Africa: Tanzania MT Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro - Lemosho Route
When planning this little adventure, we chose an 8 day Alternative Lemosho Route over the others because of its longer time on the trail to give us more acclamation time. We didn’t let our egos dictate the need to trek fast or a lot in a day, as we were planning a vacation and welcomed some easy leisure days on the trail. It also has a lot of different biomes to go through and exits on the Mweka gate letting us experience different sides of the mountain with lower traffic. Most camps were shared with only one or two other groups. Though we both felt like we were in good shape for this trek, we knew it would be the altitude that will be the biggest challenge.
Day -2:
Two days before the start of this trip I hit my first logistical curve ball. A huge winter storm was heading to the North East United States and It immediately impacted my flights out. The Airline was not much help in rebooking and I had to find my own way to Tanzania at the last minuet as well as a new return ticket home. First I booked a flight to a souther state not affected by the weather and got a hotel for the night and then booked my trip out from there. This meant that I had 8 hours to get to the airport and start my journey two days early. It was entirely doable so I was happy to get moving and put this hiccup behind me. Little did I know, this was going to be a minor theme of annoyance for the rest of my trip, but more on that later.
Day 1: After my days of travel I made it to Tanzania. Along the way I was joined by my friend and fellow South Pole Station Winterover Tyler. Tyler and I met in Antarctica and stayed in contact through my second winter on ice. As I was planning my next adventures I thought “ who else like mountains and adventure?” The rest is pretty easy to figure out. Now reunited and in country Tyler and I had some work to do. We spent a good chunk of the day acquiring local currency, going through all our gear for the Trek and making last minuet adjustments. Once our gear was checked and organized, it was time to relax with some food and cards. Tyler showed me a new card game and since we had the rest of the day with all our to do lists empty we played cards, drank coffee and relaxed to recover from our long travels before calling it a night.
View from our room at the Outpost Lodge, Arusha
Day 2: After some breakfast and more cards we relaxed in the room until our Guides for the trek showed up. To trek up Kilimanjaro you are required to use a guiding company. After a lot of research we settled on Kilimanjaro Experts for our guiding company. They were very responsive and transparent in fees, policies and ethics. This made it an easy choice for us and we quickly realized how good of a choice it was during the first meeting and briefing from our guides. They were quick to answer all question from our group of 7 trekkers and went though the plan for the first day. They explained how things will work on the mountain and what to expect and after going over the route and camp sites, they came up to our rooms and checked our gear and recommended any changes or things we should consider. At dinner time we chatted with other members of the trek before getting some good rest before pickup at the hotel the next morning.
Day 3: Tyler and I made sure to take advantage of the last showers we could get for a while before packing up our gear one last time and checking out. The buss came and picked us all up and we made a few stops on the way at USA River where the Kilimanjaro Experts has an office and then a stop in town for last minuet supplies for us and the crew/chef. It was a long bumpy ride to the gate but we were rewarded with a nice lunch as it started to rain We ate and put on our rain gear, Registered with eh park and took a group photo at the sign before starting our trek. Along the trail, we saw Colobus and Blue monkeys, and some of the local flowers, Fireball Lily and Impatiens Kilimanjaro or Elephant Trunk Flowers as we trekked through the mud. We eventually reached camp where everything was already set up by our crew. The porters then came to wash off the mud from our boots and rain pants as we enjoyed some popcorn and tea in the mess tent. It is standard operation for the crew to pass us on the trail and set up camp before we arrive each day. They set up toilets, tents, the mess tent, prepare food, for the trekkers and themselves. We each had a power responsible for carrying our duffle bag to camp each day where they would put them in the tents and set up the sleeping pads for us. They also took care of issues relating to the changing weather or helped us by rigging drying lines or even digging trenches around tents to make sure flowing rain water wouldn’t reach us as we slept. The waiters would come and bring us hot water for “washy washy”. IT was amazing how much work they do each day and we were impressed with how much detail went into all their tasks. Tyler and I realized we needed to trust the process as they know more of what we need than we do on this trek. Dinner was served and was delicious. They wanted us to eat as much as we could each day knowing that our appetite will fade as we reach higher elevations. With how good the food we all figured we would be leaving the mountain a bit heavier than we came and though in reality we all lost weight, we were full each day with wonderful food from our chef who planned a balanced diet for the work we would be doing each day.After dinner we received a brief from the guides letting us know the details for the next day. They went over trail conditions, weather, what to wear or bring in our day pack and what to look forward to on the trail as we move through different zones. This is also the time the guides see how we are feeling by filling out paperwork on health and checking our O2 saturation to form a baseline as we trek each day. We all slept soundly in the rainforest as monkeys took over the night and the roar of the rain lulled us to sleep.
Distance: 4.8KM - 3M
Camp: Big Tree 2785M - 9137FT
Swahili: Asante Sana - Thank You Very Much
Day 4:
During the briefing the night before, we were told wake up would be at 0600 with breakfast at 0630 and a 0700 departure. Tyler and I decided we would set and alarm for 0500 and ease into the day to make sure we were organized with our gear, water and to take our malaria meds with plenty of time to take in the morning and sunrise. Once dressed in our soggy clothes, Shabani and Rachel, our two waiters arrived to make us our morning Coffee or tea. Then Shabani gathered our water bottles to fill with treated and filtered water for our days trek. After our coffee and breakfast it was time to hit the trail. The guides set a slow pace for us to make sure we adjust to the altitude and not wear ourselves out. It was another rainy and muddy day through the rainforest out to the heath and moorland zone. We reached camp around 1200. Our waiters showed us how they make black pepper and honey tea to warm up. Not everyone liked it but Tyler and I decided to embrace it and it became a regular thing for us each evening to warm up at camp.
