Even though some of you had told me about your climbs up Mount Kilimanjaro, nothing had really prepared me for the challenge to come…
We started at the Machame gate (there are several routes up the mountain, the Machame route was recommended to me by many due to is beauty…) Earlier I had found out that I was climbing the mountain together with a young couple – Kara from Canada and Roberto from Mexico. I was relieved to know that I was not on my own… Of course there was also a big team looking after us – 2 guides, 1 chef and 11 porters. My guide’s name was Joey (although he spelt his name Joy!) and he has been climbing the mountain for the past 19 years… 300+ climbs, so I knew I was in good hands! He was a quiet guy, but very attentive and caring about my wellbeing…and at that time I didn’t know just how important he would be to me succeeding in my quest…
6th December – Day ONE – 1,800m > 3,000m altitude – 11km walked
First day we walked through the wonderful, green and lush mountain rainforest – a few sun rays were shining through the trees, making it a very pleasant temperature and climate for walking.
I had been told that the first day was the easiest, but at the end of the day’s climb I honestly thought that if this is the easiest, I’ll never make it to the top. Exactly the kind of pessimism and negativity which is not allowed when trying to climb the ‘roof of Africa’.
The first couple of hours were OK – a steady climb on a good and wide path – and we went ‘pole, pole’ (pronounced polé, polė and meaning slowly, slowly) all the way. After eating our packed lunch it started getting steeper and even though some of the weight in the day pack had now been eaten, I still struggled with heavy legs for the last hour. Think they must have forgotten to put the ‘energy’ into the energy bar I ate… but then I heard Joey’s voice just behind me saying “just 15 minutes more” and that seemed to help the energy levels and I set off in a sprint for camp…OK, maybe not a sprint, more like a slight increase in pace. And there it was; Machame Camp – altitude 3,000m (sign is wrong for some odd reason!)
I did a quick health check in my head… Back feeling good, slight ache in the left hip, tight right hamstring, no headache, no nausea, breathing good, slightly lightheaded, stomach calm…Not bad!
As we arrived in camp we got a bowl of hot water and soap for washing…wasn’t quite sure how to deal with washing anything but my hands and face…couldn’t really strip down to my bra and do a proper wash – well, I could I guess, but I chose not to – instead my pack of baby wipes was the only other kind of washing for the next 5-6 days!
After washing we were ushered to our dining tent (yes, dining tent!!) where there was tea and popcorn waiting for us…a nice chance to just chat and reflect on day one. Then it was dinner time – cucumber shop with a bit of a chilli kick (good for warming up our bodies) and battered fish with fried potatoes and vegetable stew – all very good! My appetite was great, which I was told was a good sign during the official health check that the guides did after dinner…they had this machine thing to put on the index finger to find out pulse and oxygen levels. All three of us were given the all clear to continue!
Time to get ready for bed – it was now pitch black, so dug out my head lamp as well to find the toilets. I use the term toilet loosely however… It’s just a hole in the ground with a small step either side to squat on… needless to say it was best to hold your breath and hurry! And no sinks of course!
After that ‘special’ experience I crawled into my sleeping bag?..struggled to get comfortable for a while (you all know how I feel about camping!) but after a while I drifted off…it could not have been later than 9pm.
Around 1am all the water I had been drinking during the day to stay healthy came back to haunt me – it was time for a pee… Clothes on, shoes on, head lamp on…it was cold to get out of the tent but I was rewarded by the moon and the stars, they were so clear, so beautiful and as I was standing there looking up, I realised that I couldn’t hear another sound apart from my own breathing…there were around 30 tents in camp and not a sound!?! Not even anyone snoring…very odd!
Back in the tent it took a while to warm up again – shouldn’t have spent so much time stargazing…so I had time for more reflections:
– Day one highlight: finding out I wasn’t climbing alone
– Day one lowlight: the toilet smell
7th December – Day TWO – 3,000m > 3,800m altitude – 6km walked
7am start – we were woken up my our young ‘butler’ Calvin – he was not just the wake up call guy, he was also the bringer of washing water, food, drinking water and generally just a helpful and cheerful guy! Of course he is a Manchester United fan wearing a Bayern Munich hat! 😄
Had a hearty breakfast with porridge, egg etc. in preparation for a steep climb through the moorland before packing up my stuff – trying to make my day pack as light as possible.
First hour was really tough – my hip and hamstring problems were getting a lot worse with the steep incline, but after the first ‘toilet’ break my legs started feeling better and I could focus a little more on the nature… The vegetation had changed from forest to smaller bushes and lots of rocks, and as we headed higher we were walking in and out of the clouds…magical! The air was so fresh and clean and seemed to easily reach the lungs which was good, they were working hard at the higher altitude.
One of the more humbling experiences by climbing the mountain is seeing the work of the porters. They are just amazing…they each carry 20kgs on their backs & heads as they climb…they leave camp after us, arrive in the next camp before us in time for everything to be ready for us when we arrive…
After four and a half hours we made it to Shira Cave Camp at 3,800m altitude, where the tents were indeed up and a hot lunch was waiting for us!
Quick health check…hip & hamstring still an issue, no headache, no nausea, stomach just about OK still, breathing well, nose unblocked for the first time in weeks, dry lips, lightheaded….feeling OK.
Then it was nap time – the entire camp was covered in fog and cloud, so no views anyway, so might as well just curl up in the tent and rest…the rain started falling shortly after and it was getting colder…but we did manage a quick walk to the Shira Cave (it used to be where the porters slept before they had tents to sleep in) before dinner time.
The night was super cold, waking up with a shiver every hour or so…my feet were as cold as ice – brrrr! But all in all I still felt very positive about the climb.
– Day two highlight: walking in the clouds
– Day two lowlight: terrible night’s sleep
BETINA IN AFRICA 