TANZANIA - KILIMANJARO September 2021

Traveling to Africa

The anticipation and logistics leading up to the trip were like nothing I can recall. Partly due to lack of major adventures this past two years, but also made more complex with COVID precautions and necessary documents.

Carrie at Embark (our expedition leader) was helpful with getting us to secure our Tanzania visa in advance, although convincing our IT security firewall as well as our credit card company that these $100 transactions with the Tanzanian government were legitimate was a whole other deal!

Then there were health declaration documents that needed to be completed for Amsterdam and Tanzania, along with the regular declaration stuff (why are you coming here, where and how long are you staying …).

Next was the health documentation - copies of our vaccination records, and securing PCR COVID testing the day before we traveled. One of my biggest sources of angst the past few weeks was “what if after all this time and planning, one of us tested positive?” Jeff and I were tested Wednesday at 8 am, and I checked the “MyChart” no less than 30 times that day. Just before 8 pm, we got our negative results and our travel companions all got theirs about the same time - huge sigh of relief. Our travel doc wrote a letter certifying we had been fully vaccinated and tested negative by PCR, but she warned us that many travelers reported being extorted and having to submit to COVID tests when they arrived at their destinations, so we went trying to stay open minded and ready for anything.

The packing logistics were a bit challenging, but we had all that time together hiking the IAT to discuss, plus Embark provided us with great guidance including lists and videos. Jeff and I “practice packed” our waterproof duffels (we bought 70L NRS roll top bags like we’d used on our river trip last year). We’ll take those on the trek with our sleeping bags and extra clothes, but they’ll need to be under 30 pounds as the porters will be carrying them on their heads. After our practice pack, we loaded them up with extra clothes and toiletries that won’t be part of the trek. We put our backpacks inside of other packs and carried those on the plane. Once we arrive in Tanzania, we’ll be able to leave our safari clothes and extra stuff at the hotel during our hike, and then leave our hiking stuff while we safari - so the extra bag will come in handy!

We left home about noon on Thursday, with Ryan dropping us off at the airport. We met Gary at the check-in desk, and the lady there did a thorough check of our travel documents - health record including vaccination and testing record, Tanzania visa and of course our passports. Our boarding passes were marked with “documents checked,” and surprisingly, we didn’t have to show any other documents the whole trip. Nonetheless, my usual travel binder was twice as full as usual with reservation confirmations, our travel insurance policy, and all of the previously completed declarations and visa documents.

It was an easy trip to Detroit. Jeff and I got a complimentary upgrade to First Class which was nice. I had a gin and tonic and a bag of almonds - nice relaxing start to a long travel expedition! We had about 2 hours in Detroit, so we first went to the Delta Club, where it was no charge to bring Gary along. We filled up on salads and stuffed extra cookies into our bags.

The plane from Detroit to Amsterdam was about half full, so we had the middle Comfort Plus row to ourselves, which made it easy to get up and move about when your seat partner was sleeping or watching a movie. The mediocre airline food wasn’t such a big deal since we’d filled up at the Delta Club in Detroit, and knew we’d have access to the KLM lounge in Amsterdam.

I think we arrived about 8am on Friday. We walked a few gates, looked at the status board and found we were practically right at our departure gate … and there we found Kent & Lynn and Dan & Tam who had arrived earlier from Chicago. We had two hours to kill, so we brushed our teeth, walked a bit, went to the KLM club, Jeff and Gary played some cribbage. Then before we knew it, we were loading onto the KLM jet for our eight-hour fight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. I had a window seat, and most of Europe was cloudy, but it cleared up to see some mountains, sweeping coastlines somewhere over the Mediterranean … and then it was dark again - felt like the shortest day ever.

We arrived in Tanzania shortly after 9 pm, and joined the tired and confused crowd walking down the stairs onto the tarmac. Our first bottleneck came where one guy was holding back a crowd of hundreds, making us produce our boarding passes to get behind him (we just came off that airplane, how would we have gotten there without a boarding pass?). Then about an hour wait to get to the “health screening” desk which was set up outside. A women took our temperature and wrote down a control number on a scrap of paper. She told us to go pay $10 for our COVID test. I realized that was part of the online form we’d filled out before leaving home. She wasn’t interested in seeing the results we’d brought with us. The only way into Tanzania was to stand in another line, have your brain poked by a guy in a white lab coat (hope those were fresh gloves), and then wait until your name is called with the results. Then another long wait in the border control line. Those of us with prepaid visas had a different line, but it didn’t seem to be faster one way or the other.

Gary got through first, Jeff and I about 10 minutes later - only to discover that Jeff’s checked bag didn’t make it. To make it even more confusing, his bag had his luggage tickets (and priority handling tag), but the airline barcode sticker had my name on it. So, the airline thinks they’ve lost my bag, but when they find it, it’ll look like it belongs to someone else. Jeff found a helpful guy to start the claim, and he found that in Amsterdam, the bag way loaded onto a different plane and went to Nairobi instead. He said, no problem, we’ll get it delivered to you tomorrow (we’ll see).

The other four were further back in the plane, and therefore, they were practically the last group to clear customs. Tam had just learned that our hotel in Moshi was changed, so we were able to go back and modify our claim to hopefully get the bag routed to the right place. We’ve had this work out okay once before (coincidentally, with a transfer in Amsterdam), so fingers crossed that it works out this time too! All of his hiking gear is in that bag!

It was nearly midnight when we got outside and connected with the transport that Embark had arranged. A guide named Hans, and a driver whose name I didn’t capture. Now we were faced with the unsettling feeling that comes on a bus, driving on the left side, with headlights barreling at you in what seems like the wrong side of the road. It was about an hour to Moshi, with a rough road, several small settlements where we’d slow down, speed bumps and rough train tracks. We were glad to get to our new accommodations: Bristol Cottages, and find they were expecting us!

Our cottage was rustic, but clean. Two single beds, each with a bundle of mosquito netting hung over the bed (we didn’t use it, have been taking anti-malaria medication for 5 days now and hope that’s enough). I unpacked and organized my stuff. Jeff, not having much stuff, brushed his teeth and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

Just over 24 hours of travel time, including waiting for planes. The long flights were pretty comfortable and we napped intermittently … but are now feeling completely exhausted and will sleep good tonight!

Saturday September 18, 2021

We slept very hard, even though we couldn’t figure out the A/C in our room. Around 5 am, I awoke to the sound of what I think was a Muslim chant from a nearby mosque. It was beautiful! Beyond that, there were sounds of the city: sirens and horns, but nothing to keep me awake. I awoke again about 8:30 am, and Jeff was up trying to figure out the shower.

I showered quick, and we dressed and went out to meet the gang on the patio for breakfast, which was a continental breakfast with made to order eggs and good coffee - really hit the spot. What I liked the best were the little “Pam Cakes” which were like rolled up crepes.

Freddy joined us and discussed our options for the day. We really liked Freddy, but we’d understood that he was to be our lead guide, however he’s actually the lead guy on the ground for Embark … so won’t be hiking with us. His story is amazing - he’s the 7th of 9 children, and grew up in the foothills of the mountain - not exactly on a farm, but he described goats and chickens living in their house. As a teenager he started working as a porter, and then went to school to learn English and work his way up to be a guide. He said there really aren’t other jobs for men here. He has 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. He told us about a sister that moved to the Boston area to help care for a cousin’s children, and he took in her 3 children … a familiar story in the African culture, I think!

Being Saturday, we opted to do a walking tour of the market, have lunch and do some shopping. Our other option was to tour caves and hike to a waterfall, but we decided we could do that on Sunday.

