Day 1
We arrived at the Macheme Gate a little before noon to check in with the National Park. The Alpine Ascents group included 16 hikers: Lou, Patrice, Marissa, Greg, Ted, and Jennifer from California; Paul and Katy from Florida (doing Climb for Cancer); Martha and Valerie from Arizona; David from NJ; Lilliana from Canada and the NC crew; Rick, Dawn and us. Our expedition also included 85 staff members, which includes porters, waiters, cooks, and local guides. The porters carry various loads on their heads and backs as the run past us to the next camp, oftentimes only wearing dress shoes, sandals, ragged socks, trousers, or hand-me-down outdoor gear from previous climbers. The climb started at 1800 meters and by the time we reached Macheme Hut 6 hours later, we had reached 3000 meters. Lunch was a pleasant surprise. At the gate, we received what they called trail snacks, which we thought was lunch; however, a few hours later we were greeted by the staff that had set up a picnic lunch with tables, chairs, silverware, and tons of food and drink options ranging from Milo, hot tea, African coffee, and fresh fruit, sandwiches, cheese, U.S. imported Pringles, and chips and cookies. We can’t forget to mention the flowers decorating the center of the table that was the icing on the cake as other hikers walked by with boxed lunches and looks of envy and dismay. The scenery was lush jungle with squishy mud. Our Alpine Ascents’ guide, John Hauf, set a slow pace; what the porters reiterate as “pole, pole” (slowly). Everyone was initially surprised, but would soon realize it was necessary for the remainder of the week as we ascended to higher altitudes. By the time we arrived at camp, everything was set up for us, including our dining and private toilet tents. Dinner was leek soup, steamed vegetables and potatoes, pepper steak with tomato sauce, and muffins drizzled in caramel. Yes, we were spoiled. We tried a pee funnel for the first time since bush bathrooms are female friendly. It quickly received the name, Wenis, short for, well you can figure that one out. By the end of the first day, we regained the confidence we needed to make it to the top after a nervous start.
Day 2
We were awakened at 7 am by the waiters who provided us with “tent tea” and cookies—the closest you can get to room service on Kilimanjaro. The scenery today changed to less vegetation with much more rocks and dust. We went through the moorlands yesterday ascending through the heath zone today and up into the lower alpine. We’ve now climbed above the majority of the clouds, which creates a fluffy blanket look that appears incredibly soft. Other clouds linger overhead and seem to follow us up the mountain providing a cool mist and minimal visibility. The hike today involved a rock scramble as we made our ascent another 1000 meters to the Shira Plateau. We were welcomed by our porters who were singing, dancing, and chanting; congratulating us on our arrival to camp. Again, we received the jealous looks of the other 200 people at camp. Our campsite looks up at Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s summit, which is stunning, exciting, and intimidating all at the same time. Some people have begun to feel the effects of the altitude, appropriately calling it the Kilimanjaro hangover.
Day 3
By this point, we’ve had to change from shorts and shirt attire to warmer gear. Although John originally joked we would only have porridge for breakfast, we would soon learn it was the first of four courses: sausage, eggs, toast, and fruit. The porters like us more and more every day because the entire group consumes 200 lbs of food daily that they would otherwise have to carry. They also enjoy our enthusiasm as they whiz pass us; thanking them with high fives or “mambo, poa”. Today we rose to over 15,000 feet, which was an altitude record for most members of our group. Rick and Katie climbed Lava Tower as an optional side hike to get even higher and see a beautiful view of the surrounding mountain and its glaciers. While we made it this high, we descended two hours to camp low as a strategy for acclimatization. It was a 2 hour descent through a rocky gorge with Dr. Seuss-like tree called senicios to the Barranco Camp at elevation 3950m. Once again, we were greeted by the entire group of porters chanting to welcome us to camp. It was our longest day so far—8 hours of hiking—so most of us crashed early. The stars were bright, and the glaciers had a glow about them as the mountain towered overhead.
Day 4
We were all excited to learn that today would be a shorter day of hiking. At 8am we started up the Barranco Wall, which John described as climbing a ramp, but in reality it was much more like climbing up a cliff. We’ve chosen ClimbMed as our team name because Alpine is so good to us but we all joke that ClimbOnMeds would be a truer statement. Brady had a very successful wenis pee today so the fear is gone. It’s just a hassle. Peeing is a big deal around here because it is a dehydration test; it should be clear and copious, John says. After a long walk through what looked like volcanic rock interspersed with flowers, we saw a long uphill climb ahead. We were told that lunch was just at the top so we took it step by step, pole pole, and in 30 min were greeted by our singing and dancing porters. Other groups were filming their dance this time and everyone in our group joined in a circle and danced with them to their Swahili song --another amazing welcome. We wish we could take them home with us to wake us up every morning. It inevitably puts a smile on your face. Lunch was amazing as usual and the food on the mountain is surprisingly delicious. They managed to bake a cake without an oven, and out comes soup, steak, and four other options from a small tent! We are now at the Karanga Camp at 3950m, which is also known as peanut camp because 100 yrs ago an elephant made the climb up and left his skeleton as an ominous sign for the thousands of hikers that attempt the mountain. Tonight it got pretty cold, and heavy winds blew a dusty dirt in and around everything. Most groups skip over this camp and head straight to high camp arriving in the evening and attempting summit at midnight. This strategy, however, greatly decreases your chances of making it to the top because of the altitude.
