Snows of Kilimanjaro

The bookcase in our staffroom has a nice little collection, including several Africa and Tanzania specific additions. Although I brought a book with me, I set that aside for when I start traveling on my own and instead picked up 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' by Ernest Hemingway. What better inspiration to absorb before setting out on my own journey up the legendary mountain? Unfortunately, the story was, as far as I could tell because I only managed to get about half way through it, only set in Africa, somewhere near the mountain and had nothing else to do with it. The main characters were annoying and the timeline jumped arbitrarily between past and present... I hear the man dies in the end. I still plan on finishing it at some point despite having started another book, but as much as the book itself was a disappointment, Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, was anything but.

Twenty students arrived late Wednesday night and after a quick briefing, tried to get some sleep before an early start the next day. My fellow Rustic guide, Taylor, one of our two Kili guides, Everest and I checked the gear of each of our 4 climbers, 3 girls and a boy. Just our luck, the only student to have lost luggage, was one of our Kili girls so we had to scramble to get enough gear together for her to at least begin the hike. I didn't tell her that it took six days to recover mine!

A two and a half hour drive brought us to the base of our trek and after some time getting permits arranged, we dove into the rainforest. Throughout the trek, we traverse 4 different climate zones which is one of the most impressive parts of the hike. The trail is well developed in the beginning and set up for day hikers as well. Lush green vines, tree trunks covered in moss and thin fluttering leaves that gave them the appearance of giant bird necks craning to see above the canopy. The dirt was a deep purple-red and roots criss-crossing the trail were the vericose veins of this vibrant scene.

We arrived at the first camp after about 5 hours of hiking. Since the kids were a bit jet-lagged it was a tiring walk and we were all looking forward to settling in to our cute little A-frame huts for a good nights sleep - after of course, a delicious feast cooked by our wonderful Kili cook Samson. A thick mist slid in during the night and greeted us at our doorstep. Breakfast was yet another feast. Tea, hot cocoa or coffee, Porridge, toast with jam, honey, peanutbutter, butter, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and even a little meat! Nice and full for the next 6 hour hike.

This time, it only took us about half an hour to climb above the damp, rainforest and enter the 'heather and moorland' region. Quite suddenly we found ourselves on a much drier, sage and heather lined path with small bunches of wild flowers sprinkled about. Everything opened up as we left the green behind and made our way into an area reminiscent of the American southwest. We were given delicious pack lunches each day augmented by hot soup - yummm soup! Night two was spent at Horombo camp. The six of us enjoying a rowdy game of catchphrase until we were joined by a breakdancing Japanese guy who seemed to savor the opportunity to practice his english. Ahh catchphrase never fails to bring people together :).



Day three was a day of aclimization so we slept in and took an easy hour and a half stroll up to a place called Zebra Rocks. Heavy clouds rolled across the land again and after relaxing and playing on the boulders for a while we returned to camp, ate, cuddled up in our bags and took turns making up the most entertaining story about Tina and Terry, a brother and sister who had lost their parents and got mixed up with a pirate alien and ate magical foods (namely a grilled cheese sandwich and 'black cow' shake that the girls had been craving), that transported them through a mysterious vortex and I musn't forget their bumbling Uncle Taylor that became a hero anytime it was Taylor's turn :).

Day four, the mists turned to rain and after water-proofing ourselves and our gear we set off for the final camp. This time, we walked through an expanse of dirt and rock, very little vegetation and a couple hours in were guarded on either side by Uhuru peak (the highest, which we would be climbing) and Mwenzi peak (striking a majestic sillouhette, a very technical climb which few attempt). Staring into the white void ahead, we would occasionally see a dark pinpoint materialize. Slowing gaining size as we approached eachother the pinpoint would take form, two moving legs, a torso enlarged by a backpack, a head and always a massive bundle perched precariously atop. The porters (of which our group alone had 12, two per person!), amazed me not only with their stamina, but also with their finely tuned balancing act, carrying woven baskets, plastic jugs and huge duffles on top of their heads, with such ease that they almost seemed to forget about the load all together!

