Cape Town to Mt Kilimanjaro

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On the 12th of January I caught a taxi and airport shuttle to the airport to start what would be a long transit. Most places offer a direct taxi but if you have the time and aren't concerned about local transport, its much cheaper to find your own way there, especially if there is an airport shuttle.

The day began in a slightly interesting way. I gathered my belongings to check out and was greeted by an african man in reception who was dressed in nothing more than a towel and he was soaking wet. He apologised telling me he had just had a shower. I proceeded to tell him not to worry and that he was more than welcome to get dressed before serving me as I wasn't in a rush at this stage. He refused and wanted to serve me first. I couldn't help but laugh. He didn't mind. The situation that was unfolding in front of me just made me laugh- there was a dripping wet, semi naked, african man serving me like it was practically normal. Normally this kind if thing would not and should not phase me. As a nurse I see naked people all the time, yet for some reason I couldn't have felt more awkward if I tried.

Soon I was on my first flight to Johannesburg- 1.5 hours. Second flight: Johannesburg-Ethiopia (delayed) 5 hours. Final flight: Ethiopia- Kilimanjaro airport 3 hours. On the way I met a lovely local African lady from Zimbabwe called Sheila. She was gorgeous and so lovely, except she loved to talk and all I wanted to do was sleep. By the time I landed at 4am the next morning I was so sleep deprived I don't know how I functioned. I had already obtained a Tanzanian Visa from travelling here previously on this trip, however I managed to forget that it was only single entry and not a dual visa. I also had no tanzanian shilling or US cash on me at this point to pay for a new one. I was stuck. I knew that my transfer to my accommodation was waiting outside yet I couldn't get out there to tell them I can't come through because I don't have a visa. But as the saying goes TIA (This is Africa). Low and behold the immigration lady was happy to let me travel into town to the closest ATM (a good 20 mins away) to get some money and come back and pay for my visa (whilst she held onto my passport as a deposit). I thought that idea was outrageous and managed to speak with my driver who leant me the money and then on the way to the hotel stopped by an ATM so I could repay him. LEGEND!!

With that drama out of the way I soon checked into Springlands Hotel in Moshi at 5am. This hotel was provided by the company (climbingkilimanjaro/zara) we booked the climb with. It was all included in the cost. That day I just slept as much as I could until mum arrived. I did venture into town and took the 20 min walk down the dusty road. Along the way many people approached me trying to sell me things and just generally saying hello, if you be polite and firm they usually will just leave you alone. One man in particular decided to say hello in local Swahili (jambo) with a rather large smile and then proceeded to ask me if he could squeeze me. I tried not to laugh and politely declined the squeeze.

Before I knew it mum had arrived and we were catching up on my travels and discussing the climb. We were both clearly nervous but so excited too. The following day we spoke with others who completed the climb and they gave us some really helpful tips. That day we were also briefed for the climb, met our fellow climbers and hired any extra equipment we needed. God bless mum, she brought so much stuff as I wasn't carrying mine with me the whole trip. She did so well and brought more than enough supplies for the climb. We had chosen the Machame route, 6 days and were grouped with 10 others, all wonderful people. A mixture of kiwi, irish, czech and canadian. Two others were also climbing with one of their parents, turned out to be a common happening.

Of the Kilimanjaro routes, the Machame route is the most popular as it provides impressive views and a variety of habitats. It is approximately 62km in distance from gate to gate. The route is also known as the Whiskey route, given its reputation for being a tough climb, in contrast to the easier Marangu route, which is known as the Coca Cola route. Unlike the gradual incline and hut accomodations found on the Marangu Route, the climbers on Machame hike steeper trails, for longer distances, while sleeping in tents. All climbers are urged to drink nearly triple the water they are used to drinking. Particularly if they are taking altitude sickness tablets as they make individuals go to the toilet quite a bit. Mum and I both had this side effect. As we have never experienced high levels of altitude before we were unsure whether the pills worked for us or not as we had nothing to compare them too, however we still took them as a precaution. I'm not sure whether it was the diamox or the altitude but its quite common for climbers to lose their appetites, especially if they feel nauseous for any number of reasons. However, our guides stressed to us how important it was to eat if if you felt like you couldn't.

Meals were as follows: Breakfast- porridge, toast, spreads, omelette, frankfurts, fruit and a hot drink.

Lunch- hard boiled egg, sweet bread, jam roll, an orange, a banana, choc biscuits and a juice.

Dinner- Soup, bread, vegetables, some type of carb like pasta, rice or potato, some form of meat (fish, chicken, beef), a hot drink and fruit.

Snacks were popcorn, peanuts, biscuits and hot drinks.



