The Highest Mountain in Africa

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The Idea
It’s Christmas 2002. I’m sitting in my Uncle Geoff’s living room, flipping through his travel books. Geoff, an experienced traveler, has been all over the world, and I, having caught the travel bug, am looking for my next adventure.

A book catches my eye. The picture on the cover is a mountain—colossal and solitary. A giraffe stands in the hot, dry foreground and snow caps the peak beyond. The mountain is Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. I know where I want to go.

Geoff senses my excitement. He had climbed Kilimanjaro over thirty years before and jumps at the chance of reliving his youth when I suggest we go together.

Early on, doubts creep into my mind. This trip is going to be expensive—intercontinental flights, hotels, park fees, climbing guides—what if I fly half way around the world, only to come up short? What if get altitude sickness? Stop being such a pessimist, I tell myself. An adventure is an adventure because it is full of uncertainties. It’s about being spontaneous and making the most of what’s given to you. I may not make it to the top of Kilimanjaro, but I’m going to try!

African Touchdown
Welcome to the third world. The rich, the poor, and nothing in between. Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya. It’s September in East Africa. My summer tan is gone. I’m a beacon. A white piece of lint on a black sweater. Before long, the entrepreneurs descend. One after another, these men, which the Lonely Planet book calls “touts,” approach, and try to sell me something I don’t need for a price that is nowhere close to being a deal. Not taking “no thanks” for an answer, they follow me around for blocks, trying to strike a deal, or simply to get a donation. “No thanks” is about as rude a response as they are going to get from me. After all, it’s their country. Eventually I stop caring, and even start having conversations with them. Sure enough, they stop bothering me, assuming that I’d been in the country for a while and am comfortable with them, and immune to their tactics.

Bus Ride to Tanzania
Geoff and I stayed at the Hotel Boulevard, which is about a ten minute walk out of the Nairobi city centre. The next morning at 7:30, we hopped in a shuttle for the long trip to Tanzania. The Kenyan and Tanzanian countryside is amazing, not so much the topography, but the people, the little shanty towns and the Masaii herdsmen. There was always something to look at. What I had grown up watching on the Discovery Channel was now right in front of my eyes—real African countryside. We were glad that we had packed water and snacks because it was 4:30 that afternoon before we finally reached our destination—The Marangu Hotel in Tanzania.

After checking into the hotel, we got straight to business. We would be starting our climb the next morning and there was plenty to do. We had our gear checked by the hotel staff. Kindly, they supplied us with the items we were lacking. We attended the orientation meeting, which gave an overview of the six day trek. The excitement was mounting. I wanted to throw my boots on and start hiking, but this was serious business. Mount Kilimanjaro doesn’t let everyone reach its peak. Would it let me? The orientation guide went over the symptoms that preceded death.

The Climb
At 6:30 am on Day One, I woke up and had a shower, my last for a week. The lodge was bustling with activity. Guides and porters prepared gear, trucks arrived and began loading. Geoff and I were joined by a third man, Don, a 50 year old real estate lawyer from Seattle, who happened to be taking the same route up the mountain at the same time.

All together, our team was ten strong: three climbers, three guides and seven porters. The lead-guide, Winford, would lead the three of us from camp to camp, while the rest of the team would charge ahead to make sure everything was in place by the time we got there. All we had to carry was what we needed for the day—a water bottle, camera and hat. The porters carried our tents, sleeping bags, extra clothing and the food and cooking equipment.

We started our first day’s climb from the Machame gate, about an hour’s drive from our lodge at the head of the Marangu trail. An hour in a car, and we had only traveled part-way around the mountain. The scale of this massive volcano was starting to sink in.

We hiked for six hours uphill through rainforest on Day One. The hike was fairly easy, and although altitude was not a factor at this point, Winford kept the pace slow, something we’d learn to appreciate in the next few days. We broke out of the rainforest just before reaching camp and arrived to find our crew hard at work preparing dinner, which turned out to be filling and delicious, much more than I was expecting. It was little surprises like this that kept us in good health and good spirit.

On Day Two, our destination was Shira Hut, situated on a plateau at 12,000 feet. At that altitude, even so close to the Equator, the nights bring subzero temperatures. At this point, we were above most clouds which form an ocean over the African plains. It’s a fantastic sight to see peaks, both near and far, poking through the clouds. During the day, when the temperatures rose, the clouds roamed up the side of the mountain and engulfed the group. We got closer and closer to the towering peak of Kilimanjaro, but only when the clouds cooperated, did we get a view of the massive dome of rock and ice.

By Day Three we were officially in the highlands. The terrain was looking more Martian than terrestrial. The trail wove between rounded boulders and the dirt had an orange hue. We hiked to 13,500 feet. Now it was cold during the day, the air was noticeably thinner, and the effects of altitude were becoming apparent. I felt a headache come on. I did my best to ignore it. 5,000 more feet to the summit. If I’m suffering from a headache down here, what is it going to be like up there? I noticed climbers in other parties packing their gear and leaving camp at dinner time. Were they so ambitious that they were going to keep hiking into the night? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. People were becoming ill from altitude. The guides on those teams had to make the crucial decision to abort the climb, and make a rapid descent before sunset. The only easy cure for altitude sickness is a fast descent. One climber was already too weak and had to be rescued by a helicopter and flown to Nairobi.

