Month: September 2023

My last blog post was written about my preparation to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, published a few days before flying out to begin the adventure. The photo above is a major spoiler – clearly I made the summit! However, this trip was about so much more than those few moments on the “roof of Africa” (although I was very proud to summit). I had decided in advance to try as much as I could to enjoy every day and every experience rather than spending my entire climb focused on whether or not I would be able to summit. I think I was able to do that, and the 8 days I spent on Kili were so much more meaningful that I could have even imagined before leaving on the trip. I ended with over 2000 photos and enough videos to make a short documentary, but will try to briefly show and tell in this post a bit about what this experience was like.

I flew out of JFK on a red eye on KLM to Amsterdam, had a short layover at Schiphol (long enough to enjoy a few pancakes and get my picture in an enormous Delft teapot) and then got on another flight, the one direct Amsterdam-Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) of the day. We landed about 7:30 at night. At this airport you walk off the plane and onto the runway, and it was thrilling to see the sign reading “Kilimanjaro.” We went through immigration, which was fast given we had done our visas online in advance. The checked luggage all arrived, and we were quickly able to find the car and driver waiting for us, and were taken to Stella Maris Lodge in Moshi for the night.

Day 1: Lemosho Gate (7,742 ft elevation) hike to Mti Mkubwa Camp (9,498 feet)

We (I was accompanied on this trip by a family member whose privacy level is a bit more guarded than mine) met our guides after breakfast the next morning and got in a van along with the rest of our team (it was a private climb, so just the two of us with two guides, a cook, and ten porters) to drive to Kilimanjaro National Park and begin our climb. On the way we saw giraffes grazing next to the road! We were told that we were close to Arusha National Park and that the animals sometimes wandered away from the borders of the park. After the climb we were to have a five-day safari and saw hundreds of giraffes (more on that in the next blog post) but at that moment it was thrilling! The guides registered us and all our permits for the climb, we had a boxed lunch, and then began the journey at Lemosho Gate.

The first day of hiking on the Lemosho route is completely in the rainforest. Having gotten in late the night before, I was a little jet lagged but felt great – energized by being immersed in such a lush and unique environment. I also began the process of getting to know our guides, Raymond and Elias. Over all the many hours we spent together on this journey, we became friends – and then more like family.

The rainforest was not only lush with plant life (including one of two plants only found on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, the Impatiens kilimanjari shown above – and just wait until we get to the others close to Barranco Camp, the giant Senacio kilimanjari) but also filled with birdsong, gigantic piles of safari ants (we were warned to jump over and not disturb them), and the scat and tracks of jackals, antelope, and buffalo. Perhaps the most fun was watching the energetic colobus monkeys – lots of them!

Getting to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) Camp, it was time to sort out the tent for the first time. Here’s a funny thing – I had never slept in a tent outside until taking a trip where it was required for 7 nights! I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but it turns out I slept really well on the climb. Ultimate Kilimanjaro, our guiding company, provided foam mats and we added inflatable Big Agnes pads on top of those. Our sleeping bags, very warm Mountain Hardware down mummy bags, were rented. After sorting through my gear (as mentioned in the previous blog post about preparation for the climb, we were limited in terms of weight of our duffle) we had dinner for the first time and were ready to sleep.

Day 2: Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira 1 Camp (11,500 feet elevation)

At breakfast, I was asked if I wanted “local coffee” or “African coffee.” This was the first time I learned that coffee grows on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. I selected the local coffee (African coffee was instant coffee you could buy in the grocery stores) and enjoyed a large thermos of that every morning of the climb. This was a long day of hiking; Raymond said he thought it might be the second hardest (after summit day, of course). It was relentlessly up and the day was long. We started out in the rainforest, but eventually left the tree line and found ourselves in the second climate of the climb – heather/moorlands. The sun was intense, as Kilimanjaro is close to the equator and we lost the tree cover. On this day I started to notice that Raymond was picking up any trash he saw on the trail, putting it in his pockets to take back to our collected trash for disposal (which was packed in/packed out – nothing left on the mountain).

