Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro - Western Breach - 17 to 29 Sep '12

Written by Leader George Manley, October 2012

We arrived without any baggage problems and were greeted by several very friendly representatives of the Keys Hotel. One bus kept us together as a team, this was ideal, it would be very easy to get disorientated on arrival in the inky blackness that envelopes you outside the airport. An hour later, and many snakes or leaves on the road later, a very welcome dinner and a quick beverage was provided, a quick review about the following few day’s arrangements and we were all ready for bed.

After a good night’s sleep and the long journey behind us, we were ready for our big adventure to start. With replenished water supplies, lunches received, we met our guides; Frank, Patrick and Rogers and set sail for Arusha National Park and Momella Gate. By lunch time we were walking through the African bush with zebra, water buffalo, giraffes, wart hogs and baboons with our ranger (Gideon) keeping guard. A relaxed 4 hours later we arrived at Miriakamba Hut having passed through a thickening rainforest, with overburdened trees covered with hanging lichen; this was strangely beautiful and very welcome for the cooling effect under the protection of the forest.

Dinner was our introduction to the great food from our very own masterchef. He prepared fresh soups, lavish cauldrons of pasta with vegetable and meat sauces, fresh fruit and almost full mixed grills for breakfast, a non-stop catalogue of food to tease our taste buds.

The next morning, a very pleasant trek through the forest with the Ranger (Gideon) providing great information about the forest. As we gained height the forest thinned and we were at Saddle hut in no time, after a snack and settling in we were all keen to head up another 300 meters to little Meru, except Prem, who wanted to catch forty winks. Little Meru gave us a great opportunity to eye ball the route to the Meru Summit, which we would be starting in 6 hours. Our wake-up call was midnight, feeling excited and confident, we very quickly retired to bed after dinner.

SUMMIT DAY
4 hours sleep later, a quick breakfast and we set off under a glittering blanket of stars, it was a gentle start, snaking through the giant heathers of the high level heathland, many switchbacks later, we reached Rhino Point. With walking put poles away, we were introduced to the scrambling, with the light of our head torches revealing abyss like precipices either side, we carefully scuttled crab like across the rocky slab, swiftly understanding the phrase ”always keep three points of contact” before we began the most challenging section of the night, negotiating the soft sandy scree of the Crater rim. Many screaming calf muscles and a unfriendly wind later, we finally observed what we thought was the summit, as the first light of the new day pierced the night, the revelation we still had a wee way to go was challenging, it’s just around the corner, over the next rise I alleged, the never ending crater rim at last ceased, leaving a final 100 meters of steep scrambling to the summit. Supported from our guides Frank and Rogers, 7 of the team reached the top, with Melanie deciding to descend with the support of local guide Patrick. The views of Kilimanjaro made a demanding descent pass quickly, upon reaching Saddle Hut a refreshing lunch awaited us, before we continued to Miriakemba hut.

The next day we descended under beautiful clear skies, stumbling upon bushbuck in the forest, with the final watering hole giving us stunning views of warthogs, herds of buffalo and giraffe. Everyone was feeling pretty good, although the nicknamed Moshi mesh was beginning to make an appearance.

After tipping the very contented Guides and porters, we headed back to the Key’s Hotel for a hard-earned rest.

A unhurried start the next day after a very much needed night’s sleep, our senior guide amassed 33 staff, bags weighted and within the hour, including an exciting, bouncy detour later, we were on the Umbwe trail. What a fantastic introduction to Kilimanjaro, an excellent day’s walk, many local children collecting wood, groups of Colobus Monkey’s playing in the forest canopy on the initial wide track, this soon transformed into a path through an impenetrable forest that concealed an incredible precipitous ridge linked by wooden handrails and bridges, leading to the Forest Cave camp, an idyllic location with plenty of atmosphere. As darkness fell upon us, we retired to our tents allowing the Colobus Monkey’s to come out and play.

