Back from Kili
Mood:  cool
Sunday, August 15th

"Konichiwa
I'm back from Kili!
Made it to Kibo Hut at 15,500 feet.
Suffered a mild case of altitude sickness, exhaustion and a lack of motivation to get up at midnight and hike up for 5 hours on a steep and very cold climb and then back down for a total of 12 hours and 14 miles of hiking. My 3 compadres made it. I slept till morning and hiked back down to another hut at 12,000 feet. Lounged, took a cold bucket bath, and wrote postcards by a burbling stream basking in the warm sunlight.

My friends got a certificate for summiting but i feel great and am very proud to have reached this height.

We were able to practice our German, Spanish and Japanese on this hike. So many visitors from all over the world. We hiked from dripping, dark rain forest up to sage brush country to high alpine moorlands and heath forest to alpine desert. Incredible scenery. Wonderful people. The food was awesome. Can you believe that our wonderful porters carried watermelon for our breakfast for the 4 days we were on the mountain?

I am feeling great and will hopefully leave on safari tomorrow. I am going to try to hook up with a Basque group who we have been hiking with for the 5 days on Kili. If it works out i will get to see Serengetti, Ngorogoro and more. I'm really hoping that it works.

The hard part is over and now the easy, touristy part begins.

If you're excited and ready to book your own trip, click on this link and GO FOR IT! Zara Travel Company

Peace and love,
Mary"

Sunday, August 15th
Horombo Hut back down to Marangu gate and then a drive back to Moshi

After such a grueling day we still had to get up early this morning. Breakfast is at 6am and we begin the descent at 7am. Lunch is at noon. We pass Mandara Hut and continue down to Marangu gate. It's a great feeling to be able to take my friend's photos as they proudly stroll out through the gate that we entered just a few days ago. I am definitely exhausted and slip and fall twice skinning my knees. That's the extent of the injuries for our group. Not bad. Our drive back to Moshi is filled with story telling about the gruesome details of the hike yesterday. I am so glad that i didn't let my ego push me to the top. I am sure that i would be really sick and probably taken some worse falls if i'd tried.

No rest for the weary when we return to Moshi:
I get on the internet to make sure i email Mom and Dad that i made it back in one piece., then i check with the office to see about getting in on a safari. My new Basque friends are more than happy for me to join them tomorrow morning. Yahoo. I madly wash some clothes out in the sink and prepare for my next 5 day adventure that will begin tomorrow morning. Yawn.

So if you want to read more about KILIMANJARO, the volcano, this is a great website.


Saturday, August 14th
Kibo Hut back down to Horombo Hut, not sure on time but pretty quickly!

So while the others are hiking in the dark i am sleeping and trying to regain some strength. There is a guy from Poland who speaks no English who looks worse than i do. He and i are the only ones to stay behind. I don't even care.

Here was my trekking buddies itinerary today:
Start climbing in the dark with headlamps at midnight (after only 3 hours sleep)
Reach Gilman Point, 18,651 ft/5685 m: 8:15am
Reach Uhuru Peak: 19,340 ft/5895m 9:30am (these are steep, rocky climbs in very cold temperatures)
Back down to Kibo for a short nap and a bit of breakfast: 11 am
Leave Kibo at noon and hike for 3 hours to arrive at Horombo by 3pm

WHEW, glad i didn't try that! After many trips to the bathroom in the morning and still suffering from a massive headache, i decide to head back down. I've been instructed to remain at Kibo until my buddies return at noon, but i'm feeling too bad and want to get out of this altitude. Amaia, my new Basque friend, tried the midnight climb but began vomiting after only 1/2 hour and came back down and was eager to drop in altitude as well. We convinced our guides to take us down. I couldn't believe that with every step I took I began to feel a bit better and by the time i reached Horombo i was feeling much better. I took a cold sponge bath and laid in the sun reading, writing, and resting. It was a tiring hike and i can't imagine doing 14 hours of hiking today. The others looked amazingly good after their ordeal when they came trekking in this afternoon. I am so proud of them for accomplishing this tremendous feat. We will all sleep well tonight.


Friday, August 13th
Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut, 6 hour hike to 15,520 ft / 4700m

I was tired this morning and not feeling very optimistic about making it to the top. I just don't have the energy and have already begun the thought process about whether it's worth it to push so hard that i may get even sicker. I really want to be well when i get back down so that i can go on safari and enjoy the experience. The terrain is not difficult, technically. It's a gentle stroll most of the day with a slow, gradual ascent. The land gets continually sparser as we climb and the vista is incredible as we hike through the saddle. The hut is not in sight and seems miles away. We pass the last tiny creek where our porters can collect water for our meal tonight. This is it for the water. We will get two bottles each this evening and then no more water until we descend to Horombo tomorrow. We are in alpine desert now. Not too much plant life at this altitude. The last mile or so is incredibly difficult. I have absolutely no energy. "Pole,pole" is the mantra (slowly, slowly). I have a dull headache and absolutely no desire to go any higher than this but Theophil is encouraging me to at least get up at midnight and make an attempt of the summit. I have no appetite and everyone else looks just as bad as i feel. Over dinner, as people are discussing the climb that we will begin in a few short hours a wave of nausea hits me. The evenings briefing makes me even more nauseated. I think part of it is definitely nerves because the wave passes, but i do end up with quite a few trips to the bathroom from diarrhea.

Here is the time frame for today:
Breakfast: 7am
Begin walking: 8am.
Picnic lunch: 10 am
Arrive at Kibo Hut: 2 pm
Tea time: 3 pm
Some go for a hike a little higher - I take a nap
Dinner: 5 pm
I'm in bed: 8 pm
Wake up call: 11:30 pm
Trekkers head out at about midnight and i stay in bed!

Thursday, August 12th
Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut, 6 hour hike to 12,340 ft / 3720 m

We were all feeling pretty good today. We experienced some tickling throats and coughs last night. I am glad for my Halls Cough Drops. We had a filling breakfast this morning and were on the trail by 8am. It was definitely drier today as we hiked through a heath forest. The sun was bright and sunscreen a must. I am envying Chris P's white climbing hat. I only have a visor with me so i quickly found my bandana to put under the visor to shade my face and neck. It may not be lovely, but it keeps my skin from frying. The plants along the trail look similar to sage, thyme and rosemary. There is a weird tree-like plant (bushy green at the top) that looks like a cactus. We are given a sack lunch before we leave this morning and stop around 11 for lunch. I am amazed that the bathroom breaks appear just when i need them and the food is very adequate and i haven't felt the need for extra snacks at all. We arrive at Horombo by 2pm and tea time is at 3pm. There's an opportunity to walk a little higher after tea just to go up and come back down (more acclimatization). Dinner is at 6pm and lights out. I'm tired.