The cook, Juve, had given me snacks for the long day of hiking, including a Sprinter bar, which I had never had before. Made in Turkey, it was chocolate and nougat over pistachios. I found it to be Snickers-adjacent and pretty yummy. Once we got to Shira 1 camp, we signed in as we always did at each camp (and then the lead guide would sign in as well so that there was a record of each camp we were in) and had our first “happy hour.” No alcohol is allowed within the national park, so this tea-time snack was usually popcorn, a few cookies, and hot chocolate (I became a fan of Milo, a malted chocolate drink you stirred into hot water – I’m pretty sure from the label that it is meant for children, but I’m only mildly ashamed). Before dinner we formally met the entire team of porters and were treated to a song (see here for a sample of the fun we had).

That night I heard jackals all around the camp, as well as antelope (Raymond said they like to come right up next to the tents for the warmth) and mice. We also started to see the huge ravens (black with a white bib on their chest) that we would see all the way up to base camp. There was frost on the tent overnight.

Day 3: Shira 1 Camp to Moir Hut (13,580 ft elevation)

The Lemosho route often goes from Shira 1 to Shira 2 camp, but our itinerary had us going to Moir Hut, a rarely used camp, instead. The reason for this was that there is a great opportunity for an acclimation hike in the afternoon up to just above 14K feet elevation, and then sleeping lower. The adage “climb high, sleep low” is often used to describe this strategy for successful acclamation to higher elevations.

This day was entirely in the heather/moorland climate zone, and we could see the summit of Kilimanjaro (Kibo) most of the day. It was both thrilling and a little intimidating to see the enormous mass of Kibo peak, and I could feel my own hubris a bit in thinking I could climb it. At one point in the day, we passed a spot where many people had placed rocks on top of each other to create cairns. Balancing a rock on a cairn with Kibo looking on imposingly was supposed to be good luck, so of course I did it.

We also passed the Fischer Camp, named after Scott Fischer of Mountain Madness who died during the Mount Everest disaster of 1996 that was the basis of Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air. Mountain Madness usually uses the Western Breach route to summit, and shares this section with the route we were taking.

Moir Hut Camp is so little used that there was no official sign for it like the other camps, so I posed with the Ultimate Kilimanjaro flag. We did the acclimation climb after lunch, stayed up above 14K for an hour, and then returned to the camp for dinner.

The view of Kibo at sunset, and then after dark, was spectacular. My camera can’t fully show how full the sky was of stars. An arm of the Milky Way fanned across the night sky. It was gorgeous and humbling. I live in a city where I rarely see stars, but even on vacations I had never seen the night sky like this.

That night, the wind roared as if we were in a hurricane. The tent shook and rattled all night, and yet somehow it made me feel safe to be inside during it. The rattle and roar became a kind of white noise and I slept well.

Day 4: Moir Hut to Lava Tower (15,190 ft) then to Barranco Camp (13,044 ft)

This was a very important day for acclimation to altitude. We would go the highest we would until base camp (over 15K feet altitude), stay there at least an hour, and then head down again for a few days of “climb high/sleep low” training for our body. Not knowing how I would be affected by altitude was my biggest concern before starting the climb but (spoiler alert!) I had no issues at all. I think the length of the route, the opportunities to adapt, taking Diamox which can help with altitude sickness, and a bit of genetic luck all affected this – but I never felt sick, had a headache, or was particularly out of breath – even on the summit.

The guides were very good about suggesting fun photo opportunities. We took the first pictures above heading up from Moir Hut (Elias and I are “flying”). This was the day that I started to be aware that we were above the clouds. We often look out an airplane window and see ourselves above a sea of fluffy white clouds, but it is disorienting to be on solid ground and see this blanket of clouds below you.

Lava Tower was imposing – and is indeed formed from lava that erupted at the same time that Kibo was being created (remember: Kilimanjaro is a volcano with three cones). Ultimate Kilimanjaro had actually set up our lunch tent there (even our toilet tent) and we had a hot lunch before hanging out for at least an hour for acclimation purposes.

The hike from Lava Tower to Barranco Camp took on a surrealistic feeling, as we were enveloped by a cloud and surrounded by the other flora native to the slopes of Kilimanjaro – the giant senecios (Senecio kilimanjari). Enormous – almost Dr. Seussian – plants, wandering through clouds amid a forest of these towering alien senecios was a disorienting yet delightful experience.

