Diary of a Kilimanjaro Climb, August 2010

Nairobi to Kilimanjaro international airport

Wake early in Norfolk Hotel at Nairobi. Vivien is being picked up at 5am for her flight to Cape Town and the boys are due to land from UK at 7.30am. See Vivien off and return to room to grab some more sleep. At 7.50am I get a text message from Luke, their plane has been diverted to Dar-el-Salaam should they take a bus direct to Kilimanjaro? I text back phone no. of the efficient Fiona at Abercrombie & Kent in Nairobi and suggest they call her and make plans. This is a bad start.

20 minutes later there is a knock at the door and I open it to find Guy, Luke and Keith standing there with all their luggage grinning from ear to ear! That's Luke!

We enjoy a good breakfast and Fiona picks us up and we head for Wilson Airport.

We board our 12 seat plane and the pilot heads off to the runway, revs up, turns plane around and brings it back. There is a shouting match between pilot and ground crew from which we gather the pilot is not happy with the engine noise at full revs. He jumps down from his seat and storms off. We are invited to disembark.

A few minutes later we board another plane with a different pilot. Either the engine noise is better or the pilot is less fussy but we take off and have an uneventful 40 minute flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. We are met by A&K and taken to the very pleasant Mountain View Hotel.

We meet Peter our lead guide after lunch and have a briefing session. I have brought Diamox for altitude sickness but had not decided whether to take it. Conrad, a professional mountaineer and head of A&Ks climbing operations in Tanzania, says its commonly used but at half dose and that if I am going to take it I should start now. I chop my tablets in half and take the first dose.

Peter insists on inspecting all our kit to make sure it is adequate for the conditions. He ruled my quality gloves and liner gloves inadequate - “You need mittens with room for two layers of gloves inside” he tells me. “I will bring some for you tomorrow”. He also recommended gaiters because of the deep volcanic grit that we will encounter on our final night climb. He produces a selection of mittens, glove liners and gaiters for me to choose from.

Day 1, Hotel to Machame Gate 1800m and walk to Machame Camp at 3033m

A good nights sleep in the very comfortable Mountain View Hotel. Luke and I share a room but neither of us sets an alarm. Overslept so rushed breakfast but then hotel had forgotten to prepare our packed lunches so we had to wait for those anyway.

Peter Mato, our guide meets us and we board our Land Cruiser and set off for Machame Gate at 10am.

We got to Machame Gate by noon where we registered and had lunch. The porters had set up a table and chairs for us.

It takes an hour to register our 29 porters and team leader and weigh their packs and then we meet the crew and they sing three songs to us about Kilimanjaro. Peter is an animated leader of the singing. Daniel is our second guide who always walks at the back to catch any stragglers. We finally begin our climb at 1.30pm. Machame Gate is at 1800m and our first night destination is Machame Camp at 3033m. The porters grab their loads and race off ahead of us and so its only the four of us and Peter and Daniel who climb together.

The porters are carrying our tents, beds and luggage as well as their own plus all the food, a water purification plant, our flushing loo, a fully equipped kitchen, our mess tent, table and chairs, china and steel cutlery. By the time we reach the camp it will all be set up with our luggage on our beds.

It had rained in the morning and so the path was muddy and quite slippery. We were in rain forest which is fascinating for a while but then boring as there was no view. It's misty above the forest. Its a steady climb with a series of steps every now and again. Peter slows us down all the time. Poli - Poli we quickly learn means “slowly slowly.” Peter warns that we must walk slowly even at this lower level to give our bodies a chance to adjust to the altitude. At about 5pm we saw the sky was clearing through a gap in the trees and then at 6.30pm we suddenly left the rain forest and came into “moorland” as Peter calls it. There is just one type of evergreen tree covered in Spanish Moss but only about 8ft high. It was getting dark so we could not see far. We walked into Machame camp at 6.45pm and registered. By the time we got to our tents it was really dark.

This is first time we have seen our tent accommodation. The tents are double walled and over 6ft high and so easy to stand up in. The bed is a canvas topped frame bed with a 3" mattress on top and is really comfortable. Its 1/2 m off the ground so good height to sit on and to put bag underneath.

Food is fantastic. Our chef, nicknamed "chili sauce", prepared an avocado salad, preceded by potatoe and onion soup. Then Tilapa fish on boiled potatoes and a hot vegetable mix.

Was 8c when we went to bed and slept really well.

I drank three litres of water on the climb and so at at 1.30am got up for huge pee. Our loo is a little chemical flushing toilet similar to those you would find on a yacht.

We were tested for heartbeat and blood oxygen saturation level before we started and before dinner. My blood oxygen saturation level was the same at 3033m as when we started which is good.

