22.08.2009
Well I have arrived safely at the Springlands hotel, in Moshi, Tanzania. So far I love Tanzania, it’s warm, dry, dusty, and the people we have encountered to date are very friendly with that typical chilled out manner, warm inviting smile and slow speed of speech. Everything that I associate with Africa.
It was a long trip to get here. I woke up at 3.30am Melbourne time on Wed the 19th of Aug to get a ride to the airport for the 6am domestic flight to Sydney. Upon checking in, I found out Anoop would be on a later flight, so I arranged for us to be booked together for the flight from Sydney to Johannesburg. The flight to Sydney was uneventful, and the 2hr wait for my international flight gave me the opportunity to catch up with Lauren, who has just returned from overseas herself. After leaving Lauren I went into the International Departures lounge, found the gate and looked for Anoop. I could not see him anywhere. I figured that maybe his fight was delayed, and that no doubt he would show up just before boarding. As it turns out, he had been waiting for me for 2hrs, and finally found me just before we started boarding- we were both relieved to see one another.
The flight to Johannesburg was long, 14hrs to be exact, and we were both knackered when we got off the plane. I had booked us into Mufassa lodge for the overnight stay, as Heather and I had stayed there before on our previous trip and it was in a safe part of Johannesburg. After collecting our bags and calling the hostel for an airport pickup, we arrived at the Lodge. The area had changed quite a bit since I was last there, with many more government houses, and people just wandering about aimlessly. We got talking with the couple that runs the Lodge, and apparently the financial crisis has affected them significantly. Apparently very few tourists are coming to stay and they are close to having to shut down the lodge. It was a cold night in the Lodge, and a cold day that followed, and since the Lodge did not have any heating we were happy to be dropped off at the airport early. We loaded up our bags on a trolley and went to look for the Ethiopian airlines check in gate (if you have ever been to Jo’berg airport- there are over 74 gates, and it can get quite confusing). As we walked Anoop could not find his travel pouch with his money and passport, and he began to get quite anxious. I was calm, convinced that it must be there somewhere, and that no doubt it would turn up. After 5mins of searching through two of his 3 bags however, we decided that maybe I should call the Lodge just to see if the pouch was there. The lady at the Lodge did not find the pouch, but did find Anoop’s beloved travel pillow, which he takes everywhere. Anoop was becoming understandably stressed, but I was convinced that the pouch was amongst his belongings, so I asked him if he wouldn’t mind if I looked through his laptop bag for myself. Sure enough, the very first pocket I opened, contained the pouch, and I don’t think I have ever seen Anoop look so relieved in the year that I have known him.
It took us about 15mins to locate the correct check in gate, according to the flight board, but when we got there our flight was not displayed, and it was a different airline completely. We joined to line anyway, and fortunately yes, we were in the correct place, only the plane we were to fly on had two separate flight numbers from different airlines, hence our initial confusion- as only the information for the other flight was displayed. So we checked in, found out that our bags would go straight to Kilimanjaro airport (we would not have them for our overnight stay in Ethiopia), and that for the flight out of Addis Ababa to Kilimanjaro we would be seated separately.
The flight from Jo’berg to Addis Ababa was awful; it was a very small plane, very cramped, and no choice in on-flight entertainment for the whole 5hrs. Not to mention that people kept coughing left right and center, and I am super paranoid about getting a cold before hiking Kilimanjaro. Once we got off the flight we joined the queue for the transit accommodation, as the airline was to put us up for the night. We stood in that queue for about an hour, then joined another queue for another hour and a half, then finally cleared customs, to be asked to wait in a corner to be shown where to get the bus to the hotel. It was approximately 3 hrs after we got off the plane before we arrived at the hotel, only to be told that there was not a room ready for us, and that we needed to wait. Anoop and I went into the restaurant to have something to eat, but I can only stomach very small amounts of plain food when I travel, and everything here had oil or excessive amounts of butter on it, so I basically ate nothing at all. After dinner we went back into the lobby with another 20 people also waiting for accommodation, and then finally received our room key. On the transit accommodation slip that we received from the airport, we knew that the airport was spending $534 USD each on our accommodation, so we had expectations of a comfortable room. There were two double beds in the room, which have to be the HARDEST beds I have ever encountered; I swear sleeping on a therma rest on solid rock is more comfortable!! Also, to operate the shower we needed to plug in the electrical cord of the small heating tank into the wall about 100cm from the shower head. After the tank heated up I spent the whole shower concerned that water was going to run directly into the electrical socket. As it was, I had already witnessed sparks fly out of the socket in the bed room when Anoop plugged his laptop into charge (its direct power only, no on/off switch).
