Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro - Miller 21st- 30th Jan '15

Dawn on summit day - Kilimanjaro Lemosho Glades
Trip Report

Written by Leader Mara Larson , February 2015

There are teams and there are teams. This past week on Kilimanjaro was one of those rare trips when you almost wished the world would stand still for a while.

Alastair, Nicki, Jane, Claire, Mike, Niall and I arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport just after 9 pm, Wednesday the 21st of January. Red Jagged Globe duffels came down the conveyor like clockwork and in near military precision we were packed and on the bus en route to the Keys Hotel in Moshi. Naturally, we assumed this stroke of good fortune & efficiency in a land known for the opposite would be the first and last of its kind.

We waited with baited breath for reality to settle back in.

Thursday morning arrived in a whirl. There was weighing of loads, a mass of eggs, toast and coffee and the arrival of all our staff at the gate again like clockwork at the stroke of 9. On time in Africa. What was going on here??

Arnold, Deo and the rest of our local guides and porters got to arranging the loads, packing up all the group gear, and with a few more photos capturing our pre-dust state we were off to the jungle. Our rest stop on the 3 hr journey to the trailhead had us stopping off for a water break and refueling stop halfway to Londerossi Gates. Here the noxious fumes of the roadside toilets nearly felled Claire and Jane. Nicki to the rescue had packed nose clips and the ladies room was an orderly line up of loo roll and nose clips passed down the line. It conveniently made our campside toilet tent seem a 4-star experience the rest of the way. A much lauded addition.

By noon we reached Londorossi, checked into the park, lunched and briefed on AMS before finishing the last of the dusty drive up to the trailhead and the relatively short 3-hr trek up to our camp at Big Trees.

The sounds of the birds and the monkeys entertaining us along the trail this morning nearly distracted us from the seriousness of the volcano a few more days east of us here. Morning came earlier than expected with peels of laughter from the tent of Claire and Jane. Mildly dew covered the team was nearly full out of the tents and springing for breakfast even before morning tea was boiling. A good sign to come -- nights of tossing and turning were followed by mornings of shock and awe laughter.

By 9 we were off and climbing out of the forest, up the rim of the caldera, and cresting onto the Shira plateau now in a sea of wild heather. Watching the clouds swirl west of us and gaining and gaining in elevation we figured surely weíd catch a break from the sweltering heat and humidity. But not today. Lunch saw us crashed out perched on boulders, watching the rolling forest spread out down below but only the ravens creating tiny pockets of wind as they dive-bombed for food scraps around us. The steamiest, day we had all trip. Alastair claiming it as the toughest all trip ñ altitude clearly a lesser nemesis.

The reward for the sweltering climb though was a clear and starry night camping at Shira 1. Mike our astronomy buff navigated us through the now upside-down constellations and our midnight toilet runs were lit by the Milky Way.

The next morning I couldnít persuade anyone to take the rest day card and the easy 3hr walk across the moorlands to our next higher camp. Instead we all opted for the scramble up Cathedral Peak for a little acclimatization and a view out across the plains south of Kili.

The scramble proved atmospheric, the cloud rolling up the Shira rim made the views less so. For Niall, today was a momentous one. Having struggled with an ankle injury over Christmas it was his moment of truth on whether to climb on to our first major pass to Lava Tower. Struggling on this scramble would make Lava Tower a near impossibility but he pushed through and grinning ear-to-ear the decision was made to carry on. Our afternoon climb back up to our higher Shira 2 camp reinforced that even between the moments of excitement, the steady suffering was a daily required theme.

Lava Tower was Nickiís day of reckoning, fighting a stomach virus throughout. And with the sun shining over our al fresco breakfast the following morning, the Barranco Wall and its towering immensity resulted in a rather subdued team marching on to what looked like a vertical face! By the top it was a jubilant celebration. Jane, Claire, and Nicki all realizing their yoga/biking/weight training had given them the combination of balance and finesse to turn our scramble day into unexpected fun. Alastair, as ever, trucking along without seeming to break a sweat. And Mike and Niallís successful ascent had some of us hiding tears behind glacier glasses up on top. Photos all around.

