Stairway to Heaven: The thirsty ballad

It has been already two months since we’ve returned from Kenya. But for some strange reason there was not much action. Probably because we were tired, lazy or had many other things to catch up. From my side it was clear. Project was ending so I had to work six days a week and the only free day I spent with kitesurfing, because UAE windy season was coming.

And suddenly the long time expected turn of events came and I was going to Qatar for one month. So I wanted to use my last weekend for one of the long time planned trips in UAE we had, because when I would come back in June it would be too late for any outdoor stuff for summer heat.

We had basically two things we wanted to do. Climb 300m high Ainee wall in Wadi Bih or do UAE’s most famous hike Stairway to Heaven. Ainee wall is for two days because of its distance and because Milan wanted at least one day for learning with his new kite, 10 hour Stairway trek was a perfect choice.

“We leave today after office to Ras al Khaimah, camp there, Friday Stairway with camping afterwards and Saturday directly to the beach kiting. Who’s in?” I sent short email on Thursday morning. “I can’t leave UAE without doing this trip. I’m in!” responded Jaro, Milan got caught on Saturday kiting so we were three.

Stairway to heaven is a quite short but very steep hike to the top of deep wadi, where you in the uppermost portion use stairs made of stones on very exposed walls and ledges. It’s around 7km long, 1000m up and the book says 8-11 hours for going up and back the same way.

After a decent sleep at the beginning of the trek at 10am we made our first step into the wadi. Temperature was quite nice around 30 degrees so we full of strength were progressing fast following an obvious path through boulder fields and traversing around steep walls. After one hour we were at the confluence and started to walk straight up towards the start of the Stairway. We were not alone there, because we met an older English man trying his luck also. We quickly overtook him and went for the first Stairway around 300 altitude meters below the top.

We had a detailed route description, but somehow the system of ledges and stairways was so obvious, that we didn’t need it. True, it was steep, high, exposed and the Stairways made loose stones just put together seem to fall apart under every step, but somebody doing climbing wouldn’t even notice that it is something unusual. Contrary to many holiday hikers being tempted by the fame of this hike J

After 3 hours we were at the top!! Looking a bit disappointed from expecting something more challenging we decided, after small lunch, to do the whole roundtrip and return to the confluence from the opposite side of the wadi, rather than retracing our steps back using the Stairway. The guide was saying that, even when it doesn’t look like, it is much tougher choice distance wise and also route finding wise. But we didn’t care. “Look, we have 6 hours of sunlight and from the map it is something around 8 kilometers back to the confluence. I have all the waypoints in the GPS” I said, “And we have headlamps” added Milan and we marched. Only one who didn’t say much was Jaro suffering diarrhea from very morning. But we marched!

Route finding up to the village on other side of the valley was simple. We had some delays and we lost half an hour when taking wrong ridge, but we arrived at 4:30pm, so just enough time to be at the confluence before dark. But shortly after we started descending through huge steep boulder field those last 900m elevation meters, it got screwed up!!!

It was not especially hot that day but we finished already all our water. Descending on loose and sliding stones went slower than we expected, especially for Jaro. He doesn’t see well in the dark normally, but today he took as his only dioptric glasses sunglasses, so he was practically blind when it got a bit darker. And also he was starting to be really exhausted and dehydrated from diarrhea and having not enough water. And with a couple of dry waterfalls which we had to bypass around, we reached spot above the last waterfall when was completely dark.

“Follow the riverbed until you reach the 6 meter high waterfall. Then turn back and find the way how to bypass it to the left” I read from the guide. Easy to say, but harder to do, when you when you are in unknown area, in the middle of dry canyon with 10m high walls above you and staring down from the waterfall. We didn’t even have three headlamps, because I lost mine in Kenya and haven’t bought new one yet and Jaro had to shine directly under his feet to be able to make a single move. With increasing time we spent there, we were getting thirstier and it was slowly getting a bit scary J

We luckily found the only way around the waterfall, but it cost us time. “Uff…finally we are at the confluence. Now it is easy. We have already been here” relieved Milan and we started walking back on the same path we came. We had around 3 kilometers and 250 meter down to the car. The trail was visible, but we needed to walk slowly and even then we lost it couple of times. And with every step Jaro was getting into worse and worse shape. Completely dehydrated, he was stomach sick and dizzy. In one moment we had to stop because he started vomiting. Vomiting nothing!! Me and Milan we were very thirsty but still focused. The way back seemed endless. Much longer than we remembered it when walking up.