Getting to Barranco Camp, I couldn’t even see the famous (infamous?) Barranco Wall that we would tackle the next morning. Dinner, organizing gear, and bedtime happened, now all part of a routine – as summit night began to be less of an idea and more of an imminent challenge.

Day 5- Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (13,106 ft elevation)

The Barranco Wall was one of the things I was concerned about when planning the Kili climb. I don’t love heights, especially if I feel exposed (a bit like James Stewart in the movie Vertigo, as if I could just spiral backwards into an abyss). Many previous climbers said it’s not that exposed, and that it was one of their favorite parts of the route. It is described as a “scramble” because you need to use hands and feet at times. The most narrow section is called the “kissing wall” because you face the wall, move crablike sideways along a narrow section, and kiss the wall for good luck before emerging onto a slightly wider path.

The Barranco Wall was VERY crowded – it creates a bottle neck for everyone, climbers and porters, who need to get above it because often you can only go one at a time. Nicknamed the “breakfast wall” because you tackle it after having breakfast, we left a little later than some, because those who will be going straight from this camp to base camp (Barafu) as some shorter itineraries do, are allowed to go first. We would be going from Barranco to Karanga to allow more time to acclimate.

I had realized on the acclimation hike from Moir Hut that big rocks were my nemesis. I am on the shorter side, requiring more effort to step up on a big rock, and more force to step down from one. The Barranco Wall was a lot of rocks (I eventually became like Indiana Jones about snakes – “rocks, why did it have to be rocks?”) and it did involve more scrambling and more exposure than I had expected. However, once you are on this route, it’s climb the Barranco Wall or go back, and I was not going back! (Some other routes, like Northern Route, which circles Kibo along the northern side, or Rongai, which enters from the Kenyan side, don’t require the Barranco Wall.) My guides were very helpful as always, and after about an hour and a half or so on the Wall, we had great photo opportunities at the top. The clouds had once again covered us by the time we got to the top of the Wall. There was a fantastic view of nearby Mount Meru as well.

The rest of the climb from the top of the Wall to Karanga Camp involved more cloud cover, and more senecios. Getting to Karanga, I discovered a very tilty camp with gorgeous views.

Day 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (Base Camp, 15,331 feet elevation)

Karanga was a beautiful camp, but the climate had changed from heather/moorland to alpine desert. It felt somewhat like walking on the moon, with the everlasting flowers (tiny white flowers) as the only touch of life amid the rocks and shale. For the entire climb, I had been covered in dark brown volcanic dust, and this intensified as we got higher and higher. The air also got drier, and it was getting successively colder. For a few nights, I had asked the waiter porter to fill my Nalgene bottle at night with boiling water, and slept with it like a heating pad. By this point I was sleeping in several layers of clothes including a hat, gloves, socks, etc., as well. I still slept very well, however, falling asleep as soon as I got everything ready for the next day, and waking up at dawn.

Getting to Barafu Camp brought a real awareness that the summit attempt was on us. We got to Barafu early, lunched, rested and tried to nap, then had an early dinner around 5PM and the final health check and briefing from the guides. I put on three layers on top and three on bottom, plus two pairs of socks (liners and Darn Tough summit socks), a hat and gloves, and tried to get a few hours of rest before being woken up at 10:30PM to get ready for summit night.

Day 7: SUMMIT! Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak (19,341 feet) then down to Mweka Camp (10,065 feet)

I had decided before I began the climb that I would not spend the entire time thinking – or worrying – about the summit. I was adjusting well to the altitude, had no sore muscles, was sleeping well, and enjoyed every day as we kept going through different climate zones and seeing different flora/fauna. However, at Barafu it was hard to ignore the imposing bulk of Kibo peak behind us. And a big question is: why do so much on the last summit push? Why start at night with little sleep? Why try to summit at night in the first place? As far as why you go so far on the final summit push, it is possible to take the Western Breach route and sleep in the crater (above 18K feet altitude), then leave for summit just before dawn and head down while the first groups are coming up from the all-night climb. I seriously considered this, but the Western Breach is more dangerous (it was closed for a while after several people were killed by falling rocks) and sleeping at altitude that high can be difficult and even dangerous. If you aren’t doing that route, you almost certainly need to climb overnight because the ground is more frozen (so less slippery) and it makes it possible to get all the way down to your final camp without going down in the dark (which can be challenging).