Back to camp at Karanga that night we had a last full team dinner. Niall and Deo heading down the following morning for some much needed recovery for Niallís bum ankle. Bittersweet knowing one of the very hearts of our team would be cheering us on from down below now, but with promises to meet us back at the gate in 2 days time to celebrate back together again. And the partnership between Deo and Niall these last few days was one for the books. Reminding us the mountains are about far more than summit rocks.

From Karanga to our high camp at Barafu we moved steadily and comfortably. It was an afternoon of repacking, hydrating, and snoozing with the odd visit from the local camp mouse keeping us very literally on our toes. By 11pm we were up and watching the head torches two hours ahead of us make their way up the flanks of Kibo.

Arnold set us out on a steady pace through a remarkably quiet early evening. We moved steadily till 2 am, 3 am, without more than a handful of other headlamps glowing around us. At 5500m, Janeís unfortunately timed attack of the gut knocked her out of the game and with Taday she made the wise but difficult decision to head down to high camp again. The air hung with sadness and quiet on her descent. It was a team effort getting up here and the buzz of Janeís energy had carried us through more than a few tough moments throughout the days. The team had to gather itself from dark thoughts in the darkest of night and with the air thinning and cooling all around. To be honest, it was only and finally the sliver of dawn that turned our energy around. We climbed the last hundred meters up to the crater rim at Stella Point with the sunrise red and arching across the horizon.

By now the altitude cracks would begin to appear. Remarkably, given no previous altitude experience outside the Alps, Nicki and Alastair were still showing no signs of fatigue and kept the steady pace going. Daylight seemed to give Claire a second wind and suddenly she was up pacing from the front, too. Stella Point had us realizing the summit was truly within reach and the shock and awe of the climb up started to recede. Partially from the brain cells killed off by the altitude of course, the pain of the previous seven hours started to melt from memory. We smeared on more sunscreen. Passed around some hot drinks, and cheered Mike on to continue as we headed off for our last hourís march around the crater rim and up to the true summit at Uhuru.

Weíll skip out on the gruesome details of that final push, but leave it that in an hour's time and after a steady and difficult march with tears of joy, fatigue, and probably a few other emotions, we arrived at the top. Hugs, relief, and photos all around. Just a phenomenal effort. And then, as we were still 19,341 massive feet in the sky a focused effort back down, down, down and to safety of the lower elevations. And then down some more. By 18,000 feet I relented and let us take a longer rest. And around the corner who do we see but our porter crew up to meet us and help with the loads down. A special, special moment seeing a team so generously sharing the effort.

We scree-skated down the next couple hours and by noon made it back in sight of camp. Jane waving us in with unfiltered enthusiasm. We could finally celebrate the day together.

But not for long. With promises of chicken and chips at our final camp later that even it was a quick pack and back to descending some more for our last night in Africa at Millenium Camp. Here we feasted, relived the extreme moments of the last 48 hours, and at least for Mike and myself, crashed out nearly before dessert.

Our last day out of the park was a steady but bittersweet descent down to the Mweka Gates. A team excited to finally be together as one with Niall meeting us there, but trashed physically with knees and feet begging for a lift with the 4x4 tipping and grinding its way up the final dirt track. No such luck! At the gate it was a farewell ceremony to our brilliant staff and then a glorious motorized ride back to the Keys Hotel and Moshi for showers, a quick clean up, and a final afternoon together before flights and safaris. Speeches and awards all around drew applause even from the other hotel guests. It was an emotional farewell for friends who showed through this climb what it meant to be a team. A tough group to part from, even the words from our local guides were said with tears in the eyes. A massive congratulations to the team on a brilliant adventure. And a massive thanks for our cooks, porters and to our guides - Arnold, Taday, and Deo. A trip that is etched in all our memories! « | »

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