Day 2, Machame Camp 3033m to Shira 3837m

Breakfast at 7am having had tea brought to us in bed at 6am.

Huge breakfast of porridge, followed by omelette, sausages and del Monte fruit juice.

Left camp at 9.05am and set off on long climb up boulder strewn path. Scenery turning from low trees to heathers and the like.

Whilst sunny and clear sky at 7am by 9am mist set in and we could not see more than 30m. Still have not seen the mountain peak. We climbed 684m by lunch at 12.30pm. Mess tent was set up for us and huge lunch served. Soup to start, then ham rolls, some cheese and a banana. We thought that was it when they came in with big bowl of pasta with peppers and a tomato and carrot sauce. Then cartons of yogurt.

Set off again at 2pm and climbed to 3837m where Shira camp is situated. Arrived at at Shira Camp at 3.10pm.

We walk in mist all the way, turning to drizzle then rain three mins before we reached the camp. I had just put on my waterproof jacket before the rain came and so did not get wet.

As we walk into Shira camp there is not a soul in sight. Everyone is huddled in their little tents because of the rain. Our tents are like five star hotel rooms by comparison.

Peter suggests that it would be good for acclimatisation to go for a walk. Despite the mist and drizzle we did an extra hour walk to a weather station donated by A&K. There is a hut there and sitting on the step is a young woman vomiting heavily with her partner looking on. Peter says it's altitude sickness (and we are only 3800m) and suspects she and her partner probably came up too fast. Peter forecasts that "she will be enjoying a hot shower back at her hotel tomorrow morning and feeling fine". It's a reminder that altitude sickness is the invisible challenge on this climb. Peter comments that the big question for young couples climbing together is what happens when one cannot continue. Does the other continue the climb or turn back with their partner?

We had an early dinner of fried leek wrap followed by beef stew with rice and finished with pineapple fritter. All delicious. Peter eats with us and we exchange a few "smiley stories" as Peter likes to call them. We learn that Peter has summitted 750 times and so we have great confidence in his advice.

We four all have slight headaches, the first sign of altitude sickness. Blood oxygen has fallen out of 90s into upper 80s. Peter records our twice daily heart rate and blood oxygen level in his book.

It's getting cold so in bed at 8.30pm. Luke and I had rigged a drying line in our tent but everything feels damp. With this mist nothing will dry. 7c when lights out.

Woke at 12.40 for pee. Looked at temp gauge and its now showing 5c. Step outside and surprised to see the mist has gone and a wonderful star full sky. It looks fantastic and the milky way looks so close. We are only a few miles from the equator and and high up and so the stars are amazing.

Day 3, Shira 3837m to Barranco 3976m

Go out at 6am. Temp gauge shows 3c. Struggle with tent zip and realise it's frozen but eventually get it open. Frost on ground and our wash bowls from yesterday have frozen over. Sky still clear and can see Kilimanjaro at last. Hope it lasts.

It does! By 7.30am the sun reaches the tents and it really warms up. We rush our damp clothes and towels and drape them over shrubs. They are soon dry. It feels good to be warm after yesterday's dampness.

Breakfast is millet porridge, which is high in protein, scrambled egg and bacon on toast.

Peter checks our blood oxygen level again and we have all improved since dinner last night. Mine is 90.

We set off at 10.05 am and it's a steady walk in the sun. Peter points out some Cabbage Lobelia but soon the vegetation goes and we are in a volcano rubble field. Peter points out a small group heading in the wrong direction - “that's the young couple we saw last evening, they are being taken to the evacuation point”.

Not long after we pass another young couple and she is clearly suffering, sitting on a rock with her head in her hands.

We arrive at our lunch point at 1.15pm at 4440m. The porters have set up our mess tent, tables and chairs for lunch but nearby we see other groups squatting on the ground to eat their lunch. Peter says it's windy here and they put the mess tent up to keep the volcanic grit off our food. Relaxing in our chairs feels good. An ice cold beer would have been great but we are banned from alcohol until we after we have summitted and got back to 3000m.

Lunch is zucchini soup with broccoli followed by a potato salad with hot vegetable sauce.

Guy and I have a nap after lunch and then we all start walking to the Larva Tower which we reach after about 40 mins. At 4680m it's our highest point for today. We walk steadily downhill for three hours through lava rubble. Peter tells us that until 1980 this was an ice field. The ice has gone and the soil is very dry and slippery. Vegetation re appears and we see the camp set up on a plateau. Our tents stand out at this distance as they are the largest and bright orange! For the last half hour we have been walking in mist but it is good to see the camp is in the sun. We arrive at Barranco camp, 3976m, at 6pm have a quick wash and then dinner of soup, spaghetti bolognese and fruit. Share ?smiley stories' with Peter.