Freddy came back in a bit with Augustine, a man who will be a guide on our trip, and also two others who will part of a 4-person trip that will climb with Embark at the same time, but as a separate group. Tam had met them airport last night and already got to know them a bit. Both run veteran-related nonprofits. The woman, Maggie, lives in Houston. She’s a former C-130 Load Master (USAF), and has started an organization focusing on women veteran issues (of which there are plenty)! The guy, Dan, lives south of Tuscan and works for the Warrior Project, which I believe supports veterans in doing things like climbing Kilimanjaro. They were supposed to be a group of 17, but it dwindled down to 4, and the other 2 are arriving today.

Moshi is a town of around 200,000 people. We didn’t see much of its last night, though so we didn’t really know what to expect. When we stepped out into the courtyard this morning, the air was full of woodsmoke, and the sky was a bit hazy. I looked for the mountain this morning, and didn’t see it …then we stepped out of the gates and into madness and I didn’t think about it all day.

Augustine had coached us that we’d be approached by people (men) trying to sell us things, and we should just tell them no thanks. He said he’d take us to a place to shop for souvenirs this afternoon, or if we saw something we wanted to buy, we should get him involved in negotiations so we don’t get ripped off.

We were walking along the side of the road; mostly single file and we were swarmed like shark bait. Their sales tactics were good - they’d walk and ask questions, even that made me uncomfortable so I largely tried to ignore them, or just keep saying “no thanks.”

We walked along several streets lined with vendors selling clothes and shoes. Past a few stores, and then into the “market,” which is where Augustine said the restaurants all come to buy their food. Lots of dry goods, and women working on processing the dry goods (separating beans from dried plant pieces for example). There were several adorable children, who followed us for a bit too. They didn’t beg, but Jeff mentioned later that they may be used to tourists giving them coins or treats.

Out of the market, our guys were there waiting for us - trying to sell us hats, paintings, bracelets. We walked a few more blocks, then to a restaurant for lunch. No one was hungry, but after waiting an hour for the food, we were. Jeff and I thought of the couple of times we had lunch in Cuba at a Paladare (family home), where we were pretty sure they went out to procure the food after we’d placed our orders! We had great conversation and got to know Maggie and the other Dan better, and watching the people go by on the street was amazing - women balancing baskets on their heads, and such beautiful flowing clothes. Our sales guys hung out while we ate, waving their goods at you when they caught your eye. After lunch, we walked a few more blocks, then into a mall area with multiple businesses and a two-floor store where we bought some souvenirs.

We got so turned around, but we were just a few blocks from our hotel, and the relative quiet of the courtyard was a great respite from the madness of town - zooming cars and motorcycles, and a lot of people!

We retreated back to our rooms for naps. Jeff was sleeping when we had a knock on our door, and upon answering it, I learned that the airline called to verify we were staying here - a very good sign!

Around 6:30 pm, we got a text from Tam with a photo of Kilimanjaro- I’d forgotten all about it in the madness of the day! There is an observation tower on the side of a building in our compound, and from there, a great view of the mountain. We quickly got ready and climbed the tower for a last look before sunset. I’d seen it in photos, but seeing it today was very powerful. It’s mammoth, and we’re going to hike to the top of that!

We’d preordered our dinner at the hotel restaurant, and had just sat down to eat when Freddy came and said the bag was on its way. It arrived during dinner, what a relief. It obviously had been opened as it wasn’t properly sealed, but everything was in there and Jeff will rest easier now!

We were all mostly party-poopers, retreating to our rooms after dinner. Jeff was anxious to open his bag and start organizing his stuff. Tomorrow, we’ll have a final briefing about the hike, and head out on an excursion to see some caves and a waterfall.

We’ll also meet up in the evening with George, who arrived earlier yesterday then headed out to Zanzibar - where, according to photos he’s texting, he’s enjoying a few days on the beach!

Sunday Sept 19

We awoke to a sunny day. I immediately thought about the mountain and urged Jeff to get dressed so we could climb the tower for a view. It was a bit hazy, but the glaciated top of Kilimanjaro poked out of the clouds and again, we gazed upon it with awe. I wonder if you lived here if you take that for granted? I recall living in Colorado Springs for two years how I’d be delighted and drawn to the majesty of Pikes Peak as it greeted me every morning.

I neglected to write yesterday about meeting Moira at breakfast, a most interesting woman from New Jersey. She’s now a retired teacher, but she told us that about 15 years ago she took a year off, and had a grant to come to Tanzania for a month. Once here, she got engaged in helping teens that had fallen out of the public school system to get into a vocational educational tract, and started a nonprofit to support the cause. Over the last ten years, she’s traveled here more than thirty times in support of her foundation. Amazing woman!

We gathered for breakfast, a mellow cohesive group. We’re all so psyched to be on the cusp of this adventure after all this time.

Freddie and Augustine came to give us a pre-trek briefing and inspect our “gears.” I’m not poking fun at him, I’m in awe of anyone that can fluently speak another language … I thought it was cute that he kept referring to our equipment as our “gears.” Augustine did an awesome job talking us through the trip. Without notes, he fluently took us day by day with accurate reporting on distance in miles and elevation gain in feet (I was following along on our Embark bulletin). We all passed the gears check, but he told us stories of people that get up on the mountain with new stuff that doesn’t work, or worse, not enough stuff for cold weather. We assured him our stuff had been tested hiking through the winter this past year. Jeff and I organized our stuff for a bit, then went out to meet the gang at 11:30am for today’s excursion.

We were joined by Maggie and the two new arrivals: Roy and Nate, Daniel decided to stay back and rest. It didn’t take long for them to mess with my mojo; they’re loud and excitable with lots of profanity. I finally had to ask them to cool it a bit, telling them their profanity reflected poorly on all Americans. That seemed to help a bit, but they were still loud. I found myself grateful that Embark is operating our treks as two separate groups.

Before leaving Moshi for our excursion to the waterfall, we made a stop to pick up box lunches. The sign outside the place said they were known for their cheeseburgers, and I was curious to see what was in our boxes!

We headed out of town. On the outskirts, we saw several neighborhoods of big houses, stores selling lumber and building materials, pavers (no apparent shortage here as there is back home), and a garden nursery that seemed to go on for a half a mile or more!

Being Sunday, there were lots of people dressed up and walking along the road. Mostly women and children, but some most older men. There seemed to be buildings built along the road. Dwellings, stores and some little churches like the one we’d worked with in Jamaica, Cuba - some missing their roofs!

We went through smaller villages where we’d have speed bumps like we were hitting in the dark coming home from the airport. We went through a check point and got flagged to pull over. Our driver, Carl, got a ticket - we think he said for tailgating.

We passed a turnoff for Nairobi, and several for Kenya which is quite close to us. In Augustine’s home village, we turned off the road and headed towards the waterfall. The pavement ended, and we bumped along slowly for another 15 minutes. We walked past a banana plantation and stopped at the top of the path down to the falls, where we stopped for lunch. We discovered too much food in our boxes, but I sampled what I could, and we hope the guides ate what was left over. In the box was mango juice, an apple, some kind of slaw sandwich, fried chicken, a muffin, fries, and some kind of little donut pieces.

