Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 20-28 March 2015 (Lomosho Route up, Mweka route down)

20 Mar 2015

Travel Day – Nairobi, Kenya to Moshi, Tanzania.

I was up at 0445 and ready by 0520. The porter insisted on waiting with me until my car arrived. Alex was 5 minutes late and apologetic.  It was a fast drive to the airport as it was too early for the traffic.

The flight was smooth and it was great to fly past Mt Kilimanjaro. It was only an hour until we landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport.  As we entered immigration there were a few tour companies meeting people but no sign for me so I proceeded through immigration, picked up my bag and went outside.

There were a lot of people with signs but none with my name on it.  I was a little concerned as despite giving Zara Tours my travel details on 12 March they had phoned my parents (at 0300 NZ time! ) asking for my details.  I had sent another email yesterday evening so wasn’t sure if there would be someone waiting.  To make things worse the phone number on the invoice wasn’t working so I couldn’t get hold of them.  I had several taxi drivers trying to convince me to go with them but they were charging $50 US and I had already paid $20.

After 30 minutes a guy turned up with a sign for me. He said they had been given the wrong flight which landed 5 minutes after my one so I am not sure how that accounted for the remaining 25 minutes.  Not impressed!

It was 40 minutes to Springlands Hotel which is owned by Zara Tours. Zara Tours was started by a Tanzanian Lady and is now one of the biggest Tour companies in the country.  Early on she realised there was a shortage of quality cheap accommodation so built this hotel.

Once I checked in I was given a brief on what would happen and met my guide Nechi. The rest of the day was repacking and relaxing. Lunch and dinner were buffets and nice.  I sat with two Canadians who had summited and returned that day.  They were shattered and very sunburnt but buzzing at having made it.  There were several groups that had just returned and were celebrating.

21 Mar 15

Day 1 – Moshi to Lemosho Gate (2100m) to Mti Mkubwa Camp (2750). 7 km. Walking 1300- 1500 (2 hours).

pm 92% blood oxygen saturation (oS) , pulse 75 (beats per minute- bpm) .

I woke at 0630 and turned the water heater on only for the power to go off.  Using my torch I filtered the tap water to fill my wate bottles.  By the time I finished the power was back on and the water heated enough for a shower.

Breakfast was nice and I sat with a Swedish couple who had summited and returned yesterday.  I paid my bill and finished packing.  My suitcase went into storage and I was ready and waiting at 0830 as requested by my guide.  5 minutes later he turned up and explained the vehicle was being loaded.  I asked him to confirm he had an Oximeter (measures oxygen levels in blood to assess acclimatisation). He didn’t and seemed surprised when I asked for one but said he would get one despite that being one of the things I had requested in my correspondence with the company. 30 minutes later he returned and we headed out to the vehicle and I watched for another 10 minutes while they finished loading.

We finally left at 0915 and drove to a petrol station to fill up and a shop where we sat for 15 minutes) with the engine running the whole time) while they finished shopping.  All up it was about 2 hours of me sitting around waiting before we were finally on our way which I was not impressed at. I could have had a sleep in while they finished the preparation. I will be giving feedback that perhaps all this preparation should be finished before picking up the client.

We finally left at 0945. It was an uneventful drive though had the usual amusing African sights on the road.

 

At 1130 we arrived at the Park Office for registration. It was good to see that the porter’s loads were weighed to confirm they were under the 15kg limit and they had a gear check to make sure they had warm and wet weather clothing. I ate my boxed lunch while this was happening.

We then drove back down the forest to the turnoff to the trail and up through the forest to the trail head. Here the porter’s gear was weighed again and they finished packing.

I asked my guide Nechi to introduce my to the team which was 5 this time.  There was an assistant guide-Kennedy, cook-Geoffrey, porter/waiter-Emmanuel and porter/tent man-David.

Nechi and I started off going really slowly.  I find it hard to walk so slowly as I can’t get into a rhythm or use momentum up the hills.  However this is the way to acclimatise apparently.

The path was wide and well maintained. In NZ it would be Walking Track standard. We saw two troops of Colobus Monkeys.  These are black and white with long fur and no thumbs. Their tails are really furry.

