Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro - July 2007

Initially posted on Facebook [Notes] on March 21, 2009 

Excerpts and transcripts taken directly from my personal travel journal

A & C at Londrossi Gate as we prepare to head into Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park to begin our trek

On July 31, close to 9 in the morning, I made it to the rooftop of Africa by making it to Uhuru Peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro at 5,895 m. From our departure close to 11pm in the evening from Barafu base camp, it was the most difficult 8 hrs. or so of pure adrenaline, grit, determination & certainly God's grace, pushing me up to Uhuru Peak.

....Before the summit bid....I completed about 6 days of intensive hiking both in the mornings & afternoons. Our camps would be dead silent by 9 pm because everyone was busy resting and sleeping to refuel their energy & strength to continue on the next day's arduous climb...On the night of our summit bid, I didn't sleep at all probably because I was too excited anticipating the climb that lay some hours away...From around 11pm to 9am, we hiked for around 8 hrs. in the freezing alpine cold, struggling to catch our breath in the thinner air....meticulous about each step, strenuous, struggling to conquer my eternal optimism of "seeing the end"...

....After reaching the summit, I went back down to Barafu Camp (our base camp) to pack up our gear and head down to lower altitude because one of our climbing mates who didn't make it to the peak needed to get to lower altitude as he was experiencing chest pains...In the end, without resting at base camp and not being able to stomach much food, I hiked another 7-8 hrs. in total from Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp (3,100 m) where we spent the night. I had been out hiking consistently pretty much for an excruciating 16 hrs. before we settled at Mweka Camp. My mood prior to reaching that camp was severely bent because I just wanted to reach camp and rest...maybe reflect on the monumental achievement that had just occurred hours ago...even if to capture & collect my thoughts. It seemed like an eternity before we did end up setting up camp for the night. And, to be quite frank, as we were nearing the camp, I came to a point where I almost succumbed to some "violent" tendencies and I felt like punching someone out!

I wrote this journal entry at Mweka Camp (3,100m) in the wee early morning (~5 am) hours the day after I made the summit. In my tent, I settled to chronicle my thoughts and feelings to capture the truest and most authentic moments of my climb:

Yesterday morning, God blessed me with a momentous opportunity to seek a great lifetime thrill in climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro & moreover, in the end, He helped me to accomplish that feat by making it to the summit at 5,895 m! I thank Him for the triumph and blessing.

On the morning of July 25, my adventures began with entry into Mt. Kilimanjaro at the Londrossi Gate. We were transported in safari jeeps from the town of Moshe and traveled through rough terrain & viewed beautiful landscape vistas of trees, corn & sunflower fields in order to reach that entry point. At the gate, we were met by a huge entourage of people - mostly men. Little did I know that these would be the unbelievably strong & fit individuals who would act as guides, cooks & porters for every individual outfitter group seeking to reach Africa’s rooftop. That morning, I met 2 people who I grew quite fond of and who would be my climbing mates for the next 6 or so days. Cindy and Andrew were a couple from Rochester, New York. During our six days there prior to the summit bid, we had to acclimatize our body with Diamox, a drug that should be taken to avoid or limit high altitude sickness. Each day, we walked from 6-8 hours. Put it this way, although not intensely technical, hiking up & down the mountains was not an easy task & each day I was so elated to have reached the camp because my body was clearly exhausted!

We went across many climatic zones in our daily hiking: cultivation, forest, heather, moorland, alpine desert & summit. Passing through each region was like an instant transformation into a different world - like the children’s entry from the wardrobe into Narnia! Sharp contrasts lay between vegetation, plants (flora), animals such as elephants & lions (although we didn’t see any...just big elephant dung - how nice!) & temperature.

The Day of the Summit Bid

We ate lunch at Lava Tower 4,600 m before descending back down to Barranco Camp 3,950 m for a night’s rest. This is a great example of the climb high/sleep low rule that helps people acclimatize safely. On July 30, we left at around 8 am to make our 2-3 hr. hike up to Kirenga Hut 3,963 m for lunch. This hike was arduous & difficult with steep climbs & ascents. The effect of altitude also began to take a greater strain on our bodies making us feel increasingly tired at quicker intervals. After enjoying our freshly cooked meal atop the chilly & windy Kirenga Hut, we immediately departed for Barafu camp. This would be the starting point for our summit bid. We needed to get there as early as we could so that we could organize our things, eat dinner and sleep before getting up at 11pm for the summit climb. It was a challenging 3 hr. hike to reach there. What’s more is since there were many tourists climbers in Kilimanjaro to conquer the summit, Barafu Camp 4,600m (and others along the Lemosho and Machame routes) was dotted with tents so we had to find our team. In order to do so, we had to manage to walk over huge rocks. Imagine doing this after a full day’s hike where the muscles are terribly numb and every aching step with our packs is a burning, terribly agonizing step! By the time we got there, settled down and had dinner, it was close to 7pm. Our plan was to wake-up at 11pm and depart at midnight in order to make it to the summit for the sunrise.