On Day Four I woke up feeling great. My headache was gone and I was feeling strong. It was going to be a long, hard day of high altitude hiking, up steep ridges, then back down into valleys. Up, down, up, down for seven hours. Frozen rain fell from the fog and made melodious “tinks” as it hit the shale and rocky debris. We arrived at camp around 5:30 pm and were quickly given tea and dinner. The guides knew that what lay ahead would be one of the most physically demanding days of our lives. We went to bed at 6:30 and were told that wake up would be at 11 the same night. Although we were exhausted, it was hard to get any sleep, knowing what was coming. Just over four hours later, we would be making our shot at the summit.

The Push to the Top
At 11:15 pm, we woke from our short sleep and anxiously geared up, double, triple checking everything. Geoff, Don and I and and our three guides began our journey. It was cold—much colder than I was expecting. We had nearly seven hours of darkness ahead of us. For those seven hours, my headlamp lit up the three feet of ground in front of me, and all I cared about was placing my feet where my guide had placed his, seconds before.

Little dots of light could be seen along the path, as other groups slowly made their attempt for the summit. We passed groups. Groups passed us. We were sometimes joined by others for a little while. Altitude was choosing its victims. Climbers were falling to their knees, vomiting out what little food they had eaten before the climb. The rest of the team would stand around them, silently, as if attending a burial ceremony.

6:30 finally arrived, I paused for a second and looked back, witnessing the most amazing sunrise I have ever seen. A blanket of clouds stretched to the horizon, and Mawenzi Peak, the jagged sister peak of Kilimanjaro, stood tall across the valley. A huge red sun began to emerge. It looked as though it was cutting its way through the clouds, half way between me and the horizon. I took out my camera, loaded in the case which I had been keeping in my chest pocket to keep warm, only to find that it was no use—my camera was dead, frozen from the cold.

As the sun rose into the sky, I warmed up and got a burst of energy. Mind clear and feeling strong, I began to speed up, setting my own pace. Eric, a 23-year-old assistant guide on our team, joined me, and moving swiftly, fueled by excitement, we reached Stella Point on the rim of the crater. Eric pointed towards Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro. I caught my breath, took a drink of water, and we continued. Fifteen more minutes and we were there. The peak of Kilimanjaro.

I took my camera out again, to see if it had woken from its frozen sleep, which it had...barely. I snapped a few photos until it froze up again, shook Eric’s hand, then began the descent. As we neared Stella Point, I spotted Geoff and Winford. I gave Geoff a hug, then, still full of adrenaline from reaching the peak, decided to join him for a second shot at the summit. Half an hour after my original summit time, Geoff and I reached Uhuru Peak together. I had been near summit altitude for over forty-five minutes and was beginning to get a headache, so Eric and I headed back down the mountain to camp. After more than twelve hours of intense hiking, we were given one hour to nap before continuing our descent. Far beyond exhaustion, we ate a bit and went to bed.

The final day we descended for three more hours and were picked up at the gate by a truck for the two hour ride back to the hotel. I took a much needed shower, then joined the team for some beer. Geoff, Don and I had all reached Uhuru peak in one piece and returned to tell the story—amazing.

If You Go

Budget: $1200 US (includes two nights at the lodge, meals, a guide, porters, food for the climb, equipment rental costs, and the Mt. Kilimanjaro park fee).

Airlines: British Airways from Canada to London UK, then from London to Nairobi (spend a few extra dollars and get the most direct, no-nonsense flights).

Time of flights: 9 hrs from Western Canada to London and 10 hrs from London to Nairobi.

What to pack: Good hiking boots (if you haven’t used your boots for any long distance trekking, take some athletic tape to tape up your feet if you feel any rubbing). For the first and second day, shorts and a long sleeve shirt. For the third and fourth days, a sweater, and a jacket. For the final night-time ascent to the summit, a strong insulating layer (fleece pants) on your legs, covered with a shell (Gore-tex). For the torso, several layers, covered with a good jacket, and to top it off, a good pair of gloves, and a balaclava for the face and head. When the sun rises, you’ll probably want to shed some of the layers, but it’s important not to skimp during the night. You’ll also need a headlamp for the night-time ascent. All outfitters should provide tents for the trip, but only some provide sleeping bags. Renting a sleeping bag is a good choice, it will make your baggage more manageable for the rest of your trip.

Outfitters: You are not permitted to climb Mt Kilimanjaro without an outfitter. Use an established and respectable one. I highly recommend Marangu Hotel (www.maranguhotel.com). Check the internet for personal journals of other climbers’ experiences; they will prove invaluable.

Climbing routes: Mt Kilimanjaro has a number of climbing routes to choose from. Some organizers only operate on the most popular routes, while others will cater to more specific requests. The Marangu route is the most popular, having permanent huts for accommodation along the way and is probably the easiest, which lures many climbers hoping to increase their chance of reaching the summit, which can sometimes backfire, as they hike too quickly and get altitude sickness. Another route, the Machame route, is considered one of the most scenic, and is gaining popularity quickly. This is the route I took. This, and all other routes aside from Marangu, do not have huts and require tents. Other notable routes are Lemosho, Rongai, and Umbwe, all of which have their own attractions.

Length of climb: A typical climb of Mt Kilimanjaro takes 5 days, although a sixth day can be added, which may help improve the chance of success by aiding acclimatization.

Altitude: The Machame route starts at 6 000 feet, and gains over 13 000 feet to Uhuru peak (19 340 feet).

The altitude and the cold: Many people get mildly ill when climbing in altitude, but if you get the symptoms of a serious complication, it can become very dangerous and you will have to descend immediately. I took a blood thinning drug called Diamox while climbing Kilimanjaro. Make sure you have adequate clothing to stay warm in – 15 Ceclius for seven hours in the dark.

Recommended resources: Lonely Planet Guide to Tanzania