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4/5/2023 0 Comments Day 4 to Day 6: Barranco Camp (12,990ft / 3960m) to Uhuru Peak (19,340ft / 5895m) to Mwega Gate (5,350ft / 1630m).Day 4 started immediately by climbing the famed Barranco wall, or Breakfast wall. It was rock scrambling for about an hour, with an obligatory stop in the middle of it to “kiss the rock”. It was not as dangerous as it sounds, but we still had to be careful, as a fall there could have been disastrous. After a few hours, we had a quick lunch at Karanga camp, where most people stop for the day, in order to get more acclimatization time. We did not have this luxury, so we kept hiking in the afternoon until we reached Barafu camp, at 15,200ft / 4670m. The camp was scattered over a large area, and many people from different expeditions were already settling in. We were now in the alpine desert climate zone where there is no vegetation and the temperature is cold. Barafu is the last camp before the summit attempt, and you want to arrive there as early as possible. Because the next day is the big one. After a quick dinner – we could not eat much – Ravi and Fadhili gave us the daily briefing to go over our summit push. Wake-up call would be at 11pm and start at midnight. Despite the usual headache for Estelle and me, we did not have any other issue, and we were all confident and very excited about the next day. We prepared our backpacks and tried to get some sleep for a few hours.
A summit push on a big mountain is always special because you have to start in the middle of the night, usually between 11pm and 1am, and it is the last step between you and the goal of reaching the top. We barely slept but it did not matter because we felt so happy just being there, on Kilimanjaro, just a few hours from the peak. At midnight, we left Barafu camp and we saw in the distance a line of headlamps from climbers ahead of us. Early March is close to the end of the climbing season but still there were probably a hundred climbers that night going to the top. We passed many big groups that were going slow, as we were only six (two guides, one porter and us). We made good progress and we did not stop very often, as it was cold. Estelle and Damien were strong while I had some slight balancing issue from time to time, not to a point of falling but still annoying. About 30’ before reaching the crater rim at Stella point, we stopped for a break and Ravi measured my O2 saturation. To our surprise, it was at 61%. It was low, but I did not have any shortness of breath, dizziness, or mental confusion. Ravi told me that it would be better if I go down, but I decided against doing it, because we were now less than 90’ from the top, the hardest part of the climb was almost over, and I still felt very strong and fully aware of things. Therefore, we kept going up and reached Stella Point at 18,800ft (5739m) just before sunrise. With the first ray of light, we were able to see the entire crater of Kilimanjaro, remnant of few small glaciers that once crowned the entire summit, and an unobstructed 360° view. We still had one hour to go before reaching the top, but it was a very easy walk and at 7:15am, Estelle, Damien and I finally stood on top of Kilimanjaro. At that moment, we, along with maybe 30 other climbers, were standing on the roof of Africa. The view was breathtaking and emotions were running high, as it was a dream of mine to do this adventure with my children. After taking pictures and enjoying the moment for a little while, we left the peak and started to go down. The day was not over and I did not want to take any chance with my health. In 3 hours, we were back to Barafu for lunch. We all felt tired but were able to hike down in the afternoon to Mweka camp (12,800ft / 3900m), at the beginning of the rain forest. Before dinner, the entire team celebrated our success by singing and dancing for us. All of them worked incredibly hard so that we were in the best possible condition to get to the top. They made everything so much easier for us, that we just needed to put one foot in front of the other, and not worry about logistics. Finally, we checked one last time my O2 sat and it was back to normal, at 93%. Day 6 was the last day on the mountain, and it started with another beautiful blue sky, and coffee served inside our tent by our devoted porter/waiter Godlisten. Before leaving camp and hike deep into the forest, we took some last pictures of Kilimanjaro, not fully realizing yet that we were at the very top just the day before. It took us only 3hrs to get to the Mweka gate (5,350ft / 1630m), the exit gate of the park. We signed the official registry book, received our certificate, and drank a well-deserved Kilimanjaro beer. Then, we drove away from the park and got back to our hotel in Moshi. In conclusion, it took a lot of time, effort and perseverance, from the moment I dreamt of climbing Kilimanjaro with my children, to finally have all the stars aligned, and actually doing it. As the saying goes, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” But after all these years of being patient, even though these 6 days went by so fast, it was all worth it and I will cherish this special time with Estelle and Damien for the rest of my life. As we flew away from Tanzania the next evening, we finally got the chance to see Kilimanjaro from above, in all her glory, as if she was waving us a final goodbye. 4 down, 11 to go...
