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