Kilimanjaro Climb Part 7 – To The Summit

The previous entries in this Kilimanjaro Trip journal are the Introduction, Arrival in Moshi, To Machame Camp, To Shira Camp, To Barranco Camp and To Barafu Camp. Alice’s words (with the bare minimum of editing by me) will be in italics. My words will be in the usual font I use for these blog entries.

Today’s entry is Day 5 of the Kilimanjaro climb on the Machame Route. Day 5 is the Summit Attempt, a hike from Barafu Camp (4600m/15,088ft) to Uhuru Peak (5895m/19,325ft) and then down to Millennium Camp (3750m/12,305ft).

Elevation Change: 1295 meters ascending and 2145 meters descending
Distance: 7 kilometers ascending in 7¼ hours and 10 kilometers descending in 7½ hours including a rest stop
Habitat at Summit: Stone Scree, Snow and Ice, Glaciers


Alice’s journal:

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April 4, 5:20 PM

I don’t even know how to write about this day. There is so much to tell.

Maria, John (Guide), Milla (Assistant Guide) and I stood on the Roof of Africa at 7:46 AM on April 4th.

I’ll write in chronological order, which is boring but the easiest for me.

I slept from 9 to 11 PM. At 11:00 we were awakened and had tea and biscuits.

At 12:30 AM we headed off in the dark under a starry sky. The next six hours were a slog in the dark.

I started the hike feeling good and knew that I would make it. There really were no other options. It was a strange six hours. We didn’t talk and I watched the patch of ground two feet ahead of me. My mind raced for the first hour, filled with questions and anxiety over our climb. I thought of Gaylene and tried to still my mind through meditation.

That didn’t work.

We took a few breaks to pee and drink but only when we found shelter in the rocks.

I think that I must have zoned out for awhile since Maria was just telling me about some things that happened and I don’t remember those events.

As we gained altitude I really had to set my own pace with the mountain-rest-step. The entire time my breathing resembled a mild sprint that I might do at the end of a 10K race.

As we got higher my mind quieted and I was completely absorbed by my breathing, walking, and wiggling toes and fingers with each step. It was very cold.

We had a strange incident with Maria. She was walking well but I suspected that she was cold and wet. Suddenly she started stumbling and let her arms hang slack with her poles dragging behind her. I hate to say it, but the guides didn’t really clue in. I knew she was cold and I also knew that she had a blood sugar problem. I sat her down and gave her a granola bar, one of my gel packs, water and a bit of my tea. She quickly came around and we were off.

Maria and I also have been figuring out that John, our Guide, was sick. He ate almost nothing for dinner and I saw him vomit yesterday. Apparently, for part of the climb, he trailed behind us and sat down. I don’t remember this.


Sunrise over Mawenzi Peak
Anyway, as we were nearing a ridge that I hoped was Stella Point, the sky started to brighten. It was very steep and I was going very slowly. I gave Milla my pack to carry at this point.




I knew that I could make it only because I’ve experienced altitude before.



We arrived at Stella Point at 6:20 AM. I should also mention that I felt the need to take Gravol and Advil every three to four hours. I found drinking difficult but tried my best. I couldn’t even face a granola bar but got two gel packs down. I was so thankful that I did not have a pounding headache.

The weather was clear, sunny, and gorgeous.


Additional comments from A about this photo: This is me at Stella Point (5795 meters, 19,007 feet) at sunrise. In the background is the rim of the crater. I can't believe that I look so happy. It was really cold and I was really tired. But, from here on, it is a lot less steep.

Back to A's journal: It took us an hour to go from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak. This was easier as it was not so steep. We met about 20 people coming down.

At this point I was feeling very emotional. I felt like crying but also knew that would be dumb. Waves of "I’m just about to cry" swept over me. My brain was oxygen-starved. I started repeating the phrase "Dead Cat!" over and over again in my head to distract myself from crying. Sounds weird but I wasn't thinking very straight at the time.

We arrived at Uhuru Peak at 7:46 AM. We were the only ones there. John mentioned that sometimes there are so many people on the summit that you wait 30 minutes for your chance to have your photo taken by the sign.




Suddenly Maria and I were energized and spent the next 30 minutes doing all the things that you do at the summit. I think our guides were itching do down.