DAY 1

•Machame Gate (1700m asl) to Machame Camp (3000m asl)

•Elevation: hike to 3000m asl.

•Distance: 11 km

•Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

The drive from Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Gate takes about 50 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain. The first walk through the lush rainforest to Machame Camp is enjoyable. We walked for about 11km which took 5 hours. It sounds ridiculously long for the distance but guides urge you to go quite slow in order to acclimatize. From day one guides would constantly say "pole pole" meaning "slowly, slowly". In addition, going uphill it also slows you down. Day one is quite sticky and hot and many wear shorts and a t-shirt, but you can feel the cold settle in when you slow down. On this day most of us were starting to feel side effects of the Diamox (altitude pills). Many of us would feel tingling in our toes like pins and needles. At the end of our first climb we were greeted by our amazing porters who had set up camp and our eating area.

DAY 2

•Machame Camp to Shira Camp

•Elevation: hiked up to 3800m asl

•Distance: 7 km

•Hiking Time: 4-6 hours

Our second day of hiking was much steeper. Yet this was only the beginning. Waking at 6am for breakfast and then leaving at 8am we were prepared for what was ahead of us. The hike continued up hill for a whole 5 hours. As we were hiking slowly the climb itself was not difficult, it was just tedious. The weather began to feel slightly colder and we had to wear hiking pants and a jumper as soon as we stopped for lunch. On this day I began to feel slight headaches and mum started to feel nauseous and consequently lost her appetite. That dinner would be the first of many the guides and I would have to force her to eat.

DAY 3

•Shira Camp (3800m asl) to Lava Tower (4600m asl) to Barranco Camp (3900masl) •Elevation: hike to 4600masl only to come down to 3900masl.

•Distance: 11 km

•Hiking Time: 6-7 hours

Both mum and I disliked this day. It was not physically tough it was just frustrating having to hike up to 4600masl and then back down to the elevation that we started at. At the same time hiking down is very hard on your knees and then when you add constant rain ti the equation it just makes you frustrated. Both mum and I had wet weather gear but we are proof that even the good quality stuff is never 100%!w(MISSING)aterproof. Leaks still make there way in. The change is elevation really started to give us both headaches. The day began with a very steep climb to Lava Tower and then finish with a rocky descent to Barranco Camp near the Barranco wall. Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and helps your body prepare for summit day. By day three we were wearing thermals and a fleece jumper. When we stopped we had to put feather down jackets on to keep us warm over the many layers.

DAY 4

•Barranco Camp (3800masl) to Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (4600masl) to Uhuru Peak (5895masl).

•Elevation: hike up to 4600masl and then to summit at 5895masl.

•Distance: 9km to Barafu and 5 km to Uhuru Peakin total

•Hiking Time: 6 hrs to Barafu and then 7-8hrs to Uhuru Peak.

Day four is believed to be quite difficult due to the Barranco wall snd the lack of rest you get prior to summiting. The Barranco wall is very steep and it feels as though you are literally rock climbing and scaling the wall. Hiking poles are set aside for the wall and climbers must use their hands for support. I definitely thought the wall would beat me, but looking back on it I have realized that I really enjoyed the steep accent. I enjoyed scaling the wall. It was probably one if my favourite parts of the climb. You really felt like you had achieved something once it was complete. The day begins straight away with the wall and then a 3.5 hr hike to Karanga valley through hilly terrain. At Karanga Valley we were fed a warm lunch. Here many porters carry an additional load of water. They are truly incredible. For climbers who are undertaking the climb in seven days, they remain at Karanga valley. For the people completing the Machame route in 6 days, they continued onto Barafu camp straight after lunch for another 2.5 hrs.

Both mum and I felt relatively well on this day. Mum was less nauseous than normal and I had very tiny headaches which made it a lot easier to climb. Once we reached Barafu Camp we were fed dinner and asked to go to bed straight away as we would be waking up at 11:30pm to start hiking to the summit. We managed to get at least an hour in of sleep between having to go to the toilet constantly and nerves and the cold. At 10:45pm we were woken up for a small bite to eat and tea and we then set off on our final climb. Before the climb I was already feeling short of breath and also felt like I had heavy chest. That was a little concerning having chest pain, however my guides told me that quite a lot of their climbers have felt this before and its due to the lack of oxygen. Regardless of whether it was normal or not, my medical training started firing alarm bells. I did not wish to have a heart attack at the age if 22. Slowly the chest pain disappeared as we slowly ascended to Stella Point.

