I wake up and my lips are
flecked with dried blood. At 4600M, my nose is blocked with volcanic ash and the
air is painfully thin. It's 11:07pm and
the full moon casts a silver glow across Barafu Campsite. Today marks our
summit attempt of Kilimanjaro.
We set off on a steep and rocky trail, gently lit by
the moonlight and the glow of head torches. I try not to glance upwards. The
trail looks almost candlelit with a line of headlights from other walkers, a
beautiful and oddly captivating sight that also showed the long distance we had
to cover. 'Pole Pole' says Florence, our mountain guide, a phrase in Swahili we are well accustomed to. Slowly slowly...
I bury my face into my
jacket to retain warmth. It’s 1,295M up to the summit and it is a slow and
winding route. I’ve never worn so many layers in my life, yet the cold seeps
through to my skin. My limbs feel stiff and there is a gentle hush as we walk,
our bodies quiver with the cold and the altitude snatches away my ability to
process thoughts quickly. The walk is cloaked in darkness, making the trek feel
gruelling and timeless. “Your-shoe-lace-is-undone…” wheezes a fellow trekker
behind me after a number of hours. I stop. Bereft of co-ordination, I falter
and shake in an attempt to carry out the simple task I am presented with.
Florence steadies me with a firm grip. He ties the shoelace for me whilst the
group continue ahead of me, disappearing into the darkness.
I have no concept of time
as I walk on. Separated from the group, I follow Florence alone and I start to
sob, breathing in ragged air that felt too raw to process. I could no longer be
quietly defiant. Overcome with waves of emotion, I cry whilst I trek, feeling
defeated and disappointed in myself for falling behind. Florence turns, whispering
‘Never give in’ as he reassures me
not to cry. I quietly beg for the night to end.
As we climb, a brilliant
streak of orange pours out of the sun and across the horizon. Dawn breaks as I
reached Stella Point, bringing warmth and soft rays, lighting the crater of
Kilimanjaro like a crown. I spot my group huddled together with tea and I feel
a rush of affection towards them. We hug and take in the sight of phantom-white
glaciers, ice fields and the jagged pinnacles of Mt Mawenzi opposite us.
Watching the sun-rise after 6 hours of trekking in the dark
Walking on from Stella Point, 5,685M
With a final, determined
push to Uhuru Peak, we set off together, following the snow wreathed crater
along the topmost ridge of Kilimanjaro.
The walk from Stella Point (5,685m) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m), approximately 45 mins - 1hr
Snow filled craters
Kilimanjaro Glaciers
Within an hour, the sign marking Uhuru
Peak bobs into view. My heart explodes with joy, ‘is this real?’ I wonder. I gaze at the sign and touch it, feeling a
burst of happiness and an elated sense of revival. Seeing the sign felt like an
elixir for the soul – a feeling I will not forget for a lifetime.
Uhuru Peak!
My group :) We set off as 7, 4 made it to Uhuru, 2 to Stella Point and 1 had to descend due to breathing difficulties.
Summit reached on Friday 6th March 2015 at 7:30am.
Summit Day Tips
I wore: Top: x1 Icebreaker merino wool base layer, x1 fleece, x1 softshell, x1 Mountain Equipment down jacket.Bottoms: Icebreaker long johns, regular trekking trousers and a waterproof outer layer.Extremities: x2 gloves (1 regular pair, 1 warm mountain mitten), x1 snood, a fleece lined hat, x2 heavy weight trekking socks. Basically x4 layers on top and x3 on bottoms. My toes felt numb and frozen whilst I walked, my top tip is to wear as many layers as you can.
I used walking poles for trekking up to Stella point. I left my poles from Stella Point to Uhuru but they were an absolute necessity for descending - I was too tired to walk unsupported!
It wasn't particularly cold when we set off at midnight, the temperature dropped in the middle of the night at approximately 3:00am, keep moving to stay warm. The guides restrict the breaks to just a few minutes, the longer you stop, the more you feel the cold.
I found dextrose tablets invaluable during the trek. A burst of orange flavoured energy that was easy to chew on - the last thing I wanted to do was fumble with packaging or snack on anything that took too long to eat.
Fill your water bottles with warm water, liquids will freeze by Stella Point so drink regularly.
I took painkillers before the trek as a preventative measure for headaches.
I went on a Full Moon departure and for most of the walk, I did not use my headtorch.
The guides are invaluable and an integral part for helping you reach the summit. I would highly recommend Exodus/The African Walking Company, as the best Kilimanjaro operator out there.
I didn't get a wink of sleep before summit day due to nerves. Don't worry, a lot of people don't :).
Breathing will be harder and altitude can/will affect your coordination and how you think. We stayed at the summit for 10 - 15 minutes before descending again.
It will be the hardest and best day of your life - enjoy it! :)
If you have any further questions at all, please feel free to comment here or email me.
Stumbling/Walking up to Uhuru Peak next to the Glaciers
20 days from now, I will be on a flight to Kilimanjaro.My 'healthy eating' action plan has morphed into comfort eating and grumbling about how cold February is. I haven't cycled to work since December and I am currently sitting at home when I should be at the gym after 5 days in the office. Ready or not Kilimanjaro, here I come!
Upon picking up my kitbag today, it suddenly hit me how fast my departure was approaching. Everything I need for a 8 days on a mountain, packed within the bag pictured above. Kilimanjaro has already killed my wallet. I'm bewildered by the price of outdoor equipment. Why are down jackets £200!? I didn't even know sleeping bags went up to £1000?! I've slowly accumulated equipment for the past few months, buying bits and bobs as and when I found things I needed:
Rab Ascent 900 Sleeping Bag
Jack Wolfskin Svalbard down jacket (still need to buy)
Trekmate Mittens (and glove liners)
Lined Brasher trousers
Icebreaker Merino wool long johns and base layer
Columbia Snood
Sports Direct thermal socks
Black Diamond Gaiters
This has of course, put me in a state of relative poverty for the past 4 months..
Training
At school, I was the girl who hated PE lessons. I dreaded running and I was happier in a library then I was in a muddy field. Skip ahead from compulsory education to a procrastinating university student and I found that I actually loved exercise (away from the scenario of being forced to do sports in a girl's school).
I still struggle to do full press ups. I've yet to run a marathon but I know I will give everything I possibly can towards Kilimanjaro. I don't know who has coined the term 'experienced walker' or 'experienced trekker'. I am neither of these, I'm just another person who genuinely loves a challenge and sense of revival you get from being away from everything.
I have to admit, with 11 daysto go before my departure, there will be a fair bit of blagging involved. I regularly gym (2 - 4 times a week), but my so called tailored eating plan and 10-miles-every-weekend has gone out the window. So far, my walks have been:
Sunday 18th January 2015: 9 miles from Putney to Richmond
24 - 25th January 2015: Walked 30 miles from Lewes to Eastbourne
31st January - 1st February 2015: At a chocolate factory...
Sunday 8th February 2015: Walked/got lost for ? miles around Riddlesdown (3 - 4 hours)
I've spent my second to last weekend before Kilimanjaro at the gym, cleaning up my bike and inciting fear by looking up articles and personal accounts of how hard people found their trek. Kilimanjaro has been on my mind for years. Ready or not Kilimanjaro, here I come!
Sept 2013: 200 miles coast to coast with 10kg = Hardest thing I've done. No training, just optimism and lost toenails.