The Night of the Summit Bid

It was around 12:47am when we passed the last area of our campsite. As we began our sojourn up the mountain and as I struggled for energy, breath and even the courage to continue, I would occasionally look up to find a steady flow of lights that were the headlamps of those climbers who were higher up and ahead of us. The sight of that reminded us of a beautiful traffic jam against the backdrop of a black and dark mountain. The steady stream of headlamps marked everyone’s determination to take the "pole-pole" mentality (Swahili for step-by-step) up to Uhuru Peak. With hard toiling, climbing and seemingly endless switchbacks of steep ascents, we finally reached the spot where we had a clear view of the top of Stella Point. After resting for a good several minutes (we couldn’t rest for too long as it would get extremely cold keeping in mind that now we were closer towards the the peak which meant that we were in alpine conditions), I drudged up enough breath and mustered the strength to push myself onwards. Although not too far up and even within sight, perhaps 100m was Stella Point! It was “UP there” and that high depth ascent really annoyed me because although it seemed so close, it was very far.  My body was aching, fatigued and I could feel that I was really struggling at this point.  So from 12:47pm (July 30) to close to 8:45am, we experienced darkness to shimmering moonlight and then a booming, strong and glorious sunrise. Right from the starting point, I knew that I would be up for the physical fight of my life. Although I didn’t experience severe side effects from taking Diamox, I did struggle to breathe properly especially as we ventured up into thinner air. With every step, pole-pole, I was feeling the strain on my body and I was beginning to feel a tiredness in my lungs (which meant the lungs were sore & the chest felt heavy). This was most evident when we approached Stella Point. I needed to stop and catch my breath at almost every switchback turn because my breathing was beginning to feel more laboured and it was taking on a panting pattern that in truth, scared me. I needed to stop to quickly catch my breath at each turn. It was especially difficult to hike up because the switchbacks seemed never-ending and the seeming torture of going on didn’t seem to have an ending point. I was praying that I would quickly get there and with every ounce of energy, I muttered a pray of mercy to God at every turn!

After 6 days or so of heavy duty hiking and near to zero rest the night of our summit bid, I was already tired right from the start! When I reached Stella Point, I thought I could collapse. I remember distinctly that at that point my legs were getting super super sore - they were pretty tight and cramped up! I sat down to get some rest as we would stop for about 15 mins. We enjoyed the beautiful sunrise....probably the most beautiful one I’ve ever soaked in. We were given a can of Red Bull and a Mars bar for a last ditch refueling of energy and sugar before we made the final stretch towards Uhuru Peak of Kibo summit. Red Bull was nasty and I could barely stomach the chocolate bar although at that point, I still maintained the mental faculties to discern that it would be very wise to take a few bites and sips!  When it was time to get up and go again, I told myself that although there was very little strength left in me, I had to push because it was the final stretch before I would reach the highest peak of the summit! I had to reach it. This part of the mountain had snow and ice so I was especially cautious in taking my steps. After about 50 mins. of traversing the black sand, rocks, snow and ice, I finally reached the last stretch towards Uhuru Peak! As Cindy was ahead of me with Hasan, she was sitting cheering me on in my final steps. As I saw her, I was filled with emotion. These final steps filled me with unimaginable elation that I was overcome with tears. I was overwhelmed at the thought of just how difficult and physically challenging climbing this mountain was and that I was about to accomplish this most awesome and excruciating adventure! I was also near extreme exhaustion that it had begun to affect my memory at such high altitudes but more importantly, the end journey was going to be reached in a matter of minutes and a shower of emotions got the better part of me.

The high altitude had begun to affect my memory because in the movie I made shortly after making it to the peak, I recorded my climbing mate’s name incorrectly! I said, Chrissy instead of Cindy!. Once I did reach the peak, it was a sensational feeling to take my photo at the sign of the world’s tallest free standing mountain: Mount Kilimanjaro. I spent enough time to breathe in the absolute gorgeous vistas, bathe in the glory of the presence of the mountain, quickly take photos and head back down.

5,895m Uhuru Peak

Moments after reaching the peak

At high altitudes your brain cells are killed off at such a fast pace that we ended up spending only about 20 mins. at the peak before beginning our tiring journey back to base camp at Barafu....The beauty of hindsight reveals that little did I know that I would not be sitting down and resting for another 13-14 hrs.! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

BOOMBA-MBAYA!

Mount Kili Climb journey in photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigglesyee/sets/72157628616233145/

Lemosho Route

Londorossi Gate to Mti Mkumbwa (2,650 m/8,692 ft)

Mti Mkubwa (2,650 m/8,692 ft) to Shira One Camp (3,609 m/11,841 ft.)