We managed to make it back to the airport, despite the fact that the hotel did not provide the promised wakeup call at 6.30am. We cleared security and then sat on the tiled floor outside the boarding lounge security entrance until they were ready to let us through, in all it was about a 2hour wait before we boarded the flight to Kilimanjaro airport, via Nairobi. I was seated next to a very interesting guy, who I never caught the name of. He was returning home to Tanzania to visit his family, after having surgery in India, and would then fly to London to continue his studies in aerospace engineering. Anoop on the other hand, was seated next to what looked like a very grumpy Tanzanian local lady.
It was great to fly into Kilimanjaro during the daylight, because as we flew above the clouds, from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro, and looked out the plane window to the left, we could see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro at the same height as we were flying. I think that was the first time I really realised what it is that I have signed myself up for, and for the first time I thought “am I insane”?
We were picked up from the airport by a driver from Springlands hotel, our new base before we head out for our 10 day hike. As expected, the AUD is crap to travel with, 1 AUD converts to 700 Tanzanian shillings, where as 1 USD converts to 1290 Tanzanian Shillings, so we converted $50 USD to get us started. Springlands hotel is nice; Anoop and I are sharing a room which has 3 separate single beds and a private bathroom. I was dying for a hot shower, but unfortunately there was no hot water as our tank heater had stopped working. After someone came to our room and flicked a switch, then said to wait 10mins, then came back to find that indeed, as we had said, it was not working, we were given a key to another room to use the shower.
Dinner was at 7.30pm, and I was relieved to find that it was all simple food- exactly to my liking. Anoop had been pestering me to eat more food, since I really don’t eat much when I’m travelling, and with the food they provide here that will not be a problem. I can only hope that the food is similar when we are on the hike.
Anoop and I meet Kelly and Mel today, and they are a blast, it will be great to hike with them. I think we will be a good team. Currently we are sitting in the garden bar, and they are working their way through the local beers. Today and tomorrow are our rest days before we start our epic hike. We have spent most of the day in Moshi, checking out the markets and chilling at a local bar. Walking the streets, as a white female, attracts a lot of attention here, as you would expect. It’s no different from being in Bali really, everyone comes up to you, trying to get you to come into their shop and buy there tourist junk. I have no need for any of the crap they sell, but I will by a t-shirt with Kilimanjaro on it after my climb. Anoop was followed for about 20mins while we were walking today by one of the locals trying to sell him crap, he seemed to be getting quite annoyed by the whole experience. He later told me that that never happens to him, I guess having dark skin and his features he is able to blend into most of the places that he has travelled to before, me on the other hand- I stick out like a full moon in the night sky where ever I go.
23.08.09
Its 7.15am and Anoop seems a little worse for wear. After dinner last night the temperature dropped and I was feeling very tired, so I went back to the room while the others continued to drink in the garden bar. The drinking had begun at about midday, when we were at a local bar in Moshi and saw a t-shirt with “The Big 5” local beers on it. That became the goal of the day, to ensure that all 5 beers were consumed. The first was ticked off at the bar in town, and the others followed when we got back to the Springlands Hotel. I’m not sure how much beer the 3 of them consumed in total, but I can say that it was more fluid than I had in water for the day. Each beer was 500mls, and they had at least 7 each while I was with them. I think that I would have stayed out late with the group, except that Kelly and Mel smoke when they drink, and I was feeling really gross after breathing in two packets worth of smoke in 5hours. After I left them, apparently Kelly bought a bottle of vodka, which Anoop informs me was consumed in full. I think they were up until about midnight, which is a great effort- and I know Anoop really wanted to get drunk, it seems they make a good team.
