A Nomad’s Diary: Climbing to the top of Africa
I am sure if you have a free
spirit residing somewhere deep in your heart, you must be carrying with you a
list of “to do” things. For me, this list sort of evolved over the last few
years. I had to relocate to Canada for work and that is where I discovered my
love for a camera and the heavenly scenery around me. The quest to find that
next best shot or the view from the top, led to hiking. The feeling that you
get when you go around that rock outcropping and the lookout opens to a vast
valley leading to snowcapped mountains – or the clouds swirling below – or that
first look at sun as you sit on the top of your trail waiting for it to
happen…the rush cannot be told, it can just be felt. My “been dere, done dat”
list started changing. The sky scrapers moved aside and Machu Pechu, K2 Base
Camp, Gondora La, Kilimanjaro and Denali creeped in. Having done the K2 trail
last year, the coin was flipped and the call for 2017 came for Africa,
Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world and Africa’s
highest point.
In September this year, I booked
myself in for the 6 day Machame route to the top of the Kilimanjaro. The usual
speech for any such adventure is a must here as well. Know your group, know
your guide, know your route, know your climate, know your limit and above all,
plan for it.
I met my group Saturday morning –
Scott, Mike, Will and Colin. Two brothers, a brother in law and a high school
friend. Our guides and porters welcome us by saying “Jumbo” or hello in
Swahili. And we immediately hit the right spots. We compared our notes, who has
done what before, who has what kind of medicines, who has “Diamox” the altitude
sickness medicine, who has the pain killers, who hikes fast, who hikes slow…and
above all, who loves to play which card game. Our guide Minja, preferred to be
called Mr. Goodluck or Mr. 100% - while our Assistant Guide preferred to be
called “God bless”. We need all three – so we were fine with the names!
Day1 : The first day of the hike
is an easy paced one. You spend almost the same time travelling from Arusha to
Machame Gate and registering yourself as you spend on the trail. There are many
routes you can take to reach the peak; Machame is the most popular. Primarily
because of the impressive views, varied habitats and shorter duration. At the
same time, it is also known as Whiskey route, given its reputation for the
tough climb. In contrast to Marangu route, which is nick named Coca Cola route
for its ease and the capacity to sleep in huts, than tents. So day 1 starts at
the Machame gate which is at 1,640m elevation. After registration, you start a
gentle climb through the lush and fertile rain forest canopy. In about four
hours, including a stop for a quick snack or two, you reach Machame Camp which
is around 2,850m. It is a 11 km hike, and is a good appetizer for the days to
come.
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| Hiking through the rain forest |
Day2: Today we hike to Shira Camp. Shira is a plateau around 3800m high. It is
a short hike around 5km with a 1000m elevation gain.
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| Hiking to Shira Plateau |
The terrain changes from
rain forest to Moorland. If you are lucky, as we were, you may be walking in
clouds for some part of the hike giving the Moorlands a magical exposure. Also,
the habitat gives rise to some peculiar plant species that are only found here.
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| The "Frat Boys" and I |
These are giants of their kind, seeping the moisture from the atmosphere and
creating the oasis in an otherwise barren landscape. Shira camp is also a good
place to get some nice sky views in the night.
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| The night sky over Shira Plateau |
Day 3: Today you get your first
exposure to be above 4000m. The day trip is used as a acclimatization routine. We
start at the Shira plateau and then keep climbing up gradually through a gentle
slope to a maximum elevation of 4800m at the lava tower.
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| At Lava Tower |
From now on, the Kibo
peak is always in your sight. The lava tower is a single piece of rock jutting
out at the top of the climb. It is also called “The Shark’s tooth”.
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| Walking through Moorlands |
We only
stay there for a short lunch. After the tower, we continue to climb down to the
Baranco Hut camp site.
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| Hiking through the misty landscape |
You end the day almost at the same elevation as where
you started but the climb to the tower is an important step to climatize
yourself and be prepared for the summit night. From my experience, this marked
the end of “non-technical” hiking. From tomorrow we will start climbing, a bit
of scrambling and start the 36 hours journey which will take us to the top of
Africa and back.
Day4: The Baranco camp is right in
the shadow of the mountain. The morning started with a beautiful sunrise over
the peak. The porters celebrate the start of the day with “Jumbo Bwana” – a nice
combination of lyrics with its origins in Kenya. And those of us who have seen The
Lion King multiple times can clearly recognize “Hakuna Matata” which means No
Problem in Swahili.