The crew caught up but did not move ahead to my surprise.  I would actually preferred them to move ahead as they had their radio playing loudly which doesn’t really add to the jungle sounds I was enjoying and scares off anything that may be around.

Heavy loads to start with

After 2 hours we reached the camp.  It looked big enough for over 20 tents, had toilets and a permanent shelter for the camp wardens.  We are the first group in 3 days.

The team at up the tents.  I was happy that the tent looked in good condition and was large.  You could comfortably sleep 3 people in it.  I also had a camp chair which was nice.

After 10 minutes Emmanuel brought me a bowl of warm water and some soap to have a wash.  Not long after that was afternoon tea.  Back at the hotel I had been offered the choice of having a mess tent to eat in but I said I was happy just having meals in my tent.  So the corner of my tent is now the dining table (blanket).

Afternoon tea was popcorn and biscuits with milo. I then relaxed reading until the guys called me or to see a Blue Monkey.  It looked like a Macaque with more fur. Later dine noisy birds visited.  They looked like crows with a white patch on the back of their neck.  Also at the edge of camp was a bird that looked like a Weka from the distant glimpse I got.

Dinner was tomato beef, potatoes and a vegetable dish with eggplant.  There was a small banana for dessert. It started raining but stopped after 15 minutes.

After dinner Nechi briefed me on tomorrow and did my oxygen measurements.  Two other guys were there as they had delivered the machine and then a new battery. Nechi took his measurement and then said I would be much less than him. He was a little surprised that I was the same as him though I don’t think this will last as we are still quite low.

22 Mar 15

Day 2 – Mti Mkubwa Camp (2750) to Shira I Camp (3500 m) via 3600. 0720 – 1240 (5 hours 20 minutes).  ascent 750m.

am  95% oS/74 bpm, pm 89% oS/80 bpm

I got up once during the night and the stars were out in force. We were starting early to try and finish before the rain started so I was woken at 0600. I was packed quickly and washed with the bowl of warm water Emmanuel brought. Breakfast was millet porridge which looks like beef soup but smells and tastes like normal porridge. This was followed with avocado on toast, omelette and a sausage.

Nechi and I left at 0720 while the others were still packing up. We walked through the rain forest and saw a troop of Blue Monkeys and some Bush Chickens. I could hear Colobus monkeys and Nechi pointed out elephant trails and rubbing trees, antelope prints and Jackal dung.

After an hour we left the rain forest and emerged into sub alpine vegetation dominated by what looked to me to be similar to Manuka. There were also Protea which were in bloom. We dropped down to a creek, climbed over a ridge and back into a creek before climbing up to the main ridgeline.  The others had caught up as we were having a break which was nice except for their music playing.  I prefer to listen to the natural sounds when walking but I guess they are pretty bored of doing the same route so do not begrudge them their entertainment.

The next couple of hours were steady climbing on a rougher rocky path to near the top of the hill. On the way we took 3 breaks and they seemed to get longer and longer. The crew got their phones out at one break and were all talking or texting for nearly 20 minutes. As I was getting bored I was scanning the distance and saw a car which looked out of place. There is a road through the park for rescues and one route they get dropped off half an hour from Shira I campsite.

From near the top we sidled on a better path to the saddle at 3600m. We then dropped down the hill and the snow-capped mountain came into view. It looked big and far away. We dropped to our campsite arriving 1240. I asked David to set my tent up facing the mountain.

It started lightly raining just as the tents went up so I was straight into my tent for shelter. Lunch was noodle omelette which was a first for me but was nice.  This was followed up with mango.

The afternoon was rain on and off and sometimes heavy but my tent held up well and I was cosy. I was expecting afternoon tea but there was none so my afternoon was uninterrupted reading.

There were Ravens in camp again, even with the rain.  Occasionally they would be noisy but were not annoying.

The weather cleared up and I got a glimpse of the mountain.

Dinner was chicken soup and pancakes, shell pasta with a lovely chicken dish that smelt a little like tandoori. There was an orange for desert.

After dinner Nechi briefed me on tomorrow’s plan. As it was only a short walk we would start a little later.  We did Oxygen saturation readings and I was 1% higher than him to his disappointment. I was given a candle when it got dark and I read until 1900.

