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INTRODUCTION
On January 5th, 2001, two friends and I departed the San Francisco Bay Area
for Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. When asked why I climbed the mountain,
my usual answer is, "Uh... I don't know...", because my discovery
Kilimanjaro was pure serendipity (my friend Munira
had made the initial suggestion, but was later unable to go). I roped Wally
into the trip by buying him an airplane ticket, and Margo became interested
after the trip came up randomly at work one day.
I've heard Mt. Kilimanjaro called the "most underestimated mountain in
the world." It's nicknamed "the mountain that glitters" and "the place
where God lives". Most people think it's easy because it's not a technical
climb; after all, it's simply a hike straight up and down (more or less) the
mountain. However, as we discovered, the effects of fatigue and altitude were
very real. Luckily, my friends were very supportive prior to my trip: "You're
insane." "You're going to die." "Can I have your car if
you don't come back?" I love having supportive friends. Here's a good
page detailing high altitude discomfort. One sickness it fails to detail
is HAFE (High Altitude Flatus Expulsion). We discovered that it is, in fact,
a legitimate sickness.
After doing a little research on the web, we almost randomly booked a climb
on the Machame route. It's commonly called the "Whiskey" route, while
the easier Marangu route is known as the "Coca-Cola" route. This turned
out to be a great decision; the Marangu route seemed to be a commercialized
conveyor belt up to the top of the mountain -- crowded, with drinks for sale
almost all the way up (!). On the Machame route, nights are spent in tents with
no electricity or bathroom facilities, and we never saw more than two or three
other groups camped after the first night.
This was my first digital-only photo trip. I lugged a Canon
D30 Digital SLR, an assortment of "L" lenses, polarizer filters,
and a Gitzo monopod/walking stick, packed into a Lowepro
Street & Field Rover AW. It's rather ironic that for my first digital
photo trip, I climbed a mountain so high that hard disks (for backup) don't
spin up properly. I just had to pray that I had enough memory to last me until
I descended. All of the photos on this site were taken with the above mentioned
setup.
Author: Eric H Cheng
Contact: email | web
| guestbook
[next section]
PREPARATION
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro via the the Machame route climb involves trekking
approximately 50km over the course of 7 days. Since this was to be my
first extended mountain hike, my first extended camping trip, and my first
time at an altitude above 3000m, I had no idea how physically taxing it
would be, nor how my body would react to being at altitude. My exercise
routine involved two-hour kung fu classes twice a week, a few short day
hikes, a single short hike at 2500m, and an attempt at regular morning
walks up and down the hills near my house in San Francisco. Wally's routine
involved going to the gym and using the stairmaster for four miles a day.
I think he was more disciplined about getting in shape than I was.
Besides physical and mental preparation, there were a whole slew of other
things that had to be taken care of before leaving:
- equipment purchase/organization (see equipment guide
for details)
- visa for Tanzania (forms available from the Tanzanian
Embassy)
- yellow Fever immunization (required for entry into Tanzania)
- malaria pill prescription (suggested)
- other immunization/booster shots
- travel insurance that covers high-altitude trekking
(we used Worldwide
Travellers)
"With less than two weeks remaining before we fly out
of the Bay Area, I am finding myself filled with both excitement and worry.
The last few days have been a frantic scramble to take care of 'loose ends',
which unfortunately include important things like getting a visa for Tanzania
and having five needles jammed into all my important arm muscles (for immunization/booster
shots -- yellow fever, typhoid, hep A, polio booster, and tetanus). The shots
have left me feeling on the verge of contracting deadly illness..." [ next
section] PARTICIPANTS
Eric Cheng (myself)
Walter Tseng (friend from Stanford)
Margo Martinez (friend from work)
Alison Nicoll (lawyer, lives in Manhattan)
Guides: Alex Ulomi and Joseph ("Photo")
Porters: Andrew ("Master Voice"), Billiam, Edward (our cook), Freddy
#1, Freddy #2, and 2 more whose names we never knew
Tour Company:
Zainab Ansell ("Zara" of ZARA Tours)
Roger Ansell (Zainab's Swedish husband)
[next section]
ITINERARY - MACHAME ROUTE
Text descriptions below were taken from EWP's
web site.
Day 1: To Machame Hut
Hike time: 7.5 hrs, Elevation change: +1200 M
Estimated distance: 10km, Final elevation: 3100 M
*Drive to Machame village. The climb begins at the end of the tarmac
road. Walk through shambas then forest to the Machame hut (3000m, about
6 hours).
Day 2: To Shira Hut
Hike time: 7 hrs, Elevation change: +800 M
Estimated distance: 6km, Final elevation: 3800 M
*Continue along the steep ridge going on to rock ridges and through heather.
The route turns west into a river gorge, reaching Shira hut at 3800m,
5 hours.
Day 3: To Barranco Hut
Hike time: 5 hrs, Elevation change: +100 M
Estimated distance: ?, Final elevation: 3900 M
*Continue east towards Kibo passing the junction, then east towards the
Lava Tower. Shortly after this, you descend to Barranco hut (3940m, 4
hours).
Day 4: To Karanga Valley
Hike time: 3.5 hrs, Elevation change: +100 M
Estimated distance: 4km, Maximum elevation: 4590 M
Final elevation: 4000 M
*A short scramble to the top of the Great Barranco and then a traverse
over scree and ridges to the Karanga Valley (4000m, 3 hours), beneath
the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers.
Day 5: To Barafu Hut
Hike time: 3.5 hrs, Elevation change: +600 M
Estimated distance: 4km, Final elevation: 4600 M
*After climbing out of the Karanga Valley the trail ascends a ridge to
the Barafu Hut, a bleak location with little vegetation at 4600m, (3 hours
walking).
Day 6: Summit to Uhuru peak and descent via Mweka route to Mweka Hut
Summit time: 7 hrs, Elevation change: +1300 M
Estimated distance: 5km, Final elevation: 5895 M
Descent time: 5 hrs, Elevation change: -2800M
Estimated distance: 12km, Final elevation: 3100 M
*An early start for the ascent to the rim of the Kibo Crater between the Rebmann
and Ratzel Glaciers, (4 hours); the last section before the rim can sometimes
be snow-covered and an ice-axe or ski stick is useful for balance. From here a
further hour leads to Uhuru Peak, from where there are often fine views of Meru
to the west and the jagged peak of Mawenzi to the east. Descend to the Barafu
Hut for a rest and lunch before continuing on down to camp at Mweka Hut in the
giant heather zone on the forest edge. Those with energy on the summit may wish
to descend to the Reutsh Crater and visit the dramatic ice pinnacles of the Eastern
Icefields.
Day 7: Finish to Mweka gate
Descent time: 4 hrs, Elevation change: -1250M
Estimated distance: 10km, Final elevation: 1828 M
*A 3-4 hour descent through beautiful forest brings you to the Park gate
and your waiting transport. Drive back to the hotel.
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 0 (JANUARY 7, 2001)
We arrived in Nairobi in the evening to find that our luggage didn't
make it onto the airplane with us. We all experienced our first night
sleeping under mosquito nets, but that didn't stop some critter from biting
Wally about thirty times. You can see where the guy cruised around on
his leg by following the red bumps.
