Kilimanjaro Trip Report: Day 5

day five: the summit

at midnight we started walking. the winds were so bad if you didn't place your foot down quick enough, you were pushed back. estimated temperature was minus fifteen. let's throw snow/sleet/hail into the mix, and we're starting to paint the picture.

we climb from 4600m to 5895m.

stopping is painful, but necessary. our water freezes. board shorts man vomits. i focus on feet. when i dare to look up, i instantly feel sick. stretching vertically into the distance snakes a sea of head torches, and i know what's ahead. lisa supplies ginger lollies, which curve my nausea.

at 7.15am, as the sun rises over just another day, we reach the summit. i am crying. i haven't known such exhaustion, ever, and i realise now why so many people don't make it here. those seven hours were incredibly difficult.

When the sun broke, I barely had energy to take photographs. It was so stunning, but I literally had nothing left. My batteries died, and I couldn't replace them. My guide Michael helped me, and such a simple thing, was so necessary. There's a picture below of Michael infront of the glacier. Without his help, I wouldn't have made it.

So, all that was left, was to get down. I thought the hard part was behind me, but I had no idea.

From 8am until 6pm, we climbed down. Through snow, ice, rocks. We'd been walking for over 18 hours, and now without anything left, we had to get down. My knees took a horrific turn for the worse, and finally they failed me. The last three hours were one of the most painful I've known. There were tears, and not of joy.

There was one moment, which I believed summarised the entire day. Upon descent - I came across a girl, sitting in the snow. She was literally frozen, sitting, in the snow. There were two guides which had come across her, and I asked them if she was okay. They said she was tired. I asked the girl if she wanted a sweet, something to give her energy, and she couldn't even respond. I took it out of my pocket and placed it into her hand, and her fingers flickered slightly with recognition, but she didn't have the strength even to lift it to her mouth. So i took the lolly and placed it into her mouth. She didn't even register, and the guides picked her up, and dragged her down the mountain.

That girl represented so much of how I felt. Just empty, without anything left to give, but knowing how much was ahead.

In conclusion: I'm glad I did it.

Would I do it again? Do you even need to ask??

Tough Factor: Off Scale

Kilimanjaro Trip Report: Day 4

day four: first day of pain

bad bad sleep, maybe two hours. our guide wakes us, "as long as you're not sick, it's okay." i try to prepare for the day ahead, as today will be our longest. for the first time i am sore, the sides of my hips are aching - the day before three of us descended really quickly, literally running down the mountain. it was fun, but with consequence.

we set off at 8am, and vertically scrambled up the "breakfast wall" until 1pm - our first hot lunch. omlette and fries!

after lunch i broke off from the group, and walked along, ahead. it was great to clear my mind, and although the walk was tough, mentally I felt revieved.

I reached camp around 4pm and was greeted with horrific winds and snow. tonight, we would summit, and the weather was scary. Lisa and I sat in the tent as it fell down around us (badly put up) and wondered seriously if we should abort, and wait for the weather to calm.

we rested for three hours, and then were woken up (implies we were sleeping, but we weren't).

It was time to ascent to the summit. This was going to hurt. a lot.

Tough Factor: 8/10

Kilimanjaro Trip Report: Day 3

day three: the long walk up

today represented a new kind of challenge; the mental challenge. while kilimanjaro isn't a technical climb, there's a tendancy for some (including myself!) to assume it's easy. but there's a few curve balls which do increase the challenge factor. for me, these were:

1. the altitude. makes everything harder/impossible

2. walking higher, sleeping lower. today we climbed to 4600m, but slept at 3800m. it's a common technique to allow you to adjust to the altitude, in which you climb higher during the day, then come back down to sleep. it sounds great, but think of the reality of pumping those little pegs up, up, up - hanging out for a bit, then slogging out downhill - only to realise you'll be heading back up in the morning. makes you hate your guides just a little bit.

