Looking for Kilimanjaro Guides?

If you're interested in climbing Kilimanjaro, I highly recommend eTripAfrica.com .  They are the group we used for our trek and I can't say enough about the friendliness and professionalism of everyone we dealt with.  Ben Jennings the owner kept us well informed about the aspects of our trek and worked with us to ensure that we had a great experience.  August our main guide was fantastic as well as our assistant guides who are all very knowledgeable and very easy to get to know.  They made the trek fun and took great care to ensure our safety and make sure it was a very enjoyable experience.  I'm actually thinking about going again next year with my 2 sons and several others and will definitely use their services again.

Final comments:

Once we were back at the Stella Maris Executive Lodge we relaxed for a day; regaining our strength and picking up some supplies we would need for the next few days to work on the school and the lodge.  The construction crew had made great progress on the administration bldg. which will become the offices for the teachers and some much needs bathrooms for them.  Jon and I worked one afternoon over with the crew to smooth out some of the walls where the cement cross beams meet the cement blocks.

We also took time to play with the kids who are always interested in playing with the mazungos ( white people) whenever we come.  Throughout the week Jon, Bill, and I did a lot of painting at the lodge, transforming the horrendously painted (right is before, bottom after) upstairs café into an inviting room to watch Kilimanjaro or to relax with some friends over a beverage.  This gives us an additional room to use as we become busier over the next few months.

This trip has truly been an experience of a lifetime.  The rigors of climbing Kilimanjaro challenged us mentally and physically but left us with a satisfaction of seeing and achieving something most people rarely have the opportunity to experience.  More importantly though, it allowed us to raise in excess of $25,000 for the Mailisita Foundation through your generosity and that of others which paid for our construction costs this summer.   I can’t thank you enough for your generosity to the children as well as your prayers and support for those of us who took on this challenge. 

 

Also, we couldn’t have done it without the love and support of our families who have supported us throughout our training and gave up so much time with us so we could be ready for this adventure.  Thank you and I love you!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7:  The Trek down Kilimanjaro

After a good nights rest, we woke around 6:30 and made ready for our trek down to the gate.  We were all excited from our previous days successes and kept talking about the arduous climb and the trek down through the path of the ancient glacier. 

We started walking down a dried up river bed, climbing over rocks, natural steps and manmade steps which seemed to go on forever. 

As tough as the climb up was, the trek down was surprisingly challenging since we were using different muscles than throughout most of the climb.  After several hours in the riverbed we emerged from it to follow a path through the rain forest which would eventually take us to the exit gate.

The path in the rainforest was very similar to the path we took on our first day of the trek but of course all downhill.  The longer we were going down the harder it became as we were going down through some rocks, some mud, and a number of tree roots in the path.  All of this made for very uneven steps which takes a toll on the knees, calves and quads.  The pounding on the knees was something most of we “older” trekkers were not expecting and caused us to slow.  One by one our trekking poles came out for the last time to aid us in our hiking down the path.

For most of the time in the rain forest we had overcast skies and much of the time in fog which we hadn’t really encountered during much of the trek.  We were fortunate that we didn’t encounter any rain which would have made the trek down much more difficult.  There wasn’t much wildlife to watch until about an hour from the gate when we encountered some black and white monkeys sleeping in the trees overhead.  Our presence didn’t seem to bother them as we took a number of pictures and kept commenting about how long their white tails were.

Finally after about 5 hours we made our exit gate.  As in all of our stops we had to register each member of the group but this time it was for our certificates acknowledging our achievements on Kilimanjaro.  After a few pictures we loaded our gear into the vehicle for our drive back to the Executive lodge.

 

 

Day 6: Summit day. 

We woke around 11:00 P.M. to prepare to start our trek at midnight.  It’s cold but thankfully there is little wind so it’s not too bad.  The temp is probably around 20 F if I’d have to guess.  After some hot soup. a fill of our water bottles, and a quick check of our headlamps we start out on our final trek to the summit.