His first summit was aged 7. His mother had recently died and he was being brought up by his uncle who had 9 children of his own and could not afford Peter's school fees. So Peter got special permission to take a week off school and act as a porter on a Kilimanjaro climb. He earned enough money to pay that terms school fees and then did that regularly throughout his school years to fund his entire education. His nickname was Dik-dik, the name of a tiny deer. Today, 16 years is the minimum age to climb Kilimanjaro. This story reminds me what a worthwhile charity the Education Trust is, that I am raising money for on this climb.

To bed at 9pm. My blood oxygen is down to 87.

Barranco Camp is 3976m.

The sky is clear and full of stars. Quite a strong wind buffets the tent in the night. Tomorrow we start by climbing the Barranco wall which looks quite daunting.

Day 4, Barranca 3976m to Karanga 4033m.

Wake at 6am and update diary. It's 3c but no frost as its dry. Clear starry sky. Tea brought in at 7 am then bowls of hot water for “washy washy”. Have a whore's bath in bed before going out with bowl for quick face wash.

The sun is creeping around the mountain but not reached us as we go into mess tent at 8am for breakfast.

There is always a tank of hot water outside the mess tent with a tap and soap and they insist we wash our hands before we enter the mess tent.

Set off to climb the Barranco wall at 9.40am. It looks like an impossible cliff face but there is a narrow path scrambling over rocks. We have a few rest stops to let the porters pass. Peter had mentioned the "kissing rock" but not explained it. I assumed that it was a rock near the top of the Barranco wall that climbers kissed in gratitude in making it up the wall. I had made a mental note not to kiss this rock. The reality was quite different. About half way up the wall we came across a large rounded rock that bulged across the narrow pathway. There was no way over it and its bulge seem designed to send you plunging off the wall into a fall of a hundred metres. The way to get past was to hug the rock tightly like a long lost lover and inch past it. We inched past it one by one - the only knee-trembling moment of the climb. The "kissing rock" was a good name. We reached the top, 4200m at 11.40am.

We had a longish rest at the top and then started down into a valley and up the other side and then we reach Karanga valley. We can see our camp on the other side of this steep valley and tell Peter that this would be the perfect place for a bridge! The walk down into Karanga valley was very slow as it's gravel over granite rocks with a stream running down. A very slippery combination. At the bottom we cross the stream and climb up the other side of this steep valley to Karanga camp at 4033m. Arrived at 2.30pm.

Great lunch awaited us there. Onion soup followed by roast chicken and chips. Really good chips! We finished with fresh fruit salad which a porter had brought up for us today.

Peter insists we eat a lot to build up reserves for the final climb but it's becoming a challenge. Never eaten so much food.

Having walked in sun all day and still sunny after lunch, they removed the loo from it's tent, put down plastic sheeting and provided me with a tank of hot water and a jug and so I was able to have a great “shower”.

After shower had a nap, then sudden diarrhoea. Took some immodium and slept until dinner. Woke up with acid reflux and so went easy on the pepper steak and curried beans but eat the rice and peas. Peter took our heart rate and blood oxygen level and I am back in the 90s again.

To bed at 9pm and slept through until tea brought at 7am.

Day 5 Karanga 4033m to Barafu 4673m

Peter has allowed us a lie-in today because it will be cold until the sun reaches the camp near 8am.

The usual excellent three course breakfast and then we set of for Barafu camp at 9.40am. Peter leads the way and Daniel is at the back. The landscape is grey and barren. Uphill all the way but Peter suggests we all play the geography game and that passes the time until we arrived at Barafu camp at 12.30pm. Barafu is a small, grey, boulder strewn plateau on a high ridge. We are now at 4673m - only 1222m to go to Uhuru Peak at 5895m.

We register at the camp and then prepare for the big push tomorrow. Lots of packing and sorting out what to wear and what to carry. Peter advises two layers of all over thermal underwear, trousers and rain/windproof over trousers. Three pairs of socks. Shirt, fleece, down jacket and water/wind proof outer layer. 3 layers of gloves.

Back pack needs spare fleece, 3 litres of water and snack bars.

We get prepared, have an early supper and to bed at 6pm. We will be woken at 10pm and set of at 11pm.

I go to bed wearing my two layers of thermal underwear, two liner socks and thick wool outer socks and my glove liners. Take the inner mittens to bed so warm to put on. I want to start with my hands and feet warm.

There is a wind buffeting the tent and I hope its not there when we start our climb. Get three hours of good sleep and doze awhile until woken at 10pm. This is it!

