Reflections on the top of the world....Uhuru Peak 5895m (pt 2)

On the passage up to Uhuru peak, despite the extraordinary sense of exhaustion, we saw only a few signs that the dreaded AMS (Altitude Sickness) had got a real hold tonight.   Sure, on the way up we passed the occasional dark patches on the stones where noses had burst, and even the odd sign of sickness on the route.   But there were few casualties moving in the wrong direction, and overall, tonight in the battle between mountain and climbers....climbers looked to have won!!

Nelson, and Dominic, their teams, and our fantastic porters had prepared us well.  The Lemosho route we took was tough, but actually included plenty of time to rest, and plenty of opportunity to climb high, and sleep low...a key part in ensuring that we were as prepared as we could be. 

The advice we were given to drink loads, walk slow, and to eat everything we could physically manage was taken by most of the group...our result 15 of 16 to Stella Point, and 14 to Uhuru.  It pays to listen, when you have people around you with over 120 climbs to their name.   In our group we had a few headaches, and the odd nosebleed on the way, and for Richard, and Tim who at times struggled to eat as much as they may have liked, it was an exceptionally hard night, but ultimately successful. 

Tim, who had been encouraged by Son, and photographer Jacob all week was remarkable, despite being only partially sighted, and suffering with illness on the trip throughout, he managed to get himself to Stella Point, before being advised by the Doc that his race was run.... but he is a winner for sure, in a big way.   Richard too, who had 24 hours of nausea around day 3/4 was a victim of complete exhaustion, after we reached Uhuru.  The remainder of his trip would be complete with the help of our amazing porters, who supported him down. 

At the top it was a balmy -17 to -20 degrees.  Huge glaciers surround the top, fabulous colours, like marble extend through them.  We spent almost 20 minutes enjoying the world from 5895m, and the walk back around the rim to Stella Point was almost fun, suddenly some of the tiredness, and breathlessness was abating. 

Going down, we are not restricted to the path that we followed on the way up, and for long stretches we go down "off piste" down steep ash slopes, like sand dunes.  Jacob,  forever full of energy positively ran down some of these slopes, but for most of us, this was a knee busting fight, as we tried to ensure we remained upright, and did not slip on the scree.

Innocence, my own water man, took my bag, which was bliss!!  What a difference it made, and he accompanied me all the way down, and back to our camp at Barafu.  Gradually, as we decended my water began to thaw out, so I was able to drink too, which felt fantastic!!   It does not take long before, with the sun now high in the sky the temperature also soon heats up, meaning layers come off, and bags, which started empty get heavier with coat, and fleece.  

It took us just around 3.5 hours to get back to Barafu, where were would spend an hour to relax, pack our sleeping bags, and mats for the rest of the day's hike, and enjoy some much needed lunch of potato stew.   It's amazing how little now I thought of the achievement of our day.  Despite everything, complete exhaustion was my only thought, and it would be a day or so later before it would sink in.

Our day would not end until we finally reached Millenium camp, at just 3800m, a further 3 hours steeply downhill from Barafu.   In one day we had gone from 4600m to 5895m and now down to 3800m.   At the end of it, my knees were completely shot to pieces.  7 hours stomping downhill, was surely much harder than 7 hours creeping up?

At millenium, I slept!!  In fact, apart from an hour or so for dinner when I was shaken awake by Dominic, I slept from around 15:00hrs on the 24th all the way through until 06:00hrs on the 25th!! 

We Did it... Uhuru Peak 5895m (Part 1)

Summit Night - 24th February 2011.....in the dark....so few pictures now.... I hope you can see it through my eyes.

We awoke at about 11pm for some porridge and to depart at midnight.

Very nervous, but excited, I start the night convinced that I can do this.  The week has been incredibly tough, but I'm determined not to miss out.

Like yesterday, at first we start off by walking the 20 minutes through the camp site past all the other tents, some quiet, as people still sleep, and some already vacated as groups are already on their way.  This time we set of to singing, cheering, and chants from the porters who are fantastic, probably enjoying the fact that for once they are carrying nothing!

It's cold, but not too cold at the moment.  I have warmers in my gloves and in my chest pocket to keep my camera batteries warm on the way up. 

The camp looks very different in the darkness and at one point I thought I had missed seeing the camp master huts, where our group were checked in earlier.  I was already feeling breathless, probably nerves, because we had not even reached them yet.  

We made our way up the bouldering path as we had done earlier the previous afternoon, and then on up the stoney, and dusty path ahead of us.  Lit only by the stars, a waning moon, and the line of lights from the longest ant trail I've ever seen....Ahead of us we could see the headlamps from other climbers stretching far up onto the mountain.  

Like cars jostling for position on a motorway we passed a few of the groups in front of us, only to be overtaken again a little further on as we all reached our various stages of tiredness.  Nelson, at the lead gave us our first break on the hour.  Just 5 minutes.

This was the pattern we followed for most of the way up...5 minutes each hour to stop, rest, sneak a bite to eat, or drink.   The going was relentless, dust and stones, lit by a hundred torches, we followed the heels of the person in front of us, trying hard not to think about the time, or the difficulty that we must surely all have been having, but desperate to cling onto the shirt-tails of the person in front.  To lose a pace was dreadful, as closing any gap was impossibly difficult.  At times it felt like we were hardly moving at all, but for each hour we kept slowly climbing on between breaks, never wanting to break stride with the group around us.

