Day 6: The goal: reach the summit (from 14,910 feet to 19,341 feet – let me help with the math, that’s 4,431 feet of elevation) even if it required crawling. The team: John (my blood lines include Sherpa) Jones, Ben (I was raised by wolves in the French Alps) Vannier, and Sarah (Allie Altitude – aka becomes paralyzed above 15,000 feet) Vaudreuil. The competition: Uhuru Peak measuring in at 19,341 feet. Leveling the playing field: Hamisi and Abasi (our guides), cliff bars, and altitude pills. The weather: COLD and dark with wind.
In our attempt to beat the mountain, we basically lived two days on Friday, July 30th. I admit that there are not enough hours on that given day and many of you had a normal delightful day, but our day started at 11:30PM (technically the 29th) and ended nearly 24 hours later at about 10PM.
11:30PM: Amari from the Good Earth staff “knocked” on our tent and produced an awkward display of biscuits and hot chocolate for us to drink in our crowded tent. John came over to join us for the ceremonial affair. We had all slept in our layered clothing due to the freezing temperatures and need to be ready quickly, so it was only mildly painful forcing on the boots, gloves, and face mask. One last bathroom stop, and it was time to get started.
12:15 AM: we started the grueling, yet exciting jaunt. At first it was thrilling to finally be en route, and the adrenaline took over as we cruised along in the darkness for the first three hours. The sky was as clear as Evian water (hahaha) and filled with unbelievable stars and a glowing moon that shone on the snow capped peak. Everyone on the mountain seemed eager and cheery offering hellos and good lucks. Given our late start (midnight was the original goal) we were about the third to last group in the HUGE snaking line of people (visible only by the small dots of light their headlamps produced) trying to summit that night. We passed numerous groups, and given the demanding task at hand all pleasantries and “jambos” (hellos) were eventually replaced with dirty looks. We were now in the middle of the pack, and I was not encountering altitude sickness, so things were looking good.
3:15AM: Things changed dramatically as, much like Jekyll and Hyde, I became Allie Altitude. Despite chugging water the day before and during the hike, I acquired a massive headache, nausea, and dizziness out of nowhere. To make things more challenging the cold was also taking its toll as I shivered at times and wished that I had additional layers on. My fingers and toes were starting to ache and sting as the winds somehow penetrated my leather boots and Gortex gloves. The eager line of people hiking suddenly became a solemn chain gang taking one small step up at a time with their eyes all glued downward while they ever so slowly moved on. We ascended the extremely steep narrow winding dirt path that was flanked by rocks and large boulders.
4:45AM: We had made a total of three short breaks to rest, adjust gear, and snack. My water bottles were mostly frozen making drinking fluids a cold (I literally could not hold the bottles for very long since they were too cold even through my gloves) and frustrating process. At one point the top of one of my stainless steel bottles broke and my guide had to take it from me, because I was wasting too much time and energy attempting to MacGyver a solution. It was miserable at times and Ben (always prepared) broke out his hand warmers and shared one with me. I was so relieved that I would be able to warm my hands since it was becoming more painful, and I feared potential frostbite. After following the instructions and shaking the packet in desperation it was determined that the hand warmer was not to be. It refused to work despite all efforts, and Ben’s hand warmer also failed. I was too tired to feel much negative emotion at that point, it was as if I was Eeyore all ho-hum, from Winnie-the-Pooh. The good news was you just needed to force yourself to take your eyes off the trail for a few seconds to see the amazing glowing mountain peak getting closer – the goal was more achievable by the minute.
5:25AM: we reached Stella Point which is the first flat rocky area that feels like the top of the mountain. People were mildly celebrating the occasion and resting, so I thought we were very close. Then our guides told us we had about an hour left, and I wanted to just give up (not that it was a real option ever). Instead we sat for a few minutes in a small inlet until our guides gently urged us to continue. This last stretch of hiking would prove to be brutal. The winds picked up since there was little protection at the top and the sky was slightly orange in anticipation of sunrise, but it would be an hour before the lazy sun would really break through. At one point I honestly thought I saw a large green square tent in the distance with lighting which I mentioned to John and Ben. They both laughed, naturally assuming I was joking. Thanks crazy altitude sickness (hahaha).
The last bit of the hike wound through rocky areas and the actual top of the mountain could not be seen in the distance, so I rode an emotional rollercoaster often thinking we were about to reach the actual summit when we still had a good distance to go. We walked (truthfully I stumbled) through ice fields shivering in pain and pushing myself to continue onward despite desperately wanting to stop. John and Ben were definitely faring better as we advanced.