We took tons of pictures and dealt with water, gel packs and sun screen. Some people leave something on the summit. I decided to leave a kiss so I kissed the sign.





We started down at 8:15 AM. Now, I made it back to camp in two hours 35 minutes but it certainly felt a lot longer. I was fine for the first 20 minutes and then I got progressively worse. It was harder than going up. I believe the altitude and dehydration caught up with me. I felt wretched, weak, unsteady, etc. I really considered the possibility that I would pass out and the uni-wheel stretcher would need to come for me. Eventually, I admitted to John that I was in rough shape and he patiently walked me down.


Back at camp (10:50 AM), 10½ hours since leaving, I felt dead but went slowly through all the necessary steps – bathroom, water, Gravol, Diamox, Advil, contacts out, electrolyte solution…

By 12:30 they called us for soup. I really didn’t think that I could stomach it but remembered my experience with Greg on Mount Baker when the soup helped.

So I got up, had soup, started feeling better and decided that I could manage the walk down to Millennium Camp.

A few hours before, I had no idea how I would do it.

One hour 20 minutes later we were at Millennium Camp. Our tents were erected. The weather was fine. This was our first day without rain. I’m also glad for the porters. Apparently they had all their wet clothes laid out on the rocks soaking up the rare sunshine.



I just left my tent and I spotted the mountain peak. I actually think that this is the first time on this climb that we had the visibility to see it. Of course, on our summit climb we had outstanding clear sunny conditions.



Here is the timetable of our journey today with hiking time:

Left Barafu Camp	12:30 AM
Stella Point	6:20 AM
Summit - Uhuru Peak	7:45 AM	7 hr 15 min
Left Uhuru Peak	8:15 AM
Arrive Barafu Camp	10:50 AM	2 hr 35 min
Rest until	2:00 PM
Arrive Millennium Camp	3:20 PM	1 hr 20 min

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The final part of this Kilimanjaro Trip journal is here.

Kilimanjaro Climb Part 6 – To Barafu Camp

The previous entries in this Kilimanjaro Trip journal are the Introduction, Arrival in Moshi, To Machame Camp, To Shira Camp and To Barranco Camp. Alice’s words (with the bare minimum of editing by me) will be in italics. My words will be in the usual font I use for these blog entries.

Today’s entry is Day 4 of the Kilimanjaro climb on the Machame Route. Day 4 is a hike from Barranco Camp (3950m/12,956ft) to Barafu Camp (4600m/15,088ft).

Elevation Change: 650 meters
Distance: 13 kilometers in 6¾ hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert


Alice’s journal:

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April 3, 6:40 AM

Darn. I’m awake and it is raining again. The first two days I was marveling at all the advantages of trekking off season. Now, I’m not so sure.

It starts to get light at 6:00 AM and I’m usually awake since I’ve been sleeping since 8:00 PM. Soon afterwards the porters that work the kitchen start talking and I can hear the gas stove. The large White-Nape Ravens start squawking and swooping over the campsite.

At 7:15 they bring warm washing water to my tent and yell at the other porters to get up. Breakfast is served at 7:30 sharp.

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April 3, 5:23 PM

It is 5:23 and I’m in my tent trying to warm up and willing my wet/damp clothes to dry that are hanging around me.

One porter has not made it to camp and this is very bad news. He should have been here two to four hours ago. John has just sent some other porters down to look for him.

It rained on and off all day today. John says that he has never seen anything like it. The porters are poorly dressed and probably are not well prepared for the rainy season. I pray that all turns out well for the missing porter.

We hiked for 6¾ hours today. There were no views and we mostly trudged through the mist or rain.

We first climbed the Barranco Wall, which is a high steep rock scramble. John knew exactly where we had to place our hands and feet to get over the trickier sections. And we had to do exactly what he said. He didn’t like us taking any chances with our own route finding.



Except for a downhill bit into the green Karanga Valley, it was a long tedious boring slog through barren rock fields.



The last few hours I felt the altitude again. A very mild headache developed and I walked very slow using my “running-fairly-hard” breath. Exhale with a bit of a blow and inhale deeply in two stages. I think that I must have developed this technique years ago.

The gear that I was so proud of failed on me today. My boots and three layers of socks are very wet. The Outdoor Store promised me that my boots would never leak due to the Gore-Tex lining. They also told me that it was absolutely unnecessary to seal proof my boots. How false.

