Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

February 1, 2010 – David Climbs To the Top of Africa

Habari za Asabuhi (good morning).

This is Ba Ba Daoud with the dispatch from Barafu Hut, where the air is rich with O2 and my body is happy. Yesterday we climbed to Stella Point and on to Uhuru Point, the highest point in Africa. Wow, what a day; words are not enough to describe our experience!!!

Prior to our summit day, we camped at Kossovo Camp, a beautiful and secluded camp overlooking Mawenzi volcano and the vastness of Africa. Upon arrival, the porters sang Swahili songs to welcome me to the camp. It was very, very moving.

During the afternoon we sat in the sun wearing only t-shirts and light pants before enjoying another fabulous dinner prepared by Samwell. However, I think our day of indulging angered the mountain gods because at bedtime, Kibo unleashed her fury. The wind came up quickly and with such strength that it shook the tent like a leaf. The sound was deafening. On several occasions the wind got under the tent and actually lifted my legs up. I was sure the tent was going to go ‘ass over tea kettle’ down the mountain! It now became abundantly clear to me why the porters secured the tent rigging to large boulders around the perimeter of the tent.

No one on our expedition slept much that night since the wind never relented! The Berg Expedition tents faired very well but the two nylon pieces that form the vestibule on my tent had come unzipped in the pounding winds and were flying like Tibetan Prayer Flags in the morning. Our Dutch neighbor’s cook tent actually collapsed during the night. During the night I wondered if this would be a mild form of a storm near the summit of Everest. I also wondered if any other trekkers had attempted the summit during the night!?

The wind subsided shortly after we left about 8AM to climb to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak (5,896m/19,350ft). It was challenging but we made it to Stella Point in four hours just as Julius had predicted and then another hour on to Uhuru. In the thin air, I could only manage about 25 metres at a time before needing a rest. I thought of Tracy’s words, “pretend that the rocks (along the trail) are looking up and smiling at you, encouraging you to the top!” and it worked! At Stella Point, Julius and I stopped long enough to enjoy protein bars, some water and the expansive and wonderous vistas of Kibo crater, the glaciers and the Ash Pit.

The walk around the crater rim to Uhuru point was mildly graded and while my mind said “this looks easy”, my body found it to be deceivingly difficult, requiring frequent stops for a breather. From the top of Africa we could see the vastness of Kibo Crater and the Ash Pit, spectacular blue glaciers and puffy white clouds below us. At Uruhu Peak, Julius gave me a big hug, a high five and we took a couple of pics to preserve the moment!

About this time it occurred to me that we had to drop down to our camp on the crater floor, several hundred metres below and I thought out loud, “Julius, tell me that we aren’t going down this cliff?!” “Follow me!” was all Julius said!

It was like standing on the summit of Lake Louise ski hill in the Canadian Rockies BUT with a back pack, slippery hiking boots and no energy, descending one of the ER Chutes. The snow filled bowl had melted and frozen over, leaving a path of icy footholds or no footholds at all and sheet of shiny ice below. After navigating through the upper portion of the bowl, the icy trail gave way to the relative safety of a steep muddy path. I rated it 9.5 on the sphincter scale, the Russian judge gave me a 6 and the Swahili judge, only 1.5!

Arriving at Crater Camp, I was totally spent. The fuel tank and reserve were completely empty so I rested through the afternoon. Julius had promised a trip to the Ash Pit but it wasn’t possible. I tried to refuel with a good supper but my appetite had abandoned me; sorry Samwell.

With the help of my iPod, I rested and had a fairly good sleep, waking briefly at 4:30AM to check the thermometer. It was -10 degrees Celsius but thanks again to Thor, I was toasty warm. This morning I was amazed to find that I felt quite rested and reasonably strong! Breakfast was excellent and after a quick walk we were again at Stella Point, enjoying an incredible sunrise and view of Mawenzi.

Footnote...

While walking from our crater camp, I noticed two parallel tracks in the sand and asked Juluis what caused them? He told me that a paraplegic person in a wheelchair, assisted by four porters, summitted shortly after we did and camped overnight. I couldn’t believe it; how incredibly humbling!

Dave