The plan, from the morning of Day 5, to the return to bottom of the mountain, was as follows: We would arrive at Barafu camp early, eat lunch, get our gear ready for our summit and relax. We would eat dinner by 5pm and receive our "strong briefing" (direct quote from Benjamin) of the summit plan by Benjamin. It was then off to bed for a wake up call at 11pm and to start our summit by 12am - ..."and we cannot be late..." - thank goodness it is was dark out - no potential "Kodak moments" to tempt Mike and I! Over the days of climbing, the 5 of us would chat about what we had, what we think we needed and what we had to share...., (and to my Canadian followers, as in the Canadian Hockey Card world, "....got it...need it....trade it...."). This was really helpful as we did end up exchanging things to make sure we made it to the top. I know I keep saying it, but we had the most amazing team - we were not perfect, but we were perfect for each other - awe, how sweet!!!!!
At the summit we would stay for as long as we could, but it is not just reaching altitude that can cause problems, but also the length of time that you stay at altitude. So the plan was to stay around 15 min then to start to head down. We would head down back to Barafu Camp, have a little rest, eat lunch then head down to Mweka Camp which is at 3100m - a much safer altitude level. We would stay at this camp over night then head to Mweka gate and back to the hotel. As you will hear, it was as crazy as it sounds - 6 days up and 1 day down - ouch!!! You don't feel the altitude coming down, but your poor knees and toes - we are talking a fairly significant grade down - this wasn't a "Hanzel and Gretel" path - it is more of a black diamond ski slope - oops, was that my outside voice complaining...?????
Now that is what the plan was and this is what we did:
Delia and I did not even need to wait for our wake up call at 11pm - at around 10:45pmish we were already starting to put on our insane amounts of layers on and pack our gear and water. We had 4 layers on the bottom, 5 layers on top including a down-filled vest, hat, headband and gloves.....I KNOW!!!......we were warm to say the least, but just exactly as you would think, we couldn't move. I thought it was hard getting out of the tent before - it was a bit of a push and pull kind of thing - Delia had to give me a little boot in the bum to get out and I gave the "1, 2, 3, heave" to pull Delia out*grin*! So now, successfully out of the tent, but completely exhausted from the effort of getting dressed and trying to maneuver with a million layers on, we contemplated how the heck we would be able to get up the mountain! Hot tea and bisquits were prepared for a light snack then it was the start of our summit by 12am.
......hmmmm.....Mike, Mike???? Where's Mike???......after we found Mike and made a few adjustments, it was off to the top of Africa by 12:10am! It is amazing how fast 1 hour of preparation time goes! Something else of our summit climb that is worth noting is that for the previous 5 days (and for our last day) we had a crew of 19 - that is guide, assistant guide, cook, assistant cook and 16 Mgumus, but for the summit it was the 5 of us, Benjamin, Athman and James. The only thing that was needed was water and cameras - no other gear was needed. Our other team members stayed at Barafu camp and slept in our tents because believe it or not - there have been issues of stealing...at 4600m?????.......???? So we were told! So the team would split up to ensure that there was someone in every tent looking out for our things. Really, they were probably all hanging out, drinking wisky, playing cards and laughing at us as we started to climb....."suckers"! Just kidding!
Okay, okay, I have to admit it, while we were waiting for Mike, Athman leaned over my pack and put is water bottle in my side pouch and said, "Is that okay?". Although I was a little surprised, I certainly did not mind AT all - everything that he had done so far for us and I knew would be doing for us - I could handle a bottle of water. But alas, this is not the Kili way - when we reached down to put the water bottle in, he was not asking if it was okay that he put his water bottle in there, but telling me that he would be carrying my pack for me - I resisted - a bit, but he insisted....what was a little girl to do? *grin*!!!!! As I realized after, James was carrying Sabrina's bag so I didn't feel so guilty. To start with Delia, Mike and Jen all carried their own packs. but as we got close to the top, Benjamin grabbed Jen's bag too. She started to get that, "...oh my gawd" look in her eyes that Benjamin recognized. In the end, Delia and Mike were the only ones to carry their things from the bottom to top and back down again.
So with our millions of layers, headlamp on and camera around my neck, we were certainly ready to go. Benjamin lined us up, inches from each other and the instructions were...."keep close, look ahead, pole,pole and take time to enjoy the views". So all of us in tow - something like a kindergarten class trip, just minus the rope - we started to climb. I was warm, felt great and was so excited - it was such a cool feeling! Now, before I go much further, remember that we left at midnight....it is dark and cold and we were climbing up the steepest part....we had to stay focused! I will try my best to express the emotion involved, but it really is hard unless you experience it yourself - especially with my non-existent journalism skills.