As we were ready to descend to the falls, we were swarmed by 4 young men who were escorting us down, telling us about the plants and working for tips. Seems to be what people do here, but I did enjoy walking back up with a young man that seemed knowledgeable about the flowers. Plants that we have as house plants, or annuals in my garden, are growing here as wild plants. It’s incredibly beautiful. One plant that we call a “wandering Jew,” he called the Zebra Wandering flower - a better name I think! He also pointed out a Yucca and said they call it a “Peace plant,” and showed me how you tie a knot in the leaf and offer it to someone as an apology. Then he pointed out one called “Take me home plant” and said the leaves make a medicinal tea, but the name comes from the burrs that you inadvertently take home on your clothing.

It felt good to be out hiking and we suggested to Augustine that we could walk down the road as fast as Carl could drive, proposing we walk a little more. He said not enough time, and Gary said best not to push him before we start our trek - great idea!

Our next stop was at the “caves” and coffee / banana farm. A gentleman sat us down for a history lesson first, and jumped right in with details about female circumcision and polygamy - rendering us shocked and speechless.

The area that is now Tanzania originally had 128 tribes, and he detailed some of the issues between theirs, the Chagga tribe (highlands) and the nomadic tribes of the Lowlands. The Chaggas built these caves 200 years ago as a way to hide from invading tribes that would try to kidnap the young women. Going into the caves was out of my comfort zone, but it was interesting. The houses (as the replica they had there), where they lived with their livestock were interesting too.

Our gang had seen the coffee processing in Peru, so we were going to skip that. But we were so captivated by the young ladies there. One said she sings to the coffee, and without much prompting, sang the Tanzanian National Anthem and encouraged me to record it. It moved me to tears, and of course I bought more coffee that I likely have room for in my luggage!

We headed out, probably much later than intended. As the junction with the main road, we stopped and out bus was swarmed by ladies selling bananas and men selling bracelets and paintings. Augustine got out and came back with a large bunch of bananas… we politely declined the trinkets. All along the way back to Moshi, the road was busy with people walking and gathered along the sides. Most dressed up, beautiful kids and everyone seeming happy and friendly. They’d make eye contact with us and wave.

We pulled into our compound around 5 pm and found George sitting there. We grabbed some beers and caught up on his quick trip diving in Zanzibar and the culture he found there. Back to our rooms to clean up and finish packing, then we gathered for dinner at 6:30pm. It’s finally here and we can’t wait!

Monday September 20, 2021

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain, and one of the “seven summits.” Summiting mountains is not really my thing, however the adventure of this trek intrigued me. Its supposedly the tallest mountain in the world that can be climbed without technical equipment. The highest point, Uhuru Peak is 19,340 feet.

We booked with Embark Expeditions, and they recommended we take the Lemosha Route, and described this way: “With fewer than 10 percent of climbers on this trail and the potential to see a variety of wildlife through dense jungle, Lemosha is the best way to enter the mountain. At 45 miles, the longer route allows for more thorough acclimatization and a higher success rate to the summit. The trail passes through five ecosystems, from dense forest and heather up through alpine desert and the glorious summit.”

Freddie handed out a Karibu (Welcome) packet today that said today was a day that required patience - no doubt about that! We were all up early for breakfast, stored our passports and extra cash (for tips) in the hotel safe, and weighed our bags. My duffle for the trek weighed 27.5 pounds, Jeff’s weighed in at 33. My daypack, with 3 liters of water weighed just over 19 pounds - not bad. In it I have my rain gear (pants, jacket and poncho), water, some snacks, bug net and spray, sunscreen, first aid and general fix its kit, and I’ll add my Chaco sandals that I’m wearing on our drive this morning.

We left Moshi around 10 am, in a direction towards Arusha, I think. The first 90 minutes were scenery similar to yesterday, small businesses, lots of guys on motorcycles, huddled together, but appearing to be waiting around (we’ve surmised they’re couriers or Uber drivers). We stopped at a Petrol station / Supermarket for a toilet break. There were also guys there selling souvenirs and also things more useful for the hike: ponchos, winter hats and gloves.

We headed out and turned towards Kilimanjaro and immediately it felt more rural. The goat and cattle herds were larger, we saw a few tractors and larger corn fields. Earlier this morning we’d passed a few sparsely planted fields where woman were cutting the corn stalks by hand, bundling them, and carrying them away on their heads - while beautifully dressed! There were no fences keeping the livestock in, and generally there were 1-3 guys that appeared to be managing them with long sticks.

We were climbing, and quite suddenly the scenery changed to dry grass and intermittent trees - what I expect to see on next weeks safari! I even imagined I saw two giraffe under a tree, but as I was telling myself I imagined that, Tam shouted out “There’s a giraffe!” Others saw it too, and when we stopped later, the other Dan had actually got a photo of them!

After about three hours, we turned off the Highway on to a dirt road towards the Londorossi Gate, where entry formalities were completed while we had lunch. There were many different groups there checking in, and it appeared to be chaos. They ushered us over to a pavilion where we were to eat our lunch, which to our dismay was exactly like yesterday’s. We’d spotted some colobus monkeys just as we were approaching the gate, and a group of us went over to photograph them and watch their antics. With their flowing white tails, they looked extra graceful! I never thought I’d see a monkey in a pine tree though, and I wondered how they get the sap out of their hair!

While we were eating and watching the monkeys, our guides were paying the fees and weighing in the porter packs. They’d taken each one of our 30ish pound duffels and put it in a green bag along with other camp supplies. Each bag had to weigh less than 60 pounds total. The porters would have a backpack on their back (with their stuff I guess) and one of these green bags on their heads, or resting on their necks. Wow.

The day was sunny, but when you were in the shade, it felt a little chilly. They told us to hike in long pants to avoid the stinging nettles along the trail. I rolled my pants up a bit, as pants felt too warm for me, but I did keep my long sleeve shirt on all day.

Back in the bus, we drove to the Lemosho Route, and I napped so I’m not sure how long it was? Walking from the bus to the pavilion to sit and put my boots on, I dropped my pack in the silty dirt. Ugh. I used my new Embark buff to wipe it down. One more so-called bathroom stop, a few photos, and we were on our way. Frederick led the way at a very slow pace - pole pole, designed to help us acclimate gradually and reserve our strength for tougher days. We’d step aside to allow the porters to pass, and several times faster groups passed us too (which was a bit more that some in our group could take, but it was fine by me).

I was surprised to find a well-defined trail, but it mostly had 2-4” of silty dirt or volcanic ash and everything felt dirty at the end of the day. I was able to nose breathe since we were walking so slow, so I hope I kept the dust out of my lungs! We took a 10-minute break after two miles, and our two assistant guides, Alfred and Abel caught up to us and walked the rest of the way. We heard what Frederick said were blue monkeys, but didn’t see them. We did see flowers and birds, and towards the end of the day, more Colobus monkeys swinging through the jungle - so cool!

The area we’re in is technically Rain Forest, but it is the dry season. The flowers we see are slightly dust covered, and therefore not so brilliant. For the most part, the jungle is thick, but the rolling vistas were amazing. A really cool design of this trail system is there are 4-5 different routes up the mountain, but only one way for everyone to go down - so we didn’t have to deal with two-way traffic.

After about 4 hours, we reached our camp, MT Mkubwa, which means "Big Tree" or “Forest Camp” in Swahili. By the time we got to camp, they’d already set up camp and erected our tents. Camp consists of a kitchen, a dining tent, and we have two toilet tents which are actually quite nice! We didn’t have an appreciation for how many people would be at this camp … but our guess is 250 workers and 100 clients (our guides refer to us as “tourists”).