My knees have been giving me trouble for the last 2 weeks; I think it’s a combination of wearing ankle weights at work, and coming down Mt. Bogong so quickly a few months ago. It’s to the point where for the last 5 nights I have not been able to sleep through the night because my legs/knees are aching so much. It helps when I stretch, and last night it also helped to wear the knee braces that I bought in Melbourne before flying out. However the braces are tight, and I think my legs have swollen a bit, because last night I woke up and had to take them off, but at least I did sleep soundly for part o the night. What does this mean for the hike tomorrow? I’m not sure, sometimes it feels really good to be walking, it doesn’t hurt at all, and then other times there is a stabbing sensation behind my patella. It would be ok if it was just one leg, but it’s both, sometimes at the same time, sometimes one after the other. There is not much I can do except grin and bear it. I rested my legs as much as possible before flying out of Melbourne, I had intended to do the 1000steps a number of times each day, however the flight to Jo’berg, and from Jo’berg to Addis Ababa made it worse. My legs were bent the whole time, and my knees just ached.
25.08.2009- Day 2, Shira Camp #1 (3500m)
Yesterday took forever to get started, we left Springlands hotel at about 8.30am in our 4WD, in wet conditions. The 4WD that was to take us to the entry gate was not water proof. Melanie, Kelly and I sat along the back seat, and Kelly and I used my gaiters to direct the flow of water that was leaking though the roof away from us and onto the floor. I just kept thinking, my god I hope it’s not going to rain the entire trip. I had read a few blogs of other hikers that had a miserable experience hiking in the rain, with everything getting wet and being unable to dry it out. I was happy that I had tested out my Mont Gortex pants before we came, and was fairly confident that I would stay dry (I say fairly because I had borrowed Gavin’s Gortex jacket instead of taking my own, as it was big enough to wear a number of layers underneath, and it tends to get wet around the wrists and moisture climbs up the inside of the arm).
We stopped for some reason in a small town about 20mins drive from the registration gate, and I used the local bathroom. It’s the first time that I have used a non western toilet- I mean the type that is just a concrete square with a hole in the middle, much different from any bush long drop, and much nastier than just going behind a tree. Mel came with me, and said that a lot of Asia and India has the same style- I’m not a fan at all. The others were waiting outside the 4WD chatting to a German pair that were also hiking the Lemosho route, but doing 8 days instead of 10. They were an interesting pair, I think maybe mother and son. The mother had lived in Melbourne for a few years, and they were both very friendly. They had just hiked Mt. Meru for acclimatization, and said that it was much harder than they expected. We took photos while we were waiting, and randomly a chicken jumped up and flew inside the driver’s window of our 4WD, and had to be chassed outside.
On the way to pay the park entry fees we passed herds of zebra and wildebeest. Anoop, Kelly and Melanie got out of the 4WD to take some photographs, but I stayed in the vehicle since I have dozens of those shots from my last trip, and the scenery was nothing special to look at as Mt. Kilimanjaro was completely hidden behind cloud. After paying park entry fees- then driving 30mins to the sign in book, we drove through heaps of pine forest plantations to the starting point. In addition to the pine plantations were heaps of potato and carrot fields being harvested. We got out of the 4WD in the rain and I checked with our guide George call me “Bruce” what plants we should not touch, as I needed to go relieve my bladder. We got our daypacks on and started walking. It was FREEZING at the registration gate, and I did not eat much of the lunch pack provided. The initial part of the track was very steep, and once we had been moving for a while I warmed up considerably. After losing a lot of layers we continued to walk through the forest which was damp and engulfed in mist. While walking we saw columbus monkeys and blue monkeys in the trees. I also noticed elephant dung, and Bruce confirmed that he had seen elephants “many, many times”. The track to “Big Tree” camp (2750m) was steep but we really didn’t notice because we were moving “poley-poley” (Swahili for slowly), which initially I thought was too slow, but it’s consistent and you move easily for a long time.
We got into camp after about 3hours of walking. The first thing we did upon entering camp was sign into the registration book, it required details of your trip, your nationality, age and occupation. There were a lot of people from The UK doing the Lemosho route, and a number of groups hanging about at this camp at their respective tents. Our tents were set up and we were provided with a bowl of warm water for washing. Bruce was stuffed and went to bed when he got into camp, he had only just come off the mountain the day before, and was headed back up with us.
