Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro - Lemosho Glades 25 Jan - 3 Feb '14

Dawn on summit night
Trip Report

Written by Leader Mara Larson, February 2014

It all started out bleary early: a 4am meeting at Heathrow had half the team checking in for our flight out to Africa. We collected Chris, Katie and Wyn en route in Amsterdam and arrived 14 hours later on the ground in Moshi, for an evening journey to our hotel, keeping the views of our destination out of sight a little bit longer.

A fashionably late meal at 11pm had us off to our bungalow rooms by midnight readying for the morning scramble of gear check, pack weighings and meeting our local team before the cruisers arrived for our road journey out on the African plateau and up into Kilimanjaro National Park. Mid afternoon weíd signed into the park and managed our way up a dusty track to the trailhead by Land Cruiser. Our jeep scouting for deep ruts and potential roll hazards, Jeep #2 bobbing to Swahili beats and focused on giraffe sightings. A casual afternoon climb through the jungle had us arriving just before dusk to our camp at Big Tree, where we found a slice of land nicely hidden off trail for our first night out on African soil. A memorable first night of camping for Suzanne and for the rest of us, the excitement of waking to frogs, bird song and Thomasís morning coffee.

Nearly each day brought us to a new climate zone which made for quick adapting and fascinating new points of view on Kilimanjaro. Days two and three, we climbed up onto the Shira caldera, the oldest of the three volcanoes comprising Kili and continued our focus on climbing high, sleeping low with scrambles up Cathedral Ridge on the southern lip of the crater rim and our first extreme altitude experience acclimatising over the great Lava Tower (4,660m) the following afternoon. From the expanse of the Shira plateau our summit looked months away so we focused more on the immediate surroundings: racing a hail storm into camp after our descent of the crater ride, nocturnal star-gazing during our nightly long-drop walks, Katie and Suzanneís morning tent laughter and the brotherís Jones' fashionable matching layers. Wyn played team photographer and a daily game of make-the-leader-discover-which-layer-Iíve-forgot. Chris meanwhile plodded on like just another day out wandering the back garden. You might have forgot we had a massive climb still ahead.

Then steadily we were out above the shoulder plateau and traversing the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro towards Baranco Camp and itís famed wall. It was a stunning descent into this mystical valley. Magnificent palms endemic to Kilimanjaro, the Senecio, lined our trail and in immaculate sunlight we hit camp. Both in awe of the now lush landscape and the daunting climb ahead of us in the morning. The plan to avoid drawing Kevinís attention to the great wall was foiled by Chrisís enthusiasm, ìLook Kevin, thereís where weíre off to in the morning!î so the late lie-in of the following morning was cut short early with all the team up inspecting and curiosity of the early teams snaking their way up this 400m expanse.

Up the Baranco Wall proved Kevinís hardest mountain day, blasting Himalayan suspension bridges to a distant second! But in the end made his summit day a near cakewalk. The rest of the team excitedly drew strength in the scrambling and were rewarded at the top with views above the clouds. Glaciers now hanging overhead for the first time and our summit ridge nearly within sight.

Here at Karanga camp our final summit night was coming into reality. We briefed, repacked, and focused now on details of climbing in mitts and heavy gloves: twisting bottle lids in fleece layers, opening bar wrappers with fumbling fingers. A hot lunch of chicken and chips was an unexpected treat at over 4,000m, our kitchen continuing to astound us daily. And tomorrowís goal was the penultimate, a climb up to our high camp at Barafu, meaning, ìiceî, perched like eagleís nests between rocks with dazzling views of the start of our summit route up the SE ridge of Kibo.

On arrival the following morning, the jagged ridges of Mawenzi farther east did not disappoint. It was an intense but stunning spot for us to rest all day and then begin our summit attempt later that evening. An afternoon flew and early evening flew by, the time spent snoozing, repacking, loading up on food and drink and snoozing a bit more. By 10.30 the winds started to pick up and our final climb was nearly upon us.

