Mt Kilimanjaro....The Highest Peak in Africa

  Anyone who has walked the streets of Arusha, Tanzania has been witness to the locals calling out "Kilimanjaro..Safari"; these two nearby attractions are the main source of tourist dollars coming into the city. At 5,896m Kilimanjaro is high but not so high that one must be an expert, like Mt Everest. While hundreds of people ascend the mountain without major problems, many climb too quickly and suffer from altitude sickness; about 10 people each year die on the mountain.

     I arrived in Kenya and headed right to Arusha, Tanzania at the foot of Mt Meru; my main goals, like so many, were to climb the mountain and go on a safari. I found a room ( $38 US per night) that was on the outskirts of the downtown. In the morning I walked to town taking in the local scenery, there were many dwellings of poor residents, so many people were walking on the dusty streets (walking is free). Once downtown I quickly found that the travel agents at shops had a common theme; no exact price for excursions. Many times a man would bring out a calculator; rather than having a standard price for a specific trip package. The first time a man was willing to lower the price when "I wanted to think about it" I figured I was in the wild west of bartering. I did not find a reliable company so I walked back to the hotel. I was passed by 3 different wedding processions that had a pick-up truck filled with a brass band that was playing a song, it was kind of neat. Walking among the locals made me feel.... well, that I was in Africa.



   I ended up booking a climbing trek for Kilimanjaro at $820.00 US plus tips. One needs to have a guide, at least one porter and a permit to enter the park. Hans Meyer was the first European to climb the mountain in 1889. The night before I left for the climb I had problems with my stomach, yet again; guys out the back were drinking and then arguing; and that was before the 5am mosque chanting. At the main gate the ranger wanted me to take 4 porters; after some discussion I was able to take just 2 and the guide; I would take my own pack. Off we went to the first Mandara Hut which has an elevation of 2,720 metres (8,704 ft.). We made very good time and I was sweaty carrying my bags, until the heavy rain started; the trail was very muddy. It was very cool at the first hut and I could already feel a difference with the altitude. I hoped that going slower for the 11 kms the next day would help me acclimatize.


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   The morning at Mandara was cool; the two porters were already boiling water for washing and cooking. Each porter has a 20 kg regulation for carrying supplies, years earlier they were expected to carry 40 kgs (88 lbs). On the first day we saw blue monkey's, this day we saw several alpine birds. The 1,000 metre climb was easy enough, there was some nice alpine scenery when the clouds cleared, I could see the peak of the mountain. The Horombo Camp was very cold and it started to rain, a bit like wet snow. The camp sits at an elevation of 3,720 metres ( 11,904 ft.) and I was starting to feel a little light headed. I had to focus more on my breathing; again the climbing on the second day was easy enough, it was the lower oxygen levels that was giving me problems. The ranger had said that 6 of 10 make it up no problem and 4 of 10 have problems with the altitude. We passed a Korean man that was getting wheeled down the mountain in what looked like a wheel barrow stretcher. Once you get sick you must descend the mountain quickly. The next camp was supposed to be freezing with the summit sitting at about -15 degrees.






























   I tossed and turned through the night, my down sleeping bag was not warm enough. Once I was outside the hut the sunrise was nice and I had a good view of the peaks. I noticed when breathing that I had to gasp through my mouth a couple of times, but the focus quickly changed to the climb. The day started off with very nice scenery; actually I got many fabulous photo's, but again, I could feel that I was light headed. As the day went on I felt hungover and a bit of a pain in my head. I walked slowly and drank a lot of water but it did not help. By the time I got to the Kibo Hut with an elevation of 4,700 metres (15,040 ft) my head was just throbbing. There was a US doctor at the hut who was traveling with another company; he was self medicating and had 2 pain killers. He said if the pills did not clear up my head then the problem was guaranteed to be altitude sickness and I would have to go down.











    I was so frustrated, the top was only 1,000 metres more; reaching a higher elevation than base camp for Everest was not going to be a reality. From the Kibo Hut hikers leave at about 3 or 4 am to reach the summit; and usually only stay for about 15 minutes. Someone had died a couple of weeks previous so ignoring my headache was not an option.



    I headed back down to the Horombo Camp so quickly; although the temperature was warmer it was still frigid and hard to sleep. In the morning I talked to an Aussie couple and 3 Chinese who had made it up, they said a German man was brought down on a stretcher. I practically ran the whole way down to the main gate; my legs were sore from the downward pounding. There was an animal that jumped out of the bush, it looked a bit like a coyote; Sabah the guide swung at it with a pan, he said that it would bite. I had 4 loud pops from my ears that substantially cleared the pressure from my head, I felt the relief immediately.

   I had planned to give my sleeping bag to a child outside the gate; the first two kids asked me for money so I bypassed them and give it to a young girl who was standing by the road. We loaded in a vehicle and headed 2 hours west to Arusha.

   In my journal I wrote "the mountain beat me". I proved by running most of the way down and walking over 30 kms to the top hut that I was fit enough; I just could not control my head, unless I used it. If I would have planned a bit better and really thought about acclimatizing myself for the altitude then I would not have hurried to make good time. I should have stayed an extra day at the Horombo Camp.....taking a little venture up about 500 metres and coming back down to the camp so I could get used to the elevation. What I do know is that I am not in a hurry to feel altitude sickness.