23 March 2015

Day 3 – Shira I Camp (3500) to Shira II Camp (3840m). Ascent 340. 0805 – 1055 (2 hours 50 minutes).

am 92% oS/85 bpm, pm  87%  oS/85 bpm

I woke up at 0530 to go to the toilet and the sun was just starting to colour the sky.  I went back to sleep but at 0630 woke again and unzipped the tent to see the sunrise silhouetting Mt Kilimanjaro.  The weather was perfect with no clouds in the sky. Emmanuel brought warm water for me to wash and took my water bottles away to refill. Then breakfast which was millet porridge, 2 slices of avocado and toast, omelette, sausage and orange. I was feeling good with no altitude effects except flatulence.  It is just as well I am not sharing a tent with anyone!

At 0805 Nechi and I left. Today felt flat though we did gain 340 m. I felt like I was in NZ in National Park as the alpine vegetation was similar, the track was similar and the earth was brown rather than the normal African red. The only thing to show I was in Africa was a single Giant Centosa tree and a tiny Lobelia.

It was easy walking so we were walking a little faster though it was still slow compared to my normal pace. I spent most of my time staring at the mountain with its fresh dump of snow.

David caught up as we had a break and then 10 minutes short of camp we waited for the rest to catch up. The mist was fast approaching and in place when we arrived at camp.

After registering we headed past the flash toilet block to where the guys had set the tents up. David set me up looking into the rest of the tents and rocks so I asked him to turn the flysheet around so I faced the mountain again.

I sat in my chair reading until it got too cold then moved to the shelter of my tent

Just after 1200 I was served lunch of fried chicken, chips, mango and a fruit juice. It started raining shortly after and rained on and off all afternoon.  I timed my toilet stops for breaks in the rain and as I was drinking a lot to help acclimatise this was often. I still have not started with the headaches and am feeling good.

Afternoon tea was popcorn.  I heard two parties come through but they were doing acclimatisation walks from the next camp over and did not stay so once again I am the only one here.

It stopped raining just after 1800 but remained cloudy.  Dinner was fry bread, cucumber soup, rice, potatoes, beans and a beef dish with an orange for desert. I am missing the fantastic fruit plates I got on Mt Kenya.

Nechi gave my briefing for tomorrow and I showed him how my kindle works.  I was given a candle again and read until 2030.

24 March 2015

Day 4 – Shira II Camp (3840m) to Barranco campsite (3950m) via 4600m. 0715- 1140 (4 hours 25 minutes)

am  88% oS/84 bpm, pm  87%  oS/90 bpm

I got up at 0300 and it had completely cleared leaving the sky full of stars. I went back to sleep easily and was warm. The hired synthetic sleeping bag is doing a good job.

I was woken at 0600 and the tent had ice on it. I had to put on a hat and my down jacket while I had breakfast. Looking up at the mountain I saw the rain had washed the recent snow dump away.

Breakfast was the same but no avocados.  I was ready to go at 0700 and wasn’t impressed to be waiting outside ready to go while Nechi was still in his tent finishing packing.  Finally he was ready and I stripped off my down jacket and swapped my thermal hat for my sunhat. I also put some thin gloves on and I was glad I did as my fingers were cold for the first hour.

We headed up a steady climb through barren rock with the occasional small alpine shrub to break up the dirt. The dirt was frozen so I got the satisfying crunch as I walked along. Looking back I could see fluffy white clouds below and in the distance Mt Meru poking above the clouds. The track then dropped sharply and sidled down to a stream before heading back up to a ridge. We stopped for the second rest break here and this is where we join the more common Machame Route. David caught us here. We dropped down to another stream and back up to a ridge.

David left us to take the direct route while we continued up to Lava Tower, a tall rock outcrop. The rest of the crew decided to come this way as well. At the Lava Tower I ate some of my packed lunch watching the Ravens flying around.  There were also some mice with stripes on their back.

 

Now heading down Nechi picked up the pace which was nice and then let me off my leash to go my pace so I took off down the hill and kept a good pace all the way into camp, stopping twice for photos of the Centosa trees.