Bruce told us that dinner would be late that night and we were advised that popcorn would be available in our mess tent at 7pm. We ate the popcorn and froze our asses off till 9.15pm until dinner was finally served. We ate what we could, but we really just were tired and wanted to go to bed. After eating and getting into our tents, and almost asleep, one of our porters came to offer us hot water for tea. We said no, then someone came wanting to do the next day’s briefing with us. The girls ignored the tapping at their tents from the assistant guide ‘Fortune’, who wanted us to come to the briefing, he started tapping on our tent and Anoop said we would do the briefing tomorrow, while the girls giggled next door. I did not sleep the whole night through, and I really overheated, I ended up with the sleeping bag wide open over ¾ of me and I was still hot. I didn’t want to have to go to the bathroom in the night, and I managed to hold off getting out of the tent until about 6.30am. I felt very anxious and actually threw up this morning, and I struggled through breakfast. It was a very sweet ‘oatmeal’ with some sort of spice plus fried egg, sausage, zucchini, and tomato. I spoke with the girls and they offered me a Zanaix (or however it’s spelt), and I think just talking about it helped. All night I had been thinking about what to do about the tipping, working out how much Anoop owed me (I settled all the accounts at Springlands before we left because he was still packing at the last minute), thinking about how we would get to Arusha at the end, and also sorting out how to get to Nairobi from Arusha, and what it would cost. Basically I was just stressing about things that I could do nothing about until we got off the mountain. On top of that was the fear of altitude sickness and the fact that we could have a really negative experience sleeping up at the crater- as we were sleeping high, when you should ‘hike high and sleep low’.
We left camp at about 8.30am after asking George to brief us, he assumed that is happened last night. We headed off into the forest, with heaps of moss hanging off the trees. It was beautiful. It took approximately 3hours to reach the lunch spot, which was along a ridge, completely covered in cloud one minute and boiling hot in the sun the next. The sun felt very intense from this point onwards. Most of today was uphill, fairly steep over loose volcanic rocks and tree roots. You had to be careful where to step so as not to hurt yourself, or slip over. Along the walk today we went from forest to heath to moorland. We saw a beautiful green bird, lots of flowers, a chameleon (lizard), a skink like lizard, a mouse and some massive white necked ravens. The walk was very steep but ok and we got our first glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro from camp today. Bruce is not happy that we are not eating enough, but we are eating all we can. They just serve soo much food to us each meal. I’ve been feeling good since about 10am, all my nerves are eased. We were covered in dust today, the trail is 3cm thick with loose dust. All our clothing is covered. Anoop has a cold and is not feeling great. Mind you he knew he was coming down with something and got trashed with Mel and Kelly before the hike anyways. It’s about 8pm and I’m writing this from inside my sleeping bag. It’s FREEZING. I’m curious to see if I will get too hot tonight as well.
26.02.09 Day 3 Moir Camp (4150m)
Today we walked about 3hours to lunch and then 2hours to camp, arriving just before 4pm. Anoop woke up feeling very unwell today saying that he had zero energy. Later in the day we found out he had diarrhea since last night. I remember him getting up to go to the bathroom last night because he was gone for ages so I went to look for him. I was concerned that maybe he had become disorientated and lost his way, or that there was the remote possibility he had been killed by a lion. Lions can be heard from Shira Camp 1 some nights, and evidence of kills can be seen at the camp where we were staying tonight. It turns out he didn’t use our private toilet, but went out bush, apparently our toilets gross him out.
At breakfast this morning we asked Bruce to show us how to flush the toilet, as none of us girls could figure it out. Bruce called to a porter and was informed that the flush button is broken, so we didn’t feel so stupid after that. I ate the porridge for breakfast but could not eat the omelet, the idea of it turned my stomach. I have been feeling strong all day- a few slight headaches but I drink water and they are gone almost straight away. Bruce advised us to start taking Diamox this evening, and I have had my 1st ½ tablet. I’m taking 125mg a day, poor Kelly has 500mg tablets and was told to take 2 a day by her GP. Bruce said that this is far too much and could be causing Kelly’s upset stomach as she had been taking them for 3 days. It was cold to get going this morning, and Kelly and I were conscious to keep Anoop ahead of us since he was feeling crappy. We passed through mooreland which was beautiful and Bruce explained the history of Killi and the Shira Plateau (ex Volcano). Lunch was good, I ate more than I have previously. It was soup and sandwiches- tuna/carrot/onion squashed flat. Anoop seemed unwell at lunch, but was ok once we got going again. He even foolishly climbed up to sit on the side of the ridge we were traversing. Anoop ate next to nothing this evening, we told Bruce, and he said he has noticed traditionally Indians don’t do very well on this mountain. There were elephant bones and wildebeest hooves/antlers at the camp for tonight. Tomorrow is a 3hour walk only, same clothing to be warn as today. Light pants and a T-shirt. The sun is very biting here, around my thumbs and forefingers are VERY burnt! My arms are also a little red. We are so covered in dust that the constant hand cleaning wore off the sunscreen. Its 9pm, the porters sound like they have gone to sleep, and they still have my pack of cards. Sleep now, hope Diamox does not keep me awake. Anoop went for a walk about 5pm and thought he saw lions.
