I am currently staying in probably one of the most magnificent places this planet has got to offer: Mt Kilimanjaro. When I arrived here on Monday the majestic mountain, which I so far only have seen on pictures or in videos, was covered in clouds.
I asked around if this is normal (as in my imagination I had always pictured the mountain always clearly visible with snow on top while the sun is burning down on the savanna surrounding it.
Apparently this fantasy is far from reality as Mt Kilimanjaro is almost always covered in clouds, except for early in the morning and late at night, hence the name of the city located at the foot of the mountain (where I'm staying at right now): Moshi- cloud in English.
The day after my arrival it finally happened. Within only 10 minutes the the impressive mountain shed its fluffy covers and dominated the landscape just as I had always imagined. I was totally mesmerized and stood there gazing at it until the last rays of the sun had vanished and the mountain was concealed in darkness.
Tomorrow I will start my seven day hike attempting to reach the summit, the Uhuru peak at 5895m. I have met a group of people I am very happy with. One Australian girl, a Swiss-Italian girl, two Swiss-German guys and then there is me :-) The Swiss people of course have more experience in hiking but they respect Mt Kilimanjaro a lot and also don't want to rush it. The Australian girl is just as inexperienced as me, so we have decided to be each others mental support :-)
The route we are taking is the Machame route, which is manageable in 6 days, but considering that I have been living in flat Denmark for the past 3 years and have no experience in mountaineering I am very happy to do it in 7 days which allows us to take it more slowly. The Machame route is increasingly getting more popular than the infamous Marangu route (or Coca-Cola route) which is easiest to walk but does nothing for acclimatisation. The Machame route is slightly tougher, however the route leads up to 4000 meters already on the third day, where after the next two days are at a lower altitude.. perfect for acclimatisation.
I have no idea how my body will react to the high altitude but I will take all the necessary precautions that help prevent altitude sickness.
I really hope I reach the top, but if I shouldn't that is just how it goes. Better not reach the top than never reaching the bottom again!!
Yesterday I picked up all the gear which is of surprisingly good (brand) quality: Timberland, Northface, Norrøna and Columbia, which I am very happy about. Today we met the guide (Steven) and assistant guide (Rich) and they seem to know what they are doing (Steven has been up the mountain at least 140 times, which is very comforting!)
Even though I'm nervous as hell I am looking very much forward to the entire experience. I think it will be better as soon as I actually start the hike and am on the mountain tomorrow :-)
I will definitely write and update as soon as I am in Moshi again and tell you how it went :-)