I wore six layers on top (silk base layer, wool base layer, wool hiking shirt, fleece jacket, down jacket, and wind/waterproof jacket), four layers on bottom (silk base layer, wool base layer, fleece pants, wind/waterproof pants), plus a wool hat, two hoods, a wool buff, wool liner gloves under ski mittens, liner socks under summit socks, plus gaiters. It is extremely cold year-round when summiting as you go into the Arctic climate zone, but the wind can vary and that makes a big difference. Unfortunately we had strong wind all night and even when the sun came up it didn’t relent. I was reasonably warm but my lips were incredibly windburned after the climb and blistered. The first hour of the hike was over my nemesis, big rocks. Then began about a 5 hour hike over switchbacks, relentlessly up, over small rocks and eventually scree. The blackness of the sky and the narrowing of my field of vision to that illuminated by by headlamp gave the journey a nightmarish quality. My memories of these hours is foggy – I remember passing climbers who were down and being attended to by others in their party, but overall this section was long and tedious. Having gotten so little sleep, I kept falling asleep on my feet while walking and jerking awake – something I had never imagined could happen while on the move. Around 6AM, though, the sky stopped being relentlessly black and lightened just a bit – sunrise was coming!

All the tedium of the previous hours was erased for me as the sun came up. We were soon reaching Stella Point, on the rim of Kibo’s volcanic crater, and from there it would be only an hour or a bit more to Uhuru Peak, the summit.

Passing Stella Point, walking along the volcanic rim, the glaciers that still exist at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro were visible. With climate change, it is possible that they may be gone in the next few decades. Raymond had been staying ahead of me the entire night, maintaining a slow pace (“pole, pole” or “slowly slowly” is the mantra for managing altitude on Kili), but as we got about 10 minutes from the Uhuru Peak sign, he said to me “You can lead.” I remember such exhilaration as I moved toward the sign, seeing it get ever closer, no longer feeling tired – or bored – or sleepy – just thrilled.

We had to wait for a few groups to take their photos at the peak, and a person collapsed near us while we were waiting (as we headed down we saw a helicopter come up for a rescue near Stella Point but weren’t sure if it was that person or another). I noted the actual curvature of the earth. Given that it was not climbing season for the mountains that are taller than Kilimanjaro (the enormous Himalayan range that includes Everest, as well as the other giants, Denali in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina), it is possible that at the moment I stood at the peak I was the human being standing on the highest point with feet still on the earth!

I took a series of photos with the glaciers, recorded a video for a family member, and it was time to head down. All in all I think we were on the summit above 19K feet elevation for a little over 15 minutes. Descending the mountain takes place in three sections. The first is to get from the summit back to base camp, and you go back to Stella Point and then take a different way down from there with no switchbacks – basically (slightly) controlled falling, using your poles and digging your heels into the loose scree so that you are almost skiing down the mountain. In Monty Python’s sketch about Kilimanjaro, the character played by John Cleese remarks, “Kilimanjaro is a pretty tricky climb you know, most of it’s up until you reach the very very top, and then it tends to slope away rather sharply.” Funny, yes – but quite true!

The same distance that had taken us 8 hours to go up overnight took about 3 hours going down. As we got close (just before my dreaded “big rocks”) two of the porters came to greet us with fresh juice and to find out if we had successfully summited. When we got to camp we were sung to by the entire team. I had often thought of the lyrics to “Go the Distance” from Hercules while climbing:

I have often dreamed of a far off place
Where a hero’s welcome would be waiting for me
Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying this is where I’m meant to be

I’ll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way if I can be strong
I know every mile would be worth my while
When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong

I became so emotional when welcomed back by the entire team, thinking “here is my hero’s welcome!”

We had an hour’s break to get out of all of those layers and sleep – but I couldn’t. My head was racing with thoughts of what had happened over the past 12 hours. After dressing for descent, we had lunch and the cook had prepared an actual cake – in a frying pan over the butane stove, decorated beautifully with nutella – to celebrate our successful summit.

