Day 8 (Pt 1) - The godforsaken main course...Uhuru Peak!

Ascent - School Hut Camp to Uhuru Peak
Ascent: Distance to summit: 5.4 km; Altitude gained: 1,173m (3,848 ft)

School Hut Camp: 4722m (15,492 ft)
Hans Meyer Cave: 5243m (17,201 ft)
Gillman's Point: 5708m (18,727 ft)
Uhuru Peak: 5895m (19,341 ft)


Amazingly enough and despite less than 4 hours of sleep, when our wake up call came around 11 PM, I woke up feeling fairly refreshed.  Although in reality, it was probably pure adrenaline and nerves that were making me giddy.  The wet weather that had damped our acclimatization hike earlier that day had passed and now there was nothing but a clear sky filled with more stars than I could even imagine above our heads, beckoning us onwards towards the heavens.  Joshua had warned us though - a clear sky meant for colder temperatures and this seemed to be true (not that I have any basis for comparison).  After 30 minutes of prep time in the tent, brushing teeth and using the toilet tent, everyone headed to the mess tent for a light "breakfast" of sorts. There was some brief chatter over breakfast, but everyone's mind was only on the summit and poor Catherine had barely slept a wink.  We ate our porridge and prepared our water and packs in silence, which seemed appropriate in the solitude of the night on a remote mountain in the middle of Africa.

Day 7 - The hors d'oeuvre...

Third Caves Camp to School Hut Camp
Distance: 4.9 km; Altitude gained: 751 m
Third Caves Camp: 3936m (12,913 ft)
School Hut Camp: 4722m (15,492 ft)

Going to bed on Day 6, my nerves were peaking.  Day 7 is when it would start in earnest.  The climb to School Huts (our base camp for the summit) would take us just the morning, but gaining 751m in altitude in less than 5 km meant for a steep morning.  A morning of tough hiking, at high altitudes, followed by a light lunch, acclimatization hike and early dinner and bedtime.  Although "Day 8" is the day of the summit bid, it really starts today, as we wake up at 11 PM to get ready.  So, I was nervous.

Day 6 - If only it were this easy every day!

Mawenzi at sunrise

Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp to Third Caves Camp
Distance: 11.6 km; altitude lost: 366m
Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp - 4302 m (14,114 ft)
Third Caves Camp - 3936m (12,913 ft)

Wake-up call today was around 6 AM with breakfast being served around 6:40 AM.  As usual, we had porridge followed by my favorite eggs, toast and fruit.  The porridge today was more like a darker version of cream of wheat and I somehow managed to convince myself that the darker color made it taste chocolaty.  We were also given fair warning that this would be our last chance for coffee or milk.  This was because at higher elevations, coffee and milk were both difficult to process and all of our bodies' energy should be used for the summit attempt and not to break down complex foods. 

Day 5 - Bring on the drugs... (Feb 15)

Kikelelwa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp
Distance: 3.75 km; altitude gained: 627 m
Kikelelwa Camp - 3675m (12,057 ft)
Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp - 4302m (14,114 ft)

Don't let the short distance fool you.  Although this was just over 2 miles of distance, we gained over 2,000 ft in elevation today, which made for a pretty steep climb.  And at altitudes approaching the highest peaks in the continental US, this was by no means to be taken lightly 

Day 4 - 1000m and more! (Feb 14)

Simba Camp to Kikelelwa Camp via Second Cave
Distance: 11.75 km; altitude gained: 1040m
Simba Camp - 2635m (8645 ft)
Second Cave - 3487m (11,440 ft)
Kikelelwa Camp - 3675m (12,057 ft)

Our tent at sunrise (~6:30 AM)

After a very rainy night, we awoke to a clear sky and a beautiful sunrise shortly after our 6 AM wake-up "call".  This was our "test" day to see how quickly we could get ready in the morning.  The quicker we got ready, the later we could sleep the next day.  But, it was also cold.  And we were tired. Our 6 AM wake-up call quickly became routine and comprised of two porters (who also served as our "servers" at mealtimes) rapping at our tent.  "Wake up time!"  This was promptly followed by their request to enter the tent.  They would unzip the main tent and then unzip our sleeping compartment and offer Olivia and I mugs, hot water and tea, coffee or hot chocolate, plus all the various accompanying condiments (sugar, milk, etc...).  We would then sip our tea from the cozy comfort of our sleeping bags before dragging ourselves out into the cold air to change and pack our luggage for the porters to continue to haul up the mountain.  After day 1 (and probably since we took so long to get ready), Joshua told us not to bother trying to stuff our sleeping bags in their sacks as part of the packing routine.  "Leave it to the porters," he told us.  But Olivia was a trooper and would fight with her sleeping bag each morning to stuff it into the sack, even as the altitude nearly made it a losing battle each morning. 

