Kili Climb--Day 6--Summit and First Descent

I'd always heard people say, "Kili is just a long hike, a walk-up. It's not really a climb." But climbing Kili is a feat, mainly due to the altitude. Yes, it's like a series of six different hikes, and by climbing standards, it's pretty cushy. Porters carry all the gear, tent crew erects the tents in camp every night and breaks them down the next morning, delicious hot meals are served in a mess tent complete with tables and chairs, and portable toilet tents are even assembled each evening. But, being on the trail seven days in a row through rain, fog, wind, sun, and sleet and dealing with many different types of terrain from mud to scree to rock slabs is a challenge. Add in the logistics of treating water, taking care of high-altitude headaches, lack of sleep, GI issues, using a pee funnel in the middle of the night, packing, unpacking, correctly fueling and hydrating your body, and working with thirteen other climbers and countless Tanzanians, and you have a demanding but richly satisfying experience.

When we were resting in our tents last night before our 11 PM wake-up, the wind picked up. The tent shuddered and squeaked, and I had visions of being weathered off another mountain. But the skies were perfectly clear, and the wind was not as intrusive as it sounded. Walked out of camp at midnight in long underwear; long-sleeved zip tech shirt; fleece vest; insulated overall pants; softshell insulated jacket; buff; light hat; heavy OR mitts and handwarmers, which were a bit too bulky for holding poles; lightweight knee-high socks; Millet 8000-meter boots; and a headlamp. At gear check, Eric laughed when he saw that I had brought a second pair of boots; he gave me the "overkill" award. But those boots (bought for my Aconcagua climb) kept my toes toasty that night while Eric was often swinging his legs to warm his feet.

After the first rest stop, we split into faster and slower groups. Tom and I were a little late to get back on the trail, so he, AJ, and I ended up in a small group in the middle. We merged with the fast group at the next break. Countless short switchbacks with scree and big steps up onto rocks moved us steeply up the mountain. The moon was out, but it was still hard to discern our path. The wind faded in and out, and the temperature was cold enough to freeze the water in one of my bottles, but not so cold that I was ever uncomfortable. I donned my down jacket at the first rest stop but skipped it at subsequent ones. The tough part of this climb is the altitude. Even though we spent a couple days hovering around 12,000-13,000 feet, we still moved from 13,300' to 19,340' in less than 24 hours. Hard on the body.

By the time we reached Stella Point (18,860') on the crater rim, Tom and I both felt a bit spacey. The fast group had indeed been fast; we reached Stella by 5 AM. We had been told that by the time we reached Stella, there was only negligible vertical left to negotiate. We weren't told that it would be nearly another hour of climbing to reach the summit at Uhuru (19,340'). We'd see headlamps in the distance, thinking we were almost there, and then the headlamps would become more distant again. False summit after false summit. Tom, just behind me, kept saying, "I'm feeling a little bit wobbly."

Just before sunrise, we reached the sign at the summit. The weather was still clear, so the sunrise at the top of Africa was stunning. The shadow of Kilimanjaro was projected westward, and the southern icefields glowed.

Kili's shadow

 Southern icefields

Tom and I waited our turn until we could be photographed in front of the sign (some rather pushy Estonians kept getting in the way). We held up our prayer flags filled with names of those who have battled breast cancer and paused to revel in the fact that we had raised over $27,000 for breast cancer research! Very rewarding. I'm sure I will climb again for the Hutch, but not until 2012 or 2013.

 

 No, our jackets aren't pink

I wish we had been given more time to take in the sights (the glaciers, the crater), but before long, our guide August was ushering us down the mountain. We were back in high camp by 8:30 AM. The scree slopes on the descent seemed to never end. Hordes and hordes of people were working their way up the mountain. Many were being accompanied down, propped between two guides, looking like glassy-eyed zombies. I'd never seen so many climbers on a mountain where they didn't belong. I think many choose Kili because of the support, but most don't know what it takes to successfully climb a high-altitude peak. 

We waited for hours at Kosovo Camp before all members of our group returned. There was great fanfare upon Doug's arrival. Dear Doug; I've never witnessed such perseverance. 100% success for the Kili Goats! We made our way down another 4000 vertical feet to Millenium Camp, ate a wonderful dinner, and are now crawling into sleeping bags, happily exhausted.