Next came the second part of descent – leaving Barafu Camp (I loved the sign saying “Congratulations” as you head down toward Mweka Camp) and first walking across a wide plain with the summit of Kilimanjaro now behind you. You could see the metal stretchers that are used to medically evacuate people, and we saw several helicopters flying over as well for evacuations.

After reaching Millennium Camp (or High Camp), the trail changed to huge rocks (yes! rocks!) and my knees really started to hurt. This part of the day was probably worse for me than summiting – having been awake since 10:30 the previous night, hiking all the way up to the summit, the skiing descent, and now big rocks for hours to get to Mweka.

I was extremely happy to get to Mweka Camp – back in the rainforest! – have dinner, and go to sleep. It was my last night sleeping on the mountain but I was so tired there was no time to reflect. My Fitbit told me that I had walked almost 15 miles and that didn’t even account for the elevation gain and loss.

Day 8: Mkewa Camp to Mweka Gate (5380 ft elevation)

Sunrise at Mweka Camp was beautiful – being back in the rainforest, the camp was lush and full of birdsong. For the last time, I got my duffle packed, my daypack ready to go, my sleeping bag stuffed into its sack, and went for breakfast. We had the farewell ceremony where the guides, cook, and porters all saw what their tips will be (you can’t carry that much money on the mountain, so it has to be given back in Moshi) according to KPAP guidelines for fairness. We had another fabulous concert, and this time “Jambo Bwana” mentioned the places we would be going on safari instead of the different camps on the way to Uhuru Peak.

The 3 1/2 hour hike from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate was steep and muddy (although we had not had any precipitation on our climb, it had rained before we got there and parts of the path were heavy with slippery mud). We even saw a porter fall down fully loaded with a bag balanced on his head – but he was able to recover and carry on his way. I would have fallen scores of times if not for the steady arm of Elias, whose sense of balance was incredible. We even had one last look at the summit of Kilimanjaro, glimpsed through a thicket of camphor trees and vines.

Finally, the sign was in sight – “Congratulations and Bon Voyage.” Mweka Gate was buzzing with activity. While Raymond went to verify our climb and get our climbing certificates, I had my filthy boots cleaned for $2. When I got my certificate I was excited to see a QR code that goes directly to the official record of my summit – I can’t be accused of photoshopping myself onto the peak (go to the link here)

The guides, cook, and several of the porters were riding back to Moshi with us, and we stopped just after the gate for me to buy a few souvenirs (my family members all got coffee grown on the slopes of Kili and sold by the local farmers – the same coffee I had every morning on the climb) and for all of us to enjoy some Kilimanjaro beer, on me. Then we drove back to Moshi, I distributed the tip money, and the climb was officially over. I was sad to see the incredible guides, cook, and porters drive away – I quite literally could not have done this climb without them. They had become family, and it is very hard to leave your family.

Our hotel had an upstairs lounge with a view of Kilimanjaro, and after a shower and a meal, I sat there for a bit, with my climbing certificate, and began the process of realizing what I had done over the past 8 days. I had read an essay by writer Michael Crichton (yes, the Jurassic Park author) about his Kilimanjaro climb before leaving, and had been struck by how ill-prepared he had been to attempt it (for instance, he brought hiking shoes he had only worn once and ended up with horrible blisters). I feel that I was as prepared as I could have been, and yet so many parts of the experience still managed to surprise me. Some things I was very worried about in advance (altitude sickness, sleeping quality in a tent on the ground, etc) turned out not to be problems, while I had underestimated the challenge of big rocks and a brutal descent. I had never dreamed that the guides would become friends and eventually they and all of the porters part of one family with us. Crichton reflects on the end of his essay that the climb made him feel he had previously defined himself too narrowly, and I do think that is something I agree with – and that realization will stay with me. I can do hard things; I can live in nature; I can jump into new experiences with joy and openness. I was asked by our guides to come home and be an ambassador for Tanzania, and I am honored to do just that. I may not climb Kilimanjaro again, but I will be back to Tanzania. And after the climb, I had a second part to my Tanzanian adventure yet to come – a 5 day safari! Read and see photos of that here in my next blog post.