We got settled in our tents, then the camping crew brought us each a basin of warm water - heavenly to wash up but my washcloth will never be clean and its only day one! After that, tea and popcorn were served. Then Frederick and Augustine performed our daily health check (actually, we’ll get this twice a day). They have a Pulse Oximeter just like Jeff’s and recorded our O2 Saturation and Pulse Rate. Next the questions: How do you feel 1-10, and if not a 10, what’s wrong? When did you last pee and shit (their words, not mine)? Are you taking Diamox (for altitude sickness) and/or malarial drugs? How is your breathing? Are you coughing? How is your appetite? Slightly awkward to do as a group, but we’re good friends!

Then we had dinner: vegetable soup, garlic bread, carbonara pasta, grilled veggies, cake for dessert.

Our support staff consists of:

• Guides 4 (2 Lead Augustine and Frederick, 2 Assistant Alfred and Abel)

• Chef 1

• Waiters 2

• Toilet guy 1

• Camping crew 2

• Porters 22

• Student (Abel). A-Bell

Elevation (ft) 7,800ft to 9,500ft

Distance 4 mi

Hiking Time 4 hours

Rain Forest

Pulse = 70 bpm

O2 sat = 95

It was an amazing day. Jeff and I got choked up as we took our first steps. 2.5 years of talking about this, and two years of serious planning. After his heart attack 18 months ago, we both wondered if this was even possible. With pole pole, and good training, everything is possible!

Kilimanjaro DAY 2 September 21

Of all the supplies I’d packed, my ear plugs may be the most valuable piece of equipment. We snuggled into our tent last night right after dinner. The night was cool and humid, but I quickly warmed up in my 0-degree bag. I woke up a few times, but generally slept well. I awoke for good at 6am and Jeff was awake too. At 6:30am, our waiter brought us coffee and tea - my favorite way of waking when I’m camping! They also bring basins of warm water and we did our best to have a little tent bath.

Frederick and Augustine came around to each tent for morning health checks, and we’re both feeling great at over 9000 ft. Then we packed up the inside of the tent to prepare for 7:30 am breakfast. The sounds of the camp waking up and the birds were not the kind of solitude I typically associate with camping! I knew there would be a lot of people, but experiencing it was a different thing (and they say numbers are still down due to COVID).

Breakfast was porridge and fruit, followed by eggs, potatoes and toast. I ate a hearty breakfast, and filled my S’Well to-go cup with hot tea to enjoy later when we have breaks. As we were awaiting the signal to leave, several Blue Monkeys were in the trees just outside the camp, waiting for us to leave so they could look for food morsels left behind I’m guessing! It was difficult to catch a photo or video of them, so I just focused on enjoying the awesome moment.

We set off climbing right away, and it felt warm. The trail continued to be wide so at the first break, I changed into shorts and stripped down to my t-shirt. The surface of the trail was a fine silt, and besides getting filthy, I was worried about inhaling the particles into my lungs. I had a mask in my pack and tried that for a bit, but it was hard to breathe!

After a mile the trail left the forest and entered a savannah of tall grasses, heather, volcanic rock draped with lichen beards. The change was quite abrupt! Ascending through the lush rolling hills and cross several streams, we reached the Shira Ridge where our lunch tent and toilet tents were set up for us - unbelievable! Lunch was carrot soup, fresh fruit and veggies, tilapia and a veggie frittata, with Snickers bars for dessert!

Lunch was the halfway point and we finished up about 12:30p and headed up the ridge. The path was fairly steep but I felt I navigated it just fine. At the top of the ridge, there was a spot where there apparently was cell service, so we took a break and people tried sending texts and posting photos, without much success, I think. I was happy remaining unplugged and focusing on the now!

We turned and saw roads and a green roof in the distance, and Augustine pointed out where the Larousso route starts. The road continues on past the gate where we checked in yesterday, and the trailhead is at the building we could see. Their first night is in Shira Camp 1 where we’re headed tonight.

The trail dropped gently down to Shira 1 camp. The view of Kibo (the peak we can see from here) from across the plateau was amazing! We arrived at camp about 3:30pm, and I was dirtier than I ever remember being! I tried to clean up with wet ones before using the wash water, but still turned my water black after one swipe across my face and neck! It felt great to wash up. I didn’t want to leave the sanctuary of our tent as the wind had picked up and was whipping the dirt around. But I had to eat!

At 5:30 pm, they called for hot tea at popcorn, so I made my way to the mess tent. There we continued great conversations throughout dinner with Frederick. We had a funny moment when Ron and Maggie appeared at the door in Unicorn Onesies! By 7:45 pm we were back in our tents, snuggled into our down sleeping bags, waiting for our body heat to spread through the bag. It was a cold night, maybe mid-thirties… we could see our breath when we were brushing our teeth with our headlamps on! It was a beautiful night. The stars were brilliant and a near full moon just rose over Kibo peak.

Mti Mkubwa to Shira Camp 1 Elevation (ft) 9,000ft to 11,500ft

Distance 5mi

Hiking Time 5 hours

Habitat Moorland

O2 Sat 93

Pulse 77

Kilimanjaro DAY 3 September 22

It was chilly when we went to sleep, but I wasn’t prepared to see frost on our tent upon awakening! I stayed snuggly in my down mummy bag, even using the head mummy function a few times during the night. Alpaca socks (with cats on them, thanks mom!) kept my feet warm, and it’s the first night in as long as I can recall that I didn’t have to whip the covers off with a hot flash!

We were awake when Godlisten brought coffee for me and tea for JT to the tent. Perfect way to segue into the day, decide what to wear, and get work up my courage to get out of the sleeping bag.

After breakfast, we gathered for an introduction to the staff. Jeff, in his usual inclusive fashion encouraged everyone to be in a tight circle, and for our group to intermix with the staff. Augustine had to get permission from the Ranger to sing the “Jambo Kilimanjaro” song; with the camps this full music and singing is discouraged. As it was, we were the last group out anyway, which is ok - that way it was just our porters passing us, and most of them did within the first hour.

We continued across the Shira Plateau, heading to Shira Camp 2. They said Shira is one of the highest plateaus on earth. This area collapsed when a nearby volcano erupted. With scraggly peaks all around this, I think we were in the center of what we call a caldera.

The terrain was similar to yesterday afternoon. They call it Moorland, scrub bushes, some flowering, a lot of volcanic rock (some chunks as big as busses), and places where we shuffled through 4” of loose dirt. The person in front of you, just by walking, made a cloud that trailed them and made me think of Charlie Brown’s friend “Pig Pen.” Today I used a buff over my nose and mouth, much easier to breathe through and I hope I inhaled less dirt. At the end of the day, my nose felt better.

We didn’t have steep climb today, but just before the last climb along a small river bed, we passed the first Giant Senecios, some of Kilimanjaro’s otherworldly massive plants.

It was a four-hour hike to camp, and we arrived at 1 pm. As we were arriving, we looked back and saw our porters’ bringing buckets of water on their heads. After transporting all of our gear and camping items at camp, they hiked another 2 hours to the nearest water source. Apparently, there are several sites where they’ll do that for us. Water is always a precious resource, but it really is at these remote camps. We got our tents settled, tonight we’re close to the toilet tents. They don’t smell, but they’ll probably have activity all night long!

