The Big Kili Climb

I returned home from my big 5-day climb of Kilimanjaro yesterday and have wonderful news....I made it to the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro- Uhuru Peak right at 19,341 feet-Africa's highest point! My total climbing time was about 35 hours and I am feeling pretty good. The most amazing part...I did it all by myself (well me and my guide Bakary). Surprisingly, I was one of the only people climbing it alone and got called all sorts of funny things along the way by all of the European climbers- Miss America, Miss Independent..etc. I made some friends along the way and decided that maybe all the friendly people from the world were climbing Kilimanjaro at the same time I was. I roomed with people from Korea, Sweden, Australia, France, Norway, and Uganda. I ate dinner with Canadians, Danish, Americans, and South Africans. Everyone was from around the world but somehow totally connected through their common goal...really a powerful experience.

Well, before I get too sappy, I guess will let you know the details of the trip. The climb took 5 days and went progressively more and more difficult as the days continued, mostly because the altitude was such a strain on my body. Your muscles tire out so easily that something that appeared easy became strenuous. Even my last night at the hut before the summit (about 15,000 ft) I was tossing and turning in my sleeping bag and became out of breath just because of the altitude! My climb "party" consisted of my guide, 2 porters (to carry my stuff, food, equipment, etc), and myself. It is incredible that one climber needs 4 people to come with them just to be prepared for the top! The porters were one of the most incredible parts of the climb....they are all very thin and young (18-25) and they carry huge packs on their backs and even bigger packs, bags, baskets, or pots on their heads the entire way up! Incredible!

Day 1
Lauren was able to come with me and we arrived at the Marangu Trail gate for registration and to begin the climb. There were tons of climbers and porters all waiting to get on the trail. We finally started our climb and it was pretty gentle, just like hiking at home. It was so nice to have Lauren along for my first day/night! The land around us looked a lot like a jungle- very lush, green and vines were hanging from the trees. We saw monkeys and mongoose (or is it mongeese?) came out while we were eating lunch...really scary because they look like brown overgrown ferrets. Finally we made it to the the 1st huts- simple triangle-shaped huts with 4 beds inside. Their is a common dining hall for all of the climbers and this is at the center of the camp. Lauren and I roomed with an adorable couple from Sweden who were around our age (Biana and Erick). We had tea and popcorn in the dining area, then went to explore a crater close-by. Our cooks prepared dinner (cucumber soup, veggie stew, and an entire mound of potatoes) and our guides tried to convince us to eat all of the food by saying- you need the energy. We went to bed around 10:00 and I wished Lauren was staying for longer!

Day 2
We woke up at 6:00 to get the day started with breakfast (eggs, toast, and really soupy porridge) then got started on the hike. Lauren hiked for the first 30 minutes where the scenery began to really look different (more desert-Santa Fe). I was very sad to say goodbye to her, and wish she could have stayed for the entire journey! I made it to the 2nd camp where I had 3 new roommates (a man from Uganda and 2 women from the United States). I was given a tiny bucket of warm water to "wash up", but really was only able to wash my face and arms. Bakary (my guide) basically talked to me this entire day about American rappers and Obama....this got old REALLY fast after 5 hours, so I went to bed early and enjoyed the company of some other Americans. It was even colder at this hut and I slept in my entire ski outfit (ski hat, gloves, and 2 pairs of socks).

Day 3
Another early start to my day with breakfast (tea, fried egg, and toast) and we were off to the third hut (about 10 Kilometers). The terrain looked even more like a desert here,but we had finally climbed far above the clouds. Looking down, you could see clear blue sky above your head and what looked like an ocean of fluffy clouds, as if the sky had been turned upside down. This was truly one of the most spectacular things that I have ever seen, especially at sunrise. Bakary continued to talk about Snoop Dogg, Obama, and Beyonce...eventually he even played songs outloud on his cell phone. When I could barely stand it anymore, I told him blatently that I didn't vote for Obama...He didn't talk as much after that. whewww.

For the first time, the altitude really started to affect my muscles.I was drinking at least 4 liters of water during my climb and still felt dehydrated. What seemed to be a gentle hill at first glance became difficult and my muscles ached...I had to stop every half hour or so to take deep breaths.We made it closer to the final hut and it was incredible. I had a perfect view of both peaks now (Uhuru and mawenzi). Uhuru is the peak that I would climb and Mawenzi is a more rocky, older peak unfit for climbing. The sight was breathtaking and a little surreal to think of climbing that in a matter hours!I had an early dinner (around 5:30) and went to bed at 7:00...we would be starting the climb at 11:30 PM that evening.

Day 4
I was woken up at around 11:00 PM to eat some "breakfast" and get ready to climb to the summit. Breakfast came...cookies and tea. I opted for a power bar because I would be climbing for over 10 hours and I just don't think that a cookie would give me the boost I needed to climb in the middle of the night. I bundled up in 5 layers of clothes (on top- dry fit shirt, 2 long underwear, 1 thin fleece, 1 thick fleece, and a very heavy jacket...also 5 layers on the bottom, 2 pair socks, 2 hats, a face mask and 2 pair gloves). I looked a bit like the michelin man, but I was determined to stay warm! The temperature on the summit was around 12-15 degrees Farenheit, but the gusty wind made it feel MUCH colder.

I don't know if they require you to start at night because they don't want you to see the steepness of the mountain you are climbing or to prevent sunburn. Either way, the hill felt unbearably steep as we snaked accross in a zig-zag to compensate for the steepness. I was walking at about the pace of an old person with a walker so very "pole pole (slowly" as Bakary kept reminding me. The wind was beating down and it became very difficult to breath. For every few shuffled steps, I would have to stop and breath very deeply. My muscles ached from lack of oxygen and people around me began to get sick from the altitude (throwing up, ugh).

We continued only concentrating on the moonlit path ahead and taking each step slowly and carefully. My mind felt hazy and I tried to block the thought that we were still 6 hours away from the summit...under the beautiful full moon it all felt a little like a dream. I couldn't feel my body because I was pushing it so hard, my fingers felt frozen, but with my mind so cloudy I pushed on. People all around kept stopping, some turned back, some sat to catch their breath....but I knew that stopping would only make me colder.

After my water had frozen and we had been climbing for about 5 hours, we reached a very rocky area full of huge boulders...now I had to use my hands and all my muscles to climb over them. Rocks slipped under my feet, but somehow I was concentrating too much to be afraid. I did find out later that a man in a group behind me had be hit by a rock and his nose was nearly taken off!!!

We reached the first, lowest summit (Gillman's Peak) and it was still dark. Part of me wanted to rejoice in reaching this point and a part of me was exhausted, desperate for air and ready to turn back. Somehow I pulled up the energy to continue the 1 1/2 hour climb to the highest peak (Uhuru). We walked and climbed over rocks and after what felt like days, we made it just as the sun rose. It was stunning- the bright moon still high in the sky, surrounded by huge peices of ice, the clouds far below and the sun peaking up through the clouds. I have NEVER seen anything so beautiful...it felt like a different planet. I took pictures and we headed down the moutain (this took only 4 hours rather than 7).

Once back at camp, I rested and ate then we headed another 11 kilometers to the lower hut.

Day 5
My body was hurting a little and I had had a VERY good night's sleep despite the hard beds. I roomed with 3 Korean men and they all seemed to be very nice, but spoke barely any English...I think the only thing they said was "You are Gorgeous." and late they said "African rice is not happy".

We climbed the rest of the way down the mountain (about 20 Kilometers) and finally made it to the gate. The journey seemed to pass so quickly and all felt a bit surreal. Looking back at the summit from such a low point made me feel even more accomplished.