There are already groups on the trail and we can see their headlamps twisting and winding their way up the trail.  We join the parade with perhaps 50 other climbers and their guides as we make our way over rocks and sometimes dirt trails.  For the most part we have to rely on our guides as the trail is not always readily apparent especially in the dead of night.  There is no moonlight as it’s a new moon, so our only light comes from our headlamps.  The travel is rough and the higher we get, the tougher it becomes both from a strength perspective as well as from a breathing perspective. 

Some of the members of other groups are suffering from altitude sickness and we begin to pass some of them.  Dan and Brian seem to have more energy than the rest of us and begin to pull away with one of our guides from us while Erika, Bill, and I stay with Austin and Ignas.   After about 3.5 hours of hiking I begin to hit the proverbial “wall” with almost no energy left.  Austin makes sure that it’s just lack of energy vs. altitude sickness and urges me to press on.  Bill is beginning to slow down also so we’re taking frequent breaks.  My breathing seems OK however it’s beginning to get a little harder for Bill to breathe and Erika seem OK for now.  Austin and Ignas help me work through the fatigue and I finally get my “second wind” about 5 hours into the hike. 

We still take frequent breaks and Erika is now beginning to slow down.  Austin has some Red Bull (which surprises us) and shares some with us as well as some hot tea.  We hit our snacks pretty hard to give us some extra energy and it seems like it’s helping me from an energy perspective.  We keep pressing on and around 5:30 we begin to see daylight to our right with a faint pink sky.  We finally begin to hit snow and ice around 17K ft but it’s to our right and not on the path we’re taking.  The temps haven’t been as cold as I expected so I’ve been a little warm with the number of layers I have on.  I’ve had to open my jacket and bib snow pants to let some heat out so as not to sweat and become chilled.

Around 6:30 we hit Stella Point (second highest point on our trek) and take some pictures of Bill, Erika, myself and our guides.  Bill has been a little foggy in his mind for the last hour or so and Austin makes the decision to send him down as he’s suffering from the affects of the altitude.  We meet Dan and Brian as the return from the summit and begin to make their way back down.   Erika has hit her “wall” but is not suffering from altitude sickness.  She wants to press on as she is planning to distribute around the summit some of the ashes of her father who passed away several years ago.  She’s emotional but Austin understands the importance of this for Erika, so the three of us press on for the summit.  The morning is clear and the winds are calm which are unusual.  The temp is probably around 0 to -5  but feels much warmer.  We press on and marvel at the glaciers and snow fields all around us.  After about 45 min. we make the summit and our goal.  The air is so clear and we can see for miles in any direction.  We marvel at the beauty of the glaciers and the depth of the volcano floor below us.  Erika distributes some of her father’s ashes, we take some pictures, and begin to make our way back down.

 

Once we hit Stella Point we take a different route back to base camp.  The route is basically the path a glacier carved out hundreds of year ago.  It’s a scree field and we find ourselves sliding about 2 feet for every step we take.  Austin is holding Erika’s arm the full way down and I’m following close behind.  After about 2 hrs., some of our porters come out to help Erika down the last mile or so and take the back packs that Austin was carrying for her and himself.  An hour later we were finally back at base camp. 

We packed up the rest of our gear, had a quick breakfast, and began our trek to our last camp, High Camp where we’ll rest for the balance of the day before heading to the gate tomorrow morning.    

Day 5: Trek to Base Camp

I woke around 6:30 after a good nights rest.  It's amazing how often I have to pee at night as I'm getting up 2 to 3 times.  I guess it's the 3 liters we're drinking everyday plus soup we have for most meals.  I'll be glad when I'm back to normal for a full nights sleep.  I packed my bags for the day and joined the others for breakfast.  Toast and peanut butter and a mug of tea to start off and then they bring in some fresh fruit.  It's amazing how much food they have brought to feed the 6 of us plus the 24 support staff.  We also had some eggs and more sausage which went untouched after Erika and my horrible experiences with then. 

Today we have ahead of us about a 3 hr hike which will take us to Barafu Ridge Camp which is base camp for all assents to the summit.  We start out with a long trek up about 1000ft only to drop down into a valley with another long ascent to follow.  The terrain is so lifeless and reminds us of pictures from the moon with rock strewn barren land as far as the eye can see.  We actually made good time arriving in less than 3 hrs. to  base camp and are amazed at the number of other teams already there either waiting for the climbers to come back down or like us coming in for our climb tonight.  We sign in at the camp office and get our gear set up in our tents. 