Day 5
Today was another steady, uphill climb in fog to high camp. The scenery lacked almost any vegetation and consisted mostly of more dirt and slate. We made it to Barafu high camp at 4600 meters for lunch, but continued on to Cosovo camp 300 meters higher where we would nap before attempting the summit. Alpine has the exclusive privilege to camp high because of park connections and their leave no trace behind practice. We were all glad we saved an hour of hiking during the day because there were some tricky rock faces we wouldn’t want to climb in the dark. At camp we had a group meeting to discuss necessary gear, preparations, and our plan of action for our 12:000 (no later!) departure. We loaded up on carbs for dinner and had an early breakfast at 11:15 after a brief and anxious nap.
Summit Day
Two layers of long underwear, fleece pants and jacket, shell pants and parka with a down jacket and Goretex gloves, balaclava and a warm hat and we were ready to go. John made sure we stayed in a group as long as possible because this proves to help morale and the overall success rate. August, the person setting the pace for our climb, had reached the summit over 250 times since he was 9 so we were confident in our strategy. While everyone initially used their headlamps for direction and light, the full moon, bright stars, and clear skies was enough to the lead the way. Our breaks were few and far between, but it was enough time to drink and refuel. John kept saying, “If you can make it to Stella Point you can make it to the summit.” We all had our eyes on Stella Point, which seemed to get further and further away the longer we climbed. As sunrise approached we could see head lamps at the top and we were no where near Stella Point. The air got thinner, but we could only tell because we were having to take deeper and deeper breaths—almost 2 per step. At first we thought the pace was ridiculously slow, but learned persistence and endurance were the keys to success. The steep climb was also exhausting because every step we took, the loose rocks and dirt would make us slide back a little. We watched several groups fly past us, gasping for air, only to see them having to turn around before reached Stella Point. We’d ask John, “how much further?”, but he would be vague, which was good because if we knew the truth we would probably have turned around. The guides were great—John would whistle and the others would sing and cheer us on while walking alongside our single file, close-knit line, almost as if they were herding us. We finally reached Stella Point and hour after sunrise. There was an incoherent hiker being carried down from the summit because he could no longer walk. Rick squirted some GU in his mouth and sent him on his way down the mountain. The view of the crater was amazing and it gave us renewed faith that we could make it the extra 45 min to the summit. We walked through the snow past the glaciers to the summit. The sign read: “Congratulations you are now at Uhuru [Freedom] Peak, Tanzania, 5895M, AMSL; Africa’s highest point, the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and one of the world’s largest volcanoes”. At 19,340 feet and after having hiked a total of 61 kilometers, there were feelings of delirious joy. Lou surprised Patrice with a marriage proposal, which added to the excitement of the moment. 100% of our group made it to the top--congratulations to everyone! After 8 hours of climbing, we realized the hike was much more mental than physical—you had to make yourself go slower than your body thought it should be going and continue for quite a while, step by step. The day was far from being over. The loose dirt that gave us trouble going up, helped us slide down the mountain and back to high camp in 2 hours. There was little time to pack things up and grab a bite to eat in the snowstorm that blanketed our camp. We were off at 1:30 pm to descend to 3100 meters to Maweka Hut, which would be our last night in tents and without showers. The descent took much longer we expected because hiking downhill was actually hard on our already exhausted bodies. It didn’t help that the path had heaps of uneven rocks that made every step an opportunity to twist an ankle. For our last night, the chefs made a traditional African meal and a celebratory cake. We were glad the long haul was over and looked forward to being clean, but it was going to be hard to say goodbye.