In the morning, we went to the airport because we had been told that our bags
would most likely be on the morning flight from Amsterdam, but they weren't on
that flight either. "No problem," we were told. "Just because they
didn't tell us your bags are on the way doesn't mean that the bags won't come
[on the evening flight]." I called Zainab at ZARA Tours, and she advised
us to take the 1:30pm shuttle to Moshi. She said, "no problem" -- our
bags would be shuttled to Arusha and Moshi, and then hauled up the mountain by
porters once they arrived. We were all very skeptical at this point, but not having
any stinkin' bags wasn't going to stop us from enjoying our vacation, so we piled
onto the Riverside shuttle and departed for Arusha. The road between Nairobi and
Arusha is long and bumpy. In fact, sometimes, the road just ends for awhile before
beginning again, for no apparent reason. At the border of Kenya and Tanzania,
you have to present your passport and visa (if required) twice -- once on each
side -- while being accosted by locals trying to sell you "authentic"
Maasai knives and other crap. Being Asian, we got the typical, "Japanese!",
yelled at us randomly. If we were Japanese, we would know it already, but since
we're not, it only served as a minor (but not unexpected) annoyance. I'm not sure
why locals in countries where tourism is the primary industry feel compelled to
assert where they think you come from. Anyway, after some number of hours of being
thrown around in the back of a bus, we arrived in Arusha, where we transferred
to another van, destined for the Springlands B&B hotel. On the van, we met
Alison and Nick, both Brits with similar aspirations to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Before arriving at the Springlands hotel, we stopped at the ZARA Tours headquarters,
whose fascade blends in with the other buildings on the street (that means that
it seemed to us that we were stopping in the middle of a dark street in an unfamiliar
town. it didn't help our confidence level, despite knowing that ZARA is a reputable
tour company). Zainab came out to meet us and to try to recruit Nick for the climb
(he had taken a shuttle to Moshi without having booked a climb or safari). Anyway,
after that we finally arrived at the Springlands hotel, and after washing up and
eating dinner, we were briefed on the itinerary of our climbs. Alison had also
signed up to climb via the Machame route, so she was to join our group (with her
own guide) for the next week. After the briefing, we retired in our mosquito net-covered
beds, dreaming (vividly because of the malaria pills) of lost luggage.
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 1 (JANUARY 8, 2001)
We woke up at the crack of dawn, which would become the norm over the
next two weeks. If we had had our bags, we would have packed them up for
the climb, but instead, we wandered around aimlessly for awhile and then
walked out the door to the covered dining area for breakfast. Aside from
fighting off a swarm of bees who wanted to share our food with us, breakfast
was very good. You can actually see Kilimanjaro from the Springlands hotel
on a clear day, but a clear day it was not, so were unable to see what
we were in for. Looking back, I think that it was probably better that
way, as we would have realized that Kilimanjaro is really big had
we actually seen it.
After breakfast Alison, Margo, Wally and I were driven to ZARA headquarters,
where we met our guides (Alex and Joseph "Photo"). We were taken
to a dark, yellowing room stuffed with green canvas bags of miscellaneous
clothing. A cat that I can only describe as being "mangy" was
sleeping (or was unconscious) on the bed in the corner of the room. I
usually reserve the word, "mangy", for dogs, but for this prime
specimen I had to make an exception. Alex went through the bags looking
for the gear we would need for the next two days on the mountain. We rented
boots, gaiters, sweatshirts, jackets, sweatpants, socks, balaclavas, scarves,
and gloves. One of the jackets Wally made out with was... fuzzy in an
undescribably funny way. One of mine had lots of assorted hair attached
to it. Not all of it was human hair (I eyed the cat suspiciously), which
made me really excited to put it on. Luckily, my boots fit properly despite
only being left with one-third of one inner sole (it was the heel portion
of the left boot). On the way out, Zainab said, "No problem."
Our bags would follow us up the mountain in a day or two.
It took 45 minutes to drive to the Machame gate from Moshi. During the
drive, we stopped (for food?), and I noticed some meat hanging from a
store-front window. The meat still had a tail and looked strangely like
a dog, so... I voiced my observation to the others. Alex overheard us
and corrected me. (laughing) "It's not dog! Goat!"
We arrived at the Machame gate just after noon to find many porters standing
around, presumably waiting for their respective climbing parties to arrive.
We signed in, and were off into the rain forest! The canopy of trees was
thick, and our entire field of view was blanketed with the textured green
of hundreds of thousands of small leaves.
After hiking upwards for awhile, it became apparent that we were quickly
going to be really, really dirty. It started to drizzle, and we all (except
Wally) gingerly picked our way along to avoid having our boots sucked
off by deep mud. Wally decided to go the direct route (hereafter referred
to as the "Wally way") and sloshed right through the small,
connected pools of mud that dotted the trail. Every once in awhile, we
would hear the familiar sucking sound that indicated that someone had
stepped somewhere where the mud was deep enough to create extreme suction
between boot and mud. It was about now that my right boot filled with
water and I noticed that the sole was coming off at the front. *sigh*
We stopped for lunch a few hours after starting the hike, and I took
out my camera for the first time since leaving. It had started to rain
pretty hard, which made me think back to the "we never have rain
in January" comments I heard from all of the locals upon arriving.
Lunch consisted of buttered toast, a hard-boiled egg, some fruit, and
a small bag of peanuts. Both Wally and I were soaked from the waist down
because we were unable to wear our vinyl ponchos (their breathability
rating was somewhere around 0%), and had instead draped them over our
heads and packs. My boots had long since stopped repelling water, and
I already had a blister on the fourth toe of my right foot. Margo was
wearing her poncho. I was worried because she looked pretty wet and might
have been overheating by wearing it.
The remainder of the rain forest was painful. My quads, which were unaccustomed
to such long, extended uphill hikes, cramped up (only once, luckily),
and I started to use my nylon pants as a napkin every time my hands became
muddy from grabbing onto something. Alison gave me some moleskin and tape
for my blister. I really think I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't had
moleskin, so she gets credit for keeping me going. :)
We made it to Machame hut at dusk, after trekking for more than seven
hours. The porters had (of course) beaten us to camp, and our tents were
already pitched. To our surprise, we found an extra tent with a table
and chairs in it for us to dine in! I couldn't believe it. On the
table were bags of tea, Milo "Energy Drink" (translation: hot
chocolate), sugar, hot sauce, a thermos of hot water and a plate full
of biscuits and popcorn, which we devoured hungrily. It quickly became
dark, and we started to worry about Margo. She had fallen behind (but was accompanied
by Alex), while we trudged ahead with Photo. After two hours of waiting
in darkness, porters were sent back down the trail with flashlights to
look for them. Finally, we heard Margo's voice at around 10:30pm. She
was completely soaked and seemed a bit frazzled -- almost in shock, from
exertion and being covered head-to-toe in mud. I can only imagine how
unpleasant it was to hike for three hours through a rain forest in the
dark. After chatting briefly, we retired to our tents. I was thoroughly
unused to the dank musty smell that permeated everything (including Wally's
socks, which I named "Acidic Death". heh...). Combined with
the altitude, I just could not fall asleep. I finally dozed off around
4am, only to wake up with the light of dawn.
