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Published: January 8th 2008
My climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro began just after mid-night on the 5th of January, 2008. It was a frigid, moonless night and the sky was heavy with stars. Lights from the surrounding cities flickered over the African plains as if the starry sky had cast its reflection. The only other lights present were those of trekker’s head lamps snaking up the mountain like a fiery serpent. The darkness held an unnerving silence that was intermittently broken by gusts of wind or the occasional guide’s whistle. Rarely was a word spoken from the mouths of the trekkers attempting the climb. There was just too much focus; too much pain to ignore. This was the highest my body had ever gone and the hardest it had ever worked. My heart raced rapidly and with great force, as if it were about to literally thump out of my chest. My respiration and perspiration accompanied it equally. My body was in a fight to overcome. I focused my mind on each and ever inhalation and exhalation, attempting to slow my heart’s pace and block out the aching pain that pulsated throughout my body. The frigid air sweeping over the saddle of the
mountain quickly turned the sweat on my brow to frost. I reached for my bottle to replenish my thirst, but the water rest frozen inside. At this point, I’d lost all feeling in my fingers and toes. I wiggled them frantically to return the blood and fight off the numbness. My legs felt as if bound by weights and every joint throbbed with pain. Each step was an accomplishment that inspired me to take another. Inch by inch, step by step, I moved closer and closer to my goal. My lungs felt constricted, denied the oxygen they so desperately needed. The altitude was slowly tearing my body down. My strength was completely drained and unable to recuperate, but there was something, even in this weakened condition, that kept me proceeding forward. It may have been the presence of my fellow trekkers or the unwavering confidence that I could finish what I’d set out to do; whatever it was, became my only fuel. Five and a half hours after my initial steps, I reached the summit of Kilimanjaro and stood with my eyes over Africa.
Standing at Uhuru Peak (19,340 ft. above sea level), on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro,
was a personal achievement and an overwhelming feeling. In my weakened state of exhaustion and immense joy in the moment, a flood of tears streamed from my eyes. I know, I couldn’t believe it myself, but there was no holding it back. I had persevered through and beaten the sun to the top. And as I stood there, looking towards Kenya, the first lights of the sun began to break on the horizon. It may have been a combination of altitude and exhaustion or simply an overflow of too many amazing moments over a short span of time, but I honestly don’t know. I was just moved beyond words and my emotions took over. I believe now that my travels are finally beginning to break down that wall I’d put up so many years ago. I don’t have to pretend to be such a hard man to protect myself anymore. I have realized that our emotions are what make us human and we shouldn’t care so much about what others think, so stop laughing at me guys cause you’re going to make me cry.
The journey to the summit, via the Machame route, took a total of 5 days
to reach and two days to descend. I was accompanied by a married couple (Brian and Caroline) from Canada and a crew of ten Tanzanians (guide, assistant guide, a cook and 7 porters). The first four days of our trek were nothing more challenging than I’m used to. We passed through mountain rain forests, sparsely vegetated moorlands, alpine deserts and rocky highlands. The overall trek actually only took six days, but the fifth day was a hike to the summit and a decent half way home (starting at 12:30am). We hiked six hours on the fourth day to Barafu camp (15,200 feet), the final stop before the summit, and then woke at midnight to start our ascent. We climbed 4,240 feet from Barafu to the summit in roughly 5-6 hours. The first milestone of the climb was Stella Point (18,652 ft/5,685 m), which is on the crater rim. Following Stella Point, the trail continues on for another 30 minutes to Uhuru Peak (the highest point in Africa). The next challenge of the day was the descent, which we broke in half with a two hour nap. From Uhuru Peak to Mweka (our final camp) we descended a total of 9,136
feet…and boy were my knees shot!
The journey up the mountain was just like the rest of my travel experiences - un...freakin…believable! The crew of locals cooked us up some delicious meals and set up camp each day. My Canadian friends were a blast to be around and played a mean game of hearts. I even got to see an old friend that I met in Peru, who hiked up to Machu Picchu with me. Actually, she (Laci) is the one who e-mailed me and put this whole challenge into my head. We had kept in touch off and on since South America and she read that I was headed toward Africa. Her and two friends were going to attempt Kili for the New Year and asked if I’d be up to the challenge; well, what do you think? I changed some flights, caught a bus to Tanzania, rented some winter gear, and…gitty up!
For all of you that don’t know much about this mountain my friends and I just climbed, let me give you a quick summation.
Mount Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania, made up of three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawensi, and Shira (Kibo being
the highest). It is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising 15,100 feet (4,600m) from its base to its summit. It has the highest peak (Uhuru Peak) in Africa at 19,340 feet (5,895m) and is one of the Seven Summits of the world.