The obvious reason for leaving camp at midnight, is to reach the summit by sun rise and to allow us to enjoy the top for as long as possible. With Benjamin's assessment of our abilities based on the previous days - he was planning to get to Stella Point in 6 hours - sun rise! The route was basically switch back up from camp with the last part to the ridge on scree (lose rock). This would lead to Stella Point and then we would hike along the ridge for about 45 min to Uhuru Peak - the highest point!
As we climbed, we kept fairly quiet - at this point it was all about survival and getting to the top. The major altitude affects is over 5000m so regardless of how good we felt at the beginning, it was using common sense, listening to your body and keeping positive thoughts - mind over matter. Although we did not talk alot, we did look out for each other - getting water and making sure that everyone was warm enough, but that's about the extent of it. One step in front of the other, looking at the feet in front of us and taking small sips of water. For the first 20 to 30 minutes I have to admit that I had my head down for most of it - climbing the rocks and making sure that I did not trip, but after awhile, I would occassionally look over my shoulder, look up and see the stars and the lights of the city; Moshi below. The other thing that was kinda' cool, was that of course, we were not the only group going up - and the other thing that you could see is groups of lights bopping along beside, ahead and behind us. It was so dark that you could not see anything else. It wasn't far into the walk when it started to get really cold. I remember when Delia and I were planning our trip from TO, we read alot - what to bring, what to wear, what to expect, etc. There was one part in the equipment suggestions that said to bring a balaclava. Well, **grunt, grunt, grunt**, we are Canadians - we can take the cold - minus 15 degrees is nothing, "grunt, grunt, grunt" - we don't need no stinkin' balaclava!!! Well, we weren't really that cocky, but close. Well, with the unprepared comes the unexpected......Oh, it was minus 15 degrees alright, but one has to remember that you are climbing the side of a mountain that is completely exposed with a constant cold wind blowing hard against you - yeah, it was really cold. A balaclava would have been nice, but it certainly did not make or break our summit success - it was just a humbling experience that's all. Along the way we did stop as we had to make sure that we were still cognizant of acclimatizing properly (pole pole) and making sure that we stayed hydrated. It is over a 6 hour hike, so there was even a short pee break. Yeah, for once, I did not have to pee in the middle of the night, but the other 4 poor 'ole sods did. How do you pee on the side of the mountain you ask....? Anyway you can - behind one of the large bolders preferably! I actually did not enjoy stopping. When we were climbing I kept an even pace and found it okay, but when we stopped - I am not sure if it was the obscene amounts of layers, the cold, muscle fatigue or any combination of the above, but everytime I would re-start my legs felt like I just ran a marathon. This would disappear after a minute of two, but still played on my mide - a very strange feeling actually. Feeling the affects of the constant wind chill, the weird type of fatigue feeling in my legs and the heaviness in my chest were the only affects of the altitude that I experienced. But I do know Delia and Sabrina suffered severe head pain and a bit of nausea and Jen I think was more of fatigue with a bit of nausea. Mike did not look like a rose garden, but I don't think suffered too badly - just cold, maybe a bit of fatigue. I know looking back, we (all the climbers at Stella Point and at Uhuru Peak) looked like a sorry lot, but it was worth it! The day after racing a marathon or an ironman, you can always tell the participants by the noticable "marathon shuffle". A Kili climber is identified easily by the "face windburn peeling"!
The climb was dark, cold and steep and as the wind blew across our faces, I played mental games to keep me going. Don't get me wrong, nothing would have stopped me, but there are times that it just doesn't feel nice and doubt did cross my mind.
......I will stop here for a second....the unfortunate thing with this blog, is that they are my feelings and my experiences. I know some of the things Delia told me, but I am sure that she would remember different things and have a slightly different experience then me. Just keep that in mind as you read - just one woman's view...
