Kilimanjaro Notes

Kilimanjaro, from a sunflower field outside JRO, 01 MAR

01 MAR

Arr JRO. Little sleep. All gear arrives. Hello Africa eSIM not loaded properly. I'll ride wifi until out of country.

Mbahe Farm.
Hillary, driver
Leonard, chef
Lillian, maid

02 MAR

Adjoining cabins at the Mbahe Farm. Utterly delightful.

Mbahe Farm 6000'

Hike around Mtuy farm. Met other group- Doug Marsh, Megan Woods.

Scarecrow at Mbahe Farm field

Scarecrow. Wild ganja plant from random field workers. Jet lag kicking my ass.

Final gear weigh-in: 12kg
Gear layout inspection. Add extra pad.

Diamox discussed and not used. Doug opted for it, and was pissing like a fire hose the entire trip. I relied on my ultra experience: pounding Gatorade, and pissing clear.

2hr sleep at best

Begin 2x daily stat checks with Oxymeter measuring oxygen intake [100 being best] and pulse.

STATS:

AM	6,100	Mbahe Farm	96	56
PM	6,100	Mbahe Farm	96	53

03 MAR DAY 1: Lemosho Gate to Mti Mkubwa

Doug, and a very tall Brit gal in a different group. Two different hike modes.
I opted for light hiking trousers to avoid sunburn and endless grit.

7840' to 9140'

Discover Megan Woods is daughter of Nedra Riggs, who was in my same Athens OH junior high school homeroom,1968. Minds blown.

Mti Mkubwa was the major hub above Lemosho Gate.

STATS:

AM	6,140	Mbahe Farm	95	55
PM	7,840	Mti Mkubwa	92	67

First mile: holy fucking shit.
Peak HR 139

04 MAR: Mti Mkubwa to Shira 1

Passing porters from another group. Somewhere in the middle of many rolling climbs.

9140' to 11,420'

STATS:

AM	7,840	Mti Mkubwa	92	55
PM	11,420	Shira 1	88	67

Slept better. Pissed out 2 bottles. Up at 0430.
Reorganized duffel and pack.

Trans-montane forest to heather and full sun. Steep up n down. Topped out above 11,000.

Sun-blasted segments, and a lot of overtaking and passing traffic with other parties.

05 MAR: Shira 1 to Shira 2

Shira 1, sign in here. Every major camp had a ranger hut with a log.

11,420 to 12,750', 5.3mi

STATS:

AM	11,420	Shira 1	97	62
PM	12,720.	Shira 2	90	53

Shira 2 much more garbage litter
Cloudy from sun
Rain starting at 1400

1500 Hike cancelled [postponed until later] due to incoming rain.

Random Star Wars comedy: "Luke, I only partied with her once"

06 MAR: Shira 2 to Moir Hut

Adam down-climbing the short pitch back to Moir camp.

STATS:

AM	12,720.	Shira 2	94	61
PM	13,630.	Moir Hut	91	48

Much better sleeping
3.5 x 2 w hour doze at ea end
Jet lag receding
No alcohol since 28 February

Streamlining camp craft
Tent organizing
Conditioning is improving

Conditioning hike after we arrived. 2mi RT. Steep, similar conditions to Crater Camp. Scale is vast. Glacier runoff channels deep wide and dry. Approach to Moir Camp used to be 9' deep in snow. Not now.

Felix and Megan went on for bonus mileage. Doug & I turn around.

Had a moment w D. He started telling me how to ascend, descend rock and trails. I ignored it until the rock down climb. Now he was in full REI instructor mode, which was pissing me off.

"I've been and done rock-climbing, OK??"

"Diamox Doug" is a retired WI architect, now the happiest REI p/t employee ever. Ex gymnast, climber, etc. Also a recent marathoner. Nice guy, but could be pedantic as hell. [stay tuned for REI Mgr specials…]. When he started lecturing me on down-climbing technique I snapped “I’ve done this before, OK??”

To his credit, he apologized.

I replied “we have overlapping areas of knowledge here, OK?”

I didn't have the brain-space to explain my climbing style. Most SoCal geology is shit. There are maybe two solid granite places here in SoCal: Williamson Rock in the San Gabriels, and Tahquitz Rock out in Riverside Co.

