The Final Ascent

We woke up in the middle of the night. I hadn’t really slept at all. I had started to develop a mild headache from the altitude. We packed very small packs and donned all our clothes. I had been saving several clothes so that I would have dry clothes on the ascent. I had a pair of bright blue Patagonia overalls that I had borrowed that were lined with Goretex. I also had a heavy Goretex shell jacket. Underneath I had a wool t-shirt from my friend’s company (Ibex) and a cashmere sweater. I expected to be very warm. Most of the trip and I had found myself overheated and kept having to remove layers. But the peak was supposed to be very cold, so I dressed accordingly. Down at Shira Camp I had lost my headlamp but luckily Pascal was able to find me one to borrow. It was almost a full moon so I could see very well even without a headlamp. I kept it off most of the way to save the battery. We set off in a very slow fashion up the final route.

Within less than 30 minutes my friend Sachin was started to feel dizzy and have a headache. He said he had to really concentrate just to walk forward without falling. We stopped and rested but the guides did not want to wait too long. It was the middle of the night so it was very cold and there was a bitter wind blowing that seeped deep into your body if you stopped more than a few minutes. Whenever we stopped I would realize how uncomfortable I was and made it harder to keep going. Sachin kept needing to stop and rest and gradually my headache was getting worse. During one of our stops I could see the light of Moshi off in the distance. As we ascended the steep barren slopes it became progressively colder and started to develop stomach cramps in addition to my headache which was getting worse. Sachin was becoming more unsteady and I was becoming progressively more worried. He kept asking if he could just sit and rest while we went on ahead. He obviously would have succumbed to hypothermia if we had left him alone. We were making very slow progress. I starting to think about how long it would take to reach medical help if something went wrong. When I asked the guide how much longer it would take to reach the top, he said three hours. I figured that meant it would take over 6 hours to return back to the camp.

Around this time, when I was seriously considering that we turn back, I was starting to feel quite miserable. I had a worsening headache, stomach cramps, and had suddenly been overcome with a sense of nausea. I felt like my head was going to explode, my intestines were about to burst, and I desperately wanted to vomit. Then the sun started to rise and Sachin suddenly became inspired. The prospect of warmth from the sun gave him hope and he had a second wind. We decided to continue on.

After walking for another hour or two we reached Stella’s Point. Up to this point the trail had been a uniform barren wasteland of brown rock. As we reached this point there was a large brown rock outcropping. Walking around this outcropping we came upon what seemed to me like a different world. Everything became ice and snow. From this point you could see Uhuru Peak and all the people walking towards it. We were at the top of a volcanic crater and the trail went along the rim of the crater in a semicircle towards Uhuru Peak. The moment I set foot on snow I suddenly felt much better and was overcome with joy. For some reason the snow reminded me of home and inspired me to continue on. I excited to be walking on snow and felt like I was carrying ski poles which made the walking easy. The trail was also much more shallow than the path we had taken to reach Stella’s Point. The wind was bitterly intense and seemed to tear through the thousand layers of clothing I had on. My toes were frozen and I had to try to move them around to avoid frostbite. As we stumbled along, we saw others being supported by their friends so they could reach the top. Occasionally we would stop and try to seek shelter behind a rock, but the wind seemed to reach everywhere. The snow was hard packed and icy, but on the way up everyone was walking so slowly because of the altitude that only a few fell. To the right was the crater covered in snow and to the left was a large glacier across a small valley.

Finally we reached Uhuru Peak and stood by a wooden sign that was plastered with stickers left by previous climbers. There was a huddle of exhausted climbers who were sleeping near the sign. Everybody looked dazed and confused. Sachin posed for the pictures but seemed pretty out of it. The photos of people at the peak don’t really capture the sensation of being surrounded by white in all directions, but to do capture the sense of euphoria and deliriousness that those who make it to the top have. In order to prove that I had worn my friend’s wool t-shirt to the summit I stripped down to my t-shirt and quickly had a photo taken. I could only stand the cold for a few seconds. It was freezing. After we took photos we started to descend. The peak was not a comfortable place to linger. Luckily, Pascal remained with my camera and had the insight to take photos as we returned. I was certainly in no shape to be taking photos.

