It was unbelievable to watch long lines of porters pass us quickly carrying huge amounts of gear (often above their heads). It was critical to get out of their way and to give them the right away. I learned the terms “samahani” or sorry and “peter” (how it sounds maybe not spelled correctly) or please pass. We were also entertained as our guide was able to take calls from family and friends everywhere on Kilimanjaro.
After arriving at camp we got settled in and confused the Good Earth team when we switched up our sleeping arrangement and Ben took a tent to himself. It was pretty funny to see the team’s reaction since they had no idea what we were up to. Later we had a rice and stew dinner with some avocados for dessert, and we played a lot of three person cribbage and casino (a new game John taught us). Our campsite was phenomenal, because we were on the edge of the mountain facing the Shira Ridge with a near full moon and perfectly clear starlit sky providing the lighting. We could not see the top of Kilimanjaro yet, and it got extremely cold (frost on the tents). We employed the Kim Roberts (LA native) method of staying warm by placing hot water bottles in the sleeping bags with us, along with all battery operated items, so they did not freeze up. Bathroom breaks at 4AM were not much fun, but I did manage to get a few pictures because of it.
Day 3: Tuesday, July 27th proved to be a particularly difficult day for me. We began at 12,500 feet at 8:30 in the morning and hiked straight upward to the Lava Tower (about 15,200 feet) for lunch. At about 14,000 feet altitude sickness started plaguing me, despite taking medications and drinking tons of water. I had an extremely bad headache, nausea, and dizziness. Later my stomach started twirling and performing Circ du Soleil feats causing me to nearly throw up. The pain started to consume me, and I kept asking the guides how much further we had to go to reach the Lava Tower. It seemed the answer was 20 minutes three different times, which frustrated me. I could no longer think straight, so I began recalling facts about my family and school history to determine the extent of my sickness. My head felt like it was going to explode, I was stumbling along in a zig-zag path, and eventually tears started flowing down my face. Thanks to my polarized sunglasses it was not completely obvious. I managed to make it to the Lava Tower through various motivational tactics (telling myself – “one step at a time,” “you got this,” “eat a bag mountain,” and “don’t be a panzy”). Thankfully we rested a great deal and ate lunch. Here is a picture of me after resting showing the Lava Tower who was boss.
After lunch we headed down a very steep dry rocky path and then along a delightful ridge with a stream and oasis of plants in the middle of a dry area. The scenery was stunning, and we could see Kilimanjaro clearly for the first time. We descended to just over 13,000 feet, so thankfully my altitude sickness subsided. When we arrived at the Baranco Camp (after about 6.5 hours) it was warm enough for shorts (for about 45 minutes), so we took advantage and washed our faces in the warm water provided. After the extremely cold weather and the layers of dirt we sported we were literally grinning and enjoying every warm moment. The campsite was remarkable with blue skies and incredible Kilimanjaro peak views. Even though we were dressed like clowns we took full advantage of the time and snapped some ridiculous pictures.
Later that night I battled stomach problems (which we all did throughout the trip), which were overshadowed by the mind-blowing sights. The Milky Way Galaxy, moon, and glowing snow on the peak made the freezing bathroom break slightly better. I did manage to trip on not just one but both tent ropes during this late night rendezvous, thankfully I caught myself both times. I blame the altitude for any dumb stunts or comments I made during that trip, and things were a lot funnier when there is less oxygen to the brain. These first three days were very similar to the three day Peru trek John and I helped lead on the Ancascocha Trail last August (KWESTees - John and I missed you on this hike!).
Day 4: Much like the other days we started out at about 8:40AM after a scrumptious breakfast that included chipati (crepe-like pancakes). We made light work of the first half of our hike as we reached the top after 1.5 hours of leisurely hiking up nearly 1,000 feet of elevation. Our guides had been constantly telling us to go “polla polla” (pronounced pollay pollay) or “slowly slowly” the past few days including that portion of the hike. We went straight up a very narrow rocky path which provided great views of Kilimanjaro, until the clouds rolled in again. My altitude sickness was still minor, but John was breaking in new hiking boots, so he was in more pain on this day. Despite battling through the blisters, John continued to delight us by often speaking in TV and movie quotes throughout the hikes.
We began a 1,000 foot descent through a steep rocky area and then hiked around a bend for awhile. This was followed by a very steep, but brief, climb uphill where I managed to smack my head on a giant rock, because I was so focused on each step I was taking. Once I made sure I was not bleeding I got a good laugh at the absurdity of the situation, since I was literally ten feet from completing the hike. This portion of the hike was also short, because the day was designed to be an acclimation day.
As we arrived at our slanted campsite in the Karanga Valley the porters called out “Sarah” with a slight accent as they often did to greet me. We then had a nice lunch with chicken and grilled cheese sandwiches. It was extremely warm in our tents during the afternoon, so we literally attempted to bask in the sunny tents while we had the chance (life’s little pleasures). Arriving so early also left us with plenty of time to rest, read, and play more cards. We had our first, and only, views of small orange city lights below. It was extremely windy here, so we had to ensure we had everything in our tents and rocks to help hold the tent edges down. We were starting to get more excited since the summit day was quickly approaching. There was just one short hike between us and the beginning of the daunting summit hike.
Day 5: The fifth day began as the others did (although not until 9:00AM), but with a lot more anticipation and nervousness, since we would attempt our summit that night. We had a nice three hour hike straight up to the Barafu camp at about 14,910 feet. The hiking path was wider but with higher winds and a great deal of dirt; it was as if we traveled back in time to the Dust Bowl. We were all covered in dirt. On a positive note it was a sunny day above the clouds, and we were afforded new views and angles of the Kilimanjaro summit and the Mawenze Peak (the Needle). We were instructed to drink about four liters of water throughout the day in preparation for the late night summit marathon trek which led to more bathroom time.
After arriving at our steepest and rockiest campsite yet, we devoured our favorite grilled chicken and other lunch items. It was then time to pack and prepare all of our gear for the midnight hike. We all tried to eat an early dinner and then head to bed from 6:30PM to 11:30PM, but it was nearly impossible for me to sleep, and I think I logged about two hours of actual zzzzs. We had now camped at 13,000, 14,000, and 15,000 feet and the higher we went the colder and windier it became. At one point our tent rumbled loudly from both sides, and later I thought it was going to be gone with the wind when I left it unattended for a bit. We were minutes away from the summit hike. Until next time…Sarah.
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