By 11pm we were up and pushing down porridge. Wyn outfitted in his fashionable accessories, Chris plying the full team with extra treats like father Christmas and hand warmers being stuffed in pockets all across the tent in anticipation of the pre-dawn cold higher up. We had a 1,200m climb ahead of us but with Lymoís inspirational talk in the afternoon, spirits were focused and confident.

He might have slightly downplayed the suffering ahead...

By middle of the night the mountain proved to be putting up a good fight. Katie was hit hard with nausea but stoically added more layers, downed plenty more fluids and biscuits and pushed through the temporary block. An impressive battle back considering sheíd already been waging battle with a chest cold since the new year. Buzz, err Kevin, proved yet again the battle with exposure was only a mental block. In the pitch black of night he was charging steadily, unphased by the sweeping abyss below. Suzanne, Graham, and Wyn paced steadily with Lymo seemingly enjoying the relentless rounds of switchbacks hour after hour. Obviously a strangely wired crew! And Chris, finally experiencing the joy of climbing about 5,000m, fought his round not with the altitude or the exposure but with the non-stop grade. A steady, rhythmic pace saw all the team reach the crest of Kiliís great crater rim at 5.30am. Graham, in typical casual fashion, asking how much longer the distance to Stella Point. It was with great pleasure the team grinned and pointed to the sign he was resting his pack on. Here, our flasks of hot chocolate and a lucky window without wind meant enjoying a slightly longer rest amongst the natural rock shelter.

After one last pause for digging snacks out of pockets and the ësummit mixí of seeds and chocolate passed around we climbed the final stretch along Kiboís ridge with the sliver of daylight breaking across a vast and curving skyline. More than a couple of us with tears in our eyes at the stunning morning and the accomplishment of the night just ending. The emotional last hour had us at the true Uhuru summit at 6.30am. All the team reaching the summit together! A photo op at the sign, the unraveling of the charity banner for Katieís efforts and many hugs and cheers and it was time for the descent. A somewhat dizzying mix of exhaustion and euphoria had us back down to our high camp before 10 am, stunned and dazed by what weíd accomplished over the last 10 hours. Lunch went down well and the team made the decision to push on down as low as possible, appreciating the rewards that a descent just shy of 3,000m would bring us. Namely oxygen and warmth.

We made Mweka Camp at 3,100m in a light drizzle and celebrated our success in a still stunned and thrilled haze.

The following morning, after a glorious sleep for all (barr Kevin!) we broke down camp and descended back into lush forest one last time. A pair of Colobus monkeys teasing and chasing each other through the canopy, spoiling us with sightings. We stumbled down on weary legs thrilled for the end of our downhill push. Most thought almost equaling the pain of the uphill. A farewell to our excellent staff at the park along with a quick session of chilled cokes and beers was followed by a dash back to the Keys Hotel where we shared a great last lunch with our local guides Lymo, Mosha and Deo. A universal agreement of ëthe biggest day of all timeí and much happiness over drinks, showers, and summit certificates all around. Oh and a post-birthday celebration for Wyn, turning 63 on top of Kili!

We used our spare few hours to see off Kevin on his post-expedition holiday further south and the rest of us squeezed into taxis to get a flavour of Moshi village proper before leaving town. Being Sunday holiday, the shops were mainly shuttered but the sight of ladies in their church finest made for great people watching and the flat dusty streets sure helped flush out all the mountain hill pounding on our aching legs. And then, in a flash, we were back on board our bus and headed out for the airport once more. The views of Kilimanjaro out east spoiled us the whole 50 minute drive out and it was a tired but very pleased team sat together for one final meal before our flights out and home.

A great thank you to our stellar staff of porters, guides and cooks especially to Lymo, Mosha, and Deo. And well-earned congratulations to Chris, Kevin, Graham, Katie, Suzanne and Wyn for an incredible climb and much deserved summit success for all!

Mara Larson, Trek Leader « | »

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