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. I have seen three of the seven (Everest, Mt. McKinley and Kili), but Kilimanjaro is my first to summit. Due to the mountain's location near the equator, as well as its high elevation, climbers go through almost every climate type on earth during the journey to the top. I wore shorts and a T-shirt at the bottom and every single thing I brought on top. Kilimanjaro is also known to many for its year round snow-topped summit, which Al Gore and many scientists claim will soon be extinct. Well, that was a quick overview of the mountain and my six day adventure, now let me rewind a bit to the craziness that happened prior to my getting here.
As most of you know, I flew into Nairobi, Kenya from Bombay, India. I had left Bombay just in time, because tensions between India and Pakistan
were elevating quickly due to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto (Former Pakistani Prime Minister). Instead of leaving conflict behind me in my travels west, I ran into some much worse. I arrived in Nairobi just a couple days before the presidential election. I had planned on staying in Kenya for the night and then finding transport to Tanzania the following day. After landing, I was warned that one of the candidates had just been ousted for tampering with ballots, so the city could get a little crazy. Taking the advice, I booked a shuttle from the airport and headed straight for Tanzania. Quick note: I ran into Jane (the founder of IAA orphanage that I will be working at). She was leading a small mission team on a two week trip. We caught up and touched base on what I could do during my stay. After saying goodbye to the group, I caught my transport and soon found myself on the Tanzania border where I had to fight through the busy crowd trying to exit Kenya. My decision to go straight to Tanzania was a good one. That day around 70 people were killed in riots throughout the country…and this
was just the beginning. Over the next two days, over three hundred people were killed in Kenya. The final results of the election were out before the New Year and the outcome was shocking. The current president of Kenya (President Mwai Kibaki) was behind by over a million votes the day before the final tally was taken. The people of Kenya wanted change and this was good news to their ears. Then on the day of the presidential announcement, President Mwai Kibaki started picking up a crazy number of votes and in the end, he retained his position as president of Kenya. The rumor is that he had the final results rigged in order to remain in office. This didn’t sit well with the people and soon all hell broke loose. Riots hit the streets in all the major cities and the opposing sides began to fight and kill each other. The Kibera slums, where I visited this past June, became a war zone. Shops, houses and cars were set on fire and the civilians and police battled in the streets. The Kenyan police were given the order of “shoot to kill” and that is just what they did. Hundreds
of people have died across Kenya and transport throughout the country was completely shut down. The IAA mission team stayed held up at the orphanage looking after the kids, and even at one point, moved them to a different location to avoid trouble. There are terrible stories coming out of Kenya and I ask that you put the people and their country in your prayers. I just recently read that some civilians seeking refuge in a church were burned alive inside by an angry mob. According to the Red Cross, Kenya is a humanitarian "national disaster" amid post-election violence that has left scores dead, tens of thousands displaced beyond reach of immediate assistance. It is truly heartbreaking and I pray that order is soon restored. I have stayed in contact with Jen (from IAA) and she is keeping me posted. I am held up in Moshi, Tanzania until the situation calms down, and then I’ll attempt to make it to the orphanage. The fights are between the two Kenyan parties, but foreigners definitely want to stay out of the way. I will wait until I know it is safe and then make my move. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.
Since I’ve been held up in Moshi for quite some time, I have made some local friends and mingled in with the Tanzanians. The character I’ve been hanging with goes by the name of Rasta Shungu. Shungu is a local Rastafarian sporting dreadlocks with a “love and peace” take on life. He has introduced me to his brothers and friends, and taught me about his culture. I have been practicing my Swahili as much as possible and have learned so much about the history of Africa. Shungu toured me through the surrounding rain forest and all over his upbeat little town. He seems to know everyone around and the police even like him, which is definitely a bonus…since he likes to frequently smoke it up (don’t worry - I excuse myself to avoid any trouble). So, you could say that this little hold up has actually been a real learning experience. I’ve also loaded up on some great stories to tell you all when I return home.
Well, I've decided to go ahead and post this entry before I leave for Kenya because I keep getting e-mails from people worried that I'm there and in harms way. Don't worry
folks, I've been kicking it in Tanzania, but I can't wait around here much longer. Jane has informed me that things have cooled down in Nairobi, so I will head up there on the 12th of January and meet them at the airport. Then I will travel to the IAA orphanage with their driver and settle in for a while. I don't know if I'll have internet capabilities, so don't worry if you don't hear back from me. I will probably only post a couple of journal entries over the next 3 months, but I will communicate through e-mail whenever I can. Keep the people of Kenya in your prayers and remember that I love you all...ahh man, I'm going to cry again...I'd better go. See ya!
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Dennis McCutcheon
non-member comment
How is your pointed little head?
Hey bro, How is your head? Everything ok I take it. Exciting travels you are having. Keep those cards and letters (blog) coming. Sincerely Dennis McC My email will change in a couple of weeks...adm1228@helpsinternationalministries.org