Day 7
After sleeping like rocks, we all woke up a little sore. We could see the summit from camp and it was hard to believe we were on top only the day before. After talking to Erik for four hours about mixing banana and pancakes, Brady received an ndizi chapati made to order from the chefs who were excited to try her suggestion. We set out for our final hike with Frenk as our guide. While John said the hike would only be about 1 ½, we realized that was porter speed and instead took us three hours to get down. There was an elaborate celebration at the bottom: one last cheer from the porters, a glass of fresh juice, a white tent with catered food, a string band, free beer, and a man cleaning boots. We sang and danced with the porters until the final group came down. For the last time, we received jealous glares from other hikers checking out as we sipped on Kilimanjaro beers and stuffed our faces. Rick wanted to show his appreciation so he said ashante sana to all the porters and staff while they were together. To emphasize his gratitude, he bowed to them with his arms as if to say we owe you and couldn’t have done it without you, but that communication got lost in translation. Instead, all 85 of them sat in unison thinking that’s what he wanted. He clarified and started yelling yea! with a fist pump in the air and they all joined in—it was great! We loaded up in a bus and headed back to Arusha with two things on our mind: laundry and showers. We soaked in soapy water for a while to get the dirt out of all cracks and crevices of our bodies. It would be fair to compare it to a greasy pan you have to let sit in water for a while before you scrub and washed it...more than once. Today confirmed our satisfaction with Alpine Ascents—we can’t imagine a better company. Looking at others take the same climb, we know Alpine played a large role in the enjoyment and success of our trip.
Day 2
We were awakened at 7 am by the waiters who provided us with “tent tea” and cookies—the closest you can get to room service on Kilimanjaro. The scenery today changed to less vegetation with much more rocks and dust. We went through the moorlands yesterday ascending through the heath zone today and up into the lower alpine. We’ve now climbed above the majority of the clouds, which creates a fluffy blanket look that appears incredibly soft. Other clouds linger overhead and seem to follow us up the mountain providing a cool mist and minimal visibility. The hike today involved a rock scramble as we made our ascent another 1000 meters to the Shira Plateau. We were welcomed by our porters who were singing, dancing, and chanting; congratulating us on our arrival to camp. Again, we received the jealous looks of the other 200 people at camp. Our campsite looks up at Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s summit, which is stunning, exciting, and intimidating all at the same time. Some people have begun to feel the effects of the altitude, appropriately calling it the Kilimanjaro hangover.
Day 3
By this point, we’ve had to change from shorts and shirt attire to warmer gear. Although John originally joked we would only have porridge for breakfast, we would soon learn it was the first of four courses: sausage, eggs, toast, and fruit. The porters like us more and more every day because the entire group consumes 200 lbs of food daily that they would otherwise have to carry. They also enjoy our enthusiasm as they whiz pass us; thanking them with high fives or “mambo, poa”. Today we rose to over 15,000 feet, which was an altitude record for most members of our group. Rick and Katie climbed Lava Tower as an optional side hike to get even higher and see a beautiful view of the surrounding mountain and its glaciers. While we made it this high, we descended two hours to camp low as a strategy for acclimatization. It was a 2 hour descent through a rocky gorge with Dr. Seuss-like tree called senicios to the Barranco Camp at elevation 3950m. Once again, we were greeted by the entire group of porters chanting to welcome us to camp. It was our longest day so far—8 hours of hiking—so most of us crashed early. The stars were bright, and the glaciers had a glow about them as the mountain towered overhead.
Day 4
We were all excited to learn that today would be a shorter day of hiking. At 8am we started up the Barranco Wall, which John described as climbing a ramp, but in reality it was much more like climbing up a cliff. We’ve chosen ClimbMed as our team name because Alpine is so good to us but we all joke that ClimbOnMeds would be a truer statement. Brady had a very successful wenis pee today so the fear is gone. It’s just a hassle. Peeing is a big deal around here because it is a dehydration test; it should be clear and copious, John says. After a long walk through what looked like volcanic rock interspersed with flowers, we saw a long uphill climb ahead. We were told that lunch was just at the top so we took it step by step, pole pole, and in 30 min were greeted by our singing and dancing porters. Other groups were filming their dance this time and everyone in our group joined in a circle and danced with them to their Swahili song --another amazing welcome. We wish we could take them home with us to wake us up every morning. It inevitably puts a smile on your face. Lunch was amazing as usual and the food on the mountain is surprisingly delicious. They managed to bake a cake without an oven, and out comes soup, steak, and four other options from a small tent! We are now at the Karanga Camp at 3950m, which is also known as peanut camp because 100 yrs ago an elephant made the climb up and left his skeleton as an ominous sign for the thousands of hikers that attempt the mountain. Tonight it got pretty cold, and heavy winds blew a dusty dirt in and around everything. Most groups skip over this camp and head straight to high camp arriving in the evening and attempting summit at midnight. This strategy, however, greatly decreases your chances of making it to the top because of the altitude.