In camp I registered and David had the tents set up but even after two previous days having to change to face the mountains as I had requested the tent was facing the toilet block instead so Nechi made him move it.

There were two other parties set up so crowded compared to what I had experienced.

 

 

The mist quickly made an appearance and there were occasional showers. I kept my tent open but it got too cold so I zipped up. I ate the rest of my packed lunch (fried chicken, mini muffin, peanuts, bread roll, orange and fruit juice). Shortly after I was given a plate of popcorn.

I spent the afternoon drinking hot drinks alternating between milo and tea. When I went to the toilet I was surprised to see there were tents everywhere, including on the path to the toilet making me go cross country to get there.  Well into late afternoon more and more people arrived. They must have either started really late or walked slowly as their last camp was closer than mine. I felt sorry for them as visibility had reduced to 10 meters and it was a damp and cold cloud they had to walk in.

I was cosy in my tent and still no headaches.

Dinner was a nice onion soup with pancakes followed by a strange dark brown macaroni that tasted funny with vegetables. Desert was an orange-again!

Coming back from my last toilet trip of the night I nearly got disoriented as I weaved my way through some new tents in the thick mist but luckily the flap was open in the kitchen tent  and I recognised my crew and reoriented myself to where my tent was.

Just before going to sleep there was some ominous thunder and it rained hard from 2130 for several hours.  When I got up to the toilet at 0500 it had cleared.

25 March 2015

Day 5 – Barranco Campsite (3950m) to Karanga Valley Campsite (4000 m) via 4220 m. 0800 – 1000 (2 hours).

am  89% oS/95 bpm, pm  90% oS/90 bpm.

Once again it was a clear morning when I woke and there was fresh snow on the mountain.  Breakfast was the same again.

Nechi was ready on time and we left at 0800, the first ones to leave which I found strange as many people would be skipping the next campsite and had a long day ahead.

I really enjoyed today.  We started with a small descent, crossing two streams. Then was the climb up Barranco Wall. Nechi had said I should pack my sticks away so I had hands free but I declined thinking it would not be that steep. To my surprise and enjoyment there were parts that did require hands to climb up the steep rock. I let my poles dangle when climbing these parts and they didn’t get in the way. I imagine the climb would be a serious challenge to many people for the steepness, exposure and basic rock climbing skills. Nechi confirmed it is often a big challenge.  We reached the top in 50 minutes and stayed there for 15 minutes for acclimatisation before starting the descent.

 

Nechi let me lead for the downhills. There was a big downhill, medium uphill, sidle on a really barren bit and then a big descent into a green valley with lots of Centosa trees. Just short of the bottom it started raining lightly and it got heavier at the bottom so I put my rain jacket on. There was one more steep uphill where David caught us and we arrived in camp.

 

We registered and stayed in the shelter while David set up the tents. I had to wait 15 minutes for the rest of the crew to arrive with my kit and then I could set up my tent. I could hear other people arriving after 40 minutes.  It rained most of the morning and afternoon. Every time I got up to go to the toilet there were more tents up around me and for some reason despite all the space available one group decided to set up right near my door with their mess tent behind my tent so I had people walking past my tent on a regular basis.

At 1130 lunch arrived.  It was fries and coleslaw with watermelon – no meat! At 1630 I was given a small plate of popcorn.

Once again the day was spent reading.

Dinner was 1730 and was rice with the same vegetable dish, mango and a pancake with jam and peanuts.

After dinner the weather had cleared and I could see all the way down the mountain for the first time. Unfortunately there was clouds covering the sunset but there was some nice colour behind Mt Meru. The Mountain was still clear and I could see the glaciers.

I went to sleep at 2030.

26 Mar 2015

Day 6 – 26 Mar 15. Karanga Valley Campsite (4000 m) to Barafu Hut – Basecamp (4600m). Ascent 600m. 0800-1000 (2 hours).

am nil machine not working, pm  81% oS/86 bpm.

It rained during the night but was clear when I woke up. It was nice to sleep through the night and not have to get up.