Day 6 Barafu 4673m to Uhuru Peak 5895 and down to Mweka Camp at 3086m

Finish dressing and have a bowl of millet porridge and we are off at 11.15pm. Peter leads the way with Daniel at the back. Patric has also joined the summit team. He carries an oxygen cylinder and extra water but we also know that he is there to escort back to camp anyone who cannot make it to the top.

Peter offers to carry my back pack as he has done every day. Once again I decline the offer but reserve the option to change my mind if the going gets so tough that I doubt if I can make it.

Struggle to see where we are going as my face mask is directing my breath over my cold glasses and they mist over. Try to re position face mask but problem continues and I rip it off and give it to Daniel.

We are lucky, the conditions are perfect - Its 3c, clear sky with wonderful stars and a crescent moon. Best of all there is no wind.

I had not really thought about what sort of path we would be on. Map showed a zig zag path up the mountain and I thought it might be well trodden. How wrong a thought that was!

We start by negotiating an outcrop of sharp rocks, winding through them and stepping up and over larger ones. Easy in daytime but all we have is a headlamp giving a circle of light at ones feet about a metre in diameter. Watch where the person in front places his feet and do the same. After a short while the sharp rocks give way to shale plates sticking vertically out of the ground. Very difficult to walk on or find a safe footing in the dark. Stay close to person in front and follow their steps and hope they are following Peter's steps which tread with the experience of 750 summitts.

The vertical shale gives way to flat shale and the thin layers tinkle like glass as you walk over them.

Then suddenly the shale ends and we are walking on a wide compacted earth path. This is easy and the thought that this might be the surface all the way to the top enters my mind.

After about a 100m the person in front of me steps up onto a rock and I follow. It's a granite slab on quite a slope. I look for somewhere to put my poles and see a small crack to my right. The pole gives me stability. Climbing a big granite boulder in daylight is easy. You look for footholds and crevices and get some forward momentum to get you up. We are in the dark with a metre of vision at out feet. I search for secure points to place the poles and move slowly forward. After a while the granite slab ends and we are walking on grit over granite. If you are not really careful the grit slides under your feet. Then the grit gets much deeper and it's like walking up a sand dune. Every step slides back half a step. So much for the well trodden path! As you lift one foot the grit/sand fills in the depression and so evidence of your passing has disappeared before you even put that foot down again.

This cycle of different surfaces repeats itself all the way up making it impossible to develop and maintain a steady rhythm of breathing and walking. The higher you go the need to take a big step up on to a rock becomes harder. It's not the physical effort but the need to take a deep breath as you do it and that is always followed by gasping for a few moments and that really throws your breathing rhythm.

For the first hour Peter has been singing in Swahili as he leads the way. I don't know the words but they sound spiritual. After an hour Daniel joins in and we have the duet, Peter at the front and Daniel at the back of our party. The singing certainly helps to distract us from the relentless task we are under taking.

Luke has an altimeter in his watch and after a couple of hours Luke calls out that we have passed 5000m and about an hour later 5200m. That's a double milestone. It's the height of Everest Base Camp but also means we have reached halfway in terms of the height we have to gain this night. The target is 5895m.

I know that cerebral oedema is the most dangerous form of altitude sickness usually preceded by incoherent thinking and rambling speech. I have decided to ask myself at various intervals to name:

• Who is on the throne?
• Who is the Prime Minister?
• Who is the chancellor?
• Who is my local MP?

When it's Elizabeth for Chancellor and David Cameron on the Throne I will know its time to turn around and go down, assuming of course, that I will have enough wit to recognise the mistake! But I keep getting them right and even get quite irritated when thinking about the increased taxes I am going to have to pay. Definitely not hallucinating yet!

At about the half way point I hear choking behind me and turn around to see Guy vomiting. Peter says this is a typical reaction to high altitude and that Guy will feel stronger as result. Guy does not look stronger! I worry that he might give up - I so want us all to get to the top.

We all encourage him to keep going. Half an hour later he is vomiting again. Daniel takes Guy's back pack and takes personal charge of Guy. Peter says again that he will feel stronger after vomiting. We carry on with more encouragement to Guy to keep going.

Peter insists on regular water breaks. We must drink 3 litres on the way up. At the higher altitude I discover that the simple act of drinking is not so simple. I cannot drink and breath at the same time. A swallow of water is followed by a gasp for air as though I had held my breath to the limit. As we get higher the water has a gritty texture and I realise that ice is forming in the Camelback. When the 2 litre Camelback is finished I start to use the litre bottle but I cannot undo the screw top. It's frozen. Peter bangs it a few times with his poles and that frees it up. As I drink from it I can see the ice forming inside. Getting the screw top back is a struggle as the water in the screw thread has frozen.