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| Managing Baranco Wall |
After breakfast, we leave the camp and head towards the
steep ridge of Baranco wall. It is amazing to see the porters carrying up to
15kgs on their shoulders and heads passing by at a running pace while you
scramble on your hands and knees to climb up a few narrow ledges. Soon you are
on top of the wall and the scenery opens. At this elevation, the environment is
reducing to a desert. No vegetation in site. We walk towards the Karanga Camp. We
see Karanga from the top of the ridge and it looks just a few hundred yards
away. Until you realize that there is a steep valley between you and the camp. We
had our first hail storm on way to Karanga – but it was short lived.
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| Reaching Barafu Hut |
Finally we
reach the Barafu Hut. Our destination for the evening before we start our bid
for the summit. The camp is at 4600m and here we get into our tents for a few
hours of rest while seeing the Mwenzi and Kibo peaks.
Day 5: This day starts at
midnight. The next 24 hours were my toughest experience to date. Tonight we
start our bid to climb to a final elevation of 5895m. The ascent will test your
nerves. Our target is to reach Stella Point on the edge of the crater rim in
time for the sun rise. We wake up at midnight and start our hike at 1 in the
morning. The freezing temperature, the dark night, the limited vision that only
lights up the circle of your head lamp and the sharp gain of elevation; 1300m
over 5kms and 5 hrs - all play tricks. This is a “mind over body” game. Within
the first hour the trail starts taking its toll. The light headedness is known
to cause black outs and headaches. The trick is to stay focused, one step at a
time. Your pace is low, but it needs to be consistent so you can keep your body
warm. The more you stop, the more you must get yourself back in the mood. Our
guide wanted us to stop after 70-90 minutes and that too for a maximum of five
minutes. One of our team members drifted in a mindless walk twice and he was
placed at the head of the group. Slowly but surely, we kept climbing.
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| At Stella Point |
Along the way, we saw 7 or 8
other groups. Almost every one of them had one or two climbers who had his or
her head in hands, or was feeling highly nauseated. Altitude sickness is a real
concern on the summit, and this is where we all recognized the important of
taking Diamox. We reached Stella point just before sunrise.
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| Sun rises in Africa |
We stopped for 15
minutes to take it all in. Completely exhausted and drained. This is where it “dawned”
on us, that we were the first in Africa to feel the sun’s rays on our faces
today. When you realize that, the struggle, the mental toughness and the
fatigue completely makes sense. The dawn is beautiful. Behind us, the crater
comes into view, cradled by Rebmann and Retzel glaciers.
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| Rebmann Glacier |
From here, there is an
hour’s gradual ascent to Uhuru peak which is the highest point on the crater
rim and the peak of Kilimanjaro.
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| Almost there |
We were the second group to reach
the peak. I still feel goose bumps remembering those final steps. I touched the
sign at the top of the peak to make sure that I had been there and done that,
and may to assure myself that this was not a dream.
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| Been Dere Done Dat |
We are not allowed to spend
more than 15-20 minutes on the peak to avoid altitude sickness.
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| A final look at the crater |
The climb down the scree is
aggressive. You must go down the same way as you came up, 1400m in 5 kms. And
the terrain is loose rocks and scree.
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| All in a day's work in Africa |
Ascent was purely a mind game, but coming
down at this speed and slop, is a physical challenge. We stop at Barafu Hut to
remove our layers, and have a small breather. The porters welcome every member
of our team with fist bumps and songs.
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| Trying to match the song and dance routine |
The hike down from Barafu to Mweka Hut
is mentioned “easy” in most of the brochures. I think that should be revised.
The trail is a stair case for almost 6kms where you climb down foot high steps
all along the way. Tonight, is our last night on the trail and the crews help
us celebrate it with a well-deserved cake.
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| The stair case down to Muweka Camp |
Day 6: Finally, the last day of
the trail. We spent most of the night sharing notes, sharing the stories of hallucination,
black outs and drunk walking that some of us had experience on the climb. The target
was achieved and now it is just a gentle stroll back to Mweka Gate for our ride
to Arusha. The day starts with a final song and dance routine by our porters
and guides. We take group photos and head down. At the gate, we receive our
official certificates – a document to cherish. And this is where we thank our
guides and porters for without them none of this would have been possible. We
helped our guide to keep his luck and score intact, he came with a reputation
of 100% and he maintained that with us.
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| The last stop |
Africa lived up to its
reputation. Mystic, mysterious and enchanting. We were welcomed by chants of
Jumbo when we started our trip, and we end it by saying “Asante Sana” – thank you
very much to one and all. Asante Sana and Kwahiri…goodbye!
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| From Jumbo to Kwahiri - one pack, one team |