Lunch was at 2:00 and was a hardy vegetable soup and pancakes.  Dan and Brian break out their packs of tuna and add that to their meal.  Dan had some extra and gave it to me which tasted great.  I should have thought of bringing some shelf stable tuna or chicken as it would have made for some welcomed sandwiches.  Anyone reading this and planning to climb Kili this would be a must to bring. 

We were told that dinner would be at 5 and then after we should try to sleep.  It was sunny and warm in our tents so I decided to take an afternoon nap and skip dinner as some times the dinner gives climbers indigestion according to August our guide. The nap was great as I slept for about 4 hrs., awaken by another pee calling.  I decided to get my gear ready for our hike to the summit which starts around midnight so we can summit at dawn for a glorious view.  I found Glenda's note which she gave me to read before the summit and it brought tears to my eyes.  I've missed her a lot on this trip and I know she'll be with me in spirit tonight as we summit.  Thanks Glenda!! I love and miss you!!

Day 4: Climbing Barronco Wall and trek to Karanda Hut

This morning we got to sleep in an extra hour as we wouldn't be starting our climb of Barranco Wall until 9 however most of us were up earlier than 7:30.  We found Jonathan to see how he was doing and as many of us expected, once he saw the magnitude of what lied ahead of him, he made the decision to end his trek to the summit.  We applauded his decision but were sorry to be losing a member of our group.  Kennet and 2 porters prepared to take him down to the gate via a route that would take him about 10 hrs. to complete. 

After breakfast and checking O2 levels we packed for our job of tackling the wall first off.  After an easy hike to the base of the wall we began our climb. 

Within 10 mins. of our trek up the wall we knew we were in for something different from what we had experienced thus far.  The trails were much narrower and instead of relatively small step ups, we were encountering rocks where we had to make 2 ft. to 3 ft. steps from rock to rock and at time pull ourselves up.  Hiking poles were useless as they only got in the way but good gloves were essential to find secure grips in the rocks as well as to save ones hands from cuts and scrapes.  There were countless numbers of switchbacks as this was the only way to navigate the sheer face of the Barranco Wall.  We were continually amazed at the porter’s ability to carry packs on their heads or shoulders and still be able to navigate the narrow paths and make the 2ft. to 3ft. vertical steps from rock to rock. 

About mid way up we encountered a section that is called “The Kissing Wall” where literally you get face to rock with the wall in order to make the lateral 3ft. traverse to the next rock on the path.  I think the more appropriate name would have been hugging wall as basically you were clinging to it for dear life.  Actually our guides were behind and below us straddling another path to ensure our safety.  I made it across fairly easily and it seemed to surprise our two guides as I received a grin and “nice!!” comment from them both which made me feel good. 

The view from the climb was breathtaking as we were looking down at our camp from the night before and could see all the valleys around us as well as other trekkers beginning their asscent. From the plateau, we could look out over valleys and see the clouds below us. The wall itself was over 1,000 feet high and we completed the climb in around 2.5 hrs.   Not bad for some rookies who hadn’t done much rocking climbing before as well as carrying a full pack on our backs!  Once we made it to the top we all said we were glad Jonathan didn’t attempt it as it would not have been easy for him nor very safe considering what we had to do and the condition he was in.

The views from the plateau were amazing and we could see the valleys and hills that we would be hiking for the next several hours to get us to our next camp.  When we did make camp we were treated to a beautiful view of our goal before us and the backdrop of the photo below.

Day 3: Trek to Barranco Wall

We awoke at 6:30 to pack up our gear and then off to breakfast.  The night had been much colder as we were in the Moorland Plateau which was a little more open than the previous night.  We hit the trail around 8 and almost immediately encountered a steep hill which got our hearts pumping and taking deep breaths for air.  This would happen a number of times as the intent is to get us acclimated to the altitude and trekking up and down the steep grades. 