“Hey Milan!! Are you sure that this is a correct way” I shouted. “The trail is not very clear, but it looks like this might be it” he responded with no confidence. So we got lost again. Even when we got back to the last point where we were sure that we were standing on the trail, we couldn’t figure out where does it lead next. Milan tried to traverse further, but it was not the way. The way down seemed way to steep, leading nowhere and above us was just a vertical wall. And it was dark. And we haven’t had a drop of water for 5 hours. And it was still around 35 degrees. And it started to look quite scary. We all played with a thought of being stuck here for the rest of the night!!

Fortunately after more than an hour of going around in one place, Milan found a way down. “Guys…that’s it!! I found the trail” he shouted from below. And from then it was finally easy and we got safely and alive to the car at 11pm!!!

And that was it. HAPPY END J We drunk everything liquid…hot water from bottles, cold water from melted ice, Pepsi, lime juice, beer. Everybody drunk around 3 liters, fell down and slept.

Lesson learned? Maybe only that the mountains, no matter how easy they are, they look completely different in the night under only torch light and that 4 liters of water per person for whole day UAE trek in not enough. Next time we’ll be smarter.

What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger J

Kenyan dreamin' - Epilogue

Sad cloudy Saturday morning in Narobi. Speechless group of travelers is slowly packing big backpacks into a taxi in front of a hotel. You don’t need to ask where they are going. Minds still lost in repeating what happened yesterday, week ago, on Kili…they don’t want to go anywhere. One story ends…second continues…others are on the way. That’s life J

I’ve done many trips around the world and I have to say that only from few of them I don’t remember much. But there are also only few of those where I remember almost everything, which I will always be going back to in my thoughts and storytelling and from which I will always try to draw inspiration and experience for the future ones. Our Kenyan dream expedition will always be one of them!!

EVERYBODY HAS A DREAM

EVERYBODY HAS A GOAL

BUT NOT EVERYBODY FOLLOWS THEIR DREAMS

NOT EVERYBODY GOES FOR THEIR GOALS

WE DID!!!

Kenyan dreamin' - Stage 6: Finish line

WE DID

The initial plan was to have a spare third week for safari, going to the beach or anything we would like, but at the end when we were going back from Kili’s last camp we had 2 days left, because that same day we had to get back to Nairobi and that is for the whole day due to mentioned governmental negligence to roadwork situation!!

So what to do with those two days? It was too little time for a proper safari in one of the bigger reserves with camping and elephants, so we decided to spend it in Nairobi again. Jaro had some personal business in Uganda, so we were only three.

And what to do during a lazy morning after 8 hours of bus riding? Be even more lazy J That’s why Jana with Marcin insisted on spending the day relaxing in some better hotel with the pool, soft beds and room service. And why actually not to go directly to the best hotel in town, to Hilton. Imagine a comical situation when three dirty backpackers in shorts go to Hilton and want to see the room and hotel facilities. As a receptionist I would definitely think that they are wasting my time and therefore I would be really surprised when one of them would say “OK, we take the three bed room” and would pull out a Swiss bank VISA J

At the end they didn’t need to insist too much, because I had to agree that the idea of drinking blue daikiri in cool roof pool under hot African sun was too tempting. “What the hell…I’m on holiday right?” J

After first pool session we went for lunch for nearby fried chicken and ice cream, stopped by in travel agency to book one day safari for the next day, bought cheese, bread and vine for evening room chillout and went back to Hilton for more pool and sauna J. For one day it was excellent, but spending there more would be just waste of money!!

Originally we wanted to do small half day safari in Nairobi national park, followed by dinner in the famous Carnivore restaurant for some crocodile meat, but those smart trip sellers in the agency recommended us a full day trip to more distant, bigger but also more expensive Lake Nakuru national park. And somehow they presented it that we were leaving with the feeling that we did a good deal J Win-win situation!!

So at 6:30am Teddy our new driver guide picked us up from Hilton and we drove two hours down to flat and large Rift valley where a couple of small salty lakes like Nakuru lie. In Nakuru there are no elephants or hippos, but we were ensured to see rhinos and the rest of typical Africal fauna. “And if you are lucky you’ll see lion or leopard” Teddy baited us, started the engine and drove past the park gate.

Already from behind the gate I could see hers of zebras and various antelopes. The park was packed with life!! Just after the gate we saw black rhino in the distance, but we didn’t stop and went to the lake edge to watch buffaloes, zebras, impalas and gazelles.