I am starting to look up now in the hope of seeing the top but it's just black above. Looking down I can see groups of head lights twinkling below. Other parties that set out after us are on their way up and that gives some sense of how far we have come.

We ask Peter how much further? He looks thoughtful and says 10 to 15 minutes. Stella Point is our first target at 5749m That is where our route up meets the path around the crater rim. We still have 35 minutes after Stella Point to reach the highest point, Uhuru Peak at 5895m.

10 to 15 mins seems doable and we all keep going. When you get to Stella Point, says Peter, you will be so happy you won't think of this struggle.

Not long after we set off I realise I cannot feel the toes on my right foot and so I make a positive effort to wiggle those toes with each footfall and soon I can feel them again. Later its my thumbs that are gripping the poles that I cannot feel and I work on wriggling those until the feeling comes back. Later my thumbs are fine but the fingers are numb and I work on wriggling those. This is all good therapy because it occupies the mind on the climb. About two thirds of the way up I realise I have been contemplating failure. I remember Peter's advice when we first met him - "don't think about the climb, if you have brought any books about climbing Kilimanjaro put them in your case now and don't look at them again until you have done it." I make a positive effort to push the negative thoughts away. The trouble with climbing in the dark without the spare oxygen to maintain a conversation is that without visual stimulation or verbal communication you are left for 7 hours with your own thoughts. its easy for those thoughts to turn negative as the oxygen diminishes and muscles ache as they demand more oxygen.

30 minutes have passed since Peter has said Stella Point was 10 to 15 minutes way and we are climbing through a gritty sand dune that's really tough going. I feel Peter has slowed the pace as there is almost a pause between each step but I am thinking that Peter's psychology is probably right in his optimistic time forecast. It has kept us going.

Then suddenly Peter says "we are at Stella Point" and the ground flattens out as we step onto the crater rim. Its still very dark and so there is no visual sense of achievement. In fact the most noticeable thing is that we are now exposed to a bitterly cold wind. Peter leads us to the protection of an outcrop of rocks and there is much hugging as we congratulate each other. There is still another 146m higher to go but we know it's a gentle slope from here and only another 35 minutes walking. We are going to make it!

Elated we start walking towards Uhuru Peak. After a few minutes Peter turns us around to look back. There is a thin orange streak in the sky that rapidly gets wider and thicker. We are watching an African sunrise from the highest point in Africa. It's magnificent!

Soon it's light enough for us to turn off our headlamps and see more of our surroundings. The glaciers are striking and turn golden as the rising sun first reaches them. What had seemed like patches of snow when we had been looking up at the mountain over the previous days are now glaciers that look 15m to 20m thick.

As the sun rises the cold wind dies away and the walking is easy. We round an outcrop of rock and suddenly we can see Uhuru Peak 100m away. At the sight of Uhuru Peak my shoulders start to shake and tears come to my eyes. With an effort I stifle the sobs that are about to break out. I know if they start I won't be able to stop. And then we are there at Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5895m. We have done it. I hug the boys and congratulate them and Peter takes photographs of us at the Peak. It is a moment that we will all remember and I feel so happy and lucky to have done it with the boys.

There are about 20 people standing around the Peak from various parties. A Japanese girl is standing silently, staring at the Peak with tears pouring down her face. Yes, it is an emotional moment. We have taken the challenge and and made it to the top. It feels great!

The challenge is not over. It has taken us 7.5 hours to get to Uhuru Peak and it is exactly 12 hours after we set off that I walk back into Barafu camp. Peter says that after a one hour rest we have to set off again for another 4 hours to Mweka camp at 3068m. So its 16 hours of walking this day and I am truly knackered when we reach Mweka. The good news is that there is beer at Mweka but the bad news is that we have a 5am wake up call tomorrow!

Day 7, Mweka Camp 3086m to Mweka Gate

We are woken at 5am, have a quick face wash, pack, breakfast and we are off at 6am. Peter has said its 4 - 5 hrs to the gate but we are now so full of oxygen we set off at a cracking pace and get to the gate in 2.5 hours!

We all have to register at the gate and then our table and chairs are set up, champagne is produced by Peter and a great ceremony takes place as we are each handed our certificates recording that we successfully climbed to Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro. The porters hoist us up to shoulder height whilst they sing a Swahili song about conquering Kilimanjaro. We notice that the other parties just climb into their buses at the gate and go. Seems a dull ending. Ours was a memorable and joyful ending to a fantastic and challenging experience.