The rest is fractured granite, conglomerate and sea-bed sandstone everywhere else. Jug handles break off in your hand etc. Or routes that look safe aren't because thousands take them. So I'm used to unpredictable shit, not bombproof primal granite.

I kept my mouth shut but later noticed he pronated, and his downhill scree technique could use some help. On the way down he was crowding me and sliding, tailgating. So I waved him on.

He might've climbed the Tetons but JFC he's full Wisco.

I'm also sure he red-lined on my dick jokes, so we're even.

Weather: sunny & warm.

07 MAR: Moir Camp to Pofu Camp

Most of the porters, cook-staff, and crew at Pofu Camp.

AM	13,630	Moir Hut	94	51
PM	13,230	Pofu Camp	92	51

Rolling uphill, generally level. Sunny turning to fog halfway there after crossing a dividing ridge.. Got chilled fast than I realized.
Several bouldering up and down sections. JFC.

Dead Cape buffalo. Lion prints.

Crew & porter introductions after arriving. Took note of names, portraits. The portraits are here: Kilimanjaro Porter Portrait Project.

08 MAR: Pofu Camp to 3rd Cave

Introduced to the Gamow Bag at 3rd Cave. Nobody needed it.

AM	13,230	Pofu Camp	94	64
PM	12,910	Third Cave	92	50

Contoured along northern face. Better dressed for weather. Still in the game.

Change of planned itinerary: Kibo Hut instead of School Hut. School Hut CG washed away.

Afternoon conditioning hike after arriving at Third Cave. Doubles, in training parlance. I recognized the building aspect, but still wasnt all that thrilled. 1.3 mi out, then a turnaround. "We've got a fuck-ton tomorrow". Truer words etc.

Megan & Adam ran back. Me: fuck that, no need to blow out quads 48 hrs before summit.

Sunny turned to rain, cleared by nightfall.

09 MAR: 3rd Cave to Kibo Hut

Megan and Doug, hard at Farkle. The dice are tiny.

AM	12,910	Third Cave	94	57
PM	15,480	Kibo Hut	91	58

Anticipation. Frost on tent and bushes.

Gear check today for Kibo.

That morning Manasi greeted me with "Babu" ie Grandfather. Totally true and hilarious, thus named for the rest of the trip.

Arr Kibo Hut. For some reason I thought we'd be going further.

1709 rain now turns to hail. Farkle game full steam ahead in mess tent. I'm napping or reading, periodically joining in the game.

We set out tomorrow [11 MAR] @0500. Summit via 3 points, look at crater. Uhuru selfies, then a swift and hopefully smooth drop to Barafu.

Today I hung out in cook tent w Jamu and the cook staff, watching them perform miracles on two 1-burner propane stoves. Food has been amazing.

Crater Camp out because no water, now permanent. All due to global warming. No glacial tapping here. Not addressed by TNZ tourism, letting operators take the brunt of backlash. We unanimously said no to Crater Camp, as it involved the porters working 2x harder than already.

Third Cave camp, with frost.

10 MAR: Kibo to Uhuru, then down to Barafu.

Setting up the iPhone for the summit shot.

AM	15,480.	Kibo Hut	87	57
PM	15,330.	Barafu	88	67

First: make summit at 19,000'

0500 start. Panic attack 50m out of camp. WTF was I doing here? Hadn't had one in years. Its us 3, Felix, 3 porters, one w the inflatable Gamow bag (portable hyperbaric chamber) and supplemental oxygen in case of evacuation.

Head down, lean into to switchbacks. Leaning on hiking poles on breaks. JFC. Daylight breaks. Soon we start seeing the midnight sumitters coming down the scree slopes. And desperate Euros in trouble,in new outfits--2 up between guides.

Staggered slowly up to Gilman's Pt. Sat down and had a trail puke. Since this wasnt my first time I wasnt worried, although I was in a great mood for a dirt nap.

Sayid the porter gently took my pack, stood up and continued along the Rim. Sucking wind the whole time. Slowly dawning on me how incredibly strong Leslie was to do this.

Uhuru Point comes into sight. I burst into tears seeing the sign. Now I saw what she had seen. Cathartic.

Summit pix, then down out of Danger Zone to Stella Point. Brutal.

Wore my pack down from Stella to Barafu. Scree for miles. Doug was having problems with his knee, and TBH his technique [an opinion kept to self]; treated scree as snow with sidestepping, instead of forward foot plants. Oh well.

