace. We climbed from the Nalemuru Gate to our first camp site Simba Camp. The hike was hot and extremely dusty! We walked in Volcanic Dust which is comparable to walking in snow! I was feeling good…and had no symptoms of altitude sickness.
Day 2 we hiked from Simba Camp to Kikileawa Camp where we had stunning views of both Mawenzi Peak and Uhuru Peak. It was so cool to be above the clouds and to look out over Kenya.
Day 3 we hiked from Kikileawa to Mawenzi Tarn. A tarn is a spring fed lake on the mountain. Mawenzi was our camp site for 2 nights. Through the first night at Mawenzi I developed a fever and started to cough. On our rest day we did a day hike up part of the slopes of Mawenzi and back down to our camp. We were all hopeful that any altitude sickness we were developing would go away that night (since it was supposed to be a great way to acclimatize). Unfortunately I did not feel much better and coughing got worse. I started antibiotics and a puffer. I was pretty sure that my lungs were irritated from the dust the first couple of days.
Day 5 we hiked a crazy hike from Mawenzi Tarn to Kibo Hut. It was crazy because after the first hour we could see Kibo Hut across the saddle (the desert land between the 2 peaks)…but it took us an additional 6 or so hours to get to it! Half way across the saddle was a plane crash from 2008. Apparently some Italian tourists wanted to get a good view of the mountain. The Kenyan Pilot got a little too close. The airplane remnants are still there and kind of eerie to look at….but still very entertaining when hiking across a desert.
By the time we reached Kibo hut I was toast. I was having difficulty breathing, felt quite ill and had no appetite. Kibo Hut is the last stop before reaching the summit so I knew I had to be rested if I wanted to reach the top. As soon as we got to the camp I went to bed….and luckily was able to sleep. Everything is harder at that altitude. Trying to get my sleeping bag out of the stuff sack was a huge task, and required personal reminders to slow down and let my heart slow down and breathing relax a bit. I managed to eat a soda cracker and drink a cup of tea in my tent. The team doctor and lead guide came to talk to me after they ate dinner, and decided that I would still attempt the summit, but they would send me up an hour early so that I could go slowly and hopefully reach the top with my team. So at 11pm my personal angel Moongo Atosha came to wake me up. He carried my bags, fed me water, warmed my hands and practically pushed me up the mountain. I saved my ipod for this night and just listened to my mountain music and Celine Dion and tried not to think about what I was doing. I reached a point where I couldn’t count my steps any more, and started trying to focus on my breath and tried like Rita says “coordinate breathing and movement” it was hard. After 5 or 6 hours of walking in the darkness watching Moongo’s feet in front of me and getting extremely tired of taking 2 steps forward and sliding 1 step back on the loose scree, Moongo asked me if I wanted to go back down. That was the only time I laughed on the way up that night! We had reached the rocks near the top of the mountain and at about 6am Moongo took my hand and helped me up to the top of the last rock. I was so focused on walking that I didn’t realize we had made it! He was holding my hand when he said “Christina, congratulations…you made it!” I think I was in shock! I had no idea we were there! I immediately burst into tears and gave him a huge hug….he was nice enough to let me cry with him for a while. Then I sat on a rock looked out over the mountain and watched the sunrise…and cried some more! I was totally exhausted and it took everything I had to take a picture from the top….but I did!
After sitting and enjoying the view for a bit I saw my teammates working their way to the top. I did my best to cheer them on and waved to them so they knew I made it! It was amazing to watch them all make their last steps to the top. After some emotional hugs and lots of photos we headed down. Sliding down scree was like skiing! When we reached Kibo at around 9 or 10am I had to go to bed….again…I was still quite sick, and exhausted. After lunch at around 2 or so, the teammates came to get me to start heading down to Horombo Hut. I had a porter carry my bags again, and was very slow moving. The nausea was intense and so was the coughing! Once we reached our camp I went to bed again. In the morning I was starting to feel better…after a pretty rough night! We made our glorious departure from Horombo to get to the bottom of the mountain. I was feeling healthier, and the oxygen tingled through my body the further down we got. I noticed the birds singing and could smell the forest as we descended into it.
When we stopped for lunch, I was given the option of skipping the last 2 hours and taking a “shuttle” to the bottom. After some encouragement from my teammates, I took the ride. It was awesome. Once at the bottom, I went to the gift shop and got my guide a coke, and myself a sprite! It was the best soda pop of my life! I waited at the exit gate for my teammates and cheered them through the end. I was so glad to see my sister when we returned to the hotel. We had a celebration with the guides, porters and team, and said farewell to Kilimanjaro.
This journey was tough…and dirty and probably the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done in my life. But I did it, and am certain that I was able to make it to the top because of all of you…and because of the Alzheimer Society. I reflected several times on why I was doing this. Then I would make sense and click. This journey is really hard, really, really hard….but that’s the point. This journey was meant to represent the uphill struggles that families and individuals faced with Alzheimer’s disease face on a daily basis…and THAT journey is really hard and that is the point. Was it worth it?! Absolutely!! Do I hope to climb another mountain?? NOT A CHANCE!
Thanks again to everyone for everything you have done for me….you all know who you are and thanks to you I was able to do this. Know that I thought of all of you….every one of you while I was up there…and with your thoughts and positive energy I was able to reach the summit. Just know that you were there with me and I felt you behind me every step of the way. Thank you!
Will try to update you (shorter versions) with details from the Safari ASAP….Zanzibar is beautiful…and so far a perfect way to end this trip.
Love Christina.
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Maureen Schwartzentruber
non-member comment
You did it!!!
Congratulations, Christina! What a comparison you have made to those suffering from Alzheimers and their caregivers/loved ones! Your journey and theirs have indeed been and continue to be so difficult. I am really happy for you that you can end your journey on Safari; you will love it! So great also that your sister has been able to join you! Our Chad and Steph are fine as well with a few difficulties as you would understand. It will be great to have them home in December. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Love, Maureen