holiday season--Mt. Kilimanjaro

Due to the Christmas and New Years season, I will not be working until January 5th. I am taking this month-long holiday to my advantage to travel, hike, and explore new cities within Tanzania. From December 6th-12th, I hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro!! This experience was physically and mentally challenging. I have gained a new appreciation for mountain peaks, nature, prayer, family and friends, and myself. I can HONESTLY say that each and every one of you were in MY thoughts as I trekked up the Machame Route.

My journey began at Machame Gate on the southwest side of the mountain and ended at Mweka Gate on the southeast base. I hiked with 2 other guys named Brendan (who volunteers for GSC as well) and Mats (a Swedish NGO worker traveling from Kenya). Each hiker had 3 porters to carry our camping and mountain gear. Along with the porters, there were 2 chefs, 1 assistant guide, and 2 chief guides. I could not believe how many people were involved in assisting 1hiker up the mountain!

The Machame Route is also called the "Whisky Route" and is considered a difficult route. . "better suited for more adventurous folks." Unlike the Marangu Route where you sleep in huts, on the Machame Route you sleep in tents. The camping experience definitely had its advantages--I felt more connected with the mountain and only shared a tent with one other hiker. Camping on Kili, however, was extremely different than other outdoor experiences. All of my equipment and supplies were carried by porters and a cook prepared all of my meals. I felt awkward and uncomfortable having people wait on my hand and foot and I made this feeling well-known to the chief guides. By the end of the trip, most of the porters and the 2 chefs were willing to open up and share their stories.

Each day of hiking had its challenges and highlights. On the first day, we experienced the rain forest immediately. We were welcomed to the mountain by a rain storm and surrounded by beautiful banana trees and Colobus monkeys. The hiking was fairly simple (flat and lower altitude level). On Day 2, we hiked to Shira Camp (2,900 meters). We were exposed to the Western Breach which had ice curtains melting on its walls. On this day, I felt minor symptoms from the change in altitude while hiking (i.e., shortness of breath while hiking steeper hills). At the campsite that night, all 3 hikers' spirits were high. We played cards in our dining tent (yes we had a DINING tent) while it rained throughout the night. On Day 3, and after several hours of hiking, we reached Barranco Camp (3,850m). We hiked to a prominent landmark called Lava Tower which is a remnant of Kili's earlier volcanic activity. We arrived at Barranco Camp just in time for sunset! This site is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls. Around 7:30am on Day 4, we rock climbed a side of the magnificent Wall (also called the "Breakfast Wall"). This climb was EXTREMELY challenging and was my first time truly experiencing the side effects of altitude sickness. Due to lack of oxygen, I was very dizzy, had shortness of breath, and a horrible stomach ache. The view from the top of this wall was worth all of the negative side effects--we caught the view while the sun was still shining. On this day, we reached Barafu Camp at 4,670 meters. The word Barafu in Swahili means "ice" yet ironically there is no water available at this campsite. Porters were forced to carry a heavy water supply from Karanga Valley to Barafu. This day was a true struggle for all hikers, porters, and guides due to the extreme height. Our campsite, however, had an incredible view of Mt. Mweka. Day 5=SUMMIT day (or night). We began our ascent to the summit at 11:30PM and hiked for 6 hours straight. Unfortunately, Brendan suffered too badly from altitude sickness to reach the summit while Mats fell behind with one of the chief guides.

My journey to the summit was one of the most awakening experiences. I gained a true insight into the physical and mental limits of my body. I hiked with one of the chief guides named Francis (nickname Cheka English translation "laugh"). Over the past 4 days, I had become close to Cheka and felt comfortable and confident having him lead me up the mountain. In the pitch darkness, Cheka and I slowly trekked up the steep and rocky and below freezing route. I followed his footsteps and refused to look up because every time I tried I felt faint. With each step, I felt my mind drift away to my home in America, to my family, to my friends, to my passions in life, to reggae music, to anything other than hiking. I poured water from my frozen camel back water into my Nalgene (which eventually froze as well) and only took small sips along the way. Of course, due to my small bladder, I peed on the trail and exposed myself to Cheka and other hikers (no shame by the end of this trip). I also had extremely painful stomach pains and continuously burped and passed gas during the majority of our trek.

Reaching Stella Point (5,685m) gave me an adrenaline rush and the confidence to reach the summit known as Uhuru peak (5,895m). For some unexplainable reason, my altitude sickness (stomach and head pains) disappeared. Cheka and I sang the Kilimanjaro song and Welcoming song for Tanzania (sung in Swahili) as we trekked from Stella to Uhuru. At 6AM, Cheka and I were the first hikers of the day to reach the top!!! I was surrounded by Godlike glaciers called Rebmann and Ratzel, Mweka Mountain, and was above the clouds. We remained on the summit until 6:30AM for the sunrise. As other hikers arrived, we took a few pictures together, congratulated the other hikers, and headed down. With so much adrenaline and joy running through us, we ran down the mountain and arrived at Barafu Camp in 2 and 1/2 hours. Cheka nicknamed me "Simba" or "lion" because I was the first of my group and the mountain to arrive at the peak. (I guess all of my intense cardio workouts paid off!). Ever since I reached the summit of Kili, I have been on a "natural mystic high" and I am so happy and proud and FORTUNATE. The hike on Day 5 continued after lunch to Mweka Camp (3,100m). Because I was filled with positive energy, I was able to hike down to this camp at a fast and energetic pace. On Day 6, we spent our final morning on Kili and departed for a 3-hour hike down to the base camp (1,800m).