We usually stayed in the van just looking through the open roof, because you can’t know from where a lion could jump on you J But shortly after we passed three hyenas resting in cold mud we left the van and went chasing some zebras in open space.

And in this easy mood continued the whole day. We were slowly driving through the forest and plains stopping every time we saw some animals. And we saw a lot of them. We saw white and black rhinos, giraffes, baboons, flamingos, ostriches, secretary birds or warthogs. And all of them from very close distance, because they were probably so used to people starring at them that they stayed in place! As the day was passing, we more and more eagerly were searching for the king of animals of his smaller cousin, but were not lucky that time. Probably because in the whole park live only 6 leopards and 17 lions J

But at the end of the day I felt that this was not a proper safari. I wanted to be inside the park, in the tent, be part of it, be walking though, feeling the nature. But for all this, although I don’t think it is doable in full, you need to go to Serengeti or Masai Mara, which are big enough to preserve its original wilderness. Not like this oversized ZOO J

At the end of the day, when I was slowly walking on the lake shore next to thousands of flamingos, watching a storm coming, I was knew that this trip was going to the end and that those three awesome weeks were over.

Kenyan dreamin' - Stage 5: To the top of Africa

BUT NOT EVERYBODY GOES FOR THEIR GOALS

And really…at 8am there was a 7 seat station wagon already full of our escort. We hardly squeezed inside with our now “ridiculously” light back packs (we left all climbing gear in Nairobi) and we joined the second car, same packed, on the way to Moshi and Machame gate, where was our route beginning. We had some difficulties to find cooking gas tank and other supplies on the way, but at 11 we were already there distributing our stuff to our porters J

All inclusive trip from Joseph means almost all inclusive trip. We had 7 porters, 2 guides and one cook for four of us J And that was a small group because we didn’t pay for camping chairs and tables, toilet tent and other VIP stuff. But our basic package was maybe too much for us “tough mountaineers” J

It was weird standing there and having only a small pack with prepared lunch box and few extra clothes. “Where is today’s camp, that we know where to stop?” we asked our main guide Anderson. “Don’t worry. The porters are fast. They will be already there with tents built when you arrive” smiled Anderson.

So we started walking. We hesitated a bit to overtake the porters after 10 minutes, but they were just too slow. It was the first day, in 1500m and we felt so fit, that we run past them and long lines of another porters carrying deformed sacks full of metal dishes, heavy kitchen gas tanks, fresh fruit and basically nothing economical what you usually take to the mountain. We had to wait 45 minutes in Machame camp (2865m) before our tents and some warmer clothes arrived. But in was more than compensated by delicious dinner of vegetable soup, fried fish with potatoes and fresh pineapple as a desert. Of course accompanied by hot tea and coffee J After such dinner you have different dreams J

Machame route is the second most frequented and it’s usually done in 6 days. From the park entry book we read, that around 20 tourists is starting the route every day, to which you need to add 2.5 times more staff. So the route is quite crowded and you continuously have to be overtaking slow porters. But the distance is not very long and it’s built to provide enough acclimatization to people coming directly from the airport. That means that the second day we did 3 hour walk to 3800m and the third just going around the mountain to 3900 for 4 hours. The fourth day to the summit camp was a bit tougher and to 4600m we got in 6 hours.

But it didn’t matter to me. I have time to look around, observe, make photos and enjoy the hike in nice high altitude environment with towering Kili always above. Hmm…almost always, because the second and third day it was cloudy and raining whole afternoon, so we spent it in the tent playing pokerJ

And there were of course all those delicious breakfasts and dinners, which really made me enjoy this trip as pure holidays.

But the fifth day at 2am those pure holidays ended when we woke up to attempt the summit of the highest mountain of Africa. Two other groups were already on the way, but Anderson judged that with our shape we can some extra sleep and leave later J And it proved correct half way up when we overtook the second one. We didn’t go fast. We had respect to the mountain and altitude, so we progressed slowly to not be caching breath, but steadily. It was slow, long, but once you get into that monotonous step by step mode, hours flow very quickly.

