So-called Kilimanjaro, eh?

Our 7 day Machame route extravaganza began on Oct 2, 06. The group of 20 Hands Across Africa folk started our climb with about 60 porters and 3 guides. The group of us had worked hard over the last year, organising fundraisers and events to send funds to programs in Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.

I was starting off with a bad head cold so was trying to send my own sinuses positive thoughts while I sweated up the mountain. Nice! Day 1 and 2 were hot, and through dense forest. The trail was moderately steep; we all felt pretty good although it was embarassing to be trucking along with just a day pack while the porters passed us, carrying about 50 lbs...on their heads. At the end of day 2 we were above the forest line and camped on a rocky plateau. We were well taken care of by our cooks...at the end of each day we would arrive to have our camp set up, hot tea and POPCORN ready for us, and good food on the way. Nights were very cold, and the squatter outhouses were uber-sketchy (enter horror-movie music) but so far so good! Day 3 was a long day through alpine desert...rocky, barren, and foggy; creepy enough that I expected the headless horseman any second...On Day 3 some people started to feel sick from the altitude, and one of our crew, Bobby, had a stomach bug. Everone trooped on; Russ and I were lucky to be feeling pretty good, despite the common cold situation.

Day 4 was a shorter day...we started off with the Barranco wall, which is a massive wall face; the scramble took about an hour and a half and it was fun. After that we descended for a few hours to camp, scree and scrambling. At camp we had a hot lunch of all things deep fried...fried jam sandwiches! Who knew how good that could be?! We camped at Karanga Valley. Everyone was pretty bagged; even those of us who weren't sick yet were feeling sluggish with the altitude.Day 5-6 was crazy. And hard. We hiked about 3 hours in the morning, a pretty steep grade, then napped at the next camp (Barafu camp, 4600 m). It was cold and very windy; we all tried to rest because we had to leave at 11 pm for our ascent.

Summit day! We set off in the middle of the night. We were all wearing all of our layers and were lighting the path with our headlamps. The winds were crazy...strong enough to push me to the side if I didn't brace myself. We had the whole group with us although a lot of people felt pretty sick. It was a full moon; when I was brave enough to lift my eyes from the path, the mountain ahead was full of tiny lights from hiker's flashlights, and the clouds raced past the moon so fast it made me nauseous. Every step was an enormous effort; we moved unbelievably slowly yet breathing was a struggle. We trudged along for hours...I stopped feeling my toes from the cold. At about 4:30 am Russ started vomitting from the altitude. We kept going but he got sicker and sicker and eventually had to go back with another fellow in the group. The rest of us trudged on... my water pack froze from the cold. The last 100m before Stella point was the hardest...it was steep and our breathing got more and more difficult. The sun came up just before we reached Stella; a beautiful red sunrise over Africa. When we reached Stella Point (5735 m), I do not think I have ever been that cold. I was exhausted, nauseated, and my vision was blurry. I decided not to go on to Uhuru Peak. 9 of our group carried on; the rest of us started the 3 hour descent. And that's the story! I'm happy I made it to Stella Point. I'm happy I stopped there, and I'm happy everyone is safe and sound. I'm happy we had such a great group and that this was how we celebrated having raised $100 000 toward community/rehab programs in Africa. And I am damn happy to be off that mountain:)

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