The sun finally stepped in and scared away the clouds so that we could finally see our goal. Once at Kibo hut, the students rested and I set off for some bouldering to take in the sunset. I am grateful that as of yet, I have not been much affected by high altitude so despite breathing being a little more difficult I felt wonderful. Being in such beautiful places, the feeling of freedom rendered by the scenery and the daily hiking routine is just so uplifting! I felt so content... and lucky! One of our students however was feeling the pressure and struggled to sleep with an intense headache. After an early dinner, we all tried to force ourselves to sleep around 7pm, quite the challenge for me, and in the end I think I got about an hour's worth before the 11pm wakeup call.

This was the moment! We pulled on as many layers as we could, had a small breakfast of tea and cookies and gathered outside the hut to begin our ascent. We were very fortunate to have a clear sky, the stars lent their sparkles for something to climb towards and "pole pole" or "slowly slowly" we inched up the steep incline. The night before, the climbers had been faced with rain the entire way up, which made the slopes very slick and they even had snowfall at the top! Many more were thwarted by the weather so despite the difficulty, it could have been much worse.

About an hour and a half into the hike, the student who had been most affected by the altitude could not continue and had to return to camp. That left us with 5 to forge onward. Step by step, sometimes excruciateingly slow, we climbed. Our water bottles froze so we had extras wrapped in clothing inside our packs, but my fingertips froze as well inspite of the three pairs of gloves. I had brought a set of toe warmers so my feet, in my little ol' running shoes and an excellent pair of hiking socks stayed warm until just about an hour from the summit. My lips actually froze and when trying to issue words of encouragement, I ended up sounding like my entire mouth had been shot full of novicane. I am SO very proud of the girls! They battled their way up that mountain, little by little, passing other groups and we were rewarded with a brilliant redish-orange band across the horizon heralding the rising of the sun that poked its first few rays above just as we were reaching Uhuru... Freedom (in swahili)!

Exhausted, but happy, we rested on the rocks, took a few obligatory photos and began the descent. The girls had put every last drop of energy into the climb so coming down was slow and tedious. I stayed behind with the last student, a very cool, down to earth and tough girl who had to call on that mysterious energy reserve that I became all too familiar with in my descent from Huyana Potosi. The intense sun did not help and once we finally arrived back at the hut, everyone had collapsed in their beds uninterested in food, only sleep. Unfortunately, we could not afford that luxury. By the time I arrived, the others had rested some, but it was time to pack up, eat a quick lunch and hike back to the second camp, both to sleep at a lower altitude and to be closer to the base for the following day. I can't say that there were too many smiles after reaching the summit that day. Drained and groggy (I actually felt surprisingly well, boosted by the memory of the adventure) the students, Taylor and I retraced our steps to the second camp for a total of about 15 straight hours of hiking. Phew! After yet another delicious meal (at this point, the students were all souped out, but I don't think that could ever happen to me! :), this was one night that I had no problem falling asleep early!

I awoke very early in the morning to a massive bottom lip. A combination of the cold and the sun had severely damaged my poor lip and it felt as if it was about to pop - a free gift from the mountain, Kilimanjaro colligen. It took several hours for the swelling to subside, but it was still very dry, tender and tingly. Our final day of hiking down went quickly and after the open moorland and the rainforest slid by, we found ourselves passing under the gate, conquerors of Kili, and salivating over a hot shower.

Three of my climbers flew home the next day, their African adventure complete. One is staying another week to work in one of the villages, luckily the same program that I am now working on and yet another batch of students have arrived. For the next two weeks, I'll be doing development work in a small village, set in the midst of banana and avocado trees, outside Arusha called Poli. I have all girls this week and they seem like a great bunch already. Internet is still frustratingly limited so I've prewritten this and will cross my fingers that it sends at one point!

For more photos, check out my facebook album - Jambo from Africa!