I have never felt any signs of altitude sickness, not in Rocky Mountains, on Mount Kenya not even in Kili. “Maybe I’m one of those few who are not suffering that and are born for high altitudes” I thought just before we reached the lip of Kilimanjaro crater at 5700m. Jaro, who had his experience already, told me, that the altitude sickness comes very quickly. And exactly when we reached the lip and saw the top just a kilometer away I felt it coming. A bit dizziness, deeper breathing and overall weakening, warned me that if the end would have been even a bit further than now, I would have to slow down rapidly and watch every step and breath!! So probably I’m not any climbing superman J But with the summit so close and sun already rising, I pushed harder knowing that when you go down it will go away!!

How did I feel on the roof of Africa in 5895m? I don’t know. First of all I felt terribly cold, but otherwise it was something between relief, that I didn’t have to return back early like many others…between accomplishment, that I can check out another peak…and between ethereal happiness from all those stunning views of rising sun from clouds below. I definitely didn’t feel pride, like tens of German retirees sumitting when we were already going down.

We reached the base camp around 11, got fresh pineapple juice and hot soup, went to sleep for two hours and at 1pm we were following the porters down to Mweka camp at 3500m. Because of all those people all ascent routes are one way only and for descent are different ones, like Mweka route J And that was it. Last dinner. Last camping. Last look on Kilimanjaro.

If you put yourself over that fact that it was not basically any physical or any challenge, like we were used to from Kenya, it was a beautifully spend week and got some relax physical and mental which we needed. We won’t probably do it again, but we never forget it either. And that’s how it should be J

Kenyan dreamin' - Stage 4: Intermezzo

BUT NOT EVERYBODY FOLLOWS THEIR DREAMS

The tenth day we had only the way down to the park gate. We had around 20 kilometers to Jasser’s campsite in Naro Moru village. Easy task J

Jana and Marcin left ahead and we followed only 45 minutes later! We agreed that we chase them when they have breakfast, but because some dark clouds started coming, this encounter never happened. Instead, after we passed through beautiful bushy mountain meadows in higher altitudes and got into the forest, it started raining. And it was a real two hour rainstorm spiced for Jaro’s swearing when he broke his last bamboo walking stick, when he got totally wet in 15 minutes because of lack of any rainproof clothes and when he got completely dirty after slipping several times on unmaintained wet muddy path. “We go to Africa guys!! There won’t be raining” said Jaro, the Wise J

We caught up with the others in Met station, half way down. We warmed up bit when eating disgusting porridge we bought from local guides and continued down already under sunny sky again.

When we reached the park gate, we were greeted by a group of baboons and also a Park guide driver in Land Cruiser, which was quite lucky, because we didn’t arrange any transport and to the village itself it was still quite a bit. So we paid the rest of the park fees, hopped on the trunk and were speeding down on a narrow dirt track to the very end of our Mt. Kenya expedition.

The end of the expedition does not necessarily mean all the bad. In Jasser’s camp we got things what we were wishing for almost from the beginning, cold beer, normal food, normal portions, soft bed and shower. Pure paradise J

Next morning after normal human breakfast we boarded Jasser’s minivan again and went back to Nairobi. We wanted to as quickly as possible arrange Kilimanjaro trip, because we didn’t have much time left and we still wanted to do some safari, without which you cannot leave Kenya!! We didn’t know any agency in town, but when you know any tourist involved person like Jasser, you can be sure that he knows somebody “really good’ to recommend. And exactly that happened. Jasser knew another Joseph, which I accidentally met during our first Nairobi stay and because we didn’t have time to search for some better deal we put our trust and money in him, paid some extra for a private transport the same afternoon and an all inclusive Kilimajaro six day hike was arranged in two hours. Three hours after we arrived to Nairobi, we were already rushing in Jasser’s minivan towards Tanzanian border. At the border Joseph handed over us to another agent and around 9pm we were driving last 100 km to Arusha, tomorrow’s starting point.

We arrived at midnight. You are asking why that late? Did something happen to the car? No. Something happened to the roads. Better…something happened to the government, which is not capable of building paved road on one of the main routes between Kenya and Tanzania. From Nairobi to Arusha is about 200 km and around 120 is unpaved. We just saw neverending kilometers of road under construction next to our “tank rack” without any construction machinery on it!! “How long is this road under construction?” I asked the second agent. “More than two years now” he calmly replied. “We are going to Africa guys!!” I’ve hears Jaro’s wisdom in my head and kept suffering.

Our guide showed us a cheap guest house in Arusha and with words “Tomorrow at 8am your Kilimanjaro guide will come to pick you up here” wished us good night and disappeared. We bought some fried egg omelet on the street, couple of beers in nearby bar and hoped that tomorrow somebody really comes!!