August 16 - Looking Back on the Summit

I didn't make my next journal entry for a few days.  I was just too wasted to care.  As evidenced by this entry, it was a tough couple of days getting to the summit and back down.  The summit push starts and midnight after a brief, nonexistent sleep.  We would hike through the night, summit at sunrise and immediately head back down after just a few moments at the top.  I have almost no pictures of this phase as I was too tired to care.  On the way down I sustained myself by mentally composing a scathing letter to the adventure tour company I used.  In that moment the whole think seemed ludicrous but in hindsight I was just whipped.

Journal Entry
Catching up on this.  The summit night was brutal.  Started off well enough, argued with the guide about my pack.  (My guide was concerned that I and packed too much in my personal pack for the summit push.  You're supposed to take the bare minimum and leave the rest at camp.  For my part I was concerned about being ready for unpredictable weather.  My guide was right in the end.)  We all headed off around midnight.  Quite a spectacle.  All those people winding up the mountain with headlamps.  Much warmer than expected.  The trail is steep with some occasional scrambling.  Very slow pace set by Tony.  Graham is complaining  too slow but they don't listen.  Around 3am wind picks up and I need my balaclava.  After I put it on I have trouble breathing.  Eventually stop and grab my jackknife.  Did't even bother to take the balaclava off - just opened my mouth and stuck the knife through the fabric.  Tony freaked out until he understood what I was doing. It works well and now I can breathe.

Trail starts to seem impossible.  Guides are great - they sing improvised African songs to lighten the mood.  Terrain is super steep and sandy - difficult footing.  At one point earmuffs fall off and start rolling down the mountain.  Dove for them and recovered.  Climb would have been over.  (I am subject to vicious ear aches in cold wind.  Even with the balaclava I was very worried about how I'd cope without the additional covering of the muffs.)

Amazingly we make it to Stella Point at sunrise.  (Stella Point is the lowest point of the crater rim and considered the lower summit of the mountain.  Uhuru Peak is the actual summit.)  I am exhausted and would be easily convinced  to stop here.  Everyone pushes me to go to Uhuru.  I get up and go.  Stoic now - in automatic.  People are puking, crying, you name it.  Pass a Korean  girl - quite young - totally out of it and staggering.

We arrive at the top.  Not quite what I expected.  Lots of people at the sign, have to jockey for position and a picture.  Feeling chest constriction - assume the cold, exertion and lack of sleep have stepped up my sore throat into a chest cold.  At one point I start getting emotional and this causes me to choke.  Can't breathe.  Guide urges me to go down.  As we leave I am aware of the spectacle around but can't muster the interest to take pictures - sad.

Me at the summit

Graham and I at the summit. 

I very much regret feeling so poorly at the summit.  I knew I was taking a risk to do the climb with a cold coming on but I couldn't bail on a dream.  While at the summit I was aware at one level of the achievement but I felt so lousy I couldn't even muster the energy to take pictures.  Thankfully our guide forced me to give him my camera so he could snap a pic of me at the summit sign.  I think I took a few pics on my Blackberry as well but I've lost track of those.  There were stunning views of the glaciers - the famous Snows of Kilimanjaro, and an awesome view down into the crater.  I have no record of any of it.  Just the pics of me and one video selfie that I won't publish because I become emotional and subsequently start to choke.  Not my finest moment - or maybe it was...?

At Stella Point I look down on the slope we climbed now that it's daylight.  In a word, insane.  Everyone in a big hurry to get down.  Had been looking forward to "skiing" down the scree but this takes more energy than I have.  Awkward slide-steps down in the loose footing.  It seems easy and fun to others but I'm dying.  We stop for a break and my Camelback tube is frozen.  Guide urges me to get up and keep going but I pull it from my pack and gulp water from the filler cap.

When we get back to Baraffu the plan is to rest for 2 hours and then hike a long way down to Mweka camp.  This seems next to impossible to me and I refuse to get up but they literally start pulling the pegs from my tent when it's time.  Long, unpleasant downhill hike to next camp.  Can't believe they expect so much in so little time.  At camp I sleep for a couple of hours and they wake me up for dinner.  My lungs are full of gunk and I can barely breathe.  I ask Gaspa what my options are if this becomes an emergency.  He seems unfazed.  

Back on the lower mountain we return to lush foliage and groomed trails

Next morning wake up feeling much better.  Ready to tackle final hike to the finish and be done with the whole thing.  Barely choke down breakfast - not because I'm sick but because I'm sick of camp food.  Same shit every day.  A weiner passes for a breakfast sausage along with stale bread.  The last walk down is pleasant but steep and slippery - toes hurt from downhill hiking. 

One of the porters.  They carried everything on their heads - even backpacks

At last we're down and are driven back to hotel.  Was so looking forward to a hot shower but water goes cold right away.  So disappointed but feels good anyway.  Found out later you have to flick a switch to warm the water up - energy conservation.

I am awarded my certificate for reaching Uhuru.  I am proud but it seems jaded by how sick I got.  Really wanted to finish strong.  Ezra and Maria watch the little ceremony glumly as they didn't summit.  Tipped Tony and Gaspa $300 plus I gave them my sleeping bag and down jacket.  Bastards still looked hard done by.

They make a little ceremony out of awarding your certificate for summiting 

After clean up went into Moshi with Graham.  Such a strange place.  We had a great Indian meal at a place the hotel suggested.  Lots of beers this day.  Discovered I prefer Tusker to Kilimanjaro beer.  Ended the day by myself, sipping Chivas and smoking a Capone, reflecting.

This morning getting ready to catch a ride to Arusha to start safari.  Still troubles sleeping but the stakes are not as high any more.

August 13 - Getting Close

This was a tough day of climbing but I was keeping pace with my Australian ranger friend and enjoying his company so the miles melted away.  The day started with a scramble up a rock face known as the Barranco Wall.  The most striking part about it was not the act of picking my way up the boulders but watching the porters with their incredibly heavy loads just bounding up.

We arrived early at camp but that was good because we had the summit to attempt that night at midnight.

Sitting in camp with our head guide (right) and a couple of my trekking buddies

Journal Entry:
Arrived at Baraffu camp - last stop before the summit.  Incredibly long, tough day.  Was very worried because I'm not sleeping at all.  But I did well all day - our pace was excellent.  We even beat our own porters to the camp and had to huddle on the rocks until our stuff arrived.  Passed a guy coming down who was a wreck and he said he almost killed himself.  

Looking back from the top of the Barranco wall

So much up and down today.  We would do a huge climb only to descend back into a valley.  The wall was tough but fun.  Was able to go very slowly most of the way because so many people were climbing.

We arrived at today's camp before our porters.  Time for a well earned snack

Me at Baraffu camp.  Only hours before our push to the summit