Day 3 - Climbers, meet Kili! (Feb 13)

Now it really starts!  Today is the first day of our climb, but we still have a long ways to go before we even begin.  We'll be taking the Rongai route up the mountain, which is the only route up the mountain starting on the Northern side of Kilimanjaro, adjascent to the border with Kenya.  This means that we have several hours in the bus before even starting our hike. 

Day 2 - Exploring Arusha (Feb 12)

View of Mount Meru from my patio at the Onsea House

Despite a stressful night of dealing with luggage issues, I woke up feeling refreshed after a great night's sleep at the Onsea House bed and breakfast.  I walked out to the patio of my "house" to an incredible view of the beautiful, lush hotel grounds with clear view of Mt. Meru (elev. 14,977 ft./4,565 m) in the background. It was hard to believe that we'd be climbing another 5,000 ft higher in the next week! 

Day 1 - Departure / Arrival (Feb 10/11)

Unfortunately, I did not have consistent or reliable internet access while in Africa (no real surprise there), therefore, I will attempt to provide a retrospective day-by-day account of our trip over the course of the next few weeks.  The added benefit of doing this after-the-fact though, is that I can include some of the photos from each day as well.
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After the debacle with the camera battery charger, the rest of my travels seemed to go more smoothly (at least until I arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport).  Granted, it was a long travel day(s) - a 7.5 hour flight, followed by an 8.5 hour flight with a nearly 3-hour layover in between, but I have to say that connecting once in Amsterdam was the best possible way to do this trip.  There are daily flights between Schiphol (Amsterdam's international airport) and Kilimanjaro International airport and Schiphol isn't a bad way to spend 2+ hours.  They even have day showers, so for the price of about 10 euro, I was able to shower, freshen up and feel somewhat rejuvinated in time for my 8.5 hour flight to Kili.

We did it!!!

I'm happy to report that we all made it to the top of Kilimanjaro on Saturday morning around 7:30 am, local time! Details (and photos) to follow when I have more time for updates. Until then, thanks to everyone for their support! It was definitely the hardest physical challenge I have ever undertaken and could not have done it without everyone's support!

The Best Dad in the World!

Disaster averted! While sitting at the Princeton Junction train station discussing my packing experience with a friend, I realized I left my extra camera battery, and more importantly, the battery charger plugged into the wall in my bedroom. I didn't have time to get home and taking the next train would have put me at risk for missing my flight. Dad to the rescue...

After frantically discussing a half a dozen options, he offered to meet me at JFK to hand deliver the battery and charger.

Despite being exposed to norovirus earlier in the week, he ran to my house with gloves and disinfectant, got the battery, put it in a sterile plastic bag and started driving. In the meantime, I called Olivia and Ed to see if they had the same charger so that I could potentially use theirs, but alas not. Olivia even went so far as to contact several of her friends and local stores but no one carried it. So, two hours later (a nj transit, LIRR train and Airtrain later for me and a lot of highway miles for my dad), I am now sitting at the gate with battery charger, extra battery and much needed beer in hand!

Best dad ever! Now I just need to make it worth his while and get a photo for him at 19,341 ft! Thank you dad! I love you!

The countdown...

All the gear and no idea!

Finally the chaos in my room has been replaced by a neatly organized, half-full duffle ready to be checked and loaded onto my KLM flight tomorrow at 6 PM (plus a plus tightly-packed backpack and camera bag).  Despite my every urge to pack the duffle full, I know that some poor porter is going to be schlepping it up a 19,341 ft mountain in just a few days, so I'm doing all I can to resist the 10 additional outfits, 3 extra pairs of shoes, multiple books, etc... that are tempting me.  Besides, our flight from the Serengeti back to Arusha (near Kili) has a weight limit of just 15 kilo (33 lbs) for our one allowed bag, so for safety reasons, keeping things light is a must. 

Gearhead!

OK, after spending about 3 hours this weekend at REI (on top of umpteen trips to EMS, multiple online orders from Patagonia and Sierra Trading Post; the latter is a great place for steals on outdoor / hiking gear!), I think it's official....I'm a gear head. I think I've read on no less than 100 websites that I'm supposed to pack light. This should be a challenge.

I'll post here a somewhat comprehensive list of what I'll be bringing and will try to revisit this entry post-trip to indicate what was most useful, in case any readers are considering making a similar trek!