The Summit – Day 4 Kilimanjaro
The Sunrise from Jamaica Rock on our way to the summit.
The first lookout on Kilimanjaro, Gilman’s Point.
The second lookout point, Stella point.
Uhuruu Peak, the tallest point in Africa.
Hot soup is the best after a long and cold day of hiking
We made it to the top! I can’t even explain how excited (and cold) I am right now. This morning at 5am we set out for the summit and after 5 hours of climbing up the face of the volcano we finally reached the summit at 10:08am. Standing at Uhuru peak at 5,895 meters was absolutely incredible. Andrew and I both struggled at the end when the air became thinner and the oxygen levels began to deplete. For the first four hours we were zig-zagging across the front of the mountain, increasing our elevation by a few inches with each step. If anyone says climbing Kilimanjaro is easy, they are absolutely mistaken. With little oxygen and cold temperatures, the climb up Kilimanjaro is very difficult.
After 4 hours of traversing the mountain and scrambling over large boulders you reach Gilman’s point, at the top of the volcano’s rim. From Gilman’s peak to Stella peak it is another 30 minute hike along the rim of the volcano. From Stella peak to Uhuru peak (the highest summit) it is another hard 30min – 1 hour climb through a glacier park and snow covered path along the mountain rim. The last assent was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I succumb to cold very easily and it took everything I had to move one leg in front of the other in the bitter cold and with little oxygen.
Andrew and I hugged and kissed when we reached the top because we were so excited. We knew that the success rate of making it to the top of the mountain in 5 days is very low (less than 44%) and we really wanted to make it to the highest peak. Standing on the highest point in all of Africa and on the peak of the highest free standing mountain in the world was surreal. We could see the clouds below us, glaciers in the distance, and the crater rim to our right. Everything was magical and everything was perfect.
We ate our Cadbury chocolate bars that everyone in Africa loves, an began our descent. For high altitude safety, you are not allowed to eat while you are climbing. The descent only took two hours but it was nearly had hard as the assent.
Andrew and I were both very sore by this point and every step we took downhill sent a jerking pain up through our cold toes, through our legs, and into our sore backs. We followed the volcano’s rim back to Gilman’s point, scrambled back down he rocks, and proceeded to go directly down the mountain (without using the zigzag path we had used to climb up). Abdul and Allen informed us that we would be doing some Kilimanjaro Skiing. Allen proceeded to take one of my walking poles, take my left arm, and pull me down the hill, using his large boots like small skies in the volcanic rock and ash. I have never experienced skiing on a volcano before… By the time we reached base camp it was a lite after midday and Andrew and I’s legs felt like jello, we were exhausted, and very hungry. Our crew gave us about an hour to rest and then we were served hot “tea” and a delicious lunch. Everyone says your appetite goes away with high altitude, but I know for a fact I ate more food during that lunch at 4,700 meters than any other time on the mountain lunch.
On Kilimanjaro people work fast, and we were soon bundle up and hiking down to camp three in the pouring rain. You are not allowed to stay two evenings at base camp due to altitude sickness so we had to rush down to lower elevation as quickly as possible. One of our Porters, challis, actually had be be emergency rescued off the mountain on his way to base camp because of altitude sickness.
We made it to camp three by later afternoon with little problems except soaked shoes and clothing. Who knew it rained so much during rainy season on a tropical mountain near the equator…
(Below: Andrew’s Post)
Around 12 in the morning we woke to the sounds of Molly getting ready for her attempt at kilimanjaro’s summit. We wished her much from the warmth of our sleeping bags and tried to fall back to sleep. Sleep did not come easily as nerves, cold air, and a little altitude sickness all kept us awake. To top that off, Kylie’s nose had gotten badly sunburnt from the day before and was starting to scab over. Around 4 in the morning we finally climbed out of bed, checked the condition of our gear (still slightly wet) before setting off for morning tea. We didn’t get to eat anything before our climb as at altitude you not only lose your appetite, but eating things can make you feel sick. I was a little worried for Kylie since I know if she skips meals she loses energy quickly and has trouble functioning. Around 4:30 Abdul met us in the room to discuss the plan for the morning. He told us not to be nervous, keep focused, and to keep going. Around 5:15 we set off into the dark on our way to the summit. We trudged up a gravel trail beneath a blanket of stars. There would be no rain this morning. As we continued up towards William’s point, the first rest area, both Kylie and I shed our down jacket layers because we were too hot. Our movement supplied enough warmth to keep us covered in the climb up. We made slow progress, zig zagging up a steep dirt trail as we gained altitude. At Williams point we drank a quick spurt of water before making our way. The climb got steeper and I recalled the words of Molly’s guide from the day before ‘the hardest part is before Gilam’s point.’ Our steps were slow and heavy and our breathing was deep as we tried to get enough oxygen between steps. Our group was in the following order, Abdul, Kylie, me, and Alan. Kylie’s steps were slow and weary since her legs hurt so much from the previous day’s climbing. We weaved our way along each switchback slowly with Abdul encouraging us from a few feet ahead on the trail. I was feeling strong and confident with each step despite the steepness of the route.