Shira One Camp (3,609 m/11,841 ft.) to Shira Two Camp (3,849 m/12,628 ft.)

Shira Two Camp (3,849 m/12,628 ft.) to Barranco Hut (3,948 m/12,956 ft.)

Barranco Hut (3,900 m/12,800 ft) to Barafu Hut (4,600 m/15,091 ft)

Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,091 ft) to The Summit (5,896 m/19,343 ft) and then to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft)

Lemosho Route in detail...

http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/lemosho-route/

For a similar account, please read the article below found on cbc.ca

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/07/14/f-travel-kilimanjaro.html

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Recounting the Conquering of Killarney's Silver Peak...

Hiking part of the La Cloche Silhouette Trail up 543 m to Silver Peak, Killarney Provincial Park

Everyone seemed happy and content to lay undisturbed in their respective sleeping quarters. The group of us woke lazily on the Friday morning at around 9:30.
We got up and started making preparations for our climb up Silver Peak.
Our gear...
hiking poles, hiking boots, sandals, sweat towel (me!), bear bell, cameras, hat, bandana, paddles, life jackets...
Our fuel...
We prepared peanut butter and jam bagels....some with banana slices and others without. We packed our snacks knowing that we would need to have constant energy for the big hike ahead. Everyone had their water bottles filled up with Gatorade powder.

All of us were ready to roll so we hopped into our canoes and paddled for 20 minutes on David Lake before we arrived at the Silver Peak hike entry point. We docked our canoes, had a quick snack & quickly changed into our hiking boots. With the compass and map in tow, our fearless navigator, Lee, began our journey up to Silver Peak. It was 30-45 mins. into the hike before we encountered an abundance of wild blueberry bushes. After stuffing our faces with blueberries, we were ready to head on. We traversed a few hills managing to climb up and across some serious rocks! It must have been around 45 mins. to an hour when we descended into the forest...

An Unexpected Visitor
While in the forest, we realized that something wasn't quite right with the trail that we were following. We were lost! As we began to orient ourselves in the forest, Sue, took a few steps to take a look around. I was trying to catch my bearings and take a look at the surroundings. Lee was looking at the map, and Katy and Jubette (I'm guessing) were chilling....then from the corner of my eye, I see Sue crouch down like she's looking for some toad or some other small insect...then, after a minute of her being absolutely quiet...she comes up to us and whispers, "there's a bear there" & motions a "shhh" expression with her face. With that, she gave this look of urgency, "like we need to evacuate and turn around now!" Upon hearing this, I was so internally freaked out but still had the faculties to understand that I shouldn't scream but maintain control of myself! Better keep it together Yee! In my own way, I was freaking out, albeit, contained in my body! The others were scared too and we all walked at a more vigorous speed and immediately took out our bear bells and attached them to our bodies to trigger the most noise (I hoped & prayed!), so that it would keep the bear from coming near us. Lee had also taken a look at the Black Bear and told us that it was within very close range (20-25 ft.) of us from where it was chomping away at something. When I think of it, when we had hit a wrong turn when we did and all stopped to catch our bearings and to reassess our location and the direction of the right trail, I know that God was watching over us in a timely matter and taking care of our group! Bonus to that effect was that particular bear was eating and preoccupied when we spotted it! As we proceeded to hike, (I could only speak for myself as we were all relatively "silent"), I had conjured up in my mind creepy images of that bear coming out and attacking us! This thought plagued my mind constantly as we motored on...even as I transferred more thoughts on carefully negotiating my steps and prayerfully hoping that the end would be reached soon, that mere image was still etched in the back of my brain! And so regardless of what was on the forefront of my mind, I still had my senses reserved for an "at-a-moments notice" visitor...Not that I would be able to do anything about it anyways!

The Are-We-There-Yet? Hike
For what seemed like an eternity and a seemingly endless hike (in many of our minds), we must have climbed some serious ascents and descents that at times it required the use of all 4 of our limbs! I kept thinking to myself, "when are we finally going to get to the peak!?! Enough already!...In truth, that thought came to my mind maybe 6 times! [NB. That thought came to my mind about 100x when I was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro!]. The eternal optimist in me says, we're almost there...just one more peak & we're there......Sadly, that eternal optimism does not make me immune you to sweat, pain, and fatigue! Without careful maneuvering and placement of your hands and feet, it was totally conceivable that you could twist, turn or break your ankle(s)! The terrain was an eclectic combination of mossy, muddy (both dry and wet), bush/forest, rocky and at times with tree roots that jetted out of the ground (that if you weren't paying attention, could cause you to trip and propel you into the bush!). The quartzite boulders & ridges were uniquely beautiful! By far, the most glorious and uniquely Killarney features were those quartzite ridges that represented the vast La Cloche Mountain range system.