We relaxed, and at 2pm had a massive lunch - cucumber soup (we had to summon Bruno, the chef, to ask about that as it was amazing), grilled cheese & tomato sandwiches, and corn fritters. At 3:30 pm, we had an optional hike a little further up the mountain, led by Abel. With as much as we’re eating, I opted in. When the sun was out, it felt warm, but otherwise it was chilly. I’d changed to shorts on our hike today, but kept my long sleeve shirt on. For the afternoon hike, I added tights under my shorts, gloves and my rain jackets - and wasn’t warm even though we were climbing! Back to the tent, I read and relaxed, skipping tea and popcorn time. Eventually we were summoned to the tent for vitals and dinner, of which I had a really small portion (pumpkin soup, rice with veggie and beef stir fry with peanut sauce. Tomorrow will be a tough day, so it’s early to bed today!

Shira Camp 1 to Shira Camp 2

Elevation (ft) 11,500ft to 12,630 ft

Distance 6mi

Hiking Time 4 hours

Habitat Moorland

Pulse 77bpm

O2 Sat 88

Feeling great!

Kilimanjaro DAY 4 - September 23

Getting the hang of the cold nights and mornings! Good thing Jeff and I have had so much tent time together, and fell easily into a routine. I didn’t sleep very fitfully, anxious about our climb to over 15,000 feet today, I think. About 4:30am, I put on my down jacket and went out to the tent toilet. The moon was so bright, it obliterated most of the stars. I looked towards Kilo and couldn’t believe my eyes. There was some kind of bioluminescence that was lighting up the glaciers. I stood and stared in awe. I saw a light come on in our tent, and waited for Jeff to come out and enjoy the sight with me. It was also great that he verified what I thought I was seeing, as no one else in our group saw it.

Another great breakfast, and we were hiking by 8:30am. We started out on the same trail as our afternoon hike yesterday. The good thing about the plateau is there are many paths along the route, so we didn’t have to step aside as porters came by. Alfred was our leader today, and was consistent with his pole pole pace. It was perfect for me, but frustrating for others in our group. I want to follow all the advice and be successful on this trek! In the back of my mind, I recall how I felt hiking Pikes Peak (14,100) and Salkantay in Peru (15,500) and I’m anxious about this.

We took a break after a couple of hours. We’d been climbing towards a ridge, and as we crossed, we saw it was a false summit and we still had quite a way to go before lunch at Lava Tower! I drank my tea (so glad I brought that cup) and ate a pack of Sports beans.

Coming down through a slot, Jeff had a fall. He was behind me, so I only heard it. He rolled and came out fine. He thinks one of his new poles collapsed on him, which is a little unnerving as we have a lot of tough down the last day and a half.

Gary got permission from Alfred to walk ahead and he took off like a shot then sat and waited for us on the ridge. There, another trail joined us - first junction we’ve come to, but Frederick said four trails will meet at the camp tonight and there will be a lot more people, maybe 300 tourists.

At the top of the ridge, we turned South East towards the Lava Tower, also called the "Shark's Tooth." We had a series of false summits before we finally got there. Once I was even more faked out as I saw tents and convinced myself it was our lunch tent - it was a different camp, another trail junction. We continued on, pole pole, bolstered by a strong tail wind. Finally, we came over a ridge and there was our mess tent and two toilet tents - with large rocks keeping them anchored in the stiff wind. We were over 15,000 feet, and near the base of one of the glaciers we could see from Shira Two. I was in awe, and I felt so good, I was giddy.

We were served a massive lunch again. We said we would have been fine with snacks or sandwiches, but they said the fuel is really important and it was great to have a hot lunch and be in the tent out of the wind.

As seems to be usual, clouds came in while we were having lunch, so I put on my Gortex rain jacket for a while after lunch to cut the chill.

We descended then, with another rush of porters passing, carrying the lunch supplies, I guess. The terrain was different this side of the pass, there were several significant rivers / washes, which made for a better variety of hiking, but also more interesting plants - mostly high desert, exotic looking creatures!

We were clearly tired on the descent, I had a fall without injury, and just a few minutes later George fell too - a spectacular crash, but also without injury.

We continued down to the Barranco Hut camp at an altitude of 13,000ft. Although we ended the day at almost the same elevation as we started, this day is very important for acclimatization. I’m happy and relieved with our groups lack of issues with the altitude so far!

We got settled into our tents and gathered in the mess tent for popcorn and tea. I was glad I brought a few Echinacea tea packets, as I have sneezing and sniffles. However, I don’t feel like I’m getting a cold; I really think it’s a reaction to the dust!

Frederick joined us for dinner tonight, and we were served a special Chagga dish - bananas and beef stew (Machalari), what one would traditionally serve if company they liked were coming over!

Tonight, we were introduced to a special treat - hot water in our Nalgene bottles, to be put into our sleeping bags to keep our feet warm. Even though I’ve kept warm on these cold nights, I decided to give it a try and it was fantastic. By the end of the night, you have a full Nalgene, and are all set for water the next morning.

Shira Camp Two to Barranco Camp

Elevation (ft) 12,630ft to 15,000 ft, back to 13,000f ft

Distance 9 mi

Hiking Time 8 hours

Habitat Semi Desert

Kilimanjaro DAY 5 September 24

Fantastic day. Frederick described it perfectly at dinner last night, but we really had to experience it to understand. It was a short day meant for acclimatization, but short day shouldn’t be confused with easy day! It was a sunny morning, but he’d told us the wall we’d be scaling was in the shade and would feel cool … therefore I overdressed for the day! I wore a pair of thin tights under my warmest pants, plus high gaiters. I eventually took the gaiters and tights off, but the pants were still hot.

But back to the day! As we left camp, a cloud came in and obscured camp and the view looking back. We crossed a little stream, where the pooled water was frozen. We continued on the path and it became a thin trail along a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall. Frederick had explained that it goes down to a narrow ledge with room for only one person at a time, and while it may feel rude, you have to stand your guard or you’d wait all day for the line to clear. Indeed, it felt like morning rush hour! Porters, other guides with their guests trying to push ahead, our guides trying to keep our group together, etc. You'd haul yourself up to a flat spot, and then have to defend your turf again at the next narrow spot. There was one spot called “kissing rock” where you need to face the wall and pull yourself around it like a hug - but I didn’t find that to be as scary as it sounds. We didn’t find it too technical compared to The Golden Staircase on Alaska’s Chilkoot Trail, or Papago Wall in the Grand Canyon. The variable was the sheer number of people trying to push through.

We took a quick break to remove layers when we got to the top of the wall. We weren’t done climbing, but the trail was much wider from that point on. We had a snack break, then climbed a bit more to a large, smooth rock looking over the mountain. The sun was out and it was spectacular. Then down a bit through mostly sand and large rocks, and up across another river valley where perfect strips of gravel came down from the mountain - the power of water or glaciers, I’m not sure. Then we climbed along a ridge, and when we reached the top, we saw Karanga Camp across a steep ravine. We learned Karenga means peanut, as the river goes to a peanut farm down the valley.

All four guides were with us today. I wish I could read their minds as I know they’re assessing us and working on strategy to get us to the summit. The final downhill was brutal. Jeff has a tender left knee, bone spurs and arthritis, and he was being careful picking out a route. He had a cortisone shot about a week ago, and felt great for a few days after that … we had hoped it’d get him through this trip, but it looks like it’s going to take a lot of Vitamin A (Advil) and pole pole to accomplish the downhill! Tam taped up his knee with some sports tape and hopefully that will help too. We reached the river, which was kind of a little creek right now. It’d be awesome to see it as a raging river! We took a lot more breaks today, largely driven by us, so we’re back to “our style” of hiking. I was glad to see the guides were willing to accommodate that.

Further up the “creek,” we saw a line of porters with buckets ferrying water up the steep side of the mountain to camp. As if that isn’t tough enough, our camp tomorrow has no water access, so they’ll haul water from this creek all the way up there (from below 13,000 feet to over 15,000 feet). We couldn’t do this trip without the amazing porters.

