Travelogue by Kris K: Kilimanjaro Hike

Karma Hiker Log - Kris K

Day 1

28 hours have passed and I finally set foot on Tanzanian soil. The airport was provincial. It reminded me of the airport in coimbatore- a small town in south india where I grew up.

I got off the plane and on to the tarmac. I expected it to be hot, but the air was fresh. The wind was gently swaying the equatorial trees...they seemed like people with arms raised up in the air, hips moving slightly summoning for rain. I could smell the arrival of the coming rain in the soil. It took me back to my childhood days.

Our driver Meela met us at the airport at 800 pm. He warned us about the upcoming 2 hour long, rough ride. The drive was a novelty to Bill my friend. It was no different driving on any rural road in india. It had the customary police check point, people mulling around by the roadside sipping tea, tending to animals etc.  I loved it. Bill and I

also managed to get a hold of the verizon global desk in North Carolina and got our blackberries to be fully  functional. It was a bit much, but hey we need to stay connected.

As we approached the mountain on which the hotel sits, the aroma of wild flowers was truly spectacular. For 3km, the aroma was constant.  When we arrived at the hotel--the kilimanjaro resort hotel--it was as if we were entering a rustic colonial estate.

It was the perfect ending to a long journey. The icing on the cake was that it rained just before bedtime. The dancing trees got their wish, so did I. Good night.

Day 2

Today was a day of rest and preperation. We start on sunday morning at 9 am. My day started very early because of jetlag. I was up by 330am and could not go back to sleep. So I decided to listen to This American Life on my ipod.

At 7am I went downstairs and got myself toast and sat by the swimming pool. I also had three cups of coffee made with kili grown coffee. Wow! Starbucks needs this coffee.

Sitting by the pool was one of the most peaceful things I have done in recent memory. The hotel sits at an altitude of 1500 meters. All the lush green banana, avacado and a million flowering trees that were hidden in darkness previously were in plain sight-- hugging the hotel.

I met Carson the head tour guide. His first words to me were "pule, pule". It meant "slowly slowly." That is going to be the pace for the climb but also in general. In other words, you are in Africa- relax and take it easy.  I don't do lounging very well usually but that's what I did in the morning.

Right before lunch Carson offered to take Bill and me to the local waterfall. We wandered through the local village, where almost every one greeted us with "jambo!" and as custom requires we said "mambo."

We were immedieately joined by kids who wanted to show us the way to the falls. They were as precious as one can imagine. We were taken to a house on the way to the falls asked to pay $3 per person. We knew it wasn't

required, but paid it any way. We even got a handwritten receipt.

We finally made it to the Moonjo falls and it was very peaceful. Carson swam while bill and I gave our power bars to the 6-7 kids who accompanied us. I could not help but juxtopose the life my kids are leading vs the ones these kids are.

The water from the falls was directly from Kili and it supports an entire farming community and the local ecosystem. So the melting and the ultimate dissappearence of the glaciers will have real consequence for the people of this village.

A kid dives into the water from about 30 feet and asks for a tip. I give him a $1--that is what an average farmer earns a day.

We come back to the hotel and have lunch. In the evening we met with people who will be climbing the mountain. 6 british and 2 americans. It is a good group. One of them said that his plane was travelling at 17k feet and it had to go around kili, which is 19k...now that my friends is scary. I am anxious about tomorrow, but ready to get going. In the morning, we will travel 2 hours by car on an unpaved road...our guide calls it the "African massage." Good night.

Day 3

The morning started at 700am with breakfast. After that we went on to do our final packing and weighing of our bags. Each person could have no more than 15kg worth of stuff. But we could carry another 10kg in

our day pack.

Went downstairs at 930 and the tour guide- Naimen- came at 10. He weighed each of our bags. Then we all piled into two landrovers and drove 2 hrs. towards the mountain.

A total of 29 porters, cooks, and guides were waiting for 8 us at Rongai forest gate. The sheer quantity of supplies plus our stuff these porters were carrying on their heads was astonishing. That's not all. They were

literally running up the mountain all the while not holding the stuff on their heads with their hands. Truly a humbling sight considering we had all the latest gear and just 10kg to carry.

Our journey began at 1950 m. The walk was dusty but the ascent was gradual. We walked 1 hour and broke for lunch at the entrance to the rain forest. We walked  another 1hr and took a few mins. break to see Kenya.

During the next leg out of the blue there she was...the majestic kili overseeing all of Africa. 

This is the world's tallest free standing mountain. Can I say in all candor it scared the hell out of all of us. When I say it is massive its MASSIVE! 

It was as beautiful as it was scary.  After a few minutes of collective admiration for the mountain we moved on.

When we got to camp we were at 8300 feet. We climbed another 100 m to get used to the altitude and walked back to camp. When we got back tea was ready...so was a bowl of hot water to wash ourselves. Much welcomed food and wash. The dirt that came of the body made my hand towel unusable- ever again!

At night, we had a fantastic meal. The group was a lot of fun. By 8 the temp was dropping fast. By the time we got to the tent we could see our breath. And the stars! Spectacular. The sky was on full display and not a spot of

artificial light to block the view.

I went to bed in my sleeping bag.  It was cold at first and then it became warm. Let me be clear it was warm in the bag...not outside. Anyway, good first day. Tomorrow is an 8 hour steep hike awaits us. One day at a time. Good night.