Day 5 –Lava Tower 4600m, Barranco Camp 3900m
Yesterday we walked from Moir camp to Lave Tower camp, which took about 3hours. I really felt the difference in how hard it is to walk, I was a few paces behind the others the whole way into camp. I borrowed a long sleeve top off Kelly to help keep the sun off my arms and I walked with 2 face washers over my hands through the straps of my blackdiamond walking poles to keep the sun off my nasty sunburn. The path meet with those coming from Shira camp 2 and it was amazing to see so many porters and other trekkers. Up until this point we were alone when we walked and even the only ones to camp at Moir and as it turns out Lava tower. Our camp was set up about 12.30 and there were a lot of trekkers walking up here to acclimatise and then return to a lower altitude. Of the groups I saw there were 23, but due to wind we went into our lunch tent until dinner. The wind was just insane, our lunch tent nearly blew over a number of times. The other trekkers complained of headaches when they came into Lava Tower, but the only thing I experienced was a shortness of breath. The Diamox has not made me pee anymore than I was prior to taking it. Lunch was pastry with veggie and chicken inside and it was great, I ate two. To pass the time we played a 4 player game of paddocks, which Kelly won because Anoop kept giving away squares, we 3 girls on the other hand gave nothing away if we could. We asked Richard our waiter, for my cards back, as they borrowed them yesterday. Then Kelly taught us to play ‘double-up’. The aim of the game is to be the last to achieve 100 points over a number of rounds, those achieving 100 dropping out until the last player remains. The cards have a different value, A= 1pt, Q = 20pts, K = 0pts, Jack = 10pts, Joker= -2pts. Kelly, Anoop and I played this game until dinner was served, and then inside my tent until after 10.30pm, the latest we had been awake. Fortunately I did not have to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I did 1st thing in the morning and my bowels exploded. The porters leave a bowl of water to help flush next to the toilet, but the 3 odd liters in that bowl was frozen solid. Fortunately Kelly and Mel were up to see the sun rise and I was able to get Kelly bottle of water to flush the bowl. The water in my camelbak hose is frozen, so it’s lucky I didn’t need to drink during the night, the bite valve is actually pushed wide with ice protruding from it. It’s the 1st night where I haven’t blown the water back into the bladder so it’s not sitting in the hose. Last night I also forgot to sleep with my camera and spare battery, so I hope they still work. I think it’s about 2 degrees C outside at the moment and fortunately the wind stopped at about 10.30pm last night. It’s freezing. I slept in my 200wt icebreakers inside my -18 degrees C rated hydronaught XT Mont sleeping bag, with my icebreaker t-shirt on and socks. I’m also sleeping on top of a exped downmat 7, which has been working great at stopping the cold from the frozen ground. I still woke up a few times slightly chilly, but just adjusted my silk liner around my neck to prevent heat escaping. I’m writing this in thick 40gm thinsulate gloves, and have to keep stopping because my fingers get soo numb.
9.42pm
The walk today was 1hour uphill from Lava Tower to Arrow Glacier for acclimatisation, there was a very small amount of rock climbing to get there, but it was just mostly uphill over scree and rock. Once at the top it was freezing, we were in amongst cloud and there was no sun. We meet a porter coming up, who was with a single guy from the states, and would be camping at arrow glacier for the night. People only camp there if they do the western breach, we had the option from Bruce, but it would have reduced our trip to 9days, not summiting on my birthday.
Coming down Fortune lead the way, it was a very quick pace. I was paranoid about hurting my knees so I was a fair bit behind the others. Anoop- even with his sore existing knee and after injuring it last night (he jumped into the tent and wacked it on a rock) kept pace with the others, and I’m sure he will pay for it, he is just too competitive. Coming down from Arrow Glacier (in a different route to how we came up) was amazing as we entered the valley, and I think the most beautiful landscape we have encountered as yet. The melting glaciers created a steam through the valley, and the flora and fauna was beautiful! Tonight camp is the most crowded, as everyone stays here to get up Barranco Wall -> summit, unless doing the western breach. We are to leave here by 8.30am latest, so it will be a cold morning. Kelly slipped over and reopened her knee on the way to camp on loose scree/rock/dust.