It was a steep climb back up the other side, easier on the body than going down, but tougher on the lungs. We’re all so excited about getting close to summit day, we got in line and “pole polied” to the top. The sun was out, but clouds were swirling, making it like two different days! Warm in the sun, cold in the cloud. We got settled quickly, and gathered for lunch. I had all I could do to stay awake after lunch, so I stumbled off to the tent for an hour nap. We had enough sun that it was actually HOT in the tent!

As we make our way up the mountain, there is little flat ground, so our tents have been pitched at increasing steeper angles, which means you and your sleeping bag end up in a pile by the door all night long, trying to inch worm yourself up to the other end of your tent. At Karanga, there was such a traverse between our mess tents, our toilet tents and our sleeping tents that to walk from one place to another, you’d careen like a drunken sailor. It’s a wonder I didn’t fall down in camp (might be that Chaco sandals weren’t the best option too).

Feeling overall really good. I worked on nose breathing as much as I could today, and covered my face with my buff when it was dusty. My sinuses still feel a bit assaulted, but it’s not holding me back. I can’t believe I didn’t bring cold and sinus stuff, after being faced with trying to buy it in foreign countries before!

We arrived about 1pm, and at 2 pm we were served lunch. Augustine presented us with envelopes for the tip allocation process, which had previously been explained to us by Donovan and Freddy, but still is quite different than anything we’ve ever seen. They give us a sheet with everyone’s name a role, and a recommended level of tip (baseline and high). They give us one envelope per person, and we need to pool our tip money and allocate it over the 32 staff. We’d previously agreed to contribute $750 each to the pool. Gary and Dan agreed to come up with a draft proposal for our group allocation while the rest of us napped. I could hardly stay awake and was grateful for their efforts!

I napped for about an hour. The sun was out, and we were fried in the tent! However, when the clouds came, it’d be a major temperature swing. After our rest, we gathered in the mess tent for hot drinks, popcorn, and vitals check. Other than stuffy sinuses, everyone is doing well and that makes me so happy. Both books I read of recent Kilimanjaro treks, as well as Lynn’s friend, had stories of people that had to abort their trek due to health issues brought on by the altitude. Embark’s plan for acclimatization has worked well for us.

Before dinner, we discussed the tip proposal. I was delighted to hear that with our pool of money, we meet the suggested high range and only spent 65% of our pool, and we were all happy with how Gary and Dan suggested to allocate the remainder of our pool. The porters get the smallest portion of the pool, and that hurts my heart as it’s obvious looking just at their foot ware that they need the money. But we know that without the great leaders, the trip wouldn’t be what it has been so far. We’ll have the ability to add more for specific people out of our own funds, and I’m also planning on donating my boots, gaiters and some of the clothes I brought.

We had a great dinner, tacos and rice, with ginger tea. Then Augustine sent us off to sleep, which was no problem for me!

Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

Elevation (ft) 13,000ft to 13,100ft

Distance 4.5 mi Hiking

Time 5 hours

Habitat Alpine Desert

O2 Sat 90

Pulse 80

Kilimanjaro DAY 6 September 25 - Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

Same morning routine, and we were gathered at the sign awaiting our guides by 8:30 am. The sun was out, but it was cool, and we could see the clouds making their way up from the valley. I started out in my warmer pants, a smart wool tank, a long sleeve layer, and my smart wool sweater.

It was about a 3-mile day, and I’d estimate the first mile was up a level path, with a few switch backs where it got really steep. Alfred led us today and he has the perfect pole pole pace for me. Small, consistent steps. I followed behind him and matched him step for step. Once I dropped back to take a photo and joined in the back of the line, and that was frustrating to me - I had to drop back further because there were people in our line surging and then stopping, and I liked the more consistent rhythm. Since I’m complaining, I’ve also missed the solitude I generally get while hiking. When members of our group are feeling chatty (which is completely fine, sometimes I feel chatty too), I drop to the back and allow some space to get my solitude. But with this arrangement, the other guides are in the back talking in Swahili, and that’s even worse!

We got over the first ridge, and I was secretly hoping we’d see camp, but of course not! What we saw was a short downhill stretch, followed by a flat stretch, and then another rocky ridge. We took a quick break, and as I tried to find a rock to pee behind, I was disgusted by the amount of trash and human waste between the rocks - ugh.

We were over 14,000 feet now, so even the flat stretch required pole pole, and I jumped in behind Alfred again. The landscape was barren - we were imagining this was how the moon might look! Only an occasional stressed looking plant, and the rock changed from mostly volcanic, to shards of shale. We easily climbed over the rocky ridge, and Alfred gave us another quick break. The tents that we’re calling the “circus tents” were in view, but it was a distance and a decent angle of accent. And we were approaching 15,000 feet so it was good to take it slow.

We continued up to the Barafu Hut (Barafu means “ice” in Swahili). As we wandered through camp, we saw even less flat ground! We stopped at the sign for a group photo. The sun was trying to peak out, and we caught glimpses of the peak Mawenzi across a valley, but Kibo was socked in.

At this point, we have completed the South Circuit, and have had many great views of the mountain from all angles. Tomorrow we climb, and I couldn’t be more excited.

We hiked down to where our camp was mostly set up. We had lunch, finishing at 2pm and we were dispatched to our tents to rest until 4pm when the guides would be by to do a final gear check. I listened to my iPod to drown out the noise, and pulled out my sleep mask and I think I had a good rest. About 3pm, the clouds became more than mist and we had our first light rain. I was glad to be snuggled in my sleeping bag in the tent!

At 5pm we gathered for dinner, then back to the tents to sleep. Our guides decided we should leave at 11pm - that’s not a typo. The goal is to be at the summit for sunrise! Besides our 4 regular guides, we were going to have two additional helpers (Abel and Pascal, the student guides who are also serving as porters).

So, from about 6pm until 10pm, we tried to sleep, which was not possible for me, so I just focused on my breathing and relaxing.

Elevation (ft) 13,100ft to 15,300ft

Distance 3 mi

Hiking Time 4-5 hours

Habitat Alpine Desert

O2 Sat 87

Pulse 77 bpm

Kilimanjaro DAY 7 September 26 – SUMMIT DAY!

Barafu Camp to Summit to Mweka Hut

After an early dinner, we were in our tents by 6 PM trying to sleep for a 10 PM wake up. I would say I rested well, but I don’t think I slept. At 10 PM, we were up, and had a quick breakfast of porridge, toast and fruit and by 11 PM we were hiking. The trail left camp on a pretty steep incline. Augustine was leading us, followed by Dan and Tam and then me. I was so out of breath; I had a moment of panic thinking there was no way I could climb an additional 4000 feet feeling the way that I felt at 15,500. Then I realized I wasn’t focused on my breathing, and I’d been breathing really shallow. I relaxed my breathing and everything became much better.

Being 11 PM of course, we were hiking with our headlamps on and you could see several groups up ahead of us having already set out. It was cold out, but we had dressed for the cold. On my feet, I had on thick alpaca wool socks, and silk sock liners. I had on insulated tights and insulated hiking pants over that. I had on a smart wool tank top, a base layer, my alpaca fleece and my rain jacket. I was warm enough as we started the hike but we were told that the we would get colder as we went up, partly because of the elevation gain and partly because 3 AM to 6 AM seems to be the coldest part of the day at least here in Africa. After a little climb, we went through another base camp where everyone seemed to be still sleeping.