I’m pleased with my acclimatizing.



We are at Barafu Camp. Not a very pretty camp. It is on a ridge with nothing but rocks. The long drops are scattered about and there are two green round huts for the Park rangers.

Barafu is 4600m (15,100ft). We reached this same elevation yesterday when we went to the Lava Tower.

Alice inserts this postscript later: Missing porter came in safely.

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The next part of this Kilimanjaro Trip journal describes the Summit Attempt.

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Kilimanjaro Climb Part 5 – To Barranco Camp

The previous entries in this Kilimanjaro Trip journal are the Introduction, Arrival in Moshi, To Machame Camp and To Shira Camp. Alice’s words (with the bare minimum of editing by me) will be in italics. My words will be in the usual font I use for these blog entries.

Today’s entry is Day 3 of the Kilimanjaro climb on the Machame Route. Day 3 is a hike from Shira Camp (elevation 3800m/12,464ft) up to the Lava Tower (4600m/15,098ft) and then down to Barranco Camp (3950m/12,956ft).

Elevation Change: 150 meters (800 ascending and 650 descending)
Distance: 15 kilometers in 6 hours
Habitat: Semi-Desert (more about Kilimanjaro’s eco-zones)


Alice’s journal:

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April 2, 8:00 PM

Today we had a six-hour hike to the Lava Tower (4600M, 15,098ft) and then down to Barranco Camp (3950m, 12,956ft). It was our worst day so far for weather. We had a great view of Kibo at breakfast but by 11:00 it was raining. As we gained altitude it turned into bits of hail, sleet and snow. My gear worked well and I stayed comfortable and dry.




We took the long route to Barranco to see the Lava Tower and gain a bit of acclimitization. [The Lava Tower is the volcanic plug of an ancient volcano vent that has eroded away leaving the solified lava core of the vent.]



We huddled under a rock overhang for lunch at the Lava Tower.

As we headed up we had the most monotonous scenery of a rock strewn moonscape. The mist hid views of Kibo. Heading down from The Lava Tower we were more occupied with keeping our footing and our feet dry as we descended in a wet creek bed.



The rain stopped eventually and the Senecio Johnstonii plants (aka giant groundsel) were a visual treat after the moonscape of the morning.



After six hours we arrived at camp. The remaining hours we filled with tea, many trips to the long drop (outhouse), and dinner.



John is joining us now for all our tea breaks and meals. We’re learning lots about the way of life in Tanzania.

This day would not be complete without a report on my AMS progress. I’m doing so well, considering my previous history with AMS. At The Lava Tower today (15,000ft) I noticed that I really had to slow the already slow pace. Back at camp I developed a mild headache that Advil took care of. So, I’m pleased but still anxious about how I will fare over the next two days. I still have a developing situation with IBS/constipation but I’ll visit a pharmacy when we get back to Moshi or Arusha.

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From Barranco Camp you have this view of The Barranco Wall, part of tomorrow’s climb. They say it’s easier than it looks… If you look closely you can also see a couple of White-Necked Ravens Corvus albicollis perched on rocks in this photo.

The next part of this Kilimanjaro Trip journal is here.

Kilimanjaro Climb Part 4 – To Shira Camp

The previous entries in this Kilimanjaro Trip journal are the Introduction, Arrival in Moshi and To Machame Camp. Alice’s words (with the bare minimum of editing by me) will be in italics. My words will be in the usual font I use for these blog entries.

Today’s entry is Day 2 of the Kilimanjaro climb on the Machame Route. Day 2 is a hike from Machame Hut Camp (elevation 3000m/9900ft) to Shira Camp (elevation 3800m/12,464ft).

Elevation Change: 800 meters
Distance: 9 kilometers in 5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Moorland


Alice’s journal:

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April 1, 4:00 PM

I’m relaxing in my dry tent while the rain drizzles on and off outside. We just finished our post-hike snack of warm peanuts, biscuits, tea and hot chocolate in the dining tent, which doubles as sleeping quarters for four porters at night.

We really are treated royally. When we first arrive in camp we are given our own personal basin of warm water and soap to clean up. Our tents are already erected and the snack soon appears.

