Kilimanjaro Diary - Day 5

Day 5. Up even earlier. A glorious eight hours of trekking ahead of us. The landscape was wide and open and sprawling. The exponentially increasing effects of the sun were really making themselves known. Even though the terrain wasn't very steep to start with we still had to stop fairly frequently and remember to slap on more sunscreen. Today was the day that the altitude really started to kick in.

I really wasn't sure how, if at all, the altitude was going to affect me. I think I was lucky in most respects. The only real symptom I got was a headache. The lower oxygen levels got me feeling a bit tired and emotional. By lunch time I was feeling pretty miserable. I had the option of taking a more lateral route to the next camp but felt that would be copping out so I carried on; the whole point of this was to start getting acclimatised so I thought I'd do better to keep going. James managed to cheer me up a bit after lunch with talk of music and stuff so by the time we hit our highest point of 4600m I was feeling tonnes better and even found a massive rock to climb and sit on. James has that picture somewhere.

Later in the afternoon, on our descent, it felt like we were in the wild west (see above). The day seemed really long, not least because we got more rain; and they all start to merge into one a bit.

The porters and guides seemed to have a never ending supply of good cheer though. I think if it wasn't for them far fewer of us would have made it to summit day, let alone summit night. Below is the view we had from our base camp that evening. That bit of rock that's covered in clouds... we had that to contend with the next day. But not until after we had a makeshift pub quiz!

Kili Video Diary - Day 5

Kilimanjaro Diary - Day 4

The tent didn't leak and I was warm enough in my sleeping bay. The two main concerns about the first night under canvas were unfounded. We were woken by one of the porters doing an astounding impression of a rooster, at around about 6am. It was drizzling which was not a fantastic start to the day but a table loaded with porridge (later referred to as gruel due to the decline in quality), toast, eggs, sausages, tea, Africafe and Milo awaited so there was every reason to get "dressed" and up.

Almost everything out there is Kilimanjaro branded. Tea, beer, anything you care to think of really. I got a real taste for the beer once we were back down and also Milo, a hot chocolate drink which I know you can get over here so I intend to source it next time I'm out shopping.

Where as the day before we'd covered about 16km in 6 or 7 hours, today we were covering a mere 8km in the same time. This was due to the change in terrain, which was now quite rocky. The vegetation changed dramatically and the sun was beating down until about lunchtime at which point we had a downpour. The tent leaked and we almost had to swim out, I swear. Lunch was cucmber soup, as I recall, and masses and masses of pasta and coleslaw. These lads really know how to cook up decent food on a mountain. I don't think I lost a single bit of weight while I was up there, despite burning off about three times as many calories as usual.

We got into a bit of scrambling after lunch, heading ever upwards, now having to traverse waterfalls too. The weather changes to quickly as the clouds sweep across. It continually took me by surprise. We weren't too worn out when we got to camp two but still ready for tea and popcorn (yes popcorn). This camp was more spread out. The thing that got tedious was all the waiting around. Once you got to camp you had to wait for tea, then you had to wait for dinner and then you had to wait until it wasn't too early to go to bed. There was very little to do. So we entertained ourselves with the Doc's heart rate and blood oxygen level monitor. Couldn't make much sense of the results but it passed the time. I also spent a bit of time looking at the clouds and chasing the white collared crows that were about the place. Maybe I should have taken a book...

Kili Video Diary - Day 4

Kili Video Diary - Day 3

Kilimanjaro Diary - Day 3

After the last good nights sleep I was going to get for a week it was up bright and early (I don't remember how early), breakfast of toast and weetabix (breakfast of champions!) and once our possessions had been sorted into staying, day bags and duffles, it wass time to hop on the minibus to Machame gate.

There was a fair bit of milling around while we collected water and lunch (in the cutest little tins) and signed in so that the park, in theory, would know who was inside at any time. Having seen the system through to the end I have very little faith in this system and you could probably get nice and lost in there for weeks at a stretch if you wanted to.

We had the obligatory group photo and got introduced to the vast team of guides and porters who were to accompany us all the way to the summit. We had 3 main guides, cooks, water porters, toilet porters (has to be the worst job but they were fab) and an abuncande of other people. We were probably outnumbered 2 to 1. And then we were off. The way was pretty well trodden to start with, good packed dirt track and steps. Started to get to know my fellow trekkers and the immediate team. Dr Geoff intrigued me most as he's a real action man but keeps it very down low. Simon is just insane. He was going to be climbing Kili again with a different group as soon as we'd finished! And Tariq was just along to see what it was all about.

Of course there are no toilets to speak of on the mountain. Actually there are a few sheds with holes in the floor on the lower reaches (thank you India) but otherwise it's a case of finding a spot where you won't be spotted, so to speak. You get better at this, or at least more daring, as the week goes on and the vegetation thins out... Anywho, we eventually stopped for a lunch of sweet sandwiches, baby bananas, cake and chocolate. And water. Lots and lots of water.

I don't really remember anything amazing happening until we reached the first camp. What was amazing was watching the porters over taking us with duffles, tents and other assorted equipment balanced on back, shoulders, neck and heads. One was even carrying fresh eggs! We saw him repeatedly over the course of the week. The first camp was a little cramped compared to what we experienced later. Several groups were there at the same time. The tents were comfortable enough, 3 man tent for two. Dinner was soup and either pasta or rice, I can't remember, vegetable sauce and fresh fruit. Despite the fog that swept in, the views across the valley were spectacular... just some of many we were to see...

Kili Video Diary - Day 2