At Gilman's PointI’ve split this post into two sections because goodness knows that I dislike reading posts that are 5 pages long. The first section is all about the final ascent to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, while the second section is the other 4.5 days of hiking to get to the final ascent and back down. Somehow, it is sexier to talk about the final ascent first. Pictures from Kili can be accessed through the link in the Pictures sidebar.
On Tuesday, we did a heart-pounding, rapid-breathing, eight hour hike from Horombo (the second hut on Kili) to Kibo (the hut at the base of the final ascent). We hiked through a lunar landscape, carefully placing our dusty footprints in the beaten down line winding its way up the mountain. It was pretty much all uphill, all the time. This stretch took me ages to do because I was helping one of my co-workers who was more than a little under the weather and we were going “pole pole” (slowly, slowly). On reaching Kibo, we had a light dinner as altitude sickness had quashed our appetites and it was off to bed at the late hour of 6pm. As they say, early to bed, early to rise. In our case, we had to get up at 11pm to make our final preparations before setting off for the final ascent at midnight.
The final ascent is a 5 km hike up an almost vertical hillside that typically takes between 5 to 7 hours to complete. During the hike, you gain almost a 1,000m in altitude. Of the 21 people in our group who started Kili, 16 set off for the final ascent. During the hike, my focus narrowed down to the dim pool of light that spilled from my headlamp onto the feet of the person in front of me. I blindly followed the feet up switchback after switchback, as I concentrated on bending my leg, taking a step and then breathing. Breathing was a bit of an issue due to the altitude. At one point, I had to sit down on a rock for a few minutes in an effort to calm my steam train breathing. This brief break gave me an opportunity to admire the parade of lights steadily bobbing their way up the hillside.
After my break, things were peachy for about an hour or two. I joined forces with the Executive Director of the LHRC and one of our guides, Alex, and we inched our way up the mountain together. Unfortunately, I was getting colder and colder by the minute and starting to feel the effects of altitude sickness (a pounding headache and constant nausea). I had a bit of a morale breakdown at 4:30 am when I sat on a rock and cried. My guide was having none of it. He stood me up and vigorously rubbed my arms, back and hands to warm me up. I felt like I was a toddler. He then issued a firm “we go” and we went. We continued to go until we reached Gilman’s Point. Gilman’s Point is 5685m above sea level and it is on the crater rim of Kili. The summit, Uhuru Peak, is about an hour or two hike from Gilman’s Point. I didn’t make the summit, as I was done and done by the time we reached Gilman’s. Instead, I enjoyed watching a hard-earned sunrise and listened to three guides randomly break into a song about Kili. It was awesome.
After a 15 minute rest at Gilman’s, we embarked on a slipping, sliding descent. After 8 hours of hard hiking, we arrived back at Kibo hut and our sleeping bags. An hour long nap and a bowl of soup, and we were on our way back to Horombo. I was somewhat dazed on the hike back to Horombo, as I was exhausted. It became a matter of moving my feet and hoping they hit the right spot.
All in all, six people from our party made it to the summit, where they placed a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and two people made it to Gilman’s Point. It was an amazing experience to stand at Gilman’s Point and look out over the world. However, I think it will be a once in a lifetime experience for me, as I’m not overly keen to give it another go.
If anyone is thinking about doing Kili, I met a couple of great guides who are keen to go up Kili as many times as possible and can arrange everything for you. If you are interested in contacting them, send an email to:
Zephania Mbwambo zephaniambwambo@yahoo.com
Dida didassm@yahoo.com
On Tuesday, we did a heart-pounding, rapid-breathing, eight hour hike from Horombo (the second hut on Kili) to Kibo (the hut at the base of the final ascent). We hiked through a lunar landscape, carefully placing our dusty footprints in the beaten down line winding its way up the mountain. It was pretty much all uphill, all the time. This stretch took me ages to do because I was helping one of my co-workers who was more than a little under the weather and we were going “pole pole” (slowly, slowly). On reaching Kibo, we had a light dinner as altitude sickness had quashed our appetites and it was off to bed at the late hour of 6pm. As they say, early to bed, early to rise. In our case, we had to get up at 11pm to make our final preparations before setting off for the final ascent at midnight.
The final ascent is a 5 km hike up an almost vertical hillside that typically takes between 5 to 7 hours to complete. During the hike, you gain almost a 1,000m in altitude. Of the 21 people in our group who started Kili, 16 set off for the final ascent. During the hike, my focus narrowed down to the dim pool of light that spilled from my headlamp onto the feet of the person in front of me. I blindly followed the feet up switchback after switchback, as I concentrated on bending my leg, taking a step and then breathing. Breathing was a bit of an issue due to the altitude. At one point, I had to sit down on a rock for a few minutes in an effort to calm my steam train breathing. This brief break gave me an opportunity to admire the parade of lights steadily bobbing their way up the hillside.
After my break, things were peachy for about an hour or two. I joined forces with the Executive Director of the LHRC and one of our guides, Alex, and we inched our way up the mountain together. Unfortunately, I was getting colder and colder by the minute and starting to feel the effects of altitude sickness (a pounding headache and constant nausea). I had a bit of a morale breakdown at 4:30 am when I sat on a rock and cried. My guide was having none of it. He stood me up and vigorously rubbed my arms, back and hands to warm me up. I felt like I was a toddler. He then issued a firm “we go” and we went. We continued to go until we reached Gilman’s Point. Gilman’s Point is 5685m above sea level and it is on the crater rim of Kili. The summit, Uhuru Peak, is about an hour or two hike from Gilman’s Point. I didn’t make the summit, as I was done and done by the time we reached Gilman’s. Instead, I enjoyed watching a hard-earned sunrise and listened to three guides randomly break into a song about Kili. It was awesome.
After a 15 minute rest at Gilman’s, we embarked on a slipping, sliding descent. After 8 hours of hard hiking, we arrived back at Kibo hut and our sleeping bags. An hour long nap and a bowl of soup, and we were on our way back to Horombo. I was somewhat dazed on the hike back to Horombo, as I was exhausted. It became a matter of moving my feet and hoping they hit the right spot.
All in all, six people from our party made it to the summit, where they placed a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and two people made it to Gilman’s Point. It was an amazing experience to stand at Gilman’s Point and look out over the world. However, I think it will be a once in a lifetime experience for me, as I’m not overly keen to give it another go.
If anyone is thinking about doing Kili, I met a couple of great guides who are keen to go up Kili as many times as possible and can arrange everything for you. If you are interested in contacting them, send an email to:
Zephania Mbwambo zephaniambwambo@yahoo.com
Dida didassm@yahoo.com
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