I was woken at 0550 by the noisy porters (not mine) so I just snoozed until 0700 when I had to get up. There was a layer of ice on the tent but it didn’t feel cold. Breakfast was the same again. As I was having breakfast there was an annoying buzzing noise and looking outside I saw someone had brought a remote controlled heli-drone which I assume had cameras on it. Thankfully it was only flying for 15 minutes. I was impressed it was flying at this altitude but it was definitely not a stealth drone with the noise it made and was very annoying.

The trail was a gentle uphill through the barren volcanic landscape. There was a frost so I had the satisfying crunch through the ice in the dirt. Looking back down the hill I could see the camp spread out and the clouds below.At 0800 Nechi and I left, once again the first people to leave despite the intentions of my neighbour who I had overheard insisting to his guide that they leave at 0730 so he didn’t have to walk in the rain again. I heard him woken at 0600 but when I left he was still fluffing around getting ready.

Once camp was set up there was actually some sun so I sat outside reading. The wind was coming in strong gusts and one of the empty tents actually ripped out of its pegs and started flying down the hill. Eventually it got too windy and the mist blocked the sun so I headed back inside my tent for shelter but kept the door open as I enjoyed the view of the mist.After reaching the top of the hill we dropped into a wide valley and then climbed steeply to reach the campsite which was a lot more cramped than previous ones and tents were perched on angles on the hill. For the first time there were tents already up when arriving at the campsite. These tents belonged to the people going for the summit. There were already some people who had returned from the summit who were resting before continuing down the mountain. People continued trickling down from the summit all day with the last ones arriving at 1600 making for a long day for them given most would have started at midnight.

Lunch was vegetable stew and watermelon.

The first of the people from last nights camp started arriving around 1300 by which time the mist and rain had started again. I just do not understand why they continue to leave late and walk through the mist and rain when they could have fantastic views and stay dry by leaving earlier.

Mid-afternoon as I was reading I heard a noise and looked up to see a mouse in my tent. Now this was not your average house mouse but a large and hardy alpine mouse with stripes down its back. It was not particularly concerned about me and was helping itself to some peanuts. I tried to shoo it out of the tent but it had now lost all ability to jump to get out of the door, despite being athletic enough to jump the 15 cm doorway to get in. So I ended up chasing it around and around the tent trying first to get it to jump out (I had both ends of the tent wide open now), and then trying to capture it to take it out. It kept going under my bags and sleeping bags around the edges and I could not trap it in my sleeping bag cram sack. It must have been 10 minutes going round and round and both of us were pretty tired before then when the mouse obviously had enough and rediscovered its jumping ability to jump back out of the door.

The rest of the afternoon passed incident free though I was disappointed not to get any afternoon tea, the food and service is no where near as good as Mt Kenya and the company GoToMtKenya.com. I got the first twinges of a headache so took a Panadol and increased my fluid intake and it did not reappear.

Dinner was Cucumber soup with fried bread, pasta and the same vegetable dish and no desert. Nechi did the normal briefing after dinner and said we would be leaving at midnight and I told him given my pace we should leave later so he relented and changed this to 0100 which I thought was still too early but bowed to his experience. I went to bed at 2010.

27 March 2015

Day 7 – Barafu Hut – Basecamp (4600m) to Mweka Hut Camp (3100m) via Uhuru Peak (5895m). Ascent 1295 m, descent 2795 m.

Am nil, pm  91% oS/ 83 bpm.

I was woken at 1230 and after a hot drink and some biscuits I filled my water bottles with hot water and put them in my home made insulators. It was a clear morning and not as cold as I expected. I put on thermal trousers with my ZPacks waterproof trousers over top. On top was my normal light Icebreaker merino top, a 260 weight Merino Top and my ZPacks rain jacket. I had 3 layers of gloves on and my windproof hat. In my pack was some more warm clothes, some snacks, first aid kit and water.

Nechi and I left at 0100 and I could see a string of lights heading up the mountain and it looked like 7 groups ahead of me. It seemed like we were the last ones to leave. I was feeling strong with no headache or shortness of breath.

Nechi set a good pace that was slow enough that I was not puffing but not as frustratingly slow as we had been doing previously. The track headed up some rock slabs then on a smooth path gently climbing with a few lightly steeper rocky bits. After 15 minutes we were both too hot so I took off my rain jacket and a layer of gloves.