As we got higher, Cudgie, Tim, his son Jacob and Loman, (the "Doc") began to fall off the back of the main group.  We didn't really even realise at first, but this was not a race...pole pole for sure and there was no time for thinking about what was behind, only to be certain of hanging onto what was in front!!

By about 4am the effort of placing one foot in front of the other was unbelievably hard now, but actually when Dominic told us the time I could hardly believe it.  Had we really been walking 4 hours already?  It had passed quickly, and this was quite a motivation.  We were at about 5200m now.

I remember that I could hardly breath at all by this time, and my water had frozen, so I was without from there on in, but still... the time and our height was a comfort, we were further on than I imagined, and now only just over 90 minutes until sunrise.

I stumbled on one of the rocks we stepped over, causing me to take 3 or 4 quick steps to regain my balance.  My heart nearly jumped out my chest, and my breathing was like I had just completed a 400m sprint, uphill, and into the wind!!  It was still pitch dark, and it seemed several minutes before I felt that my breathing had returned to some kind of normal.  This was completely exhausting.

I had been encouraged by the time, and for a while this kept me going, that and muttering inside my head ("it's just Ben Nevis now, you can do Ben Nevis"- Ben Nevis is just about 1400m, the scale of our climb today).  Sunrise was due at 05:27, and I'd hope that we would be very close to Stella Point by the time the sun came up.

As it turns out, the sun did show, and I sang...

Little darling, its been a long cold lonely winter,
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here....Here comes the sun...
Here comes the sun, and I'll say.... it's alright!!

and it was... for a moment.... the sky behind us was slowly turning the most amazing, and beautiful orange, and reds, sillouetting Mount Mawenzi in the distance...it was fantastic...fantastic until Nelson told us we were at around 5450m!!   Only 5450m, I was gutted... My body was telling me now to stop...this was becoming incredibly tough, and only my good fortune to be in the middle of our small group helped... determined to keep close enough to the person in front of me, and desperate not to become the road block to the people behind me.  I did stop, just for a moment...for a rest, for a few short breaths, and to gather my thoughts...thoughts of home...I felt a hand on my shoulder...it had an amazing effect.  No words were said, but it said millions... it said, "I know how you feel, we're here together, and we'll do this together" 

Reassurance from the youngest member of our group, Angus, just 17 and the Doc's son.... It was an amazing moment for me, and I was immensly touched by the empathy that he showed.  (Loman, you have one very special son here!!) 

We moved on, slowly, and Nelson checked us off at 5500, and then 5600m.  The summit at Stella Point still looked a long way off as we had our final 5 minutes before we would make our final ascent.  Never have I felt so completely defeated by my body, I could hardly convince it to move at all, and even just 40 meters from the top I was not convinced I would do it.  Every step meant a huge gulp for air, we were moving in stages of 6 inches at a time by now!!

But we did make it... at 06:25 on 24th February, 2011 we reached Stella Point on the top of Kilimanjaro!!

Tears now, uncontrollable, relief, pride my head filled with thought of everyone at home...they have been with me the whole way, but for now I was surrounded by family...it was a great feeling.  We are on the saddle, at the top of this mountain,  I could hardly believe it.   From nowhere, our porters produced some flasks of tea.  Never has tea tasted so good.

We had a few moments to enjoy our sunrise... this magnificent, beautiful mountain was now beneath us, and under a warm blanket of the most amazing colour I've ever seen.   Breathing was still impossible, but we could see the way to Uhuru now, and there was no way that we could not make our way there.  Although it was another 40 minutes on, we had completed hardest stretch, and we would do the rest with the sun on our backs. 

We had heard, when we were at 5600m that Cudgie had decided to turn down...so close...he had reached around 5400m when he met his demons,  unfortunately his demons won the battle, and he had to concede.  

So it was an emotional moment when Trevor & Ceri made it onto Stella Point ten minutes behind us.  Mixed emotions of pride that he was there, but sadness too that our group would fall one short.  After a few more tears, Nelson put up the shout of "Twendai" (Lets go) and we began our walk round the rim of the crater towards Uhuru.

All the way, our porters, suddenly very professional again, ensured that no-one went close to the edge, for there are pitfalls here.  After the elation of reaching Stella Point we were quickly reminded of the hardship in walking anywhere at this height.  Small inclines seem like large hills, your lungs have the capacity of a pea, and every step is still a huge effort.  In the distance we can see a huddle of people...it's here... we are just 400 yards now from the roof of Africa, Uhuru Peak, at 5895m...what a feeling.... no tears this time, not relief, but joy now instead!

Even as we approached the final point of our upward journey, Kilimanjaro had one last attempt to disuade us.  An icy blast, picking up tiny particles and blowing them into your face, so hard it was painful to walk against, but it was too late now... we were at our prize.

A little wooden sign... nothing fancy, but in this completely enthralling.  Surrounded by 20 or 30 people each battling for their moment to capture their evidence... Nelson, now taking control managed to get us all into position as he reeled off, taking pictures with about 12 different cameras