3. board shorts man. one of the boys on our climb had a love of board shorts, which he wore whenever weather permitted. after the climb he was doing a marathon - the next day. while the rest of us were puffing away, he would make a point of stretching loudly, with a sigh. you can imagine the type.

the worst crime of all, however, even more so than wearing board shorts on a mountain - was that he never walked on the path. perhaps it was the altitude/physical/mental tole but it literally started driving me crazy. i've always believed that when you're in nature, you need to respect it. that includes, when a path has been carved into ground, you stick to it, to avoid further damaging the environment. mister board shorts man, however, would roam along the mountain, and everytime i watched his oversized hiking boots crush another plant, a little light of enthusiasm dimmed. by the end of the day, my will was gone. i went to bed listening to meditation in my ipod. thank god it helped.

The good news: we arrived to camp and we were literally above the clouds. Absolutely stunning!

Tough factor: 8/10

Kilimanjaro Trip Report: Day 2

day two: five hours up

we awoke to hot tea, warm water (which we used for a face wash - albeit the last time we used our morning hot water, as it got colder the water would cool within minutes...)

three hours straight up, steep as you like. we went slowly, and stopped for lunch (carrot sandwhich, muffin, banana which had seen better days, juice, boiled egg). Lisa and i don't eat much bread, particularly carrot sandiches (?!) - so she munches on a large supply of nut bars and I choke down the bread, thinking about energy. as the days progress, i get crafty, and swap my sandwich/muffin for boiled eggs with the boys.

we scramble over rocks for another few hours, before reaching camp on a stunning plateau. we introduce the others in our group to a card name which has a slightly offensive name, and eat dinner inside the tent due to the cold.

it's our first cold, sleepless night, and we awake to ice on the tent. the clouds are clear this morning, and we see the peak for the first time. it looks a really, really long way away...

Tough Factor: 7/10

Kilimanjaro Trip Report: Day 1

day one: 6 hours walking through the rainforest.

Blister appears within 1 hour of walking. Thank god for the compeeds (https://www.sellesmedical.co.uk/store/product/2523-Compeed-Blister-Dressings)

We arrive to camp, where I tend to my blisters. I strap my feet with a combination of compeed, stretch tape and bandage - which stays strong until the end of the hike.

The rainforest was beautiful, a lovely offset to the six hour inclination. There are six within our group, including three competitive boys who love racing ahead. We anticipate this will cause future problems, and are correct in our assumptions. Tonight I enjoy my first night with the new sleeping bag; which is a treat, particularly as we're still at relatively low altitude so can actually sleep. Bonus!

Tough Factor: 8/10

Cheryl Cole and a 40% success rate

FOUR days until Kilimanjaro! Here's four interesting points about Kili:

1. Mount Kilimanjaro is situated entirely within the borders of Tanzania, although it is situated close to the border of Kenya.

2. It is the tallest mountain in Africa

3. Around 15,000 people per year attempt to summit the top.

4. We will be aiming for a five/six day ascent, which is commonly considered 'too fast' - therefore resulting in a 40% success rate of reaching the summit.


And here's four interesting points about my journey:

1. I will be climbing with Lisa. We decided to do this while sitting on a grassy patch on the coast of Spain.

2. I am typing this entry in bed, with a cold.

3. I have worn my new hiking boots four times, averaging thirty minutes per wear

4. We will be ascending around the time of the UK's Radio One Comic Relief trip to Kili. I secretly hope to bump into Cheryl Cole, and will be dressing for the occasion should it eventuate.

She may not be impressed.

running with the horses; moroccan style

training took a different turn this week: as i've spent the last week in morocco. i went prepared, and packed my running gear, and what's more - i even used it!

during the week i managed two morning runs, 15 minutes a pop, and an extra bonus - a slightly unexpected run - of about 20 minutes... with horses...

allow me to explain

we decided to partake in an afternoon of horse riding, during which my spirited horse decided to attack another horse - mid gallop. now my nerves while riding are limited at best, but this almost threw me and my nerves were shot. i jumped off the horse and declared i would walk.

unfortunately this made travel rather slow, and, so i thought - why not use the opportunity to take a run? off i went, running with the horses, along the beach. lovely!

in other news- i've joined the local womens running club - will run with them again this sunday. hopefully a little faster than last time! it's hard to run and chat with the ladies.

and now only two weeks until i leave for Kili!!!! time to get those boots on