"I'm really excited, and my confidence in what we can do is increasing.
Everything in our control I think we can handle, and the other things...
well, there's nothing we can do about them."
- Wally, 11:14pm, referring to our current lack of luggage
"Oh! I can't believe I forgot to mention the RIVERS OF MUD that
we had to sludge through today. The mud was just incredibly nasty and
sticky. Alex told us that we were lucky that there wasn't too much mud.
What the hell?!? I can't even imagine trudging through more mud than
we did today. Even the porters were having problems. Granted, they were
carrying huge bags and baskets on their heads, but it was good to see
that they are human, too. My rental boots are soaking wet, which does
not bode well for tomorrow. If our luggage doesn't arrive by tomorrow
evening, my feet may not survive another day. Whoah! Some dude just
let out a huge ripper -- a clear symptom of HAFE! (High Altitude Flatus
Expulsion).
- excerpt from my journal, 11:14pm
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 2 (JANUARY 9, 2001)
After waking up, we were treated to a big breakfast that included lots
of greasy fried stuff at the end. Wally was starting to complain about
the eggs by this point, but we made him eat them anyway. Altitude does
bad things to your appetite. It almost becomes painful to eat enough food.
Margo turned back (with Alex) in the morning, so it's just the three of
us, Photo, and the porters, from this day on. Even though we were out
of the rain forest already, the ground was still muddy and slippery. Apparently,
we were in moorlands. I had never been in moorlands before, so I didn't
really know what to expect. The trees and vegetation had already started
to thin out at this altitude (many were only left with dead branches due
to a fire three years ago), and we frequently were enveloped in luminous
white mist.
"My right thumb is still numb/tingly from pinching a nerve using
my trekking pole. The hike today took us about 4.5-5 hrs. It wasn't
too bad, except for the last half hour or so, when the rain gods decided
to unleash a storm of sleet upon us. Sleet doesn't feel good against
bare skin. Neither Wally nor I have our waterproof shells, so we draped
our rental rain gear (which is nearly impossible to hike in because
it's not breathable) over our heads/packs cape-style. Wally decided
to run to the campsite, while I stuck with our slow-but-frantic pace.
It's amazing how much a motivating factor weather can be. When we arrived
at Shira Hut we discovered that our tents had been laid out on wet tarps,
so it looks like we're going to be very uncomfortable tonight. Wally
developed a bad headache -- the third headache in his life (!) -- from
his extreme exertion at altitude during the end of today's hike. I think
he's going to try to take it more slowly from this point on. He knows
that he should be going slowly, but it goes against everything he knows.
Our guide and porters had tea ready for us, like yesterday. They also
gave us popcorn and peanuts, but since we actually beat some of the
porters up today, it took some time before everything was ready. Both
Wally and I were soaked from the rain, and standing around in the cold
was pretty miserable. Soon afterwards... the sun emerged from hiding
for about twenty minutes. We ran around like excited ants laying everything
that was wet out on the tents, on small rocks, and on bushes. It's amazing
how quickly things dry up here in the sun! Oh -- it's starting to rain.
I'm going inside our tent. On the way up today our guide "Photo"
chatted with Alison about soccer. It's the most animated I've seen him.
Later on he accidentally broke the thermos we use for hot water and
tea. We all felt really bad for him because he looked so sad! Both Alison
and Wally are lying down, hoping their headaches go away. Mine seems
to be in recession finally, but if I exert myself in any way it comes
back immediately. Argh. This rental jacket has HAIR all over it. Some
of it looks human, but I think the cat who was sleeping on the bed at
ZARA's rental place may have used it as a bed at some point.
"Shira Hut looks rather exposed. There's a fierce wind that comes
over the top of the ridge we're sitting on, and we're constantly being
overtaken by thick clouds. I think it will drop below freezing tonight.
I wish we had our gear!! The absolute silence here is punctuated by
the constant chattering of the porters. Swahili flows well -- it's neat
to listen to...
"Alison keeps comparing me to her ex-boyfriend. I guess we must
be similar. It's refreshing for me to meet someone as adventurous as
she is! It's been a pleasure to travel with her...
"If our luggage arrives, it will arrive the day after tomorrow,
or on day 5. Hopefully Wally and I can stick it out until then. If it
doesn't arrive by then, we'lll turn back."
-excerpt from my journal, 4:30pm
In the evening I took diamox, and learned first-hand that diamox + lots
of tea = peeing every half an hour. (Diamox increases one's rate of breathing.,
and is a diuretic. Wally couldn't take any because he's allergic to sulfa.
I was prescribed 500mg doses, but I only took 250mg at a time because
I was afraid that it would make me throw up). Dinner was very good, and
even though I was very hungry, my appetite was easily whetted, and by
the end of the meal I was forcing food down. I only managed to get two
hours of sleep in the evening. In retrospect, I think that it was both
the altitude and the caffeine in the tea I was drinking that was keeping
me up. No mo' tea after today.
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 3 (JANUARY 10, 2001)
The hike today was very beautiful. We are above the tree line now, so
the vegetation consists only of little shrubs, white, festive looking
plants, and these strange cactus/palm tree things. They're really strange.
There are huge, sweeping lava/glacier flows dotted with lots of small
rocks and the occasional enormous boulder. Along the way, we were fortunate
to catch some nice views of the cloud layer and land below (we're above
one horizontal slice of clouds), and an enormous snow-covered mound rises
imposingly upwards when we look back towards the peak. We'll be circling
it for two more days before shooting straight up it, but it still looks
intimidating.
One thing I should mention is that I was excited to have snagged a pair
of 50% synthetic, 50% cotton sweat pants at the rental place. I was excited
because it was one of the few things I had that was not all cotton. Never
mind that it had holes in the crotch, and that it was bright orange. I
wore it today. Unfortunately, I discovered that was, in fact, an evil
piece of clothing. In the evening I developed a horrible, horrible rash.
"I've never had a rash as bad as the one I have now. I must be
allergic to something. Whatever it is, it's not pleasant. It started
as some small bumps near where my waistline is -- where my pack rested.
As I scratched it, [the bumps] grew and grew until they merged into
gigantic raised patches. It's like armor or something. I now have similar
rashes on my ankles, neck, and shoulders -- everywhere there was any
rubbing or irritation. Argh! Along with the freezing temperature and
wetness, I am really experiencing extreme discomfort. Today's trek was
absolutely beautiful, with spectacular views of the peak. The porters,
cook, and Photo are talking away loudly. We've noticed that they never
seem to stop. I wish I could understand them. OK. I'm getting very cold
-- going to try to sleep."
- excerpt from my journal, 7:30pm
"I am up from having to go to the bathroom in the freezing cold.