Hello Silver Peak....we finally made it!
After close to 3 hrs. of exhausting hiking, we crossed paths with other various hikers who were descending their climb. They encouraged us by saying that the peak was within reach and that we were close. I didn't have a mirror to see how my facial expression was, but trust me when I say that my body was joyful to hear of such good news! After 40 mins. of my "eternal optimism" spurring me on, we finally reached the highest peak in Killarney! We were all so elated that we gave each other high fives and took some celebratory photos! The panoramic vistas that we were able to view from the peak were sensational and we quickly understood the hoopla around climbing this peak. One could easily spend a good amount of time up there contemplating and soaking in the beauty. We must have spent half an hour to 40 mins. doing exactly that while enjoying our packed lunch of peanut butter and jam with banana bagels. The wind was terribly strong that day and we were afraid that our things would be blown off the peak! After getting a bit of rest, relaxing, refueling, & further rationing our water, we decided that we needed to start heading back down. It was around 3-4pm. The climb back down was not a walk in the park, as we had to again, carefully negotiate our steps to avoid falling or causing injury. By the time we made our way back down countless steep valleys and up countless high ascents, we were exhausted, yet very thrilled at finding the trail that led to the final steps to our parked canoes! In order for one to climb Silver Peak, you had to conquer other small peaks in order to do so. The task was not so easy as each of us could attest to. The opening site of our canoes among David Lake was a welcome one. The hike down totaled to about 3 or so hours. Without a minute to waste, Sue needed to jump into the lake to get relief from the heat and our climb! The rest of us sat down to rest and downed some much needed water! As we sat there to rest, I think that we were all quietly reflecting on how proud we were of scaling Silver Peak.....and making it out unscathed of Black Bears!!! We sat for a mere 15-20 mins. before we changed into our sandals and ventured back to our campsite.

Hindsight is always 20/20...
For several of us who were quite experienced in hiking, we had some serious flaws in our overall preparations. First, we lacked enough water for the hike and not being well hydrated could have left us in serious trouble especially as you factor in the sun beaming down hard on us as we perspired and exerted our energy and strength to climb Silver Peak. That was a close one because once we did finish our hike and happily...and finally returned to our docked canoes, we quickly made a desperate run to drink the "extra" water that we had left there and which we did not carry with us!

Second, we didn't prepare any sort of light sources in case we had to return to our docked canoes in the dark! We didn't anticipate the fact that we could get lost or disoriented on our hike. Or, if some emergency had occurred, we may have been stuck or delayed on the trail for an extended amount of time into the evening darkness. We didn't bring our flashlights or headlamps!

Third, we didn't bring the First Aid kit! Thankfully, no one got hurt or even close to it BUT the "what if's?" would've nipped us in the butt if someone did get hurt and it required the need of basic first aid supplies! Whew! *Note to self: Put on checklist for next hiking exploration!

...Still, hindsight is 20/20 & upon reflection, we contemplate for the future and make more careful preparations so as not to bust too many amateur moves!

All in all, the 3 nights and 4 day adventures in Killarney were an amazing time to enjoy the blessings of God's gift of the outdoors to us....everything from the nuances of the ever annoying (or unique) woodpecker pecking the tree, the loon singing, birds chirping, the refreshing smell of pine trees, the softness felt below the feet as we walked through the forest, the splendid view of quartzite boulders and ridges, the sunrise and the glorious sunsets, to the serene and calming lake...if you really engage and experience nature and everything that it embodies...okay, okay...even big fat ants, toads, and black bears, we could grasp the amazing beauty that surrounds us. The five of us set out on journeying through interior backcountry camping and we successfully completed that feat!
We roughed it by not showering for 3 days, showed our strength while carrying gear and portaging, championed solidarity while going together to the Thunder Box in night in the pitch black ~ I couldn't even see my own hand waving! trips to the the thunder box despite the threat of having our backside bitten off[!] [My personal fav. was hearing the pine wood lid slam down..the sound..haha...], drank filtered lake water, hiked for roughly 6 hrs. up and down Silver Peak, & just plain lived in the woods without having anyone get terribly lost, sick or hurt! I totally enjoyed our adventures and give serious props to the crew: LW, KW, jUBES, & SYH! For a group of adventure seekers who never camped together before (and for 2 Yee sisters who managed not to ring each other's neck!!! Just playin'), we played hard (our BIG hike & portaging), looked out for each other (Visiting Thunder Box in the pitch darkness; "Jubette, stop moving, let me see if that works!" ~KW asking jUBES to stop swimming to see if her life jacket worked before feeling confident enough to jump into the water! Seriously hahahaa) took care of one another (cooked tasty meals & set up camp) & had a while lot of fun! I'd go camping with you guys anytime!
Until our next wilderness adventure...