Tonight I have my camera, spare battery and iriver inside my sleeping bag. I’m hoping to maintain charge. I also have blown the water from the camelbak hose back into the bag, hopefully it won’t freeze like last night. I’m freezing, no problems with altitude, sleeping much lower than last night, and can see the lights of Moshi from camp. It’s been cloudy all day, hoping it won’t rain.
Day 6 Karanga Valley 4000m
Today we walked from Barranco camp to Karanga camp, up the Barranco wall. It was awesome, I loved all the climbing up the steep trail to reach the top of the wall. Kelly was anxious as she is afraid of heights, but she did really well the whole time. Apparently it on this part of the track that most people suffer from altitude, but we had already been higher than that. We managed to reach the top just as the sun went behind the clouds for the day and it cooled down. We got photos at the top of the wall and all along the track on the way up, including kissing rock. We made it into camp at 1pm and I set up inside the tent. The last past of the walk was steep downhill, and I noticed this evening that my knees are quite sore. I played cards with Kelly, and as a team we played double down. There was a beautiful sunset from camp next to Mt. Meru, and the clouds cleared when the sun went down so we have a beautiful view of Moshi from our tents. Additionally the glaciers behind us glow in the dark and look amazing against the stars.
We spent a lot of the walk up the wall singing, while Anoop recorded us on his video camera. Again its cold this evening, I’m using chemical hand warmers for the 1st time. I’m tired. No altitude sickness, still taking ½ Diamox a day, may take ibiprophen tomorrow if the knees are still sore. According to Bruce we have completed all the hard stuff now, and he is confident that we will not have ANY problems.
Day 7 Kossovo camp 4800m
We left at 9.10am today for Kossivo camp from Karanga camp via Barafu Hut. It was a steady up the entire way. My breathing has been labored today and I find that I am going slower than the others. I think it has to do with the fact that I’m breathing through my mouth and not my nose, but it’s how I always breathe, even when I run. There are a lot of people staying at Barafu Hut, all who will walk to the summit this evening in the dark, and past us while we sleep. We had to pay $10usd each in a bribe to stay at this campsite, which I’m not happy about since it’s listed on the schedule which we have already paid for. It seems as each day goes I get hungrier and my stomach has been more settled. That said, we had a bean sauce, chips and fried chicken for lunch yesterday and beans had me passing gas ALL night. The groups that we started out with have all since finished, and not all of them made it. It was beautiful seeing the peak of Killi today, we have now almost seen it from every angle. Mt. Meru is still very visible above the clouds too. I tried my hot hands for the first time yesterday, and boy are they HOT. They take about 40mins to reach very hot, so I had actually cracked two. It’s depressing to see the glaciers now, when you hear how grand they once were. Bruce thinks in 4years they will all be gone. Ravens follow us everywhere, Mel has a cold. We had to sign in the book. Tomorrow is crater camp, then summit.
Day 8 Crater Camp 5700m
Got up and left camp at 7am this morning. We could here all the groups from Barafu hut make their way to the summit during the night. They all left at about 11pm for the summit. It was 7hrs of solid “poley-poley” up the mountain. The walk was steep, and depending on which variation of the track you took, you could end up on a lot of loose gravel. When we zigzagged it was ok but if we went up a steep straight section you would slide back down as you went up. Mel is not very well, you can hear how chesty her cough is. I have been slightly coughing too. Anoop and Kelly have been fine, with Anoop continuing to go off the path to the guide, wasting energy jumping from rock to rock. It pisses me off cas all 3 of us girls follow the guides footsteps exactly in front of us. We reached Stella’s point and took a number of photos. It was amazing to be passed by the porters on the way up- I gave them a number of my starburst lollies. We could see the very top of the mountain from Stella’s point, and it would not have taken more than an hour to get there, we felt that we could- but I really wanted to summit on my birthday so we walked to camp. We are camped at Crater Camp- opposite Furtwangler glacier. After arriving I got into the tent and laid down for about 20mins- it was great to get the pack off my shoulders, my neck/shoulder have been painful for the last few days. I was asked to come to lunch, which we had been given first thing that morning (fried chicken, banana muffin- very dry, fruit box, corn beef sandwich, and two other things I did not recognize or eat).