This sweatshirt I got from Wally is much more comfortable than the one
I was wearing yesterday. I was warm all night (unlike last night). The
rash has mostly gone away, except for around my feet (ankles), where
it still itches. I wish I had soap and water to wash with! I think I
have mild diarrhea, too. I'll take some cipro in the morning. Wally
and I had a great history lesson on Tanzania from Photo last night.
He is well educated, and has had much frustration trying to get more
education (had to raise money for bribes that haven't done anything
to get him into college). It's sad to see someone limited by factors
outside his control."
- excerpt from my journal, 4:40am
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 4 (JANUARY 11, 2001)
We awoke to an incredible view from Barranco hut, which sits overlooking
a valley and has a nice, unbroken view of the surrounding land. The clouds
parted briefly, and a sky of the purest blue shone through for just a
little while. To our right (when facing the mountain), we could see "breakfast
hill" -- which looked like a sheer wall dotted with small, moving
forms (porters from the two or three other camps on our same schedule).
It was hard to imagine that we would be scrambling up it in the next few
hours.
The hike ended up taking about 3.5 hours, and wasn't too bad, except
for the rain. The barren terrain seemed to almost always be shrouded in
a moving mist, which ranged fron being thin and wispy -- similar to what
would rise off of a calm lake at dawn -- to being thick and wet. It was
so wet that I could only take my camera out once to snap two quick photos.
"Our tent is warm! 60°F. Wally is opening the tent exit now,
so that warmth is temporary. I'm trying to get my polarizers on my lenses,
so I have to warm the lenses up slowly, sealed in zip-lock bags, to
avoid having them fog up from condensation. I can't believe I forgot
to put them on before today! There's so much light reflecting off of
the little cloud droplets -- all of the photos might have been more
clear, I think. Oh well. We're at the halfway point between Barranco
and Barafu. It's raining, of course. Wally and I are eagerly awaiting
the supposed arrival of our gear. Tomorrow we head to Barafu, sleep
until midnight, and begin the longest day of the climb, to the summit!
We're being called to lunch now, but I'm missing my dry tennis shoes,
which were packed in the bag the porters were carrying. No dry shoes!
Wally is out looking for them now. I hope they just took it out of the
bag by mistake because it doesn't look like the rest of the clothing
in there. In fact, the bag it's in was originally theirs, so it is an
easy mistake to imagine. 1:29pm
"OK. Got my shoes back. We just had a satisfying lunch, and are
again in our tents resting and waiting for the rain to stop. It appears
to stop in the evenings and for a few hours each morning. Wally has
decided to attempt to summit even if our bags don't arrive. I guess
it can't hurt to try, although we definitely don't have the proper equipment
(enough insulated water bottles, flashlights). We'll just hope for equipment.
Most of the climb thus far has been mental, so I have hope that we'll
summit. Photo told us that assuming that none of us get sick, we'd all
make it to the top. He thinks we're fit enough. It's raining pretty
hard now. When will it stop?! Hopefully it will stop by the time I have
to go pee. I wonder what Margo is doing... Oh my god. The rain is really
coming down now. I don't envy the 6-day Machame route folk, who are
still climbing upwards towards Barafu right now. In nine short hours
they will be roused for the summit trek. All three of us are acclimitizing
well, and none of us have headaches or are breathing hard at rest anymore.
We'll have spent three nights at roughly 4000 meters before ascending
to Barafu (4600 meters) for 10-11 hours of rest (before summitting).
Wow -- this journal is not satisfying to write in. My mind feels cloudy
and everything emerging from my pen sounds inane.
"We trekked today through valleys of shale carved out by lava.
The terrain seemed so alien, and was a great contrast from the muddy
rain forest we trekked through just a few days ago. By chance, Alison
is also currently reading Murakami's Norwegian
Wood, which was neat to discover. On the path today we saw numerous
broken thermoses. I guess it's not unusual to break them; they're made
of glass inside, and the path was pretty steep and rocky at times. It's
raining so hard I can no longer hear the porters talking. I can also
see a little river of water between the tent and the tarp it's laid
out on... wait a minute. What a crappy place to put a tent! There's
a channel on my side where water is flowing. On top of all of this,
I still have to go pee. (Wally and I got out of the tent to dig new
flow channels around the it. Oh, and it turned out that the channel
of water on my side came from water flowing onto the inner layer of
the tent, down a single zipper that wasn't zipped all the way shut.)"
-excerpt from my journal, 3:04pm
CLIMB - DAY 5 (JANUARY 12, 2001)
What a miserable day! As usual, we woke up and waited for the sun to
rise. A little while after we started hearing the porters chat, Alex poked
his head into our tent. After taking Margo down to the gate on the morning
of day two, he had turned around and headed back up the mountain (using
a different route -- the Umbwe route, I believe) to catch up to us. He
informed us regretfully that our luggage had not arrived. I still can
feel the sinking feeling I had when he uttered those words. Luckily, we
had already decided that we should attempt to summit regardless of whether
our bags showed up or not, so it wasn't too much of a blow. However, he
did tell us that Margo's bag had arrived, and was on its way up the mountain
on day two (they intercepted them on the way down) (!). How ironic is
that? (We found out when we got back that Margo and Alex had spent half
an hour on the mountain separating out everything that could have been
useful to Wally and me. They sent it up in a bag with a porter, but we
never received it. I can only imagine how happy I would have been to get
another pair of socks!! *sigh*)
I have developed a horrible pain in my left lung -- it is a sharp, stabbing
pain upon inhalation. This does not seem like a good thing. The hike to
Barafu hut took about 3.5 hours. At least two hours of it involved sleet,
snow, and wind. Even though Wally and I had decided to attempt to summit,
it took all of my willpower to keep my spirits up. I was cold, cold, cold,
and my boots had really started to fall apart, which made my feet even
colder than they had been before. (Un)Fortunately, there's no way they
could have been wetter, since they were already completely waterlogged.
I didn't get any pictures of the hike, or of Barafu camp because conditions
were so bad. On the way, Alex pointed out a grassy area where an American
tourist had died from pulmonary edema. We found out later that the tourist
had been in his climbing group. Scary.
Our campsite was located on a rocky outcropping. When we arrived, we
huddled under some rocks that were jutting out of the cliff wall and watched
the porters try to put the tents up with heavy snow falling all around
us. Some of them weren't wearing gloves -- they must have been freezing!
Anyway, eventually the tents went up, and we crawled inside, leaving our
wet jackets and backpacks outside to "dry". It took awhile to
warm up, but eventually we settled down. Lunch was brought to us (it really
was a luxury because I don't think I would have ventured outside the tent
to eat), and we tried to get some sleep in anticipation of the evening
summitting attempt. Water rendered the one watch the guides and porters
had inoperable, so I volunteered mine to use as an alarm clock.
"[Today] wasn't worth writing about, because... it sucked. We
started hiking pretty late -- 9:20am -- towards Barafu hut, and caught
the brunt of a horrible downpour that lasted two of the three and a
half hours we hiked. Argh. Needless to say, our tents were very wet.
Wally's sleeping bag soaked through yet again (the tarp was wet, which
made the sleeping pad wet, which soaked his bag, so he wasn't very happy).
