We made it! All the way up the top (5895m above sea level). Not bad for a guy from a flat country 
Why?
Climbing the Kilimanjaro has been on my wish list for a few years. I’ve loved hiking up mountains in National Parks for years, and when I read Douglas Adams’ description of the Kilimanjaro in The Salmon of Doubt, I was sold. He presents the Kilimanjaro as “the tallest mountain in the world”, and sidesteps Everest and all the others because “it all depends your point of view.” Because “If you were going to climb Everest, you would probably start somewhere in the Himalayas, and anywhere in the Himalayas is pretty damn high to start with!”. But about the Kilimajaro he writes: when you finally see … the highest mountain in the world (from base to apex), your blood runs cold. At last you say; “oh, above the clouds”. Your whole head tilts upwards… , ah well, you get the picture. And in his trip he describes wearing a rhino suit climbing up the mountain in order to raise money to fight the trade in rhino horn. That’s not part of my plan so far.
Preparation?
Only 4 weeks in advance we decided to climb Kili; there were still 6 spots left at www.expeditiekilimanjaro.nl. Our ‘international group’ turned out consisting of us and two students from our hometown, hilarious, but it was good fun anyway. There was little time to physically prepare, but each weekend I did a long hike. The highest hikeable point around here is the Kardinger mountain (artificial heap, 15 meter high), so I climbed it many times 
.
I did bring good gear however. It’s bloody cold up the mountain; worst case around -20 to -30 degrees celsius. Most of the necessary stuff I had, but I bought some additional thermal wear (the best), a ninja-style baclava, and I borrowed a sleeping bag in addition to my -7 degrees-ready sleeping bag
The route
Our plane landed in Nairobbery (please fasten your wallets) (Kenya), flying there is a lot cheaper than anywhere in Tanzania, so from there we took a bus to Arusha (Tanzania). And it’s not the advertised three hours; with the road conditions we experienced you need a plane to cover it in that time. It’s at least five hours bumpy bumpy, and it’s a miracle the busses don’t break down, not even once on the trip.
In Arusha we stayed at Sakina Camp hostel, quite ok, but neither the advertised 20 minutes walk to the center (maybe if you’re one of the famous Kenyan marathon runners). Ah well, in Africa people are not in a hurry. The owner Siporah helped us very well , so we’d go there again. We visited Arusha National Park (with a nice walking safari, almost touching the buffalo’s ) and acquired about the safari possibilities after we’d return from the mountain, but we were really looking forward to starting our climb.
It takes a few days to get accustomed to Africa again, because it’s so different to our ‘normal’ lives. It’s hot, dirty, and you have to haggle a lot to avoid feeling cheated. It feels so unorganized, all existing infrastructure is built by the western colonialists in previous times, and broken down by now. It takes a few days to see it’s unorganized like an ant colony is unorganized, and then it’s quite doable to navigate through society.
We took a bus to Arusha, and our hostel provided the best view of town on the mountain:
After an addional day of preparation, packing all the right gear with some help of our guides, and renting additional walking sticks for the way down, we were ready to go. I plotted our camps along the route on Google Maps:
- Camps
- Route
Walking
For seven days and six nights I’d be stuck on the mountain. Our group of 4 was supported by 16 men (!); 2 guides, 2 assistent guides, 2 cooks and 10 porters. Apart from all the hiking and primitive toilet facilities, it’s quite a luxurious trip. As soon as our group arrives at any camp, popcorn and tea is served, the tents are pitched up, our luggage has arrived and the cooks are preparing dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever made a trip this well-arranged!
Actually, the hiking is quite easy. It’s really moderate to cope with the height difference. The guides keep telling us to do “polle, polle”, because there’s a fair chance to be bothered by altitude sickness. It’s not the hiking that’s hard; it’s the height (5895m) and the cold (-25 degrees) that stop people from reaching the top. Like said, it gets colder up the mountain, and we take cover during the worst parts of a hail storm. One of our porters is less fortunate and slips, with a huge gass canister in his hand! He has to leave early to get his broken hand plastered…
We were lucky in this case to be assisted by the friendly doctors of a group walking along with us. This group was quite special in it’s own, consisting of people with diabetes and supporting staff. The mission of the Kilimanjaro Challenge 2008 was to show that diabetes doesn’t necessarily limit you in doing things like climbing the Kili. Additionally, the purpose was researching how the diabetic body behaves on great height. Herefore, they (or rather their porters) tagged along a lot of solar-powered research equipment, and the research results will be used to advice future diabetic climbers. The group contained enough doctors to support their people in case of special needs, and to check our porter’s hand…
The top
The most strenuous part of our journey spans the trip from Barafu camp to Uhuru peak. Starting at 23.00 at night at 4600m, we have to climb up in the dark wearing enough clothes to protect us against the freezing cold. I wear two hats, two pairs of gloves, and still I have frozen (blue) fingers. We walk slow, out of breath, and everybody is in some way affected by the height (dizzyness, headache and loss of apetite). After hours and hours of just walking up, when the sun rises behind the clouds, we reach Stella point. This is the point where people bail out because they can’t continue, and I was unsure for a while whether everybody could make it. However, making it this far seems to re-fill our spirits and there’s no way any of us would give up. Only 45 long minutes later, walking alongside a big glacier, we’re at Uhuru Peak. Nothing to see through the clouds, but we’re at our destiny!
