After an interesting series of life events, Debra, Jim, Kathryn, and I were invited on a trip to Africa, which included hiking Mount Meru (2nd tallest peak in Tanzania/4566m) as well as an 8 day safari. As the trip planning developed and Jim realized we'd be close enough to climb Kilimanjaro; it was quickly added to the itinerary and Paul was invited along too.
So Paul, Debra, Jim, and I set to planning, but nothing can truly prepare you for what is most literally a trip of a lifetime.
Our trip was set, and our dreams were quickly becoming a reality.
A fortunate omen, as our plane was named, "The Mount Kilimanjaro" landing at JRO
The gear explosion at the hotel
Our guide greeted us promptly after our arrival and we hoped we could show our preparedness. We were certainly glad to have his knowledge added to our group's expertise and experience pool.
Skillfully tetris-ing our gear plus the crew's gear on the van
We set off after a somewhat tardy start, but day 1 was short enough to easily account for any time mishaps.
Paul, Debra, and myself (left to right) rainforest strolling
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Heading higher
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
The rainforest hikes led us through stunning mountain fauna but for it's density were much less "buggy" than anticipated. These sections are thoroughly enjoyable, with plenty to see and plenty of air to breathe. Used to the chorus of pika squeaks and marmots playing while hiking in Colorado, there was surprisingly little wildlife spotting those first couple of days.
Vegetation thinning as per usual
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Shira Camp (Camp 2), an example of one of the smaller
campsites along our route. The next few camps were easily twice the size
of this camp.
Lounging, the facility in the background is
a restroom, which was much nicer than the higher
or lower ones since this camp was among the least crowded
Finally we got a group photo of our ascent members.
Here we all fit inside the Shira Cave
A typical main course of a 3 course meal,
which was served for breakfast and dinner.
Our support crew! Our lead guide, Bryson (bottom right), and 2 assistant guides, Steven (matching jacket middle right), and Daniel (yellow hat middle right)
Eyes on the prize after
several days of lower elevation fog and mist.
The views were always fantastic.
Last night of 'low' elevation sleep at 12,000' camp
before our real ascent began
As we started to ascend "for real" on day 3, we encountered drizzle, that turned into rain, that turned into hail. The feeling of 14er conditions were really upon us, and it felt exhilarating to be back in alpine conditions. Many other parties were not so excited let alone prepared, though it's hard not to smile with fun conditions like we had.
Finally encountered real mountain conditions along the equator nonetheless
All smiles at Debra and mine's first new high point; higher than the contiguous USA!
Nice alpine conditions coming into Barranco camp (13,160') very wet, but all smiles.
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
The next day we headed up the famous Barranco wall as seen here, though we didn't find it as much of a wall we would have preferred. Mostly class 1+/2 hiking and the rock quality was quite incredible.
More alpine rain/snow mix headed towards Advanced Base Camp
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
The landscape we hiked through was really stunning, but the clouds restricted our views. Thankfully we got a few on the way down.
Rolled into advanced base camp (~15,300')
Unfortunately, I was developing a fairly serious respiratory problem where coughing was interrupting my attempts to sleep. I resorted to mild meditation while sitting upright, which seemed to help rest my body and ease my breathing, but the problem persisted throughout the night.
Checking Vitals around 8pm, not looking great, but not dead by any means and my numbers improved after a small breakfast indicating that I would still make a summit bid.
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Typical alpine start, with a mere 4000' elevation gain and 9000' elevation loss afterwards to low camp, no big deal right? We had a few other groups gravitate to our "pole pole" (Swahili for "slow slow") pace.
Sunrise behind the chossy Mt. Mawenzi on our ascent route
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Close to my high point
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Just above 18,100' feet, we took a break to assess ourselves. After roughly 6 hours of hiking, I was extraordinarily short of breath while moving and shivering when not moving, even with all my layers on. My overall recovery appeared to be OK, but after a few moments of soaking in the sun and thinking through the possible risks, I decided to head back down. Fortunately, we had 3 well experienced guides with us, so I descended with Steven, while Paul, Debra, and Jim continued on with Bryson and Daniel.
Debra, always smiling, seeing a hint of glacier in the back
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Summit group photo!
Paul, Debra, and Jim, made quick work of the descent back, making it back to Barafu camp (ABC). After a quick nap and a late lunch, we decided it was best for us to head to the Mweka low camp, resulting in a single day of ~4000' elevation gain and ~9000' loss total. A rapid descent would accelerate my recovery and allow Bryson, our head guide, time to prepare for Mount Meru.
Quick descent after a nap, the air felt good.
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
in case of emergency, exit carrier, now including shock absorbers!
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Into the clouds once again for a final camp in the park
Photo credit: Jim Hasse
Last close up view as we exited
Bryson spotted us Colobus monkeys!
The next morning was clear, but not fully crisp by being back on the fringe of the rainforest. Our exit offered us views of the summit and I was glad to be down safely. Just a few things I learned on this expedition that I wish I had known going in:
- Having "extra" space both in a backpack and gear bag is not just convenient but somewhat crucial for minimizing packing effort at higher altitudes.
- Never underestimate the conditions the mountain could throw at you, so the better you understand the conditions you could face, the better prepared you should be when you're there. There's lots of gear available to most of us (especially if you're reading this), but once you're out there, you have what you have and no more or less.
- A dry spare of clothing is nice all the way down to just above baselayers (if you've got good baselayers, otherwise to the skin), so think very carefully about how clothing will be use with regards to personal hygeine (which equates to maintaining good health while on the mountain), warmth, and comfort.
- Not necessarily a new lesson, but there's always something to learn whether on an expedition of a lifetime, or on a weekend jaunt through the hills next door, so best to keep and open mind and reflect on things that went well and can be improved on.
Sorry for the late write up, but I have more on this great African adventure so keep checking social media for my write up on Mt. Meru (4566m)!
Movescount Tracks
Day 2 - Shira Cave - Acclimation Hike
Day 3 - Lava Tower/Barranco Camp
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