Besides our four guides we had two additional student guides who are serving on the trip as porters, but in school to be guides. It was a blessing to have them along not only for physical support but they were amazing positive mental support and before the end of the morning, most of us needed 1:1 supervision.

The guides were like ninjas as they walked without headlights headlamps and they would be scrambling up the rocks on either side of the designated trail. As we rounded the switch back, they’d stand there like they were going to support you if you fell, which was really comforting but also terribly inspiring, they knew the mountain so well that they didn’t even need lights. The night was gorgeous. The moon was waning, but still mostly full. I would turn off my headlight when we took a break when and just admire the stars in the gorgeous night. We could see the glaciers and we were close to them, but they still had the glow that I had noticed 7000 feet below several nights before. Down below, there were many more strings of headlamps from the hikers that had started out after us.

The first thing to feel cold was my feet, which is really unusual for me. I thought maybe it was the silk liner socks that were transferring the cold to my feet, so at one break I switched out the liner socks and at the same time took advantage of a pair of insole foot warmers that Lynn had bought and shared with me. That did the trick and I didn’t think about cold feet again for the rest of the journey. The next thing to go called was my body in general, so when we had another break, I swapped out my fleece and added my down jacket underneath my rain jacket. I had a heavier hat but I found just with the hood of my down jacket cinched up and my smart wool beanie that was it all I needed to keep my head warm. I had on two pair of light gloves and they kept me warm for a while but eventually I swapped out for my thick winter mittens. During another break, I added the handwarmers to those as well. We had heard mixed things about handwarmers working at that sort of elevation but we all agreed that they worked great for us. At some point I put on my rain wind pants and that was the last “costume adjustment” I had to make for the way up for the most part I stayed relatively warm.

Physically, it was tough on the lungs and circulatory system, but I found if I really focused on my breathing it wasn’t too bad. It took more exertion on some of the big steps over rocks but nothing that I couldn’t handle.

We had breaks often, and I found other that wanting to stop to add clothes, for the most part I wanted to just keep moving. We didn’t have a lot of interaction with each other, more or less, we were all fighting our own private little battles to get to the top. I ate a pack of sports beans, and once Tam was handing out Butterfinger bites – that was a yummy treat, but for the most part I’d completely lost my appetite, which is extremely rare for me. I tried to keep in contact with Jeff, but Abel the student guide had taken over shepherding him and was being super protective of him! Augustine kept the lead at a perfect pace, and the other guides kept the rest of us supported. It was awesome to complete the summit as a group, just as we’d planned.

As an illustration of how the altitude fogs the brain, I struggled with my larger mittens and the straps of my hiking poles, but didn’t take the time to do anything about it. I just struggled through it! I almost always hike with poles, and having been a downhill skiers, I know the strap adjustment is critical to proper function of the poles. I would have had to adjust the straps bigger to fit over my mittens, but for no good reason, I didn’t do it. Instead, I just gripped the poles without using the straps. And on top of that, I had handwarmers inside my mittens, and they also got in the way of gripping the poles, so I’d try to reposition them to be on top of my fingers, rather in the way. It doesn’t make sense to struggle like that for 2+ hours, now that I think about it. I blame altitude! By the time we were heading down, when I really needed to poles, I was back to using my lighter gloves which fit perfectly with the pole straps.

At many breaks, George would check the elevation on his phone, and it always felt like we were making amazing progress. I really enjoyed having those updates. At about 2am, we were over 17,000 feet, and by 3:30am, we were at 18,000 feet. Each time, we’d exclaim: “this is as high as we’ve ever been!”

Mentally, I was reviewing all the tough things I’d done in my life – childbirth, marathons, Horribly Hilly Bike Ride, other bike rides with tough conditions. In reality, the toughest part of this was just knowing that it was going to be an 8-hour slog. I can’t recall being that maxed out for so long with any previous endeavor. What kept me going was the thought of a sign that I saw at mile 22 in my first marathon, “Pain Is Temporary, Pride is Forever.”

At about 5:30am, I’d been monitoring the horizon and I was glad to see it starting to get light – I hoped that meant we were nearing the top. I looked up and saw the Stella Point sign and couldn’t believe my eyes! That was 18,884 feet. We dropped our packs there, spread out for toileting breaks, and then while the other Abel stayed with our packs, we began the assent to the top.

We’d been encouraged to eat and drink, but after 18,000 feet, I had all I could do to drink little sips of water. At Stella Point, Augustine handed me a ginger snap cookie, which was so tasty at 15,000 feet, but was like a mouth full of sand to me at that time. I had my S’Well thermos of hot tea, and that helped me to wash down the cookie, but I was really fighting nausea at that point and really worked to breathe through it.

From Stella Point, we had an additional 75-minute ascent through heavy scree along the crater rim to the summit, Uhuru Peak (19,336 feet), the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.

It was pure adrenaline that drove me from Stella Point to the top. I was shaky, but thought it was more from excitement than altitude. Jeff and I embraced and cried together, so caught up in the emotion of accomplishing this together – 18 months after his heart attack, and just 2 months shy of his 70th birthday. We snapped photos and exchanged hugs with the guides and the rest of our group. Augustine gathered us into a circle and we shared a prayer of gratitude. More tears, more photos, and then we headed down.

I went to retrieve my pack, and Abel the student insisted he carry it for me, and I happily let him. We started the descent, and I was completely exhausted. I stumbled a few times and fell twice. It was soft scree, and I didn’t get hurt, but I wanted nothing more than to take a nap. We took a break and I laid down (which I often do when we’re hiking), and Augustine pretty sternly told me I couldn’t sleep now - we had to get down.

The further down we went, the more energy Jeff seemed to have, however, his knee was giving him a lot of trouble. It got warmer and I started peeling off layers, but everything hurt, especially my feet and legs. As another illustration of altitude brain fog, I should have removed my heavy socks and feet warmers, as my feet felt like they were on fire – but instead, I just stubbornly plugged along – the only thought was I’d get to lay down when I got to the tent.

The descent trail was separate from the trail going up. A group of porters from our camp hiked up the descent trail to greet us, and relieve us all of our packs. That boosted my spirits a bit. We finally reached our base camp just before 11am, and I could barely stop to pose for a photo and wasn’t at all interested in the snacks that the wait staff had for us. I hit the toilet tent, then went to our tent and crawled into my sleeping bag and crashed.

They let us sleep about 90 minutes, then we had to get up, pack up our tents and have a late lunch before continuing our descent to Mweka Camp. It was another 4 miles, and even Advil couldn’t mask the pain that most of us still had in our joints from that much down! We set out in heavy mist, so we wore our rain jackets or ponchos. We descended into the jungle, where there were more interesting plants.

Misery Factor Was HIGH on the Way Down!

About halfway down, we came to High Camp, and we were warned to not be faked out when we saw it. We took a snack break there, and the final two miles took about 2.5 hours, we were all suffering so badly. We’d come down nearly 9000 feet today!!

We set up our tent for the last time, gathered our laundry for early morning delivery to Hans, and hit the mess tent for popcorn and a last dinner. Our group was mostly subdued from the long day, but the feeling of accomplishment was being to already outweigh the suffering we’d just been though!

Elevation (ft) 15,300ft to 19,341ft to 10,200ft

Distance 10 mi Hiking

Time 6 hours ascent/3 hours descent from summit to base camp, additional 5 hours to Mweka camp – LONG DAY!

Habitat Alpine to Jungle

DAY 8 September 27 - Mweka Camp to Gate

Back in the rain forest, and what a difference with clear air. My sinuses felt great for the first time in over a week!