We caught up to the first group in 20 minutes and two of the people were puffing badly, obviously short of breath in the altitude. There were 3 tourists and 2 crew.

Steadily we caught and passed other groups, occasionally getting stuck behind as we went through narrower bits. There was one group of 7 tourists but most were 2-3 people.

The track was largely easy walking and we started to see patches of snow before entering the snowline. Here the wind picked up and it started to get cold. I felt it the most in my hands and some of my fingers were starting to go numb so I stopped and put on my heavy down jacket and one more layer of gloves. Now I was toasty and did not feel cold for the rest of the climb.

Not long after passing the last group Nechi suddenly slowed down to a ridiculously slow walk without saying anything. His feet seemed to be all over the place so I asked him if he was okay. He explained that we were too fast and at our rate would be arriving too early at the summit so he had slowed the pace down and we would have to stop for long breaks as well. I was not impressed after our discussion about departure times.

At around 5500 m I started to get a headache so took a couple of Panadol and it went away. This was the only effect of altitude and I was very relieved at this as the last time I was at this altitude I was so affected I was unable to continue.

We continued at this painfully slow pace until reaching Stella Point (5752 m). Here we stopped for 10 minutes and I was just starting to get cold when we continued on. We stopped again in 20 minutes and rather than sit there I went for a walk to find a toilet stop and to look at the view from a higher point. We continued on at the slow pace but the sky was starting to lighten and I wanted to be on the summit ready for the sunrise so I went in front and picked up the pace.

The last bit to the summit is a gentle open snow slope so it doesn’t feel as much like summiting as Mt Kenya did but it was still a great feeling to walk the last 100 m and get to the point where everywhere was now downhill.

The views were fantastic with the sky starting to lighten causing the snow to reflect the pinks and oranges of the sunrise. To the East was cliffs down to a plateau. To the west was a snow slope down to ice cliffs. The North had a long ridge to a memorial and then a steep drop down big cliffs. The south where I had come from was a ridge steep on one side and gently sloping to the ice cliffs.

I took in the views and Nechi seemed to expect me to take photos and start heading down. I explained that there was no point in taking photos until it was lighter and that I was staying to see the sun come up and to be bright enough for good photos. He said there would be no sunrise due to the clouds and while I mentally disagreed with him I just kept quiet. He suggested while waiting we follow the ridge to the North so we walked down creating the only footprints in the snow. It was nice to get away from the other people who had started appearing at the summit now. At the end of the ridge was a memorial to those who had lost their lives climbing the mountain.

After 5 minutes there I headed back by myself as Nechi was kneeling down and I was not sure if he was praying or just resting taking in the view.

I headed back up to the summit and the sky was bathed in fire with the summit signs (yes there are two identical signs to cope with the vast numbers summiting in peak season) were silhouetted against this glow. Below to the east was clouds with one hole in them. The edges of this hole were glowing a deep red colour as the sun had risen below the clouds. 5 minutes later the sun appeared above the cloud layer and I was now happy to see the sunrise.

As it started to get bright I got photos at both the signs as the light was different for each one and admired the view for a while. Now ready to go down I went back to my pack and was surprised that it was covered in frost. I thought it was dry but obviously not and looking at my photos later I saw frost on my jacket hood. I stripped down in preparation for the descent and we were off with only one other person still at the summit.

 

Nechi let me in front on the way down and I repaid his patience at the top with a fast descent. It was not as slippery as I was expecting and we quickly caught and passed the other groups. There were still people coming up and I gave them some encouragement as I went down. Most of these people were really struggling and their crew were doing a fantastic job trying to keep them going, singing and dancing and giving encouragement. The last lady I saw had 2 porters carrying large boxes which I think was the heli-drone. She had 4 other guides/porters around her encouraging her and she looked absolutely shattered, like I felt last time I was at that altitude. I would not be confident she would make it to the summit but you never can tell what someone’s determination will do.

As we dropped below the snowline the track separated into an up and down track. The down track was scree so I was able to bound down scree running at speed which was great fun. From the end of the scree it was another 10 minutes and we reached the camp – first by 30 minutes! It took 1 hour to make the 1295m descent.