Climbing Kili Day 4

We left Barranco Camp with several other tour groups and headed down into a valley and then climbed up a steep wall on the other side. We were climbing over large boulders and at times there was a steep drop down from the path. It was challenging for those who are scared of heights. When we finally reached the top of the steep section I was happy to break for lunch. We had reached Karanga Camp and it was cold. Some people were staying at this camp overnight so they would have an extra day of acclimatization. Sachin and I were both feeling good and although the climb had been steep we had only been hiking for a few hours. We both agreed that it seemed unnecessary to stop at this point, so early in the day. Neither of us were tired. Two of the porters had fallen after slipped on some sharp boulders. We had an ACE bandage which I used to wrap one knee and then the next day used on another porter who had injured his knee as well. I gave out my ibuprofen to the porters to help them with the pain. Both of them continued working.

After lunch we descended into another valley that was very brown and dry (Karanga Valley). As you descended you could see the steep trail on the other side that you would have to climb later. One of the porters suffered from a “stitch” (abdominal muscle cramp) and was moving very slowly. He was lagging behind the other porters. The weather was getting quite cold and it didn’t seem safe to leave him by himself. Eventually we ended up taking some of his bags to try to help him reach the next camp. Sachin traded backpacks with him and our guide Pascal carried his other bag. Eventually we reached Barafu Camp late in the day. It was getting dark.

Barafu Camp was a cold place perched on the side of the mountain situated in a pile of broken shards of hard stone. All the paths were very steep and everything was covered with large sharp rocks that seemed to have been recently cut or burst apart. There was very little flat ground for tents. Even a trip to the outhouse was a substantial climb that left one exhausted. Just moving around the camp one risked a twisted ankle. The air was thin and the wind was extreme. Anything put outside had to be weighted down with a rock. It was not a very comfortable place. We rested for a little bit and then had dinner. After dinner we went to sleep in our tent, but I slept very poorly. The lack of oxygen made sleeping uncomfortable and I knew we would be waking up at 11:30 that night to start our final ascent.

Climbing Kili 3

Day 3

I woke up early in the morning before sunrise because I desperately had to urinate. The high altitude was already starting to make me urinate more frequently and it had been extremely cold during the night so I had been reluctant to leave the tent. When I exited the tent I found the whole ground, which had been muddy the day before, was frozen and covered with frost. The ground crunched as I walked and you could see these elaborate ice crystals that had formed under each pebble in the mud. My feet would sink 3 or 4 cm as these crystals broke. The moonlight was bright and you could see the peak of Kilimanjaro reflecting the moonlight. Off in the distance Mt. Meru was poking through the clouds. The sun started to rise and Mt. Meru and the moon were sitting together on a bed of clouds as everything became bathed in an orange-red glow. It was quite beautiful.

We left Shira Camp (3840 m) and headed for Lava Tower Camp. As we climbed to Lava Tower the vegetation disappeared and was replaced by strange rock formations covered with orange lichens. I was still quite warm when we reached Lava Tower (4630 m) and sat down for lunch. I was wearing just a synthetic t-shirt. Once we stopped moving and sat for lunch it quickly became very cold. The wind increased and it started to drizzle lightly. We finished our lunches with haste and put on our jackets, hats, etc. As we headed down the other side of the peak which was in the shade, I quickly became very cold within just 5 minutes. I put on my balaclava and was scared by how quickly the temperature had changed. We had noticed the altitude slightly at 4630 m, but it wasn’t that bad. We descended down to Barranco Camp (3950 m) and started to see vegetation again. At Barranco Camp there were plenty of small birds and white-winged crows looking for food and water. We could also see Arrow Glacier which was covered in grey soil and rocks off in the distance. It was getting colder each day.