After nearly 2.5 hours we reached the stretch below Gilman’s point the road was gravelly and the going was very tough. Several times I felt my legs buckle only to have Alan firmly grab my arm to steady me. This leg of the climb was brutal. We were tired, out of breath, and still had so far left to go. After we had passed Jamaica rocks and as we neared Gilman’s point, we saw Molly and her guide descending. She looked exhausted, but pleased.
After 3.5 hours we reached Gilman’s point. Breathing was very difficult at this point as we’d ascended to 5,600 meters or nearly 18,500 feet. We sat in the rocks and rested as both Alan and Abdul cheered. It was apparent that we’d come so far and they were confident we would make it. As we continued to Stella point and towards tithe summit I was running on fumes. Each step came with great effort, and breathing was also hard. We passed through snow covered trails at this point on the final 15 minute climb to the summit. Around us we could see distant glaciers, the only ones in Africa, on the far rim of Kilimanjaro crater. It was quite a magnificent sight. When I finally looked up and saw the summit sign posts, I felt like cheering! I trudged the lady 20 meters with renewed energy as I finally made it to the summit with Kylie. We all cheered, sang, laughed and celebrated together. Abdul and Allen sang the Kilimanjaro song for us and we took a few photos before beginning our descent.
The walk down seemed to occur at a remarkable pace. What took us 30 minutes to climb only took us 5 minutes to descend. With the pace we were setting we were confident we could make Horombo camp (one hut lower than base camp) before dark. As we got past Jamaican rocks and approached William’s point, we started rock surfing our way down the mountain. This was incredibly fast as we ran, skipped, and jumped our way down the soft sandy trail. When we reached the bottom of the trail our team of porters greeted us and congratulated us on successfully reaching the summit. We were on cloud nine. We rested briefly, ate lunch, and set out for the next camp. Our walk down was very pleasant because of some sparse cloud covering and Alan was very chatty. We were in great spirits as we arrived at camp 3. As we entered camp I mentioned to Abdul where Kylie and I were in regards to our ability to tip which was considerably lower than their usual amount. Abdul’s face showed some disappointment and I mentioned that we should chat later about it in depth. He agreed but I could tell he was deep in thought. We arrived at Horombo hut before dark and began to deposit our things and prepare for our final night on Kilimanjaro. Our clothes were damp, our bodies were sore, and in general we were ready to rest.
Dinner was great as usual, cucumber soup, rice and a vegetable meaty sauce to go over top. During dinner Abdul came to speak with me about the tip (on Kilimanjaro there are certain guidelines when it comes to tipping. This is a well known fact and really is more ‘additional salary’ than tip). As we discussed it was difficult to see eye to eye. The amount he wanted was just simply too much for us to give him. At the same time, the amount we wanted to give was too low to meet the suggested amount. It became a tricky situation and despite the complexity, I felt Heavenly Father would provide a way. That evening both Kylie and I were worried about what we should do and handle the situation. When we prayed I felt that we should call William and that would be the solution. Kylie felt something different and so we were sent spinning for answers. We called William and mentioned to him the situation with the gear, how it had gotten wet, how the poles broke, etc and William offered to meet us at the gate with a refund. That refund was a blessing as it was exactly the amount to meet halfway with Abdul’s tip amount. We approached Abdul with the proposition and he accepted. It was a huge relief as we’d really become friends with Abdul and he had even offered for us to stay with him after the climb instead of staying in a hotel. Our conversations with Abdul while on the mountain really helped in fostering a friendship with him. He shared things about his family, his life, and his work that he said he often kept quiet because it could be sensitive information. For example, William, the organizer of the trip sometimes did not pay his porters fairly depending on how he felt. From what I understand this can be a common practice and many porters or guides are treated poorly by the trip organizers. With the situation resolved and everything looking good for the morning we called it a day and went to sleep.
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