Distance: 7.9KM - 5M
Camp: Shira 1 3504M - 11,496FT
Swahili: Karibu - Welcome/ you’re welcome
Day 5:
Since the extra hour worked so well the day before we decided to roll with it for the rest of the trek. Got our coffee and breakfast and gear together for another day. The day started cold and rainy but warmed up as we got to camp. The trail was a little more rocky with some boulders. We made a brief stop at the unused Fischer Campsite and Scott Fischer plaque that commemorates his life. Once at camp with our pepper tea, we enjoyed lunch and shared stories with the other trekkers. The rain stopped and I got out to take some photos around camp and stretch my legs. Then we all played cards until dinner. It was a pretty chilly night for sleep and struggled to stay warm due to me having too much stuffed in my sleeping bag. It was a struggle each night to dry any clothes and have new or dry clothes each day.
Distance: 9.7KM - 6M
Camp: Moir Huts 4161M - 11,365FT
Swahili: Nzuri Sana - Very Good
Day 6:
Today was a lot of up and down on the trail until we got to camp. We still made good time and got to camp early. After lunch I decided to lay down in the tent and stretch out before dinner.
Distance: 9.2KM - 6M
Camp: Pofu 4033M - 13,232
Swahili: Chai - Tea / Kahawa - Coffee
Day 7:
Today was a short but sunny day. We got into camp early again and had time to lay out our things to dry out and even got some sun ourselves. I got too much sun and got burnt on my face and arms. We also had some time to hang out with the guides and share stories.I even managed to get a short nap in. As I was relaxing I could hear on of our guides calling my name. He saw a bird and was asking if I could grab my camera and try to get a photo of it. The Bearded Vulture ( Gypaetus Baratus) is a scavenger with a diet consisting of mostly bones.For bones to large to swallow, it will take them up high and drop them on rocks to break them and expose the marrow. We went down closer to where it was flying and waited to see if it would move closer. I only had my 24-120mm lens on the trek but made the best attempts I could to capture a good shot of it when it circled closer. Then it was time for dinner I took the time to relax in the tent and adjust my gear and systems for the next day as I had a better Idea of what the trail was like.
Distance: 6.8KM - 4.35M
Camp: Cave Camp
Swahili: Ndio - Yes Hapana - No Kidogo - A Little
Day 8:
We had another day of ups and downs but nothing too tough. We got into camp early enough to do an acclimation hike up to 15,000FT then we went back to camp and learned the song “Jambo Bwana” for Kilimanjaro that the crew sang to us along with other songs and dancing as they introduced themselves. Some of the crew are easy to learn the names of but others you don’t see all the time or know what their duties are. It was nice for them to show their welcome for us on the trek and inspiring to see their hard work each day. We ate and then tried to get some rest before summit. The plan was to start trekking at midnight so Tyler and I set our alarms for 10PM and had our gear ready before getting in a nap.
Distance: 4.8KM - 3M
Camp: Schoot Hut 4717M - 12193FT
Swahili:
Jambo, Jambo Bwana
Habari gani
Nzuri sana
Wageni mwakaribishwa
Kilimanjaro
Hakuna Matata
Day 9:
The trail to the summit was steep but we were going “pole pole” (Slowly slowly). Each trekker was accompanied by a summit porter to help along the way either carrying bags or just helping with zippers and opening snacks. It wasn’t long before I started to feel the altitude. I was supprised how well my training paid off for this trip as the trail and pace were pretty easy. The altitude however is a different story. After we were above 16,000 feet I really started to slow down and get tired. We started around midnight and by 6AM we reached Gillman’s Point (5719M - 18,763FT). This is where I got a burst of energy and clarity even though I was still exhausted. We then continued along the rim to Uhulru Peak to get all our photos and eat some snacks before descending. We then spent some time for a quick lunch at Barafu Camp then continued on to Millennium Camp for the night. After defending down we came back into our friend the rain and were pretty sweaty and soaked when we reached camp.
Distance: 5.4KM - 3.3M to Summit 10.5K - 6M to Camp
Camp: Milenium 3950M - 12429FT
Swahili: Samahani - Excuse me, I apologize
Day 10:
From Milenium Camp to the Mweka gate was a rainy slog downhill. My knees were already tired from the descent from the summit but I made good use of my trekking poles to help distribute the load. We were all feeling much better at the lower altitude and spirits were high now that we have done what we came to do at the summit. We split into two groups as some of the trekkers were moving much slower. It was a theme for the trek and contributed to a lot of waiting.
Pro Tip: If you ever go on a trek with a group of people, don’t be the people that are getting ready last second when everyone is ready to hit the trail is a bad time to apply sunscreen, find your waterspout on rain gear,ect.
We made it to the gate and due to a bit of drama, had to wait for the others. We waited for hours. The crew was packed up and waiting on the bus for us all to go to the celebration lunch(now dinner) and tipping ceremony. We got our certificates while we waited and eventually made it to the dinner. It was a quick ceremony allowing us time to give thanks to the crew and a little time for songs and dancing before the long bus ride back to the hotel. We made it back late with just enough time to get a quick shower and grab food before the kitchen closed for the night. That’s when I turned my phone back on to find out that once again, all my flights were canceled due to closed airspaces. I spent the dinner scrambling to rebook flights last minuet again. The rebooking of flights from the start and end of the trip now equal to the total cost of the original trip crushed my spirits a bit. I still celebrated climbing Kilimanjaro with a Stoney Tanzawiza Soda (lemon ginger beer soda) and some food. Then it was back to the room to pack up for a two day safari starting the next morning. Phase one of my Tanzania trip was complete.
Distance: Total 69.6KM - 43.3M