Getting into the tent everyday poses a perplexing problem: how do you
place the things you value such that they don't get wet? Anyway, we
were brought lunch at 3pm, and then dinner at 5:30pm. I took diamox
sometime around dusk..."
- excerpt from my journal
Wally and I made a Top-10 Equipment wishlist today. Clearly, he's less
of a whiner than I am.
Eric's Wishlist:
1. Boots that aren't falling apart
2. Shell jacket
3. Shell pants
4. Dry wool socks (had dreams about these!)
5. Synthetic shirts
6. Synthetic pants
7. Better gloves
8. Boxers
9. Soap
10. Nalgene bottles
Wally's Wishlist:
1. Shell top
2. Boots
3. Wool socks
4. Shell bottom
5. Snack food
6. Petzl headlamp
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 6 (JANUARY 13, 2001)
"Just before midnight, we awoke to Alison puking up all of the
pasta she had eaten just a few hours earlier. We all got dressed in
slightly damp clothing (I *had* to put those nasty orange crotchless
sweatpants on again -- too cold!) and started trekking to the top! Luckily,
I was feeling great. The pain in my left lung had subsided, my rash
had gone away completely, and the brisk, thin air made me feel energized.
Soon after leaving, Alison started throwing up again. She had tried
to drink some tea, but her body disagreed with her, and it came right
back up. Alex and Photo decided that we should split up, because Alison
was not feeling well and had to take a slower pace.
"Almost three hours into our trek, Wally stopped and decided to
turn back. He was in a lot of pain due to a lower back problem, and
despite a valient effort, could not go on. Alison and Photo were nowhere
in sight by this point. Oh -- I should mention that this is all occurring
by the light of the moon, which had been full only four days earlier
(we missed the lunar eclipse that happened that day, unfortunately!).
Anyway, so it was pretty surreal. The ground was snow covered, and it
sort of shone with a ghastly illumination. Alex turned back with Wally,
and I hitched a ride with a guide named "August", who was
leading a woman named Lynn from British Columbia. Her two companions
had already turned back due to nausea. She gave me a powerbar, which
was a nice gesture. Trying not to break any teeth, I ate half of it
(it was frozen like a brick). Alex caught up shortly after (he had led
Wally back down to where the path became obvious again, but it took
him TWO HOURS to find our tent once he reached the camp site, because
we were tucked under the cliff wall on an outcropping... at one point
he laid down in the muddy snow and debated going to sleep, before waking
someone up and asking them for help), and we continued upwards ahead
of August and Lynn. It was really, really amazing to be on the mountain
trekking in moonlight. It was completely silent. Nothing is alive at
that altitude, and no one was around except for me and Alex. For some
reason, I periodically stopped and whispered, "it's so quiet,"
perhaps to reassure myself that noise other than our rhythmic shuffling
was possible. At some point, four large men decked out in North Face
gear came careening down the mountain at high velocity. One of them
slammed into me and almost knocked me backwards down the slope. I would
have been upset, except that I turned around and noticed that he was
laying in the snow motionless. His buddies crowded around him as we
continued upwards...
"At around dawn, we reached Stella point, which sits on the ridge
leading to Uhuru peak. Maybe 45 minutes before, Alex had pointed up
at it, which had flooded me with relief. After six days of hiking, the
end was near! The mountainside up to Stella's point was steep and snow
covered. I kept slipping, and it was impossible to move faster than
a snail's pace without becoming short of breath. The sun hadn't come
up yet, so the unearthly purple glow from the horizon combined with
the strong moonlight lit up the snow in the most amazing way. I'd never
seen anything like it. The clouds stretched in almost every direction
as far as the eye could see, like millions of cottonballs fused together
with a warm pink glue. Kilimanjaro's other peak towered above the clouds
just a short distance away, along with the ridge I was standing on.
The sun rose while I was making my way from Stella point to Uhuru peak
(the highest point). At this point the Machame route merges with the
Marangu route, so I met up with a few other travellers here who had
taken the other, more popular route. It took me a long time to get to
Uhuru peak because I kept getting distracted and was shooting lots of
photos. By the time I reached the peak at 7:10am, it was completely
deserted. We convinced an Argentinian guy decked out in a yellow Northface
body suit to turn around and take our photo together (Alex and me),
and he was nice enough to comply. At the peak there was a Tanzanian
flag, a sign, and some big metal boxes with a summit log in them. The
wind was biting here, and it didn't take long for my face and hands
to become numb. Oh yeah -- on the way back down, I saw a spider in the
snow. It was really strange. What does it eat? Anyway, the peak made
me feel like I was standing on top of the world.
"After celebrating for a few minutes, we turned around and started
back towards Stella point. Level and slightly downhill terrain enabled
us to make good time, but as soon as the ground sloped upwards even
a little bit, we slowed to a crawl. As we reached Stella point, we ran
into Alison and Photo! Alison looked pretty miserable, but she had a
good attitude about summitting and was excited to have made it. We all
broke out cameras, took some pictures, and parted our separate ways.
Oh yeah -- at Uhuru peak, the Argentinian guy's guide congratulated
me for finished the whiskey trail. "Japanese usually do not do
the whiskey trail." *sigh* It took Alex and me less than 2.5 hours
to make it back down to Barafu hut. I was pretty unhappy on the hike
back. We were going really fast, it was raining hard, and my knees and
ankles were hurting. The sun was beating down on me, and even though
it could only get to my eyes through the little crack between my sunglasses
and my forehead, it gave me a headache. Alex took a rather nasty spill
(spun around twice and hit a rock) that spilled blood, and he didn't
figure out that there were sunglasses in Wally's bag until we were half
way down already..."
-excerpt from my journal, 10:13am
"We're at Mweka hut now, listening to Andrew ("Master Voice")
yell: "Billiam!" "Ueh!" (the reply) "Billiam!!"
"Ueh!" (the reply). Apparently, Billiam is the whipping boy
of the group. He gets nagged to do everything. By now our tent has the
mustiest smell I've ever encountered. Yuck. The hike from Barafu was
much longer than I had expected, and of course, it rained every minute
of it. A few hours into the hike, Alex pointed off to some white specks
a few hills and valleys of jungle away and said, "You can see Mweka
hut from here. That's where we're going." It was a horrible feeling
to look so far off in the distance and to imagine the trek required
to get there. Wally took off with Photo early in the descent, and beat
us to Mweka hut by almost 45 minutes.
"My boots are soaked, as usual. Tomorrow, I sacrifice my pair
of dry camp socks for the rain forest trek back to a clean world. I've
already safrificed all my dry pants, which is why I'm wearing a wet
pair right now to go to bed. The only dry one is the nasty orange one
that gives me rashes. It's now being used as a rag. :) This camping
area is really, really muddy. I'm sure tomorrow's rain forest trek will
be disgusting as well, but the pot of gold (a shower) waiting at the
other end may be enough to put us all in good spirits. If our gear isn't
at the hotel, I'm going to be pissed. Oh! Also, we met a gang of British
Army dudes. They're hilarious. Let's see... there was Richie (30 years
in the army, and counting), Kenny (medic -- the guy who almost knocked
me off of the mountain while trying to descend. he had severe Acute
Mountain Sickness), Andy (weapons specialist), and six others we didn't
get to meet. They had funny nicknames for their guides ("Jocko"
and "Helmet") and were a blast to meet and have drinks with.
