Kilimanjaro attempt - 7-day Lemosho route

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My friend and I planned this trip for months, since about April and we were looking forward to it. I knew I would have availability in December and it would not be during peak season. We knew it was at the tail end of the 'short' rainy season, meaning the length of the season was short and the duration of rainfall during the day was short (we were later told it was usually a couple hours every couple days). The main rainy season is during April, which is a definitely no-go!

I was so looking forward to this trip. My friend, A, is a trail runner and physically she could have done it months ago. She had never tried high altitude before, but she took a few trips in California to try some higher parks. On the other hand, I was very unhappy at work this year and not enthused about much. It was also super hot in Dubai until the last week of October, when I actually got a bad case of Covid, which put me down for a week. I tried hiking locally, and I actually truly enjoyed it as I found some new routes and people even started to ask me to take them with me. I plan to continue this in the new year, with about 12 more routes to explore on my list. I focused on trying to do short, steep sections. I am always slow, but endurance-wise, I have no trouble hiking for hours and days, with plenty of experience in sometimes hard conditions (ahem, Saudi in summer!).

Pre-hike Preparation

We arrived at different times on the 26th of November, me flying in via Qatar airways, and picked up by our adventure company, Altezza. For the record, this was a fantastic company who made everything super easy and had very professional guides. It's probably not the cheapest, but I think it was well worth it. We stayed our first night in the Aishi Macheme hotel in Moshi, which I believe was actually an Altezza owned hotel. It was nice; the rooms were small, but the property was gorgeous. It rained all morning and that afternoon, but we had a window after lunch where we walked down a path with an employee to the river to see small waterfalls; usually, you could see Kilimanjaro from this point, but it was too cloudy then.

We met up with some other members of our trekking group and the coordinator to discuss the program. Two of the guys were from Saudi, and one was from the UK - we were the A-team as all our names began with A!. The next day, we met the three other members who were all American (two guys who were friends and one girl solo - none of their names started with A). After our meeting, the coordinator came to our rooms to check our supplies and make sure we were properly prepared. We were very much so. She forced a sleeping bag 'liner' on me (really, a fleece blanket) for free, and we each rented a poncho. For that, all I have to say is THANK GOD. That was probably the single most important item that I had this trip. We got a decent dinner and a good night's sleep. We were ready early and just itching to start our adventure!

Day 1 - Londorossi Gate - Morum Picnic site - Shira 1 camp

We met with our guides and loaded up our van. It was about a 3 hour drive to Londorossi Gate (2250m), on the west side of Kilimanjaro. We were taking the 7-day Lemosho route, which would start us around 3400m and have a fairly flat or limited elevation gain for the first couple of days along the Shira Plateau. It was a pleasant drive to the gate, climbing up agricultural areas on the slopes. Soon, we arrived at the gate where the remainder of the porters and guides were waiting for us. Here, we signed for our park entrance and the packs for the porters were weighed officially - maximum 15kg for each porter. For our group of 8, we had five guides and 37 porters. Lunch was ready for us at a table in a pavilion. Pretty much immediately, the rain started, but we were still excited to start our adventure.

After lunch, we got into the vehicles and continued our climb. From all the videos I watched, typically this is where you would have met the team and they would have sung a song to help enthuse you, but with the rain, we just got on with it. When we arrived at the start, Morum Picnic site at 3407m, it was still pouring rain. After a quick bathroom break and getting our gear on, we started our trek. It was still an excited atmosphere initially, and at one point, the rain slowed down and were able to take some photos. We had a couple of river crossings, which added some fun to an otherwise easy route. We only walked about 2.5 hours until we got to our camp where our tents were already all set up - Shira I camp, elevation 3640m. We had to do a health check first, getting our oxygen and heart rate checked. We had a nice dinner in the dinner tent, with the soup being particularly welcome. After dinner, our cooks gave us little Altezza bunnies which had hot water bottles inside. Awesome!!!!

Day 2 - Shira I to Shira II camp (10km)

During the night, you will most likely get up to pee at least once - this is good as it means you are staying hydrated! I got up around 1am, and there were clear skies with some great stars. A and I woke up before sunrise and I set up my go-pro to catch the sunrise time lapse. There were light clouds with wonderful pink tinges and still the moon out on the other side. And you could clearly see Mt Kilimanjaro. Our first time at actually see it. A and I watched the sunrise and just marvelled at the fact we were here experiencing this. It was my favorite part of my entire Tanzania trip I think.