After breakfast we took a little time to write notes of thanks on the backs of the envelopes. We’ve been so touched by the supportive team that helped us with this trek. Augustine said we were the best group he’d ever led, and we think he really meant it. With the closeness and supportiveness of our group, the guides don’t have to worry about group dynamics!

We got ready to go, and Gary set out with his usual stride - it was so heartwarming to us all as we’re so used to him setting the pace for our group. I set off with the faster group in front, but they were excited and chatty (for good reason), and after a bit I dropped back to soak in the experience of the beautiful jungle, and also ensure Jeff was doing okay.

The path was wide, and mostly built like large steps into the downhill slope, with logs framing each step. There was some mud, but most thankfully, no dust. As a result, the foliage really popped - many hues of green, and a variety of flowers. Jeff’s knee was very painful, even with ibuprofen, so he walked at the back of the pack. I walked somewhere in between, relishing the solitude and the time to stop for photographs.

Both Jeff and I had some great chats with Augustine, Frederick and Abel on the way down. Both Augustine and Abel have daughters that are interested in pursuing a health care career, and it’d be great if we can help facilitate some training for them in the United States. The opportunities for people to find work in Tanzania are so limited. While its sad to think of people having to leave home to forge a career, these fathers understand that and its heartwarming to see them networking with us to help find a way for their children to be successful.

The path actually turned into a dirt road as we got closer to the end. The gang finished first, having left the last break stop skipping down the road singing:

“Jambo, (Hello)

Jambo bwana (Hello sir)

Harbari gani (How are you?)

Nzuri sana (I am fine)

Wagani (Dear guests)

Mwa karibishwa (You are Welcome)

Kilimanjaro (To our Kili)

Hakuna matata (There is no problem)

Temba pole pole (Learn it slowly)

Hakuna matata (There is no problem)

Ukienda Tanzania (You can also go to …)

Hakuna matata ….”

Jeff and I came along later with Frederick and Abel, we were greeted by the gang and Gary was playing the Rocky theme on his phone. It was great to be finished, but with a melancholy feeling.

Freddy was there to greet us. He invited us into the Administrative Building, not sure of what goes on there, but he’d arranged for someone to come and assist Gary with the COVID test he’ll need as he’s flying home day after tomorrow. There were several guys there offering to wash our boots, so I took them up of the offer and handed over my muddy boots. As they were washing them, I pulled my Chacos out of my backpack, and a guy took them from me and said they needed to be washed too (he was right)! I had some cash in my backpack and paid them each $5. Freddy said that was too much, but my God, they’re hanging out offering to wash boots (and doing a nice job)!

After that, I headed into the administrative building to find our gang. Jeff and Gary had essentially taken “sponge baths” and were standing there with wet hair. I found the ladies room with flush toilets and sinks with running water – amazing how wonderful that was after 8 days. I washed my hands repeatedly, but still couldn’t really get them clean. I never recall being this dirty in my whole life!!

Our bags had already been loaded on our bus, so we climbed in and had a short ride to “Kilimanjaro Village,” where we It was a little odd, but it was a gated courtyard with a little bar, tables set up on a covered patio, a gift shop (interestingly enough, a branch of the one Augustine brought us to in Moshi) and an “art studio” and also sculptures of animals all over the grass, straight out of the “Lion King!”

We found the Veteran group already there, and joined them – delighted by the site of beer, wine and a bottle of Jameson after 7 nights on the mountain (we’d placed our order with Hans 8 days ago and he didn’t disappoint!). We were further delighted when we saw our waiters from the mountain, Denis and Godlisten, all dressed in chef’s white smocks bringing out trays of food! The guides were eating at the next table, and they brought us a selection of what the crew was eating, but we didn’t get to eat with the crew (they seemed to be around the corner) – reminded me of the meals during our Cuban mission trip – we didn’t get to mingle at meal time. In this case, our food was much different than the “ugali” that they traditionally eat.

After the meal, we gathered in the courtyard for singing and dancing. The joy was palatable. After the songs, Gary did a great job presenting them each with their tip envelope and hopefully conveying how grateful we were to have been blessed with their presence and the gift of having them support us on this epic journey.

We had time for shopping then. My mission was finding a new “pole pole” bracelet, as somewhere on the way to the summit yesterday, I lost mine (fell off with one of my “costume changes” no doubt). The shop had really amazing African artifacts, it was fun to listen to one of the sales guys description of them.

Some of the guys talked to Hans while we were shopping and asked him if he and his dad (Freddy) owned the place we were having the celebration. Hans replied that they “don’t own anything,” but we all agreed they’ve got a lot of connections and a lot going on, which is wonderful! Jeff commented that Freddy was like the “Godfather of Tanzania,” with all of his connections. George had the great foresight to ask Hans if he could arrange for massages back at our hotel later in the day, and Hans was pretty sure he could make that happen. He promised to deliver our clean laundry to us later that evening, and some people even handed off their backpacks as he said he could get them cleaned too!

We said goodbye to most of the crew, then had a 40-minute drive into Moshi, over now familiar streets. Traffic was busy, which gave us time to really view the shops - a hearse in front of a funeral home, next door to a casket maker. Motorcycles and tok-toks, darting in and out of traffic – it was all a bit surreal after our eight days on the mountain.

Back to the serenity of the Bristol Cottages courtyard, we retrieved our other luggage and valuables, and said goodbye to Augustine, Frederick, Abel and Alfred. As usual, Dan had composed a poem about the journey, which he shared with the group and made us laugh and cry.

Kili - A Bucket List High

8 globetrotten, gobsmacking

Planet-roamin, Wandering

Souls of the earth

Traipsing through volcanic dust

In an effort to find their worth

As is our custom we’ve made new kaka’s & friends… Experiencing up close our climate trends

Some notables we were blessed to see

Swashbuckling tamara in squatty potty

Drops her phone in the pee

Karibu, karibu, karibu, sana

Karibu, karibu, karibu, sana

Asante sana kaka’s, from our hearts

More notables we were blessed to see

Happy Happy & Famous Frederick,

Denis, Godlisten, & the crew of 33

This notable we were blessed to see

The sun and clouds surrounding Kili

& Machalari so special, we’d like more please!

Yet more notables we were blessed to see

Trail angels with herbs and tea

All in the spirit of fixing of me

Denis & Lynn, our singers of pride

Renditions that was deep & alive

Zipper mania from midnight to dawn

And logs a many delightfully sawn

Still more notables we were blessed to see

Volcanic dust we kept trying to flee

Tenga pole pole we finally embraced

On our way to the summit, we aced

Oh…more notables we were blessed to see

The top of the African world

Tanzania, its people,

monkeys & rainforests,

& Swahili

You may ask of our favorite part

We say it’s all, from ending to start

Now we must say

Twenda sasa,

May we meet again some day

Hiker #7

Then it was a quick shower, barely time to enjoy it as we were expecting the ladies for our massage at any moment! And then the massage – aaaaaah, and ouch! The calves and quads were quite tender from all of the descent!

We sorted our possessions again – one bag to go along on tomorrow’s safari (soft sided and <15 kilo for the airplane ride), one bag for Freddy to hold until we return from safari and another pile of clothing and gear to be donated to the crew.

Our group of eight had a subdued dinner on the patio at the Bristol; sad to be parting ways with Gary tomorrow, and so elated about our mutual accomplishment.

Elevation (ft) 10,200ft to 5,400ft

Distance 6 mi Hiking

Time 4 hours

Habitat Rain Forest