Day 4

The morning started early. The porters were supposed to wake us up at 630 am, but there was tremendous commotion around 5. We thought perhaps an elephant had wandered into the camp-unlikley but not unheard of. But there was a fire in the kitchen the porters were trying to put it out.

When we stumbled out of our tents we were greeted with a view of the camp site sitting on top of miles and miles of clouds. Words don't do justice to the scene, but take my word it was like watching an unending supply of cotton candy right in front of our eyes--that delicious.

We had a nice breakfast and got ready for a long day. The trek started on an established park trail. The reason armed guards go with the group for the first day or two is to protect the hikers from wild life. We saw ample evidence of elephant dung on the trail, but on rare occasions lions have been spotted. It is a national park after all. No animal sighting for us. Just a long steep steady climb for 4 hours with two 10 min breaks. The established trail ended an hour in and a more rugged trail began.

Lunch was around 12. The food and the views were spectacular. I had avocado, tomato salad with cake and cheese! And soup as well. The goal was to drink 3 liters of water and pump 2 more liters through the food we eat.

The next stretch was a 3 hour climb was on another mountain, with shiny volcano rocks, short bushes and some purple and red flowering plants. I was getting tired. The group, which usually chatty was very quiet. People were

focused on a relatively technical climb.

Through our entire journey, kili was a constant presence. She was taking measure of the hikers who want nothing more than to feel her embrace...no human can ever conquer her. The greatest relief we got about 3 hours into our trek was a view of our camp site in the distance. We were 30 mins away.

I came into the camp and collapsed. I woke up to the porters singing a welcome song. The evening came to a fast end after another good meal. I gazed at the stars for a few mins and turned in because it was getting very cold. We were now at 11500 feet.

I went to be and woke up to a truly claustrophobic event. I put my clothes on and literally ran out the tent. After 10 mins. things settled down. All was ok. Bill complained about my snoring. I told him he is mistaken and

that it was a lion roaming around the camp site. Good night.

Day 5 & 6

We had breakfast and left for the next camp by 8. The hike to Mawenzi camp was only going to be 3-4 hours, but we were about to climb to 13760 ft.

The trek was hard, but the terrain as always amazing. Steve who is part of the group got very sick but kept going. Lunch was served in camp...delicious as always. Soup, fruit etc..

Right after lunch we went for an altitude adjustment hike for 1 1/2 hours. It was really tough and technical...we climbed the Mawenzi ridge. Mawenzi is the ugly step sister to kili, but impressive nonetheless.

After the climb, we ate dinner and got ready for the 5 hour hike next day. We were at 4300m and we would be going up to kibo hut, which is the base camp for kili. It sits at 4600m. Good night.

We woke up early and got ready for a very long day. 5 hours to kibo and rest. Dinner at 5 and then rest. Summit attempt at midnight.

The way to kibo hut was the most barren parcel of land I have ever seen. It was like hiking through a lunar landscape. The trail was flat but long. It was windy. Hillary had no place to go to the bathroom but

occasionally she would find a rock to hide behind. The guys were basically pissing in the wind. Unfair I know.

On the way we saw a plane wreckage a few feet off the trail. Last november 4 italian tourists and a pilot were killed. It was a harsh sight in a harsh environment.

We finally got to kibo hut at the base of kili. Altitude sickness was setting in. I had already been suffering headaches for 3 days. Nausea set in as well. But after dinner we went to bed hoping to reach

the summit. We were at 14720 ft.

Day 7

We were woken up by the porters at 11 pm. Tea and porridge was being served. Did not have the appetite, but had to eat.

Promptly at 12 am Naimen the chief tour guide asked us all to line up. We looked like football players- we had on so much gear. It was pitch dark except for the stars and our headlights.

We started the 6 hour hike to the summit. Tens of hikers were similarly lined up. The sight was incredible...it looked like coal miners going to work in the dark.  The trail was slippery because of the volcanic scree.

About 3 hours into it I began to feel disoriented. Otherwise I was physically fine. Bill was doing very well. Naimen offered to carry my backpack and I was following him. When we reached 16480 ft, which was 4 hours into the hike I was very disoriented and unable to focus. We were operating at 60% oxygen at that point. I told Naimen and he and I decided it was time for me to turn around or risk pulmonary adema. Hillary was vomitting and she was asked to turn around as well. There were several people along the trail who were experiencing various stages of altitude illness.

Bill and the 5 others in the group carried on. They were tired but not incapable of going forward. It took us 1 hour to come back to kibo hut. The trek down was slippery and not easy to navigate when you are dizzy. Leonard the guide who was assigned to bring us back said he would check on us at 8 am. It was 5 am then.

When leonard opened the tent to check on me I had the worst headache. He made a decision right then to bring me and Hillary down to 3700 m. We walked 5 hours to the next camp so that our bodies would get sufficient oxygen. Along the way we both wondered what we could have done different. Leonard said there is nothing we could have done.

A word about Bill. I haven't seen him yet, but I am so proud of his efforts. I can't wait to hear about his experience at the summit.

Let me end with a quote from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry: "A man has got to know his limitations." I found mine at 16480 ft. I am disappointed about not being able to summit but am glad to be ok.

Good night.