We had a health check after breakfast one-on-one to make sure we were feeling ok; the lead guide talked me into taking a half diamox, even though I was very hesitant about it because I knew it could cause similar effects to altitude sickness. Then we headed off for a bit of a longer day, but not daunting. 10km along a 200m slight rise. There were a few river crossings, and with my short stubby legs, I was a bit nervous. The rainfall recently had made the rivers a bit fuller and faster. Other than that, it was a great start. And then, about 30 minutes in, ponchos and rain pants on, and immediately after, the skies opened and it started to rain. And it rained for the rest of the day. The entire hike. I walked with a guide and one of the Saudi guys for a while, probably to almost the halfway point, no problem at all. As I said, I am slower, and soon I was walking with just one of the guides. The rain was just relentless. At a certain time, there was just no point in trying to keep your boots dry. The ponchos helped for sure, but if I lifted my head up, a gush of water would just immediately go down my shirt, spread to my leggings, and then into my boots. There was no escape. I also took no photos. Which is a bummer, because the hike itself was quite nice and if it was not raining, it would have been easy. As it was, water streams were just flowing down the rock faces as you were trying to walk up.

We stopped at a coffee/tea stop where I had a hot cup of hibiscus tea and a dry cake, which honestly made me feel nauseated, but I forced myself to eat it. My guide and I arrived at the Shira II camp, 3815m, in the rain. I was actually able to check in here, unlike Shira I the previous night. You're supposed to check into each of the camps, but this was the only time I did the whole hike since the gate. I think it was the rain because no one seemed to want to man the station. Anyway, I guess I was just about 30 minutes behind, so not too bad. But there was nothing to see as it was still raining. So, I got to my tent and changed out of my wet clothes. I was still generally excited with the adventure, but I was still feeling nauseous. However, first we had to eat lunch, even though I was not overly hungry. I did get the delicious soup down (I think it was mushroom and was quite good). We tried to dry off some of our stuff, especially the ponchos, rain pants, and boots, but the ground was soaked and there was nowhere to really leave our boots except our little entrance flap. We updated our journals and soon enough we went to the food tent to enjoy some popcorn and tea - these I was fine with.

Dinner came after our check in, where I rated myself a 7 out of 10 because of the nausea. I was also getting a bit dizzy, which was weird - not bad, but basically, if I laid down and sat up, my head took a few seconds to catch up. I was annoyed - we still below 4000m and I had never felt the effects of altitude that low before! Ever! I was hoping it would pass by morning and I took the second half of my diamox. I ate what I could but my appetite was noticeably less and I soon just went to lay down, after getting my hot water bunny. The cold was not too bad actually - it was the wet.

Day 3 - Shira II camp to Lava Tower to Barranca Camp (10km)

It rained the ENTIRE night. Never once let up and we walked a far way to pee at the nice restrooms a couple of times (like actual sit down toilet seat). Otherwise I just peed outside on the rocks when the rain became a drizzle. In the morning, we check our boots which were just basically full of water. Overnight, they not only did not get dry, but seemed to somehow take on more water. I also did not feel any better. It was at this point where I was like, wow, I don't think I am going to summit. But with the day's climb to Lava Tower at 4600m, I figured let's see how it goes first.

I had a bit of breakfast, forcing down what I could. It was not raining at that point, though it was misty. I walked on my own with one guide, Erick. They truly do what they can to make sure you are successful on your trip. So, we set a slower pace, but one that I could maintain, keeping a constant heartrate and breathing rate. I was actually, doing ok and started to feel better. And then the rains came again. And again, they did not stop for the rest of the day. It was pretty steep in some places, but overall, not a difficult hike. If it was not raining, it would have been somewhat enjoyable as you had great views - not so much with the rain, however. So, I was slow, but steady for the most part. I was starting to feel like, hey, maybe I can do this. I am doing ok.

Erick and I got to the Lava Tower lunch break; I was even stuck behind another woman who was struggling quite a bit. I could have passed her, but it was only 20 minutes, so why bother. I definitely felt for her. No judgement - you really can only worry about your own pace. You'll get there. We took a photo of me at the sign and the background of the tower, in the rain, of course. Everyone was in the tent and I joined them for the end of lunch. The guides were adamant that I had to eat, but it was sooooo difficult. They had a potato and carrot stew, which I was able to force down about half, but I was unable to eat anything else except the watermelon.

We all left at the same time and climb down heading to our next camp. Again, without the rain, this would have been fun and easy. With the rain, we had to basically boulder down a waterfall. A bit sketchy so it slowed us down significantly. The pace was definitely better this time and I arrived at Barranca Camp (3900m) 20 minutes behind them, with just the last 1km being difficult. I did not take pictures and I just wanted to vomit. I had puked at the end of the hike and they were now a bit concerned. I stayed in my tent and they brought me soup to make me eat, which I was able to eat half. The cook then said he wanted me to try to eat something more substantial and indicated he would bring me a small plate. He came in with a plate FULL of food, which almost made me puke all over it then and there! To be fair, it looked absolutely delicious and I was so sad to not eat it. It was like beef stroganoff rice a roni dish with green beans - I would have loved it. I had a few bites and that was it.

I talked to the lead guide and just said, I am getting worse and I have zero energy now. He explained that the route down from that point would be a difficult 8-hour trek. I said I would see if I felt better in the morning, but at that point I did not think I could keep climbing - we would have the Barranca wall the next day (which I had been looking forward to!!!!!! UGH!), but the thought of trying to go up that when I felt dizzy, nauseous and weak.... I just did not think I would be able to do that and then summit, so what was the point. ALL of our stuff was soaked at this point, even things that I had not even worn or brought out yet. It was still raining and rained for the rest of the night. What is the point of this adventure when you are just absolutely miserable?