The climb to stella point was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I don't believe it was physically hard, but it was by far mentally challenging. Many people climbing up to Stella Point really begin to feel the effects of the high altitude, both mum and I were amongst some of those people. Its a feeling of delusion and tiredness. Your head becomes so clouded that you can barely put one foot in front of the other. All you feel like doing is going to sleep. For me it felt like being tired after a night shift except it was amplified by 10. It is all to do with lack of oxygen. In addition to the lack of oxygen, you are wearing copious amounts of clothing to keep you warm. Your body is trying to cope with the rapid change in temperature. Ice began to form on our bags and jackets as we reached Stella Point.

I remember looking at mum and thinking she looked like she was stumbling home from a big night out. Now I'm sure this does not happen to everyone, there were definitely people that didn't feel this at all. This was our experience. We saw one man on his way down the mountain as he was just too sick to finish. We also saw people vomiting and physically struggling to keep standing. If we were too sick our guides would have turned back, but fortunately we weren't and they helped push us on until we reached Stella Point. Mum held onto our lead guides hands as he helped lead her up to the point. I remember looking up ahead of us and seeing all the tiny head torches of other climbers and thinking, "Why aren't they moving? They are still there!". Those 6 hours just went on forever and ever. I think it was a blessing that it was dark and we couldn't see where we were going.

We were told that if we could make the 6 hour hike to Stella then the last hour would be easy. Once we reached Stella point we both sat and caught our breath. We were so thankful that the worst was over but we had no idea how we did it. I had reached a point where I was mentally exhausted and the tears began flowing uncontrollably. So many emotions played through my head whilst climbing the last ascent. You think to yourself you are going to do this, and then the slightest bit of doubt clouds your judgement. Then you question whether you really will make it as you are so exhausted and running on empty. You think to yourself if I just have a nap here I'll be okay, but it's not the case, you have to keep going.

After my little outburst and a short break we continued on for the last hour to the summit. As the sun began to rise slowly, my spirits changed dramatically. We had clear visibility all around us and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. We were above the clouds watching the sun creep up. It was so beautiful. I don't know where it came from but a surge of energy came over me and I was determined to reach that peak. Mum and I were different people as soon as the sun began rising. We could see the end in sight. I wanted to run there, but withlittle oxygen I had to remind myself that was totally out of the question. I couldn't stop taking photos, I was like the paparazzi. There were ice glaciers everywhere and just sheer beauty everywhere we looked. It was mesmerizing. I can remember the exact point the sun crept over the clouds. I was en route to Uhuru peak when Milton our guide gave the loudest shout I had heard from him the whole climb. He stood there shouting and pointing "ASH, Sunrise! Get a photo!!" he truly wanted the best experience for us.

Once we reached the summit we took more photos with our guides and together. It was the greatest feeling of achievement. Although it was tough, it was worth every minute. The feeling of accomplishment you feel after reaching the peak is like nothing else. Mum and I both agreed that unless you have experienced it, we will never be able to explain it to you. I am so proud of her and extremely happy to be able to say we were able to share such a great experience together.

DAY 5

•Uhuru Peak to Barafu Camp to Mweka Hut

•Elevation: 5895masl down to 3100masl

•Distance: 12 km

•Hiking Time: 6 hours

When you reach the peak, you are literally there for maybe 20 minutes, no longer. After a while the adrenalin wears off and the altitude doesn't get any better. So eventually you make a descent back to Barafu camp. The descent takes 3 hours and is through very loose soil. Apart from feeling delusional on the way up to stella point, coming down was where I felt the sickest. I felt like I wanted to vomit and felt extremely nauseous. Its a feeling I can liken to bad dehydration. Mum on the other hand was in top form and on top of the world haha. Due to feeling sick, my guide literally dragged me down the mountain to Barafu Camp. The quicker we went the quicker the sick feeling would disappear. At Barafu camp we were given just over an hour to rest and then we were to hike for another 3 hours to Mweka Camp. We were so exhausted. We had been hiking for what felt like forever over 48 hours. The hike diwn was extremely demanding on your knees as we had to climb down varying levels of rock faces. In hindsight we now think it would have been better doing the climb in 7 days to ensure more rest before summit day. But we are still extremely proud of our achievement.

DAY 6

•Mweka Hut to Moshi

•Elevation: 3100masl to 1700masl

•Distance: 10km descent

•Hiking Time: 3 hours

Our final day!! We had made it and we were finally on our final hike down. Our body's were sore at this point. Mainly due to the descent and not the ascent. The descent was extremely tough on our knees, hips and quads. But within 3 hours of rainforest hiking we made it to Mweka Hut where we completed the climb and received our certificates to prove it. We were overwhelmed with relief. Once we were back at our hotel we organised our tips for our team and then relaxed by the pool with the other climbers. It was well deserved. What an experience!!

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