At 3pm we set off for the Crater, which was my personal aim for the trip. Mel was not feeling great and turned back to camp when she saw it was a lot of uphill walking. I fell behind the group, needing to walk much slower to not feel out of breath, and they continued. So much for being a team, the guide and porter were out of sight, and for a few minutes I lost sight of Kelly and Anoop. It pissed me off completely, when I got to the top they were ready to head down and didn’t want to give me any time to adjust. The air pressure is low, so you have to work to pump air into your lungs, and because we were at a volcano it STUNK of sulphur. Where the path wound up the side of the crater there was a sulphur vent, so it was challenging to get ones breath when breathing in those fumes. The guides and Anoop and Kelly went down into the crater, leaving me to walk along the ridge to go and view the northern glacier. My favorite thing on this trip has to be the glaciers, the volcano was huge, granted, but the glaciers are beautiful- the way the light falls on them, the different blues visible, the way they have been wind shaped. It absolutely breaks my heart to think in 10years they will not be here!! I took photos, but my camera does not have very good definition. I spent quite a lot of time looking around the Furtwangler Glacier, it captivated me.
Dinner was light, Mel did not really eat a lot. It was amazing when we left the dinning tent for bed, the sunset was beautiful and the night produced a clear sky with glowing glaciers.
Day 9 – My Birthday
Woke up at 5am- I think, I have a feeling it was later. My bladder was frozen, the porters had put warm/hot water in it, and Anoop bought it into the tent and it kept leaking everywhere. I opened the filling valve to let some heat/pressure out, and then ran the hose as high as I could get it. During the night the heat drove the water up the tube and it froze solid. When I woke up my sleeping bag was covered in ice crystals, as was the whole inside of the tent. The last few nights my sleeping bag has been wet near the opening due to condensation of my breathing. I slept in my thermals only, as I have done for the last few nights. I got dressed into bottom: 200 icebreaker thermals, fleece pants and mont gortex pants; top: 200 icebreaker long sleeve, icebreaker light weight t-shirt, light fleece, thick wind breaker / fleece, plus thick socks, balaclava and beanie. I packed all my stuff -> damp/frozen sleeping bag- down mat into my pack to be left for the porters, and I joined the girls in the dining tent. I used what was left of the hot water to unfreeze my bladder and had two chocolate biscuits for breakfast. Anoop came to breakfast really late and was pissed that I used all the water. We started hiking immediately. Mel was not feeling great, and after about 4minuates walking said she didn’t think she could continue, so I stayed behind her and encouraged her up the steep walk to the summit. It took us about an hour to get to the top and poor Mel needed a break every 15 steps or so. I shared my water with her because hers was frozen, and we reached the summit sometime before 8am. Anoop and Kelly kept on going and didn’t wait for us to finish as a team, and it really pissed Melanie and I off. I expected it from Anoop, being so competitive he never would have thought of anyone else, it’s about reaching the summit 1st, but I thought Kelly would have waited. When Mel and I reached the sign they had both taken numerous photos, and Mel said something along the lines of “god couldn’t you guys have waited just 5mins to finish as a team”, and I backed her up saying something like, ‘if we were in your position we would have waited’. Mel gave me a hug and thanked me for getting her up the mountain, and then we took heaps of photos. After the photos the group sang me happy birthday and Bruce lifted me into the air. We then began the long walk down. Four hours to barafu hut for lunch, and then five hours to Mweka hut for camp. We passed a few hikers headed to the summit as we went down the ridge to Stella’s point, then went down the really steep section to lunch. Mel was still struggling, but found down a lot easier to handle than up. Lunch was Mac + cheese with some veggies in sauce. We were able to put our unwanted clothing into our packs at this point too. It was amazing passing from the glaciers through the rock/scree, to the different plant life. Mweka hut is at 3100m. For dinner tonight we had rice with peas (yumm), fried bananas (yuck) fried chicken (ok), veggie beef sauce (didn’t try), pizza and birthday cake. Fortune came in while we were playing cards with a massive smile on his face, to tell us there would be pizza and cake. When it came four of the porters came into the tent and sang me happy birthday with Bruce and the group. It was very sweet, and I feel special that someone had to walk it up the mountain for me. It was a bit damaged when it arrived, apparently it did say my name and age, but it had worn off. So Richard (I assume cas he came into the tent and looked through the condiments bag) wrote with tomato sauce “CA 27” on the top of the cake. It was all very sweet. Bruce said today that the crater is only 300m short of Uhuru Peak. Anoop is snoring and I want to get some sleep.