Day 5
Today was another steady, uphill climb in fog to high camp. The scenery lacked almost any vegetation and consisted mostly of more dirt and slate. We made it to Barafu high camp at 4600 meters for lunch, but continued on to Cosovo camp 300 meters higher where we would nap before attempting the summit. Alpine has the exclusive privilege to camp high because of park connections and their leave no trace behind practice. We were all glad we saved an hour of hiking during the day because there were some tricky rock faces we wouldn’t want to climb in the dark. At camp we had a group meeting to discuss necessary gear, preparations, and our plan of action for our 12:000 (no later!) departure. We loaded up on carbs for dinner and had an early breakfast at 11:15 after a brief and anxious nap.
Summit Day
Two layers of long underwear, fleece pants and jacket, shell pants and parka with a down jacket and Goretex gloves, balaclava and a warm hat and we were ready to go. John made sure we stayed in a group as long as possible because this proves to help morale and the overall success rate. August, the person setting the pace for our climb, had reached the summit over 250 times since he was 9 so we were confident in our strategy. While everyone initially used their headlamps for direction and light, the full moon, bright stars, and clear skies was enough to the lead the way. Our breaks were few and far between, but it was enough time to drink and refuel. John kept saying, “If you can make it to Stella Point you can make it to the summit.” We all had our eyes on Stella Point, which seemed to get further and further away the longer we climbed. As sunrise approached we could see head lamps at the top and we were no where near Stella Point. The air got thinner, but we could only tell because we were having to take deeper and deeper breaths—almost 2 per step. At first we thought the pace was ridiculously slow, but learned persistence and endurance were the keys to success. The steep climb was also exhausting because every step we took, the loose rocks and dirt would make us slide back a little. We watched several groups fly past us, gasping for air, only to see them having to turn around before reached Stella Point. We’d ask John, “how much further?”, but he would be vague, which was good because if we knew the truth we would probably have turned around. The guides were great—John would whistle and the others would sing and cheer us on while walking alongside our single file, close-knit line, almost as if they were herding us. We finally reached Stella Point and hour after sunrise. There was an incoherent hiker being carried down from the summit because he could no longer walk. Rick squirted some GU in his mouth and sent him on his way down the mountain. The view of the crater was amazing and it gave us renewed faith that we could make it the extra 45 min to the summit. We walked through the snow past the glaciers to the summit. The sign read: “Congratulations you are now at Uhuru [Freedom] Peak, Tanzania, 5895M, AMSL; Africa’s highest point, the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and one of the world’s largest volcanoes”. At 19,340 feet and after having hiked a total of 61 kilometers, there were feelings of delirious joy. Lou surprised Patrice with a marriage proposal, which added to the excitement of the moment. 100% of our group made it to the top--congratulations to everyone! After 8 hours of climbing, we realized the hike was much more mental than physical—you had to make yourself go slower than your body thought it should be going and continue for quite a while, step by step. The day was far from being over. The loose dirt that gave us trouble going up, helped us slide down the mountain and back to high camp in 2 hours. There was little time to pack things up and grab a bite to eat in the snowstorm that blanketed our camp. We were off at 1:30 pm to descend to 3100 meters to Maweka Hut, which would be our last night in tents and without showers. The descent took much longer we expected because hiking downhill was actually hard on our already exhausted bodies. It didn’t help that the path had heaps of uneven rocks that made every step an opportunity to twist an ankle. For our last night, the chefs made a traditional African meal and a celebratory cake. We were glad the long haul was over and looked forward to being clean, but it was going to be hard to say goodbye.
Day 7
After sleeping like rocks, we all woke up a little sore. We could see the summit from camp and it was hard to believe we were on top only the day before. After talking to Erik for four hours about mixing banana and pancakes, Brady received an ndizi chapati made to order from the chefs who were excited to try her suggestion. We set out for our final hike with Frenk as our guide. While John said the hike would only be about 1 ½, we realized that was porter speed and instead took us three hours to get down. There was an elaborate celebration at the bottom: one last cheer from the porters, a glass of fresh juice, a white tent with catered food, a string band, free beer, and a man cleaning boots. We sang and danced with the porters until the final group came down. For the last time, we received jealous glares from other hikers checking out as we sipped on Kilimanjaro beers and stuffed our faces. Rick wanted to show his appreciation so he said ashante sana to all the porters and staff while they were together. To emphasize his gratitude, he bowed to them with his arms as if to say we owe you and couldn’t have done it without you, but that communication got lost in translation. Instead, all 85 of them sat in unison thinking that’s what he wanted. He clarified and started yelling yea! with a fist pump in the air and they all joined in—it was great! We loaded up in a bus and headed back to Arusha with two things on our mind: laundry and showers. We soaked in soapy water for a while to get the dirt out of all cracks and crevices of our bodies. It would be fair to compare it to a greasy pan you have to let sit in water for a while before you scrub and washed it...more than once. Today confirmed our satisfaction with Alpine Ascents—we can’t imagine a better company. Looking at others take the same climb, we know Alpine played a large role in the enjoyment and success of our trip.