This morning started with nausea, I have no idea why. I popped a Gravol and was cured one hour later. It could have been last night’s dinner, altitude, or the handful of pills that I take every day besides my vitamins, I take Celexa, my hormone balance drops, an antibiotic (for whatever flu/cold I had), vitamin E, Diamox (for altitude) and Malarone (for malaria). I decided to cut out Malarone for the next three to four days and to quit the antibiotic tomorrow.

I’m so thankful that the two weeks of cold/flu/headache/whatever finally disappeared for me yesterday.

Breakfast was huge – fruit, enough porridge for ten, toast and omelette. I had to cut out after the porridge. I said that I had to pee but I was actually afraid of vomiting.

Our hike today was five hours to the Shira Caves. The weather was a mix of sun, cloud, mist, and eventually rain showers just as we entered camp. We had a great view of Mt. Meru at one point but Kibo [Mount Kibo is Kilimanjaro's highest crater, measuring 1½ miles from rim to rim.] remained obscured.



We saw poop evidence of jackals, a mountain rodent, small birds, and Raven White Neck birds today.

The vegetation was small trees, shrubs, and lots of flowers. Lobelias (phallic symbols), Senecio, Red Hot Pokers, Helichrysums (everlastings) are a few of the plants that I could identify.


Our camp is at 3800 meters (12,464 feet) and we reached a high point today of perhaps 13,200 feet. I felt great the entire hike though I felt the exertion and the real need to go extra slow. I am delighted to be at this altitude still feeling good.

Maria and I learned a bit about John and the porters today. John has a girlfriend in Dar el Salam whom he sees about four times a year. He has a 12-year old son from a previous girlfriend who is going to private school in Nairobi. John has his own house with a small grocery store in the front. He is being sponsored to go to Great Britain next year for a year of Leadership Training in Climbing. I’m glad to hear that he has a promising future.


Our assistant guide who will accompany us to the top is Milla. Then there are six porters who are doing a great job. They are mostly married with some kids. They know very little English and, judging from their gear, are poor.




The following comments are not from her journal but were written by Alice after completion of the trek:

Each morning, Maria and I would head out hiking with our guide around 9:00. In the next few hours the porters would pass us and arrive at camp hours ahead of us. We weren't really hiking that slow but the porters are quick and strong. Each day we tended to hike 5-7 hours except for summit day which was closer to 14 hours.

Our porters were absolutely great. Always friendly and very service oriented. Our guides were fluent in English and a few of the porters knew some basic words.

If you are planning a hike of Mt. Kilimanjaro please bring extra treats (e.g., good chocolate) for the porters. I celebrated my 50th birthday on this climb, so there were rounds of Toblerone Chocolate for everyone.




Back to Alice’s journal: I’ve learned a bit about the people that I saw in the fields along the road (from Moshi to Machame Gate). The Masai are traditionally dressed, nomadic and tend to their cattle. The government is trying to encourage them to live in permanent communities, have fewer cattle and to grow crops.

The government is trying to establish hospitals and education for the Masai but this doesn’t work if they are nomadic. Also, Africa is much dryer that it was ten years ago and it is difficult to keep all the cattle during drought years.

The people tending the fields are Chagga. They are largely Catholic or Lutheran, poor, and, as I mentioned earlier, the ladies never wear pants.

Maria is cold and having trouble drying her cotton clothes. They’re now strung over the fire in the cook tent.


Soup, fried rice, cooked greens, chicken thighs and apple for dinner.

To bed at 8:00. Sleep fine until 3:00 and not so well afterwards. The usual issues with having to pee and some bowel discomfort. Was 5° C in my tent but my bag was plenty warm.

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Dawn breaks over Kibo Peak, the top of Kilimanjaro, as seen from Shira Camp.

Here are some additional comments from Alice about the pictures below. Note the bare lava rock all around!:

This is a view of the outhouse from Shira Camp (Camp 2). I am now at 3800 meters (12,464 feet) and adjusting just fine to the altitude. I could feel the altitude the previous day coming up to camp but no major problems. I've previously been puking at 12,000 feet on Mt. Rainier but the Diamox is really working well for me.

Everyone asks me about the toilets. I was really pleased with the condition of the outhouses. It is the hole in the ground version and you need to squat. I was attending a “bootcamp” class at the gym in the months prior to this trip and my strengthened quads came in real handy in the outhouses.



The next part of this Kilimanjaro Trip journal is here.