6:20AM: we finally officially reached Uhuru Peak and the official sign. I was so frozen and exhausted that I was not even relieved at first. All I wanted was for the sun to actually appear and provide warmth. Our guides (Hamisi and Abas) kindly congratulated us and other groups around us (about 25 total people) were celebrating to various degrees. Hamisi urged us to get in line and snap the victory pictures with the famous peak sign, but I was too tired at first and begged for five minutes to regroup. As the sun began to appear we quickly took our series of peak pictures while other groups waited. The sun finally arrived in all of its glory producing the heat I desperately needed to fully feel my hands and feet. We took in the mind-blowing views at sunrise and attempted to capture it all in a series of photos. From the peak we saw the crater, glaciers, ice fields, Mawenze Peak (the jagged mountain known as the Needle), and Meru Mountain (4,500 meters high) to the west in the shadow of Kilimanjaro all pictured here.
6:40AM: despite just completing six of the most physically and mentally demanding hours of my life, it was time to start the three hour hike back to camp, since it is not good for your body to spend a lot of time at extreme altitudes. We walked and slid down (at times it was like skiing down through thick dirt) the thick dirt paths. Thankfully it was much warmer and things were now visible without a headlamp. John noticed that our fingers were swollen from the altitude, so we all had a fistful of sausage fingers which was entertaining. We were so tired and descending in such a steep fashion really took its toll on our knees. It was, however, nice to see our campsite from above. We finally arrived back at camp!
9:30AM: I went straight to the bathroom for the first time since the hike began, weakly thanked the porters as they congratulated us, and then staggered into the tent. I managed to remove my dirty boots and outer layer of pants before passing out for my 1.5 hour nap. I woke up in a very hot tent with very little energy, but it was time to pack up, eat a quick lunch, and get going yet again. I was starting to feel like a gypsy on the move so much.
1:15PM: we began our third hike of the day, which was estimated to last five more hours. Our feet and legs burned as we essentially descended 5,000 feet on exhausted legs. The terrain was initially dry and we had our last surprisingly distant views of Kilimanjaro. After a couple of hours into the hike we rested at another campsite where they sold Coke, which we happily declined. I swear if we ever get to Mars Coke products will somehow be there first. Later we were back in the trees for the last stretch of the fun-filled five hour hike.
6:00PM: we finally arrived at the Mweka campsite in a delightful forest setting similar to that of Minnesota or Wisconsin, which felt more private than the other campsites where all of the other groups were visible. We were now staying at a mere 10,010 feet. We spoke to our Iowa friends who camped across the way, ate dinner, and then went to bed early bird after surviving a very long 3-part hiking night/day.
Day 7: After thanking our guides and the full team we were hiking by 8:15AM the next day. We finished our fantastic Kilimanjaro hike with a 3 hour stroll to the Mweka gate. As you might expect it was nearly all downhill, and we were back in the cool cloud forest we began in. There were huge green trees and after all of the dry dirt trails I enjoyed the misty green scenery. It did however, become extremely muddy as we wandered further down the trail/road, and it eventually became as sloppy as the Kentucky Derby infield. John and I managed to see three colubas monkeys playing in the trees, which was the highlight of my day. They are black with huge a white skunk-like stripe and tail and are only found in parts of Africa. Soon after spying the monkeys we had our first glimpses of buses and the end of the trail. After we re-entered civilization we were required to sign out at the ranger station and declare victory. John, Ben, and I followed that up with a boot washing since they were engulfed in 7 days of mud.
Later we boarded the Good Earth bus with the full team and headed through huge coffee farms and other pleasing landscapes before arriving at our first restaurant in over a week. There was a sink to wash our hands, a stable table and chairs, and wait for it…a hamburger and fries. Yes, that’s what I chose from the eclectic menu, and I loved every bite and washed it down with a Kilimanjaro beer. After arriving back in Arusha we all took very long showers in an attempt to get to our previous cleanliness levels. Then we tried (unsuccessfully) to get our laundry done for nearly three hours. We finally gave up and bought some laundry detergent for future use.
On the upside, John did manage to obtain (through tough negotiations) a clean Kili beer shirt to wear (thankfully – he had no clean clothes) and add to his collection of crazy t-shirts. Ben and I held back laughter as John was previously only wearing a zip-up sweatshirt in hopes of finding said t-shirt. We pushed him to try on the Kili shirt in front of the guys working at the store and they joined in encouraging him to try it on! He eventually had to show them that he was not wearing a shirt. Priceless. By the time that adventure was over it was time for another American-esque meal of pizza (true story). I ended the night by doing some laundry by hand causing both my sink and bathtub to look like the brown Mississippi River. It took at least three washes to get my hiking gear clean, and I had to use the hair dryer the next AM to complete the drying process.
At the end of it all it was a remarkable and demanding hike that I will never forget. Thanks to Ben Gervais for recommending Good Earth and to Becky Mitchell for her initial guidance and planning (you were missed!). A HUGE thanks to John and Ben who entertained me, added to the enjoyment of it all, and helped me get through the tough times. I could not have done it without them. We are riding a heat wave with Mia Tucker in Egypt next. Until next time…Sarah.
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