Kilimanjaro - Part 2

The Ascent

We are woken at 11pm to start our ascent. We pack for our climb, have tea and biscuits and depart at quarter past midnight.

We head up into the cold night. The stars are bright and the half moon has risen and shines brightly behind us. We wear headlights as do the other trekkers. It is like a string of Christmas lights winding up the mountain. Everyone is out of breath and moving slowly.

At first I use my headlight but like some of the guides I find the light of the moon sufficient. Even so there are so many people passing each other in the dark it is difficult to keep track. I spend 15 minute following a group of strangers before I realise they're not my party. I then have to catch up to the others.

Knowing that the journey will take six hours until sunrise somehow makes it easier. I am committed to the task and have no expectation of respite.My experience in the Himalayas also helps me to recognise the signs of altitude sickness so I am not so worried about it.

My breathing is deep and rapid. As I get higher it gets colder and harder to breath. I feel like my lungs are empty. They are expanding and contracting like paper bags but nothing is filling them.

Around 3am my whole body starts to get cold so at the next break I decide to put on my down jacket and plastic over pants. This takes some time so our guides hurry to help me.

I take a drink of water. There is ice in the bottle. I take half a dimox tablet to help with the altitude. A guide decides to carry my pack for me. I let him even though a pack counts as an extra layer of warmth.

To manipulate my zips I have to take off the three layers of gloves of my right hand. My hand is freezing cold and I am not sure if this is figurative or literal. My toes are cold too. This is not because they are exposed to the cold. (Happily, I have three layers of socks on.) When the body gets cold it draws warmth away from the extremities.

I worry about frostbite. I also feel like my vision is darkening. Then I remember it is night. I am a little confused.

I decide my cold toes are nothing more than what I might experience on a very cold Melbourne day. I stamp my feet as I am walking. I clench and unclench my hands to improve the circulation. I can't see very well through the hood of my jacket. Then I realise it isn't on properly. This is hard to tell as i am also wearing two light balaclavas and a beanie. The chin strap is over my forehead. I pull it down under my chin. Much better.


We have to climb to 5895m. Behind us is a mountain which our guide Francis tells me is 5145m high. It mocks me. No matter how high we climb it always looks higher.

I am much warmer now. I don't have any problems with the cold. It is ten minutes to five so I know we have come most of the way. Someone says Stella Point is not far away. From there the walk will be easier.

Stella Point is not as close as we were lead to believe but we get there. In the east a blood red line stretches over the top of the clouds. We head west. On our right is a small valley which leads to the rim of the crater. On our left is a small valley which leads to a large wall of ice.



Orange streams spread out from the red line. The sky lightens and the features of the landscape grow clearer. My camera batteries go flat and I change to my last set of spare batteries.

We progress to Uhuru peak. The highest point in all of Africa. We have travelled quickly, passed a lot of people and are among the first 30 or so people to reach the top. Everyone at the top is happy and proud, even those who feel quite sick.

My fresh set of batteries quickly go dead. (It is an effect of the cold.) I end up taking photos with my mobile phone.




The sun breaks through the clouds suddenly and everything is lit up. The ice wall is beautifully detailed. In the west is Mount Meru and next to it is the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro stretching over the clouds.





Now the descent.

What can I say? We go down.

The trail is a mix of rock, stones and dirt. In some places the trail is slippery from too many small loose stones. In other places the dust is so deep our boots sink into it easily and we run down the slope as if it is a sand dune. The sun gets warm. I take off my down jacket and I wear a single pair of gloves.



Some people regard the descent harder but I find it easier. I am glad to be descending to a lower altitude where I can breath easier.

We return to camp at quarter past nine. It has been nine hours of exertion. Some of my companions describe it as the hardest day of their lives. I don't feel that way. I have surprised myself with how well I have coped with the challenge. I still feel I can do more which is just as well because the day isn't over yet.

After lunch we head off for a three hour walk to our final camp site. I break out the mp3 player so the first hour is enjoyable enough but then the battery gets flat.

We leave the sun and descend into fog. Grass appears on the slope, then small bushes, then scrawny trees. The last hour and a half becomes quite tiring. The trees get taller and a little thicker.

I sleep deeply for 10 hours with few interruptions. For anyone with sleeping problems I can highly recommend 12 hours of strenuous walking. I have had enough of camping for now and am looking forward to the hotel, a shower, a good meal and a comfortable bed.

We descend into a lush rainforest. My left knee is giving me problems and it gets progressively worse. This is the hardest part for me. For the last half hour of walking I keep my left leg straight because any time I bend the knee it brings agony. I am using two walking poles. The path turns into a road. It is raining fairly heavily. I walk with my left leg in the depression of the tire track so I can swing my left leg forward without having to bend the knee. We reach the gate for lunch and are transported by van back to civilization.

And so ends another adventure. What will happen next? I hope you are not tired of Africa because there is more of that to come.