Day 4 - Barranca Camp to Umbwe Gate (20km?)

So, the next morning, unable to eat breakfast, I decided I was done. Of course, the sun came out halfway through and everyone ran outside to put as much as we could to dry in the limited sun! Typically, you would leave early to climb the wall due to the crowds, but smart people don't climb in the rainy season, so it was basically just us and two other groups, so we could take a bit more time. It was soooo beautiful to see the little valley, waterfalls and the huge wall to climb before you. God, should I? But no, I knew how this would turn out (confirmed later as my friend said it did indeed start to pour while they climbed the wall about 30 minutes in to the hike).

So, I joined Erick (who had told me previously he had summited about 150 times) and two porters (Samuel and John) to make our way down. And yes, about 20 minutes in, it was pouring and never stopped. It was indeed a struggle down as I was warned. The first half was climbing over a lot of boulders and down steep slopes, so it was slow going. They were carrying my pack for me, so I just had to worry about myself. That was hard enough for sure. There were many areas with very steep drops on the sides, sometimes on both sides as we crossed ridges; in some ways, it was gorgeous as we were above the clouds, but you really could not see much. This used to be a route up the mountain but was now used just by porters, so not the most maintained of trails. This went on for about 4 hours and then we came to Umbwe Cave Camp which was basically the halfway point, having already descended 1000m. Here we had lunch, with a slight break in weather from pouring rain to a steady drizzle. I ate a few orange slices and two crackers.

Erick said the remainder of the hike, another 11km and 1000m descent to the gate, was easy as it was just a gentle slope down and should take 2.5-3 hours. There were many relatively flat areas where kept a pretty good pace despite the huge puddles of water. The slope down was gentle, sure, but it consisted mainly of red clay. This meant that we all fell multiple times, just sliding down on the wet, slick soils. There were also a few wooden bridges with a very thin moss-like wet layer which meant we shuffled our feet to cross (after John took a hard spill when he started on the first bridge). I knew Erick said 3 hours, but I was still ok with having an overall 9 hour trek down, but I was getting frustrated with the continual falls. At one point, I just sat and had a mini-temper tantrum. :D To be fair though, a couple did seem to impact my back. This also coincided with one telling me about 20 minutes remained and the other said 2 hours. I'm like, I don't care how far, I just want to know.

We came upon a park car sent to pick us up (as well as another girl who came down with her guide). Unfortunately, he was very much stuck in the mud. The guy also seemed to be a little.... well, not the brightest bulb. We actually did arrive here at 5 pm, just under 9 hours, but the guides all tried to unstuck the car for over an hour. It was initially nice to sit for a minute and it actually did not rain during this time, but soon, since I was wet and the sun was going down, I was starting to get very cold and I just wanted to move. So, at 6:30pm, we left the guy with his car and we all kept walking in the dark and of course, it started to drizzle then. Not terrible, but just a great end. We came upon the Altezza van about 40 minutes later and he successfully turned around in the road without getting stuck. Soon, we were on the way to the hotel!

Freedom!

We dropped the other girl and her guide at the park gate and continued on. There was a driver and another girl with us, who gave me a big bottle of water and a packed dinner. It took an hour to drive through Moshi and to get to the new hotel, Brubru. It was soooo nice and I was surprised. The receptionist was so friendly, offering for me to sit down on their nice white couches while I checked in - I said, um, I'm wet and covered in mud, so probably not a good idea!

I was only here one night before I would go to the next hotel in the morning. I got to my super nice room, and tried to not track too much mud everywhere. I made a beeline to the bathroom, where I basically just went into the hot shower fully clothed, took the sprayer and hosed off my clothes, boots, and body. It was amazing. I unpacked my dinner and it looked so good.... but I only ate the fruit and drank the fruit juice. Nausea was better, but I think I got stuck in a cycle where I was now so hungry I was nauseous maybe. It did not matter, I was just so glad to be clean and dry, and I fell asleep in my bed quickly.

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Comments

[Home and Away]

SO sorry to hear about all the rain.
But the most important lesson a mountain climber learns is when to turn around...even if only 100 meters from the summit!

[lexispence10]

No regrets
Yes, I have never had to turn around before and I felt like I could continue longer, but for me it was not worth it. If I could not even enjoy it, what is the point of continuing to be sick? I am not a person who has 'summit fever'. I like to enjoy my adventures, even if they are hard and frustrating at the time, but if the only highlight of the trip is a summit, no thanks.

[D MJ Binkley]

This photo says a lot
They say a photo is worth a 1,000 words and this one speaks volumes.

[lexispence10]

So much rain
Ha! I think so too! It was miserable, and I took so few pictures. Even with my phone tucked away, it is now clear that it was damaged from the rain as sometimes the camera just freezes.