 

It is amazing how much the terrain changes as we hike along lava ridges with 3000 foot drop offs and can look across valleys which are miles away.  Jonathan was still struggling with the terrain and one of our guides stayed back with him to travel at Jon's pace as he didn't want to hold us up.  We hiked beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach and it was very evident how much of the glacier has been lost due to global warming.  It's actually evaporation that is destroying the glaciers more than melting as Kilimanjaro has become drier over the last century.  We were surprised to see a type of cactus which opens its leaves (for lack of better terminology) in the morning and closes them at night

 

Erika is now starting to feel bad and we're not sure of the cause. She did have some of the sausages that gave me the problems or it could be some of the affects of altitude sickness.  We made it to lava tower around 1:45 where we attempted to have lunch.  I say attempted as Erika did get sick in the mess tent which quickly changed our appetites.  After cleaning things up with the help of our guides Kennet and Ignas (who went way beyond the call of duty) we started our trek down to camp. 

 

Lava Tower is aptly named for the 210ft lava tower which just stands in the middle of nowhere.  The elevation there is around 15,000ft. which surprisingly most of handled very well.  We hiked the ridge above Barranco Valley before making our decent into the camp which is protected by towering cliffs.  This was the first day we encountered ice along the trails which form at night as ice crystals and then melt during the day to water the nearby flowering plants.  we also saw waterfalls with ice along the sides.  This proved to be an omen of the drop in temps we would feel that night.  Our trek took us about 10 hrs to cover the 7 miles and we finished at an elevation of over 13,000ft. 

 

The camp is named for the Barranco Wall which is 1,000 ft. tall and is what we will climb tomorrow.  In looking at it , we're amazed at the trail we see (it's the light line in the shaded section of the adjacent picture) and can't believe we'll be tackling it tomorrow.  Jonathan arrived at camp several hours after we did and was thoroughly exhausted.  Several of us were silently questioning if this may be the end of the trek for him.  The night will be much colder than what we've experienced thus far as the temp. is dropping quickly as daylight fades. We ate dinner, checked our O2 levels, had our briefing for tomorrow, and turned in for the night thoroughly exhausted but exhilarated from the views of the day.

Day 2 trek to Shira Hut. 

We woke at 6:00 to pack up our bags so the porters could tear down the tents while we had breakfast.  The night had been cold...down to the high 20s to low 30s and most of us had some problems adjusting to sleeping in tents and sleeping bags.  After a hardy breakfast of porridge, fruit, eggs, and sausage we began our trek for the day. 

In no time at all we were in areas steeper than yesterday but much more beautiful with scenic views, lush vegetation and amazing views of the lower areas we were leaving.  It was amazing that our porters who carried probably 50 lbs. of gear continually blew by us as they were on level land and carrying no gear.  We hiked for 6 hrs. and covered about 7 miles which were much steeper than yesterday and more exhausting. Compounding the intensity of the hike I suffered from a bad case of indigestion (I think it was the sausage from breakfast) which left me unable to eat much the rest of the day.  Jonathan in our group quickly fell behind the rest of us and one of our guides stayed with him while the rest of us trekked on.  Given the terrain that we’re hiking through and what lies ahead of us, we’re concerned that Jonathan may not be able to complete the trek. 

 

We finally hit Shira Plateau at 12,500 ft. around 2:00 and proceeded to arrange our packs in our tents while lunch was being prepared. We ate around 3:00 and had the rest of the afternoon to explore the plateau or take a nap which is what I did. 

Dinner was at 7 and I couldn't eat much.  Hoping it was just a bad case of indigestion, I took some Imodium which relieved most of the symptoms.  We had a group meeting after dinner where we reviewed plans for the next day and had our O2 levels checked; this would become a daily and later twice daily occurrence..  Not surprisingly, our two youngest in the group were the highest at 98% and 99% and our oldest in the group was in the mid 90s ( he's a jogger) with the rest of us in the high 80s. They check our O2 levels and pulse to see how we are acclimating to the higher altitudes. 

The temp was significantly colder than the previous day so we had to wear multiple layers in our sleeping bags.  After figuring out how much clothes I needed to wear I also figured out how to sleep in the mummy bag.  Sleep came quickly but was frequently interrupted with bathroom calls from the 3 liters of water we are to drink each day.  .  Even with all the trips overall I slept pretty well.