Mweka hut actually has huts to sleep in (not for us, but for some of
the others). They sell drinks here too. Weird. Everyone's going to sleep
now. We're going to leave at 6am tomorrow (yeah, right). Andrew was
particularly talkative tonight. He told us what we were being served
for dinner, and thanked us for dinner. Tips are near, I guess.
"I can't wait to get out of here. The climb was amazing, and I'm
glad for the experience. However, right now, I'm cold, wet, dirty, and...
I just want a clean shower and a change of clothes! OK -- going to bed
now. After I wake up I'll be 4-4.5 hrs from checking out of Kili!"
-excerpt from my journal, night time (lost my watch)
[next section]
CLIMB - DAY 7 (JANUARY 14, 2001)
"Back at the hotel! The shower I just took was the best shower
I've ever taken."
-excerpt from my journal, mid-afternoon
The last day's hike dragged on for a long time. Like the first day, there were
some extended mud lakes that required hanging on to trees to get around, and
it was extremely slippery. Luckily, it didn't rain, so we didn't have to deal
with mud that potentially could have been flowing. Like day one, I eventually
started just walking through the mud and water. There was just no point in trying
to gingerly pick my way through. My gaiters were tied closed with twine because
the velcro was so caked with mud that they refused to stick anymore, and because
the zippers didn't work. The sole on my right boot was now half-way off, flopping
around. "It looks like a fish mouth," said Alex. Roots jutting horizontally
off the ground would periodically get stuck in between my sole and the rest
of my boot (while walking), and it required a good deal of arm flailing and
praying not to fall. The sole would also wrap under my foot occasionally (again,
almost making me fall). I did fall four times, but they were minor slips. Some
of the falls involved my trekking pole catching on plant-life and refusing to
come loose without taking me down first. Both Wally and Alison had falls "with
technical merit" (Alex was keeping score), which involved a few running/jumping
steps followed by dives to the forest floor. Near the bottom the path became
very slippery. The riverbed we were hiking down took on a red color -- like
the rock formations in Sedona, Arizona -- and were coated with a thin flim of
mud. Wally's stomp-like walking didn't fare so well there, so he was slipping
all over the place.
When we arrived at Mweka gate, the British army unit guys were there to heckle
us, with their freshly cleaned, shiny boots (there are locals at the bottom
who offer to clean your boots for 200 schillings -- almost 27 cents). Anyway,
so we signed out of the park, ate lunch, tipped the porters and guides, and
were driven back to Springlands hotel.
I was given a fancy
certificate for successfully reaching Gilman's Peak.
[next section]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was an amazing, amazing experience. It really
pushed all of us to our limits, in terms of discomfort level, and even
though it was physically taxing, it wasn't *that* bad. I felt fantastic
when I woke up for the summit trek, and had no problems making it to the
top. It's almost random whether your body will decide that it's unhappy
at altitude. However, we met an older gentleman at the hotel who had trained
every day for a long time in order to make it up the mountain, so it seems
that the amount of exercise one should get to prepare for the climb increases
with age.
Having our luggage never show up during the climb changed my perception
of what is "necessary" for a trip like this. Almost everything
I packed was not necessary, but it all would have made me a lot more comfortable.
And, if there hadn't been a big bright moon, we might not have made it
up on summit day because we didn't have suitable flashlights or headlamps
to illuminate the way.
As a group of three, we tipped each porter $30, and the cook $40. They
all applauded after being told their tip amounts, which made me feel uncomfortable.
Wally and I tipped Alex $160, and Photo $120. Alison tipped Photo and
Alex as well (Photo more, since he was her primary guide). Margo also
tipped Alex for getting her down the mountain safely. Guides apparently
do quite well in Tanzania's economy. We heard about a guide who was injured
after five years of taking people up the mountain, but he had purchased
a house for rental income during that time, so was able to not work while
healing.
Photo's story saddened me. After finishing secondary school, he wanted
badly to go to college. Despite having good grades, he was forced to bribe
the admissions officials for a chance to attend. He started climbing the
mountain as a porter to scrape up bribe money, but after handing over
money twice, he was still not admitted (he expressed... mild unhappiness
that students whose grades were not as good were getting in because they
were wealthy, or had parents of higher status). Frustrated, he gave up
and started as a guide. He had guided Kilimanjaro 25 times in the past,
and really led clients with his heart. It was a pleasure to be in his
company on Kilimanjaro.
Alex had been up Kilimanjaro over 100 times in his five years as a guide.
He was competent, but didn't invest emotionally in us. Actually, he didn't
invest anything in us, as he couldn't even remember our names. After the
climb, he came to our hotel room to say hi (which was nice of him), and
we had an awkward few moments recorded on video camera that showcased
him as what you'd expect from a big fish in a little pond. Oh well. He
got me up the mountain.
ZARA Tours did an excellent job, and it seems that they have a good thing
going for them. At the Springlands hotel, we hung out for a few hours
with Roger Ansell, Zainab's Swedish husband. He detailed for us their
entire operation -- it was very interesting. I couldn't help feeling like
I was special because I was suddenly a friend of "the family."
I mean... they have a bullet-proofed car, and they live in a gated paradise
in Moshi, complete with Maasai security guards. Anyway, so it was neat
to get a behind-the-scenes verbal tour of how a tour company in Tanzania
works.
I enjoyed getting to know Alison as well. She assured me that as a respectable
lawyer in New York, she looks very different (Prada shoes!). If you know
her personally, ask her about the slugs we saw near Mweka gate on the
last day. They reminded us of something she liked to do on the mountain.
Oh my god -- she's going to kill me when she reads this.
After the descent, I had a few residual, physical problems. My back was
tingling along a stripe in my back just to the left of my spine (it has
since gone away). I also have pinched a nerve in my right hand using the
trekking pole -- pressure in between my thumb and first finger causes
sharp, unpleasant tingling in my hand and thumb, and the tip of my thumb
became numb after the first day on the mountain (it has since healed).
The tip of my right big toe is still numb now (a month later). However,
it's less numb than it was just after coming down the mountain, so I'm
hopeful that the nerves are healing. After returning from Africa (after
a week climb and a week safari), I was not able to eat anything for almost
three days. I forced soup down my throat during that time, but it was
pretty bad. I weighed myself, and discovered that I had lost ten pounds
(!). Wally lost twenty pounds, but he had more than I had to lose, since
he's a big guy. The physical repercussions weren't too bad, considering
the accomplishment! I've heard of people losing toenails on the descent,
so I count myself as fortunate.
So... go climb Kilimanjaro! It's one of the few, high mountains you can
climb without being a "real" mountain climber. Our party consisted
of a city-girl from New York and three Silicon Valley tech-heads, so...
well, anyone can do it. :)
If you would like to contact me, please send
me email or sign my guestbook.