Climbing Kilimanjaro 2

We set out from Machame Camp (2980 m) and started hiking towards Shira Camp (3840 m). In the morning the rocks and mud were very slippery so I had to walk carefully. We had definitely left the forest and were entering a strange world. There were lots of mosses on the rocks and hanging from dead trees. There were also beautiful alpine flowers alongside the trail. The trail was steeper than the day before, but the exercise felt good. It was vigorous but enjoyable. The walking sticks helped for balance and to take weight off my injured knee. The weather was cool and foggy, but I soon warmed up from the exercise and had to take my jacket off. The porters all had matching jackets so they looked like a real team. They carried some of the weight in backpacks and some of it on their heads. I was glad I wasn’t a porter.

Climbing Kilimanjaro

My friend Sachin who had finished his contract working for Baylor Pediatric AIDS Corps in Swaziland told me he was coming to climb Mt. KIlimanjaro in early April and asked if I wanted to join him. The timing was not optimal, but it was the only time he could go. The rainy season was expected to start around this time which could make the trip cold and miserable. We arranged the trip over the internet through exchanges of e-mails. My friend arrived late on a Friday night from the airport to Moshi just in time to join us at Glacier bar for a large party which was being held for the porters who worked for Ahsante Tours. By the time he arrived most of the party was pretty inebriated. The party also marked the end of the season to some extent. We would need the next day to get our equipment ready and the porters would need the next day to recover from the party. We borrowed warm clothes from various people and rented some gaiters and walking sticks. It had rained very hard for the last two days and we were nervous as prepared for the trip. Two of Sachin’s friends who had been planning to come had backed out, so we were a party of two only. There are generally three porters per person. With six porters, a guide, and an assistant guide, we would become a party of at least ten. While getting a snack at the Coffee Lounge we met a group that had just come down from the mountain. Only 11 out of 32 had made it to the top of the mountain. The rain seemed to have played a factor. We became slightly more intimidated.

Day 1
We were picked up from my house early Sunday morning and then stopped by the Ahsante Tours office to pick up the rest of the staff and supplies. We drove in a mini-bus to the Machame Gate. There we paid our entry fees and signed into the registration book. We waited a long time as all the equipment and bags were weighed and checked by officials to make sure that the porters were not carrying too much weight. It had started to drizzle while we waited underneath an outdoor hut. The path was steep and muddy. Eventually we started off with excitement with walking poles in our hands. The trail went through forest and was constructed from local materials to handle what appeared to be large amounts of rainfall. Parts of the trail had washed away slighty. For lunch we stopped along the trail and sat on some old logs. My lunch was a shredded carrot and cheese sandwich, cold fried chicken, an egg, a little juice carton, a dry cupcake, a chocolate bar, and a small banana. I was already hungry from walking and felt obligated to eat everything as we had been warned that people often don’t eat enough at high altitude. My friend was vegetarian so his meal did not include chicken. The first day we traveled about 18 km and climbed about a 1000 meters in altitude. We settled into Machame Camp before sunset and I felt spoilt to have my tent already set up. Freshly made popcorn was also a nice treat as well. Dinner was served on a table with portable chairs and protected by a large tent. It was quite cosy. During our climb we already seemed to have climbed above the forest and entered heather. The ground was a very slippery volcanic mud and I nearly slipped several times while just wandering around the campsite. The fog made everything feel damp and gave the surroundings a slightly mysterious feel.

Rally

Today I went to a car rally in Moshi. The rally went on a long route from Moshi up the mountain to Machame and Sanya Juu and then back down to Moshi. Most of the drivers are Tanzanians of Indian origin. The most popular brand of car seemed to be Subaru. We went to go wait for the cars to drive by the International School of Moshi and then learned that the route had been changed. We all had to drive to another location which was at a stadium where the finish line was. The arrival of all the cars was delayed because one of the cars hit a cow in one of the villages up on the the mountain. A crowd formed and blocked the rest of the cars. Eventually the race resumed and the rally finished with a large crowd waiting. As the cars approached you could see a large dust cloud rising in the air. Each car did a lap around the track and then parked in the middle of the field. There were people lining the sides of the track and I was sure one of the cars was going to hit someone. The resulting dust also covered the crowd. Everyone had to try breathing through a piece of cloth. Occasionally policemen would push the crowd back by swinging a large stick. Afterwards, some of the winning cars did spins to entertain the crowd.