On arrival one of the other of the crews asked Nechi if we had to turn back as they didn’t expect anyone so early, especially a female. I think Nechi was proud to be able to brag about his fast client.

We stayed in camp for 1 hour so I changed back into my normal walking clothes and had a breakfast of Stew and pancakes.

We left at 0900 and headed back down the hill then branching off to take the Mweka route. The track was an easy one through the barren landscape at an easy gradient. We passed a stretcher carrier which had a platform with a wheel in the middle with suspension.  10 minutes later there was a whole lot of these stretcher carriers lying beside the track.

At the edge of the vegetation zone I could see a camp in the distance and this was High Camp. Further down the hill I could see our camp in the rain forest. The track now started descending steeply and the condition deteriated as the water damage had cut up the track. The track had many rock steps and became quite tiring to descend. I was glad to have my poles to help descend and give my knees some assistance. An hour from Barafu Camp we reached High Camp and had a rest. Kennedy arrived and Nechi told me to go with him for the rest of the way so we continued down for the most tiring part of the entire walk, summit climb included. It was an hour of steps of different heights and rocky path where we descended 600 vertical meters in the space of 3 km.

Finally at Mweka Camp at 1100 David had the tents up and I settled in for a relaxing afternoon. Lunch was stew and watermelon again.

I watched a steady stream of porters arriving and setting up camps. The first group to arrive came at 1300 but kept walking. It was not until 1500 that other people started arriving.

I had 5 things I was going to give to my crew; my heavy down jacket (purchased in Kathmandu many years ago as a gift to my Mum but too warm for NZ so she told me to use for this trip and donate to the porters), 260 weight Merino Top, Fleece Neck Warmer, Dry Bag and wool socks.  I taught the crew how to play Paper-Rock-Scissors and they played this to determine rankings. The winner then had first choice of items, 2^ndhad second choice etc through to the looser getting the last item which was the wool socks. I think they liked the fact that they all had an equal chance of getting the good item.

Once again no afternoon tea though I swear I heard them making popcorn but none for me! Dinner was soup and pancakes, rice and the same vegetable dish with no desert. While the meals have been big enough the variety has been lacking, especially no meat and in comparison to what I had on Mt Kenya nowhere near as good. This is interesting given there are two more people to carry things than on there was on Mt Kenya.

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Mt Kilimanjaro Day 8

28 Mar 15. Mweka Hut Camp (3100m) to Mweka Park Gate (1640 m). 10 km. 0700-0850 (1 hour 50 minutes). Descent 1640 m.

Breakfast was different today – pancakes and an omelette with orange and watermelon. Nechi and I left at 0700.

The track was an improvement over yesterday with very few steps or rocky bits. It was a little slippery with the rain during the night but I was able to make good speed on it. We quickly dropped down into the rain forest and after 1 hour 20 minutes came out onto a dirt road which we followed for another 30 minutes to the Park Gate where we registered and then waited for the driver and the rest of the crew.

 

 b

We all jumped into a Landrover for the trip back and I was a little surprised that the vehicle had no seatbelts. I know it is Africa but normally vehicles carrying tourists have seatbelts. I was a little nervous being in a vehicle without seatbelts given the roads and crazy drivers but we made it safely back to Springlands Hotel.

 

After checking in I brought the crew a drink and we sat talking about the trip. Nechi presented me with two certificates for the climb and I thanked them all and gave the tip and they headed to their homes. I spoke to the facilitator and gave him some feedback on the trip and suggestions for improvements.

I had a long hot shower and did some hand washing of my clothes before just relaxing watching movies on my computer. Lunch was pizza, ice cream and fruit salad with a fresh squeezed mango and pineapple juice. It was strange that you had to pay for a coke but the fresh squeezed juice was free. I talked with people about to go up and they were full of questions which I was happy to answer. On my advice they talked to their guide about leaving early every morning to avoid the rain and that night they told me their guide had agreed to this.

The afternoon was more movies and sorting through my photos. Dinner was a buffet and I enjoyed the variety of food. After dinner I repacked and had an early night ready for my flight in the morning back to Democratic Republic of Congo, via Nairobi and Entebbe Uganda.

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