The following day we continue to Baranco Camp to take advantage of the rest day. Today we had a height gain of 1,042m, starting from 2,944m to 3,986m. Continuing through the depths of a jungle that was even more remarkable than yesterday, the volcanic ridge got even more slender than you might imagine, with only the Kilimanjarica trees and hanging epifitic lichens camouflaging the vast abysses only just inches either side of the path, sporadically a break in the trees would expose the chasms below us.

At one point our way looked barred by a short rocky outcrop, fortunately this was straightforwardly passed on the left using a path or either using the easy scramble up the front of the outcrop. Shortly after this obstacle, the enormous height of Kilimanjaro’s incredible breach wall showed itself through clearings in the trees. The ridge eventually broadened, and gave way to more open country, where we saw our first giant groundsels and Lobelias. Then quite by surprise and to everyone’s delight, Barranco Camp revealed itself, located in a basin, directly below kilimanjaros glaciers and immense rock walls, 5hrs of the most unsurpassed walking through some of the most outstanding landscape.

A restful day, with a short 2hr ridge walk behind the campsite to help acclimatization, the cloud cleared giving our first views of the Breach 2,000 meters above, it was encouraging, the conditions looked excellent, dry with no snow and beautifully clear. We were all excited about passing over the top of Africa in the next couple of days.

Moving up to Arrow Camp at 4,800 meters we quickly found ourselves on an incredible dramatic trail, a scree covered desert landscape, blasted with erratically strewn rocks and boulders, you can easily imagine these projectiles exploding out of this ancient volcano, scattering themselves across this primeval looking landscape. The guides set an excellent pace for today, we arrived to a spectacular 360 degree view, the Western Breach was in full view, a great opportunity to talk through the Western Breach route. Dinner was served early, for an early night, the day finished with a blazing sunset, wrapping the mountain in a wash of pure African orange.

SUMMIT DAY
2.30am, it was cold, but dry, quickly finishing a porridge breakfast, we left at 3.30am following our torch lights, we had a date with a truly magnificent and stunning day, with perfect conditions underfoot. Everyone was well prepared and ready for the challenge ahead, a good pace was set and within the hour, we reached the trickiest part of the ascent a steep sloping rock ramp which needed to be negotiated with care. Shortly afterwards we entered the upper section of the cwm, back on a Scree & boulder covered slope following a wandering trail, we passed the R shaped snowfield, ahead of us the dark shadows of the towering rock pinnacles looked hopelessly impassable, then the first smiles of sunlight illuminating the rock ramparts in a deep orange glow revealing the line of least resistance, behind us Kilimanjaro cast the celebrated, vast shadow across the plains of Africa. Moving quickly across the scree covered slope we soon reached the upper part of the train, which led us to traverse exposed and delicate ridges, then through the “Rock Stairs” all much more incredible than difficult. Finally the rock pinnacles gave way to the lip of the crater rim to reveal the vast crater of Kilimanjaro, a moon like landscape, with the most improbable ice fields surviving in such a desert like environment.

The day had become a beautifully clear crisp morning with no wind, after a very tough fight on the final slope, the first of us approached the summit at 10.00am, the rest of us following behind at 10.30am, to a 360 degree panorama view across Africa. After plenty of photos we set off for Barafu camp along the summit ridge to a rapid descent down the Mweka route, stopping for a short rest at Barafu camp, before continuing to Millennium camp for a late lunch that worked miracles, it proved invaluable for a very worn-out team. Rejuvenated and feeling much better the 1-2 hour walk to Mweka camp passed quickly, I have to say a pretty demanding summit day.

The final day’s walking started early, was very relaxed and we passed quickly through the rain forest, reaching Mweka Gate around 10.00am.While waiting for the transport to be loaded we were entertained with “the Kilimanjaro song” sang by all the guide and porters, before we passed out their tips. After saying farewell to the porters we were back at the Keys Hotel within the hour to enjoy hot showers and few cold beverages with our guides, Frank, Rogers, Today and Patrick.

Having had ten days of amazing walking and climbing, experiencing some of the most remarkable sights you could witness, reaching the top of Meru and Kilimanjaro, having the pleasure of meeting some great new friends, this made the experience a thoroughly enjoyable and fantastic expedition to have the pleasure of leading.

George Manley
Expedition Leader « | »

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