Same

Every Tuesday I am going on outreach trips to hospitals in the Kilimanjaro region to teach doctors and nurses about pediatric HIV care and treatment. This past week I went to Same District Hospital. This was a town I visited as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1995 where I stayed with another volunteer for one week. I remembered the town as dry, windy, and full of mosquitoes. Thanks to the recent rains it was greener than I remembered and the local hospital was quite welcoming. We saw a few patients with the doctor who sees HIV patients and waited for people to arrive for the lecture. In the meantime we had some one-on-one discussions with some of the clinicians. Not enough people showed up so we decided to cancel the lecture. In the meantime, our driver had gone to get lunch. While he was out for lunch, he dropped the keys to to the car in the pit latrine. This meant that we had to walk back from the hospital to the main road and try to find our stranded driver. Eventually a day worker was paid to go into the pit latrine and sieve out the keys. The cement top of the latrine had to be broken open and then the worker had to crawl into the pit. It sounded like a pretty unpleasant job. They were paid about twenty dollars.

Water Day

As part of national celebrations for Water Day, my soccer team participated in a match against the Department of Water. It was supposed to be an even match with people who worked for the Department of Water, but the team they brought seemed to be a bunch of ringers who were very young. The stadium was far out in the suburbs of Moshi. There was not a single blade of grass on the field. There was a large crowd of about 400 hundred people crowded around the pitch. An announcer on loudspeaker was giving a running commentary on the game. I began to suspect that playing on a field of dust was part of the Water Day celebration. Within ten minutes of playing I was dying for a drink of water. I became short of breath and started to get abdominal cramps. We had a hard time keeping up with such a younger team. Luckily, in the second half we started to put up more of a resistance, but we still ended up losing the game 3-1. There was an awards ceremony afterwards and our team even won a trophy. Later I discovered that our game had been on the local radio station with all the play-by-play action. Elsewhere in the town, one of the roundabouts had been renovated to commemorate Water Day. There was a statue of a soldier painted in fluorescent green camouflage surrounded by four small water fountain that were tiled with small, square baby-blue tiles.

Kilimanjaro Marathon

Several weeks back, the Kilimanjaro Marathon took place here in Moshi. The course started and finished at Moshi School of Co-operatives and Business (or something to that affect) in a large stadium. Not planning to actually run, I woke up late and missed the start. I was able to see many of the finishers as they returned from the race. There were several events, including a 5K fun run, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. The longer runs were grueling events that involved running up a very steep mountain at some point. I was able to catch a few of my Tanzanian friends who I played soccer with who had ran the half-marathon. One of them, Michael, even still planned to play soccer that afternoon (and he’s almost fifty years old). I was planning to meet my friend Eric who was running the full marathon. In the stadium there was a large crowd with people from all over the world. They cheered runners as they crossed the finish line. There were lots of tents with food and beer run by different restaurants and sponsors. I settled in for some beers with some friends who had run the 5K. I had been nervous to run because of a knee injury I had suffered in December, but I realized I probably could have run 5K which is not that long. I probably run that much during a soccer game. I never found my friend Eric and found out later that he had suffered from severe heartburn around kilometer 28 and had to walk the rest of the marathon. It was kind of ironic because he was in fantastic shape and I had expected him to do well. Overall, the marathon was exciting and many Tanzanians participated.

Flood

The other evening I went over to my friend Eric’s house to see if he wanted to come out for pizza. Every Thursday, Mukesh, the Indian grocery store owner who has a store near the hospital cooks pizza for people who order in the morning. Usually there is enough extra ordered by the researchers from Duke University to go around and I get to socialize with other Americans. But when I arrived at Eric’s house there was water pouring out his front door. It turned out the water was out and he had opened several faucets trying to find a few drops to wash his hands. He returned to work and later when he came home he found his whole house had about an inch of water. He had left the bathroom sink faucet open and when the water returned the flow was so great that it flooded the house within two or three hours. It was ironic that he came from New Orleans before coming here. I ended up spending the next hour or so helping him remove all the water. The nice thing is that the floor is smooth cement so it withstands water fairly well.