[next section]
MEDICATION
In order to gain entry into Tanzania, a validated yellow fever International
Certificate of Vaccination is required. The CDC has a page
detailing this requirement. In addition, I was given shots for typhoid
fever, hepatitis C, tetanus, and rabies. I was also prescribed Mefloquine
(brand name Lariam) for malaria,
fluoroquinolones (Cipro) for diarrhea,
antibiotic eye drops for eye infections, and I also brought advil, and
acetazolamide (Diamox) for altitude.
Diamox controls fluid secretion, and is typically used to treat glaucoma.
It's considered to be a sulfa drug, so if you're allergic to sulfa, you
probably shouldn't take it. Diamox's side effects are listed as: change
in taste, diarrhea, increase in amount or frequency of urination, loss
of appetite, nausea, ringing in the ears, tingling or pins and needles
in hands or feet, vomiting... and, (more rare): anemia, black or bloody
stools, blood in urine, confusion, convulsions, drowsiness, fever, hives,
liver dysfunction, nearsightedness, paralysis, rash, sensitivity to light,
severe allergic reaction, skin peeling (!).
It sounds like a crazy drug, but in practice, I only noticed an increase
in breathing rate and deepness, an increase in the amount and frequency
of urination, a loss of appetite, and tingling and pins and needles in
my hands and feet. It made me feel strange -- like I was slightly out
of breath all the time, except that I didn't feel like it was from oxygen
starvation.
Mefloquine is taken weekly, and has the following side effects: nausea,
dizziness, difficulty sleeping, and vivid dreams. I experienced all of
these up on the mountain, and had vivid dreams and nausea as soon as I
started taking it (a week before the trip).
It's strange, because the side effects of extreme altitude are commonly
listed as: headaches, hyperventilation, shortness of breath during exertion,
increased urination, irregular breathing patterns at night, and insomnia.
Symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) include loss of appetite, nausea,
or vomiting, fatigue or weakness, dizziness or light-headedness, difficulty
sleeping, confusion, and staggering gait.
See a trend here? Between the altitude, Lariam, and Diamox, I
was worried that I wouldn't be able to properly diagnose AMS if I had
nausea and started throwing up. But, you can pretty much expect to have
mild-to-severe headaches, shortness of breath during exertion, hyperventilation,
loss of appetite, and insomnia. Everyone in our group exhibited all of
those symptoms, but they became less severe as the days went on because
we acclimitized at 4000 meters for three nights. By the evening of our
summit ascent, I felt fantastic (i.e. healthy), and only was exhibiting
loss of appetite, and shortness of breath during exertion.
I timed taking Mefloquine with my climb so I didn't have to take it while
I was actually on the mountain. For the 7-day Machame route climb, this
means that I took one dose the the evening before the climb, and one on
the evening after the descent.
My Diamox prescription recommended that I should take 500mg, twice a
day, for no more than four days (two days before being at altitude, and
two days at altitude). I took 250mg of Diamox, twice a day, starting the
evening of the second day of the climb. I continued taking it until the
evening of the final summit ascent on day 6. When I returned from the
mountain, I had residual tingling in my extremites and in my back, just
to the left of my spine. I'm not sure if the tingling in my back was a
result of Diamox, or something else. [next section]
TIPS
exercise before the climb
If you're not in good shape before leaving for Kilimanjaro, you'll
regret it!
do not fly KLM!
Apparently, a large percentage of travellers who fly KLM to Nairobi
do not get their luggage for long periods of time. The KLM office in
Nairobi told us that delayed luggage is usually delivered on the next
flight, but there were approximately 18 flights into Nairobi from Amsterdam
between when we arrived and when we actually got our luggage. DO NOT
FLY KLM INTO NAIROBI.
fly into kilimanjaro airport
We flew into Nairobi, but if I could go back and plan this
trip again, I would have flown into Kilimanjaro airport, which is just 45 minutes
from Moshi. It would have saved us a day on both ends of the trip.
If you can afford the extra cost (Alison says that it's about $500
more than ticket to Nairobi) it might be worth it. Another option is
to book a flight that arrives in Nairobi in the morning so you can hop
on the afternoon shuttle to Moshi.
be smart about informing immigration officers when you arrive
If you fly into Nairobi, you have to say overnight in order for the
visa fees to be waived. I mistakenly told the immigration officer that
I'd be in Kenya for two weeks (the total amount of time I would be in
Kenya and Tanzania), instead of one day (we left for Tanzania the following
day), which got me into trouble upon trying to fly out of Nairobi, because
I had entered Tanzania before my time stated was up. The immigration
dude was just being an ass for the hell of it, and eventually let me
through without paying fees. However, he did accuse me of "cheating
[them] when I arrived, and cheating [them] when I returned."
bring lots of cash or traveller's checks
It is not easy to withdraw money using credit cards or ATM cards in
Tanzania. In Moshi there were one or two places where we were able to
get cash, but the surcharge was roughly 5%, and it was not convenient.
US dollars ($) are accepted everywhere, so bring lots of small bills.
pack lightly
Do not carry more than you need during the day hikes. Try to carry
only water, waterproof shell jacket and pants, extra clothing, camera,
moleskin, sunglasses, hat, sunblock, your lunch, and some snacks in
your daypack.
make sure you're completely waterproof
This means having good, waterproof boots, shell jacket, shell pants,
gaiters, and some means of waterproofing your daypack and the contents
of your duffel bag. It's really, really wet on the mountain.
bundle up for summit day
It's really cold and windy at the top. Make sure you're warm, windproof
and waterproof.
use trekking poles
None of us had ever used trekking poles, but we rented some anyway,
and found them to be very useful (especially in the rain forest -- they
often kept us from falling, and were useful for prodding muddy areas
to see how deep they were).
don't drink too much tea at night
Wally and I switched to drinking hot water instead of black tea, because
we thought that the caffeine was keeping us up at night. (Wally didn't
sleep so well the entire time, but he said that he slept better after
he stopped drinking so much tea). You're actually supposed to drink
tea at altitude because it's a diuretic.
The altitude also prevented us from sleeping well, but as soon as I
started taking Diamox, I was able to sleep through most of the remaining
nights. Your mileage may vary.
use purification tablets at altitude
Water boils very easily at altitude, and may not kill off all the nasty
critters that need to be killed before tourists can drink the water
without suffering later.
walk slower than you can stand to
It will likely be painful to walk so slowly -- especially during the
first few days, but it will help you to acclimitize better. Walking
more slowly = fewer headaches and less vomiting. :)
don't go on safari for more than three days
This isn't really related to the climb, but if you do decide to book
a climb/safari package, limit your safari to three days. Go see the
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and maybe one other place. If you do book
a week-long safari, you'll be bored by the end of it. (This sound strange,
but... well, you'll see. We didn't take the advice of others who suggested
the same thing, and sufferred because of it).
go to Zanzibar
after you climb/go on safari
You'll meet others who are going, and will wish that you were going,
too. (Alison said it wasn't crowded while she was there, because of
a travel
advisory against going to Zanzibar while we were in Tanzania.) It
seems to me like it'd be the perfect wrap-up for a trip like this.