The whole climb was amazing, but I will just tell you the 4 main things that I remember on this specific day - the summit climb. I remember the constant wind and cold that blew across the mountain - I mean constant. My body was warm, but my face was freezing - not a damaging, health risk freezing, but a cold that instilled a bit of doubt - made you think that..."man, if it gets any colder I don't know if I can go on.." - the kind of cold that made you feel that if you stopped you would freeze solid. The second thing I remember was the feeling in my chest. About 2 hours into the climb, my chest felt really heavy - a suffocating type of heavy. I did have my camera case strap around my neck and across my chest, but I really don't think that had anything to do with it. I took small breaths and I do remember putting my hands under my camera strap to releive some of that tightness in my chest, but when I did that, I would feel the pressure change to my back around my kidneys - again, a very strange feeling. The third thing I remember was temporary doubt. Most of fear and doubt comes from the unknown and on this summit climb we were hiking in the dark. Not having ever climbed the mountain before - the terrain was unknown and being dark, you never knew how far you were or what was coming next - you found out when you got to it. I did know; however, no matter how far we climbed and how close we were to the summit, I knew in 6 hours the sun was going to rise and this was going to instantly make me feel better and give me the hope and confidence I needed to ensure that I would indeed make it to the top. So at times; especially when it was really cold, I started to count in my head. Something like, ".....4 more hours to sun rise, 4 more hours to sun rise, 4 more hours to sun rise...", repeating it in my head to the rhythm of my steps. It is a trick I use in ironman races too, to keep the negative thougths out of my head until I can get re-focused. I did this on and off, but I do remember with 3 hours to go, I truly wondered if I could make it. I knew I would not quit, but I had that feeling where I wanted to soon - somewhat of a depressing thought actually. So, I kept counting to get those negative thoughts out of my mind and this is when the 4th thing happened to me that I remember. Somewhere between my counting episodes and the moments of looking in awe at the stars behind me and remembering how grateful I should be to actually be climbing; it happened! In my head, I was thinking, "....hmmmm.....well, I can't be sure, but I think that it is getting close to the 6 hour mark.". At this moment is when I lifted my head to look back at the stars, and to my left; which is the way I always looked (the safest way for me to avoid tripping and not falling off the edge), and there I saw it. It was, this enormous - I mean astronomical sized glazier - sparkling in the sun rays that were rising behind me. It was so close that I felt I could touch it, it was so huge I felt a sense of inferiority and it was so beautiful I was awestruck. I have seen beautiful things before, but because it was so big and beautiful and because I have never seen anything like it before; certainly not that close and not at the top of a mountain, but mostly because of the sun's image relecting on the glacier, it was the hope that I needed to get my butt up that mountain - it will be a time that I will remember forever! Even now as I write, I get chills! It was at that instant that I knew I could make it. Even though I could feel the altitude - I felt the rest was a piece of cake and unfortunately, the acutal summit was a little bit anti-climatic. I was more emotional seeing Redman's Glazier then getting to Uhuru Peak - funny eh? It was here though that I experienced another thing that I didn't think that I would - I could care less if I took even 1 photo. Before we left TO and the whole way up the mountain, I had all these ideas of what pictures & videos we could take at the top of the mountain, but when I got there....not so much. I had absolutely no desire. Of course I did take some shots eventually, but no amazing shots that's for sure. But even now - I don't care - I did it and that is what I will remember. I did see the sun rise - clear sky, nothing obscuring the view and the mountian and glazier in front - WOW!!! It was so beautiful. When I looked at the sun rise - I looked down to see where we came from and it was so cool - I climbed the mountain - I climbed Kilimanjaro - yeah! We all continued up to Stella Point and as we reached the ridge we all hugged - it was a crazy emotional time for us all. As we climbed each had our own doubts and tough times for sure (nausea, headaches and cold) for all 5 of us to be successful - it was pretty special. We stopped at Stella Point briefly, but because of the altitude, we wanted to keep going. It was another 45 minutes to Uhuru Peak along the ridge. However, it was deceively harder than it looked. Of course we still had to go up and at that point, man, you felt it! We finally reached the sign and took our momento pics. As I waited for the rest to get their pictures I did remember one picture that I wanted to take. I wanted a picture of me jumping, kicking my heels up. So, I mustered up some energy from somewhere asked Mike to just put the camera on sport and keep his finger down on the shutter from the time I left the ground until the time I came back down. We tried twice, but my hands got cut off a bit in the pictures, but I just could not do it a third time to get it perfect. I felt the altitude, but I also had all those silly layers on - it was hard!!! I have to say, as much as I loved the experience and am thrilled to have done it - a long time dream of mine, it did not entice me to want to climb more mountains. It is crazy! Altitude does crazy things to your body that you have no control over. Climbing mountains has very little to do with fitness, but more mental, desire and taking it slow!
From here we headed back down to Stella Point, took a few photos and then it was our start of our big descent. What goes up, must come down!
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