WANDERLUST AND SPARKLES: [Tanzania] Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (Part I)

Background on Kilimanjaro: Mt Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano in Tanzania with 3 volcanic cones, or peaks: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Uhuru (Swahili for "freedom") is located on Kibo peak at approximately 5895m, the highest point in Africa. Because of its height, Kilimanjaro creates its own weather system; it is also the world's highest free standing mountain and the 4th most prominent mountain in the world.

{Flying birds with Kilimanjaro as the backdrop makes for a pretty sight}

Background on the Machame route: there are 6 official climbing routes and Tanzanian authorities stipulate that you must have a trekking operator to take you up the mountain. I chose the Machame route because although you sleep in tents instead of huts and it is steeper, more strenuous and by far the muddiest route, it is also the most scenic and the landscape changes literally every day! Not only are the ascent and descent routes different but the Machame route also adopts a "climb high sleep low" approach to aid acclimatisation.

Getting in to Moshi town: I flew from Singapore to Hong Kong via Tiger Airways, and then we made our way from Hong Kong to Nairobi. Our Kenya Airways itinerary said our flight involved 1 technical stop but didn't specify that it was going to be in Bangkok! In any case I was actually surprised each time my check-in luggage appeared on the conveyor belts, because I was so sure they were going to get lost, stolen, mishandled or misrouted along the way. To counteract that, I'd packed the most expensive/essential items into my carry-on and made a full inventory list of what went into my check-in. We arrived in Moshi town at 4:30pm on 3 January and were scheduled to start trekking on 4 January, so we were clearly running on a tight schedule and couldn't afford many slip-ups...

{In Hong Kong for 12 hours en-route to Nairobi via Bangkok, having just celebrated the sis turning 26 with birthday brunch at Press Room}

{In the sis' flat in Hong Kong}

TRIP REPORT:

Day 1 of trekking: Moshi town (888m) -> Machame gate (1490m) -> Machame camp (2980m)

Landscape: montane forest (cloud forest)

The bag my porter is to carry is overweight by 2kg. I quickly stuff the 2kg worth of food I am bringing into my day pack instead, otherwise my porter bag won't make it past the weighing station! The van takes us from Moshi to Machame gate and we start our long slow trek to Machame camp. I am happy to be last in the group because I want to walk up this damn mountain as slowly as possible so I can acclimatise well! The porters quickly pass us by, mumbling Swahili greetings of "jambo" and reminding us to walk pole-pole (slowly slowly). we started around 11:00am and by 4:45pm we reach Machame camp. Our tents have already been set up for us and I am REALLY GLAD I opted for my own tent! I also opted for my own toilet tent, which is incredibly helpful as it means I won't have to fumble around in the cold dark night to use the public toilet and risk stepping off a ridge and plunging to my death. It is only the first night but temperatures are set to approach freezing. as I look up at the sky and shiver I realise I have never seen so many stars in my life, not even in Mongolia. During dinner, our guide Dckson introduces us to... our MOUNTAIN WAITER.

{Tanzanian man holding a Ukelele belonging to a Japanese man, just after crossing the border from Kenya into Tanzania}

{At Machame Gate, with everyone in nice, fresh and clean clothes, about to start our trek and endure 7 days of not showering}

{The South African brothers forging ahead}

Day 2 of trekking: Machame camp (2980m) -> Shira camp (3840m)
Landscape: moorland

Very enjoyable walk today with Dickson teaching us Swahili. I can now sing a Swahili song! Reached Shira camp (3840m) at 2:40pm and rested for a little bit before doing a short acclimatisation trek lasting for an hour. Insanely cold night where temperatures supposedly dropped below zero. All i remember is waking up every 2 hours because I was freezing in my sleeping bag (that sleeping bag was supposed to withstand up to -35degC!)

{Helipad at 3600m}

{Shira camp}

{Sunset on Shira camp}

Day 3 of trekking: Shira camp (3840m) -> lava tower (4600m) -> barranco camp (3950m)
Landscape: heath/alpine desert
Aside from summit day this is the most exciting/surreal day. It is an incredibly long day, but also an important day for acclimatisation. I wake up to discover that the backs of my relatively new North Face boots have cracked. The day's trek begins with a steep and rocky incline in hot weather till the lunch point at about 4500m where it suddenly gets extremely cold. I get a text message from Nat saying the firm has been trying to reach me urgently but I cannot make calls and can only text and it is freezing!!! We finally reach lava tower and i make the optional (and breathless) scramble up to the top (4700m), telling Dickson i will treat it as an acclimatisation trek. During the descent to Barranco camp, I fall on the loose scree and end up with bruised knees. I also find out that I've gotten my period, which is extremely distressing because I hadn't expected it to come so early so I have neither supplies nor Norethisterone and the guy to girl ratio on the mountain is like 20:1! I even vaguely consider abandoning the climb if i cannot find enough supplies but after A LOT of asking around i manage to get some supplies and my largest supplier asks for an interview! Turns out she is doing a documentary film on the welfare of the porters on Kilimanjaro. Bump into a Swedish guy with tissue stuck up his nose to stem his nosebleed (altitude sickness). I give him 6 Diamox tablets for his son, who had been throwing up while at lava tower. After everything that's happened today, I realise i have a very slight headache - I don't know if its the stress or surrealism of it all, or if I am just dehydrated, or if I actually have altitude sickness - but I am paranoid, so I quickly down 2 Aspirin and 1 tablet of Diamox and resolve to monitor this for the next 24 hours. Today I have also officially given up sleeping in my own tent so I am sharing it with Tim, because it is insanely cold.