[next section]
CLIMB GEAR
I spent a lot of time thinking about what I "needed" for this
trip. My original excel spreadsheet can
be found here, but in retrospect, I packed much, much more than I
needed to successfully summit. The following is a list of the things that
Wally and I bought with me in my daypack and rented from ZARA Tours, which
was enough to summit in. The "Both" column lists items that
both Wally and I had.
In practice, all you need is a daypack, a duffel bag, clothing, a hat,
water purifying tablets, gloves, 3-4 liters worth of water bottles, moleskin,
boots, dry camp shoes and socks, a flashlight, lithium batteries (alkaline
batteries freeze -- it might be really cold), sunscreen, sunglasses, and
perhaps a toothbrush. You should have insulated water bottles, or a heatpack
for the summit ascent. It may be cold enough for the water in your pack
to freeze. If you're a big hairy guy you should bring deodorant, too,
but we Asian folk typically don't need it, so I was fine without it. :)
Oh, gaiters are highly recommended. They keep mud out at the bottom and
snow/gravel out at the top.
Equipment (brought in daypacks):
Stuff both Wally and I brought:
convertible nylon pants,
sunglasses,
glasses,
contact lenses,
lens solution,
lotion,
toothbrush,
water purifying tablets,
toothpaste,
cipro,
lariam,
daypack,
journal,
lighter,
passport,
yellow fever doc,
wallet,
cash
Stuff I brought:
1 cotton t-shirt,
1 thin cotton sweatshirt,
1 pair cotton boxers,
1 pair cotton socks,
1 cotton bandana,
diamox,
antibiotic eyedrops,
camera equipment,
LED flashlight,
6 AA lithium batteries,
felt tip pens,
compass/thermometer,
book: altitude illness - prevention and treatment,
1 book,
handwarmer packets
(from margo),
small flashlight
(from margo),
small trashbags
(from margo)
Stuff Wally brought:
1 synthetic t-thirt,
1 synthetic long-sleeved shirt,
1 pair synthetic boxers,
1 pair cotton socks,
1 32 oz nalgene bottle,
etrex summit gps,
sony pc100 camcorder + accessories,
5 AA lithium batteries,
baseball cap (discarded on day 3),
2 pens,
1 pencil,
1 book,
housekeys,
1 small mesh bag,
2 zip lock bags,
north face "sawtooth" shoes
Rented Equipment:
Stuff we both rented:
sleeping bag,
balaclava,
2 pr. sweats,
vinyl rain jacket,
trekking pole,
gaiters,
boots,
2 pr. dr. seuss socks,
2 pr. gloves,
pvc rain pants,
fleece jacket,
parka,
water bottles,
large duffel bag,
sleeping pad
Stuff I also rented:
sun hat,
2 pr. wool socks,
scarf,
thin fleece,
large acrylic sweater,
thin synthetic muscle shirt,
(too small),
thick pants
Stuff Wally also rented:
1 pr. wool socks,
nylon pants
[next section]
PHOTO GEAR
Most of my daypack consisted of heavy camera equipment. This was my first
digital-only photo trip -- it's rather ironic that for my first digital
photo trip, I climbed a mountain so high that hard disks (for backup)
don't spin up properly. I just had to pray that I had enough memory to
last me until I descended.
All of this equipment was packed into a Lowepro
Street & Field Rover AW, except for the monopod, 100-400mm lens, and the
equipment I brought for Margo and Wally (which they packed themselves). The monopod
and the 100-400mm lens were packed in my big duffel bag, so I didn't actually
get them until after I descended the mountain. The Rover AW worked well for me,
although I found that the straps that hold the top of the backpack to the chest
harness (it's a completely modular system) tended to slip over time, so I always
had to adjust strap lengths a few hours into the hike to keep the bulk of the
bag above my waist. The daypack area of the bag (the bottom of it is designed
for camera equipment, while the top is deisgned for other miscellaneous gear)
was small, but it did fit my small toothbrush/toiletries bag, my journal, a book,
my bandana, a pack lunch, and random other stuff I crammed into there.
I want to explicitly thank Wally for carrying my extra water for me.
I could only fit a single 1.5 liter water bottle in my bag (it sat precariously
in an external lens holder attached to my waistbelt), so he carried about
1.5 liters of extra water for me every day.
Here's what I brought:
- Canon D30 Digital SLR body + 3 batteries [ dcrp]
- Canon Elan SLR body - backup [ review]
- Canon Elan batteries
- Gitzo monopod/walking stick (didn't get to use -- in luggage)
- Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM lens [ review]
- Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 lens [ review]
- Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM lens [ review]
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens [ review]
- Canon Speedlite 550EX flash + 2 sets of batteries [ review]
- Compact Flash cards (Lexar 10X 256MB, Lexar 4X 32MB, Viking 64MB,
Lexar 8X 128MB)
- Minds@Work Digital Wallet [ review]
- Yashica T4 Super camera (for Margo) [ review]
- T4 fresh batteries (2) (for Margo)
- 35mm film (for Margo)
- Sony DCR-PC100 Digital Camcorder + 2 batteries (for Wally) [ review]
- battery charger for D30, digital wallet, camcorder
- Small pillowcase with zipper (to fill with beans), for camera support
on safari
- 4 extra AA Lithium batteries
- polarizing filters (58mm, 72mm)
- zing camera case
- lens wipes
- lens brush
[next section]
PHOTO GALLERY
the streets of moshi, just outside of the springlands b&b hotel
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perched on a rock, resting
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the plant life on kilimanjaro seemed very foreign to me
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view from shira hut on the morning of day 3
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porters, day 3
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view of cloud layer, day 3
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large boulders in a valley carved by lava
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following a stream in the mist...
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view from barranco hut, day 4
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view of breakfast hill from barranco hut, day 4
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view from barranco hut, day 4
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hiking to barafu hut, day 4
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stella point, looking up the path to uhuru peak
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my guide, alex ulomi
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a big glacier
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view from path from stella point to uhuru peak
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alex, walking down path to uhuru peak
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flag and sign at uhuru peak
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view from uhuru peak
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springlands b&b hotel
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the streets of moshi, just outside of springlands b&b hotel
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a preview of what is to come, when i finish the web site for the safari portion of this trip...
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[ next section]
RESOURCES AND LINKS
- Google.com
search on 'climbing kilimanjaro'
- Africa
for Visitors Guide to Climbing Kilimanjaro - Fantastic resource -- contains
facts about Kilimanjaro, planning information, route summaries, and an excellent
resource section containing many useful
links.
- Destination Africa Tours: [overview]
[climbing
guide] [route
maps]
- Great Outdoor Recreation Pages: "Climbing
Kilimanjaro, Kmart Style" - like me, this guy rented stuff to climb
the mountain.
- EWP - The travel
agent we used to book through ZARA Tours.
- ZARA Tours - The
tour company we used. [see details
for the 8-day machame package, which is the one we booked]
- A
page detailing the history of Kilimanjaro -- includes aerial photographs
- Dan Heller's
Photos of Tanzania - fantastic photos of kilimanjaro
[back to home]
[back to home] [back to travel
home] [echeng.com]
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