Day 6 - Kilimanjaro (Summit Day) - September 27, 2008
I didn't get any sleep before our summit attempt. Because Nathan had been feeling sick, I gave him the down sleeping bag and was cold in his, which is by far inferior.
Timo [this was our porter/waiter] got us up @ 11pm to get ready for the trek. I ate my first and probably last Cliff bar - it didn't sit in my stomach well. Then I layered on the clothes in preparation for a cold ascent.
We had biscuits and tea, then Timo brought headlamps and we set off for the trail around midnight. We were VERY excited - little did we know this would be one of the most grueling days of our lives.
The stars were out in full force and you could see the lights of Moshi dancing around on the ground below. When we started out, the temperature was fine and I even thought about taking off one of the three pairs of pants I was wearing. It was fun to look back on the trail and see a string of headlamps from the camp. Lots of people were summiting that today. So, all was fine - we made it to 4800 meters and were feeling great.
All of a sudden, our guide Alex tells us that from a little over halfway up to a place called Stella's Point (from where you can walk to Uhuru Peak - the summit) the trail gets very steep and the weather very cold. Almost on-cue the wind picked up and those three pants I was wearing wasn't enough. I'm guessing the wind chill was negative 10 and the steepness of the trail along with the altitude completely changed the trail. For about four hours we were faced with this atmosphere and all we could do was concentrate on "one more step" and "one more breath". I think getting to the top of Kilimanjaro in these conditions is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done.
Once @ Stella's Point, there was another 30-minute walk to Uhuru Peak. At this point we have no energy and the summit is so cold that you can't take your hands out of your gloves for 2 pictures before losing feeling in them. So, under these conditions, the amazing Glacier, sunrise, and crater was kind of lost in the flurry of "yay we're here, I feel like crap, let's get out of here". Of course, we thought that would be the worst of it and, for the most part it was. However, the trek down was extremely long - about half the time it took to get to the summit (6hrs to summit). So, by the time I got back I had an altitude headache, a stomach ache from the Cliff bar, had to pee (too cold to do it on the trail), and legs, knees, and toes that were completely beaten up.
As if that wasn't enough, we got an hour to rest, a warm lunch of soup, noodles, watermelon, cucumbers, and sauce, and then had to hit the trail for another 2.5 hours to Mweka Camp to spend the night.
The trail over descended into the forest, so all of the pressure put on our knees for the summit descent was amplified on a rocky trail.
The forest on this side of the park, however, is very different from that of the other side. There are short trees and lots of birds here and lichens galore! The campsite is cute with actual campsites sectioned off and surrounded by short trees. The registration desk sells all kinds of things from "Just Done It - Kilimanjaro" T-shirts to Kili Beer. Today, Nathan and I broke down and bought a "Victory Coke" @ Barafu Camp on our way in. It cost 3000Tsh (or $3) up from the 1000 Tsh in most restaurants - extra charge for shipping it to the camp on the mountain!
We are both looking forward to a hot shower tomorrow and toilets with actual seats to sit on - ahh luxuries!
So you see, I'm not sure why Nathan thought I was nuts when I mentioned we should climb Denali this summer if he got the job in Alaska - 20,300 feet - that's only 1,000 feet higher than Kili! Ha. Only.
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