Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro - 29 Jan to 10 Feb '07

Written by Leader Phill Thomas, February 2007

The team for this expedition was already small being composed of five men a single lady and me as the leader. However, two days before departure Kevin was compelled to withdraw because his father had fallen ill. Our small team assembled without difficulty at Amsterdam Airport and boarded the flight to Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro International Airport from where we were efficiently transferred to the Keys Hotel in Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

With twelve days to acclimatise and climb Kilimanjaro, there was little time to spare, so the next morning was a busy one; briefing the team, sorting personal gear, liaising with the hotel staff and the Tanzanian team who would be supporting us on both Mt. Meru (our acclimatisation peak) and on Kilimanjaro. By mid morning we were all loaded on the truck and on our way to Arusha National Park and Mt Meru.

Accompanied by an armed ranger who would protect us from the wild animals that roam the park, the slow walk to the Miriakamba Huts at 2,500m allowed everyone to enjoy the scenery and observe the buffaloes and giraffes. At the end of this and the following day at the Saddle Hut (3,500m) we were well fed and by our African cooks and were surprised by the good quality of the accommodation.

Starting at midnight we headed ‘Pole, Pole’ (slowly, slowly) up the rocky ridge that forms the crater rim of the dormant volcano that is Mt Meru. One member of the party dropped out and returned to the Saddle Hut with one of the local guides. The rest of the group proceeded in the rain. The darkness, rain and mist precluded good views, but added to the atmosphere for those unused to night-time in the mountains. After lots of hard work, much puffing and a little wrenching, we made it to the summit at 4,566m in the falling wet snow.

A quick descent to the Miriakamba Hut; first in sunshine and then in pouring rain, placed us in a good position to exit the park next morning and head back to town ready to tackle Kilimanjaro.

On day 6 the team entered the Kilimanjaro National Park at the Umbwe Gate and followed the well-prepared Umbwe Route through beautiful jungle scenery to the Forest Caves Campsite. Still well within the rain forest and very muddy, but still made inhabitable by the African camp crew.

On day 7 we exited from the moss-draped rain forest to magnificent views of the Breach Wall of Kilimanjaro and the strange vegetation of the high moorland areas of the mountain. At the Baranco Wall Camp we experienced great vistas of the lands beneath, views back to Meru and had our first frost.

The Western Breach stood tantalisingly above us, but due to multiple fatalities in a rock-fall on this route a year ago it is presently closed to visitors. Hence we spent the next two days traversing around the south west side of Kilimanjaro and slowly gaining more altitude to reach the Barafu Hut at 4,600m. From our high camp situated at this point we were planning to launch our summit bid. Ron, who had been suffering from a series of altitude related ailments, decided that he would not attempt the summit but would descend with the porters to a lower camp. Ben, although feeling below par, would continue with the rest of the party who were in good shape.

With 1,300m to make to the summit the day stared very early - in fact the day before at 11pm. The plan was to summit at around dawn. The guidebook description makes perfectly clear that this day could be a will-sapping, exhausting event. It was so graphic we all laughed at it. The long rocky approach took its toll and Ben fell behind but remained determined to carry on. He did, accompanied by Gerald our local Assistant Guide. However he eventually had to descend.

The rest of the party did not collapse in tears on the final scree slope as described by the guide book, but slowly proceeded in the gathering cold to the crater rim at Stella Point. We were treated to a wonderful clear dawn with views of hundreds of miles over the cloud covered plains of Africa. Forty minutes of walking along the unusually snowy rim of the crater led to the summit at Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

With much hand shaking and cameras clicking we tried to absorb as much as possible of the spectacle around and beneath us in the hope that we could somehow preserve it for ourselves for the future.

The summiteers were: Gerry, Mark, Iain, Anord (our local guide) and Phill Thomas (expedition leader). It was a great effort by all concerned including those who didn’t make it all the way.

As always the long footslog to the road-head remained but we did it with big smiles on our faces. The trip had gone as smoothly as anyone could have expected. Ron and Ben missed out on the summit but all agreed that it had been a good expedition with excellent organisation and support at all stages.

Phill Thomas – International Mountain Guide IFMGA « Previous report | Next report »

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