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4/5/2023 0 Comments Day 1 to Day 3: Lemosho Gate (7,825ft / 2385m) to Barranco Camp (12,990ft / 3960m).After an overnight stay in Doha, Qatar, we arrived safely at the Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha, Tanzania. The drive to our hotel in Moshi, at the base of Kilimanjaro, was a bit chaotic as it seems that there are no rules on the road. But, contrary to Bostonian’s drivers, everyone keeps their calm and go with the flow. Or, as one of our guides would tell us many times over the next six days: “Hakuna Matata”, which means in Swahili “No problems”. Welcome to Tanzania!
The next morning, we met with our two guides, Ravi and Fadhili, who checked all of our gear, just to making sure we didn’t forget anything. Then, it was time to leave the hotel and finally embark on our journey to the roof of Africa, after several years dreaming about it. We drove for 2hrs until we arrived at the Lemosho gate, the beginning of the trail. There, while eating lunch and getting ourselves organized for the day, our team of two guides, ten porters and one cook had to weigh their respective loads so that it doesn’t go over 20kg (44lbs), by law. Finally, we set foot on the trail around 1pm, less than 24hrs after landing. When I did my research for the climb, I had three main constraints: time, acclimatization, and booking with a local company. We had only one week vacation, so the climb couldn’t be more than six days in total. And because no one was really acclimatized, I had to choose a route that gradually increases in altitude. It became obvious that the six days Lemosho route was the best possible option for us. It is the longest of all the different routes but, except for the summit day, the rest of the climb is not super steep. And the icing on the cake is that this route has probably the best scenic view of all. Finally, there are more than a hundred different companies to choose from, but after reading lots of reviews/comments online, I booked with TopClimbersExpeditions. They are one of the cheapest small companies and yet with lots of experience and great reviews. We wouldn’t be disappointed. Day 1 was pretty easy, hiking only 4.5mi (7k) and gaining 1,300 ft (400m) in the process. We were hiking in the rain forest, one of the 5 different climate zones on Kilimanjaro. Despite being at the end of the dry season, the forest was lush and very green. We even saw several monkeys. When we arrived at the Mkubwa camp, everything was already set up by the porters, like our tents, our mess tent, our private toilet. Tea and biscuits were served after doing “wash wash” with hot water. We even had a porter/waiter who would take care of us during the entire trip. It definitely was very luxurious, compared to my AT experience or JMT adventure with Damien. Day 2 was going to be a big day, going from Mkubwa (9,200ft / 2800m) to Shira II (12,800ft / 3900m) in 10 miles. The weather was perfect and we quickly left the rain forest to enter into the Afro-Alpine moorland zone, where vegetation is scarce. However, being above the tree line, now we could see for miles on end, with Mt Meru (fifth highest peak in Africa) in the distance. Everyone was in good spirits, and talking to the guides about Tanzania and life in general was very informative. It is one thing to watch news on TV from Low Income Countries, it is quite another to learn what life really is directly from locals and see it with your own eyes. And when the porters passed us on the trail at a blazing speed, eager to set up camp before we arrive at Shira II, with their huge loads on their back or head, wearing worn-out clothes and shoes, while we carry a small backpack and wear high-end gear, it makes us realize how privileged we are, just by being born in a different part of the World. Before this trip, we obviously knew that life is unfair, but this adventure made all of us acutely aware of it. Day 3 was the perfect day for the last acclimatization step. We started at Shira II (12,800ft / 3900m), had lunch at Lava Tower (15,200ft / 4640m), then hiked down to Barranco camp (12,800ft / 3900m). It is the ideal “climb high, sleep low” scenario. Because of the high elevation now, our guides told us to really hike “pole, pole”, meaning slow. And slow it was. Estelle and I started to get a slight headache. However, upon arriving to Lava Tower, we were served for lunch with French fries and chicken! Our cook was amazing, and we did eat everything that day. However, it was probably the last time we would be able to eat properly. Unfortunately, high altitude goes hand in hand with poor appetite. When we arrived at Barranco, we were tired and temperature was dropping now in the low 30F (0C). Usually on Kilimanjaro, the weather is clear and sunny in the morning, it gets cloudy around noon time, and again it clears up in the evening. After dinner, we had an incredible view of the top of the mountain, now very close. It has been 3 days since the beginning of the hike, and now that the “approach climb” was over, Estelle, Damien and I knew that things were getting serious. |
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