03.09.2009
Yesterday I awoke to the sound of numerous birds singing and it was beautiful. When you have been in an environment where there is no other sounds but the weather you notice everything. Speaking of which- my god is Anoop whiffy!! We woke up, packed up our gear and took photos of the support team- 16 Tanzanian men in total. We got photos of them with Killi in the background and also with ourselves included. They sang us songs and me happy birthday once again. It was a beautiful walk to the gate, various flowers, big trees and some mist. The track was slippery though, Kelly and Mel both fell, Kelly a number of times. I walked with Fortune most of the way. I had slight cramps but mostly I was feeling DRAINED, it was hard to concentrate, especially since it was steep, slippery and wet. After about 3.5hours we reached the gate and I took the opportunity to use the bathroom. Then we all signed out, and Bruce collected our certificates. We all got onto a bus together and headed to a local bar, where Anoop and Kelly shouted all the porters and team to some Kilimanjaro's (beers). Mel felt that this would make everyone expect a very generous tip; I thought it was a lovely gesture, but I also agreed. We got back to Springlands, got out individual rooms, and then discussed tips in Mel’s room. According to what Harry had emailed us, Mel calculated that we each owed $326USD but according to the Zara guidelines we owed $347.50 USD each. I’m glad Mel was there to handle it, I hate tipping, and I was not looking forward to that side of the trip. It was very awkward and I felt uncomfortable the whole time. We sat there for about 20mins not getting anywhere and Mel was growing frustrated. I felt bad for Fortune as Bruce said that he would be dishing out the tips. I felt that we should have divided the money ourselves instead of handing in a single envelope. I hated the whole experience. Once Bruce saw that we were not budging he started to fill in our certificates and handed them out. We then said our thank-yous once again and went to lunch. The food was average, but then came shower time and that was FANTASTIC. I had turned on the hot water switch as soon as we received our room keys, and it ran out twice as I tried to get all the crap off my skin. My hair needed to be shampooed twice, and the color the water turned was astonishingly dirty. Kelly went into town to get some shillings and bought me some bounty’s, while the rest of us stayed in our rooms. I did some washing and began to clean the dust off everything. I borrowed Anoops laptop and started loading everyone’s photos. Mel had so many that it was taking ages so we decided to go to dinner. During dinner I saw Fortune and Richard, which was a lovely surprise after the whole tipping incident, as we had arranged to go clubbing with them, and were to go as soon as we finished eating. I went back to my room, got changed and grabbed my camera from Kelly’s room. Then we left Springlands, Anoop and Kelly with Richard in one taxi, and myself, Fortune and Fredy in the other. Fortune was already drunk, and it was amusing to see. We were meant to be going to one club, but the car stopped and we went somewhere else. There was a few moments at the back of my mind when I was thinking- why didn’t I get in the other car, given that I was in the backseat of a cab with doors that couldn’t be opened from the inside, with 3 men speaking Swahili, but I was sure that I had judged Fortunes character correctly after 10days on the mountain, and decided to trust him when he kept saying “Christine don’t worry”. We got to the bar, and a few moments later the other car arrived with Anoop and Kelly. I was a little relieved to see them. We went inside- plastic tables and chairs, food to buy and a bar. There was a projection of a soccer game on one wall, and many televisions around the space. I had to laugh when I saw the crocodile hunter playing on one of them. The group ordered their beers, and like me Fredy does not drink, so he ordered a red bull and tried to get me to have some. My mother has ingrained into me never to accept drinks from people unless in a sealed bottle, so I only took a sip. After a while we decided to leave, Fortune had managed to get the pyramid match box for Kelly that he promised, and Richard took my hand and lead me outside. I got into the car, Fredy close behind, but Fortune was still inside. There was an argument between the driver (who was pissed that Fortune was taking so long) and Fredy, tho it was more at Fredy about Fortune. So Fredy went back into the club while the driver steamed. When they came out the driver started driving to make a point of it. When Fortune got in he let him have it while Fredy and I sat quietly in the backseat. We got to the club and it was 3000 to get in, and when we got inside there were only 2 other people.