Felix led, and waited periodically for the others. I looked at the scree slopes and thought of the poor bastards coming up out of Barafu. Of course this all used to be glacier. Not now.

When the slope started leveling out, we paused for Doug and Adam. I fell asleep bolt upright. Keeping hydrated was work.

Barafu came into view, then kept spinning out longer and longer. Too tired to get out camera for the surreal shingle & clinker stone sculptures, picking your way thru to our distant campsite at the absolute southern limit of Barafu.

Made it into camp. Greetings from porters with song. Highly emotional. Fell into a chair and again, fell sound asleep in the sun. Could barely move.

Doug made it in shortly. Greeted also.

I was wrecked.

More details here:
I Didn't Conquer Kilimanjaro

11 MAR: Barafu to Mweke Camp.

Breaking camp at Barafu. The end is in sight.

AM	15,330	Barafu	92	105
PM	10,170.	Mweke Camp

4.1 mi

Mweke Camp is 6+mi from Mweka Gate. I'd gotten ahead of myself. And adjusted accordingly.

Saw a helo Evac taking out a woman w a sprained ankle. Smart move. Talked w 3 Spaniards from Asturias who'd summited. They were happy as fuck to have that done. No plans to return.

No telling if this was the $900 insurance evac, or the $50,000 Oh Shit Evac.

One of Los Tres Asturianos

In morning, sitting w Juma in the cook tent w staff. Later on I came back, watched him make the crew dinner. Rice, millet, onions fried, shredded beef.

Full tilt Swahili lunch at Kibo Hut: very stout cornmeal [polenta analog], stir-fried greens, onions, and beef.

Afternoon and later, the Farkle game was full-tilt. Megan brought the right game, it was a rotating circle of porters, cooks, clients. Adam was droll and hilarious throughout. He won by 50pts out of 10,000.

12 MAR: Mweke Camp to Mweke Gate.

The mono-wheel trail gurneys in the rain forest.

10,170	Mweke Camp	95	60
5,500	Mweke Gate

6.1 mi

The first 4 mi were WTAF of greasy mud, slippery logs, rocks, large stepdows that kill. Defintely "pole pole" on the downhill. No need to fuck my self up so close to the finish. Porters passing my ass at speed.

2 mi up from the finish, trail turned to dirt road. Felix said it was last place any wheeled vehicles can access to an evacuation. We sat in a shelter that looked like a tiki-bar, waiting for the others After a bit he and I picked up and headed to the finish. The dirt road was like a freeway sidewalk after the trails.

Periodic porters hiking uphill.

The gate area was parking lot, picnic tables, and torpor. I almost slept.

Then 1km to Simon's farm for an epic lunch, baggage reclaim and tipping ceremony. I doubled my initial after seeing the men work on the 10 day trip. Others did same.

Then to Chanya Lodge to an overdue shower to shed the layer of grease and dirt. Sponge baths and ass wipe w wet wipes were ok, but not enough.

Made arrangements for JRO transfer. I pushed for an 0500 dep , but not hard enough. Protas just stood there, said nothing, smiling. Preview of 13 MAR.

Had dinner, met Tara w Simon. This was fun.

The full crew for the photo-finish.

13 MAR: Moshi to JRO then out.

Bungled departure. 0535 dep Moshi to JRO. Morning traffic in Moshi-- big ass trucks, people going to work. It became obvious we were in trouble. Got to checkin 8min late. I was enraged.

Megan solved the problem: "SENE gets to rebook. Its their problem"

I bow down, full-stop.

Felix took Doug, Megan and me on a Moshi market tour. Stopped into Blue Zebra art gallery, found cool goods. Had a hilarious conversation with Neyla the Tanzanite expert.

Moshi central market: a collision of color

Back to JRO 1600 at my insistence. Where we waited. Our 1900 scheduled flight was delayed til 2120.

Arr ZNZ 2300 +/-

Said bye to Megan, she off to ZNZ beaches and skydiving. Diamox Doug got out of JRO before we did on KLM to the USA.

In Zanzibar Coffee House hotel midnight maybe. Bedtime 0200.

Lost a ZNZ day, TYVM Protas.

Still stiff [surprise[ from Kilimanjaro. Never has days of 6mi beat me up so thoroughly.

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