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February 28

Kilimanjaro - the Summit

Tea and biscuits were brought to my tent shortly after midnight, but I couldn't eat them without first visiting the latrine. My diarrhea was improving, but I was not yet completely well. I packed, and we started walking at 12:45, the last to leave for the summit. A number of clients slept in camp, deciding not to attempt it - some of the Americans staying behind were already on their second unsuccessful attempt. Happily, Tobias carried my pack. He wore a GoreTex jacket, nylon pants, high leather boots, a balaclava and hat, and a Petzl head lamp. He is definitely my best equipped guide yet on a trip such as this.

The climb up the ridge was steady, but not difficult, over rock and loose volcanic gravel. The lights of Moshi were visible far below. It was a bigger town than I had thought. We caught up with an American group at 2:00, and stopped for a break. The moon was bright, and I was the only one still using my head lamp, so I switched it off as well. We passed the German lady and American man. As we passed, one of the other guides told us "pole pole", which means "slowly slowly" in Swahili - this is the mantra of Kilimanjaro. Tobias replied "pole pole shit", and we kept moving at a rather fast pace. I never got tired and had no trouble breathing. The previous Rwenzori climb had been excellent preparation.

We sat down at 4 AM, and Tobias said we would reach Stella Point on the crater rim at 4:30, less than four hours after leaving camp. I said that was too early - we would freeze waiting for the sun to come up. It was 10^o F now, and would be colder and unsheltered at the top. We sat among the rocks for a while and let the American man pass (both of his female companions decided against attempting the summit). We continued on at a much slower pace, yet still reached Stella Point before 5:00. It was too cold and windy to wait here for the sun, so we contiued slowly toward the summit, Uhuru Peak. The mountain and glacier were beautiful in the moonlight. I made a few attempts at time exposures (without a tripod), but suspect they would be unsuccessful - it was too cold and windy to be attempting such complex photography.

Moonlit Glacier

Summit: Uhuru Peak

I could see flashes ahead from the American man taking photographs at the summit. We reached it, at 19,340 feet, at 5:30 AM. We attempted to take pictures of each other using my small camera, which has a flash, but it didn't seem to be working properly, so I don't know if they will come out. Tobias saw a man at the summit whose guide did not accompany him to the top because it was too cold. He said the man had "a shit guide".

We walked back down to Stella Point, where I wanted to watch the sun rise over Mawenzi peak. But we were still rather early, and had to wait a while in the cold. It was 5^o F, and neither Tobias nor I was dressed to be sitting around at that temperature. But the beautiful sunrise, with the bright yellow light shimmering off the glaciers, was worth the wait. As the sun rose, I took more pictures of the crater, glaciers, and Uhuru Peak. It was then that I noticed that my small camera was frozen, putting in doubt that I would have any summit photo, so I started thinking that maybe I should go back to the summit for another photo, but I decided against it and continued around the crater rim to Gilman's Point, at the top of the Marangu route, which we would descend. There were still very few people on top, but several more had arrived from this side.

Sunrise over Mawenzi

Near Stella Point

We descended rapidly from Gilman's Point, down steep volcanic gravel. We took a direct route, sliding straight down across the switchbacks, by which dozens of people were slowly ascending from Kibo Hut, below at 15,400 feet. Tobias pointed out three people who were headed down because they found that they couldn't make it on this route, nicknamed the "Coca-Cola" route because of the amenities at the huts on this, the most popular (and shortest) route. The Marangu route is really much less scenic and varied than the Machame route, but it is far more popular, because it has the huts, and is shorter. (Time is money on Kilimanjaro.) Compared to the route we took up, this one is a highway.

Tobias "skied" on ahead of me at a pace I wouldn't attempt, sending up a dust cloud behind, and I arrived Horombo Hut at 12,2000 ft at about 10:30 after stopping for a brief rest at Kibo Hut. Horombo Hut is a huge complex of A-frame wooden huts, mostly windowless, with solar panels on top. A canteen sells various refreshments, all expensive. The bathroom has running water. We set up camp in an open area with a view of the green fields on the lower elevations of Kilimanjaro below. One of my porters, Richard, is scheduled to depart today, so I gave him a $15 tip before he left.

Camp at Horombo Hut

Richard's replacement arrived from Marangu with fresh food. For lunch, I had a french fry omelet - strange but tasty. After lunch, I did surgery on my small camera, removing the front lens assembly using the small screwdrivers I carry in my repair kit. I couldn't see what the problem was, but I suspected the flexible cable that connected the shutter to the camera's electronics. When I replaced the lens assembly, the camera would take pictures again, apparently, although the autofocus didn't seem to do anything, and I wasn't sure it was really taking proper pictures. I sacrificed a roll of 400 speed print film (which I rarely use) to see if the camera at least was functioning. For the rest of the trip, I would continue to use this camera to shoot slides, but would be suspicious of the outcome.

Tobias came to my tent and told me he had a headache from the altitude. I wan't surprised considering our fast pace, and gave him a couple of my Diamox. In late afternoon, the view of the mountain below became clearer, and I could see a big crater and a lake in the distance. For dinner, I had soup with chapatis, a whole chicken leg, yellow rice, and vegetable curry, plus a fruit cup including mango, oranges, mellon, and other good things. At sunset, when the cloud lifted from atop Kibo, I took a quick walk up the hill for a good view and some pictures before going to bed at 7:00.

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