We finished packing our bags that we half deliriously packed before our nap and Stephanie had quickly realized her money belt was missing. Panic set in and long story short, in mere minutes we had both guides tearing through our tent in search for the missing item, as it had her passport and valuables inside. Turns our, Juli had accidentally packed it in her bag earlier in the day since their money belts were nearly identical. The panic subsided but the anxious, sick to the stomach, feeling was not the best start to our most challenging day.
Our guides gave us some extra time to calm our nerves, eat some biscuits, drink some coffee and gain our composure before setting out to the top.
Our summit climb began at 1am and was to be 5.4 km up, and an altitude gain of 1,173m. The only light on the path was that of our headlamps and those faint in the distance of other climbers that set out about an hour before us. The path is a zig zag upward, very sharp and very steep. The zig zag was created because walking straight upward would be nearly impossible, especially in the dark. We asked our guide why we were to begin the climb in the dark, summoning around sunrise. He told us that the first reason was safety. Many people need a long time to adjust and climb and if you started after dark, you may lose daylight in the higher, more dangerous altitudes. However, he candidly told us that the main reason was that they summited in the dark so that the climbers would not be able to see the climb ahead. He said it is too steep and intimidating and most climbers would not make it to the top based on fear, doubt, or anxiety of constantly seeing the peak but moving at such a slow pace.
Despite our dramatic start, we felt that we lucked out with timing. We began later and still had about 5 hours of dark climbing, but we experienced the warm of the sun closer into our climb, which was extremely critical in our attitudes and success. We watched the sun rise as we climbed to the top and the distraction not only warmed our bodies, but kept our minds off of the task ahead. Watching the sun rise, above the clouds at over 5,000 feet was truly remarkable.
We had a team of six for the summit: Juli, Stephanie, Kirsten, Frederick, Willie, and Azizi, for safety reasons and support. It was very cold, we were very tired, and still quite shaken up from the mornings earlier events. The hike was almost somber, quiet, as we tried to focus and be strong for this most important step. It was now or never and we had made it so far already. We were not ready to fail now.
Unfortunately for Juli, she began to feel the most effects of both altitude sickness and unfortunate timing. She had become sick to the stomach that morning (of all mornings) which was perhaps due to the sugary cupcake she "thoughtfully" carried up and tasted on the mountain. She also was experiencing what seemed like a bad sinus infection, with lungs and nose full of lovely colored mucus that made it difficult to catch a good breath. All three girls had coughs, chapped lips and scabbed noses. Due to Juli's dehydration and obvious wheezing, she required an even more "pole pole" pace as she began to feel dizzy and light headed. Azizi carried her day back for her so that all she had tondo was focus on breathing and getting on the top.
About half way up, we stopped at a cave for tea. Tea! In a cave! At 5,200 meters! On the side of the mountain! It was such a nice surprise that our spirits were lifted a d the break was short, but quickly met with harsh temperatures and wind, so we moved along. Kirsten forced a banana Odwalla bar down juli's throat and she began to feel a but better. Everyone was light headed but very aware of how close we were.
We moved pole pole to the top and watched several guides come rushing down the mountain holding a climber up straight. Some of them had not made it, and were rushed down to lower altitudes. Others perhaps made it to one of the first peaks but could not bare to be at altitude any longer. It was a very eerie site to see but we were a very strong group of girls; determined, we shook it off and continued to press on.
Blasting the Kilimanjaro playlist on my iPhone (which was in my inner jacket pocket along with spare head lamp batteries so not to freeze) I became distracted by the music. I purposely put many Zumba and Hip Hop class songs that I use when I teach so that I could go over the choreography in my head and ignore the nausea and dizziness. It worked because before we knew it, Willie, usually the barer of bad news, pointed up ahead and said "that's it- that's Gilman's Point".
Gilman's is the first of 3 peaks, located at 5708m, and about an hour to the highest point. We reached this landmark, where many people stop and head back to lower ground. We all hugged, emotional and proud, but wary because the journey wasn't quite over. Our guides gave us an odd treat of red bull, Pringles, and kit Kats, which we used more for celebratory reasons rather than fuel. We took photos, rested, and continued on to the next peak.
Stella Point was next on the list. It wasn't yet visible but we were told it was only about 30 minutes away and 100 more verticals meters. All the research and paperwork we obtained said that Gilman's point was where "your body tries to convince you to turn around". Knowing this, we fought the mind games and pressed on. We came across some guys that we met in Day 1, who were celebrating 40years of being a pastor for one of their climbers. They climbed the lemosho route in 8 days, carrying a giant 40lb cross to the summit with them. We thought this was a bit excessive (despite being entertaining) and dangerous. We came across a few of the team members at Stella's Point where they told us only about 3 of their 15 person group didnt make it. The cross did, but only because their porters carried it for them. We joked that they were lucky they had Christian porters because in a nation that is very much both Christian and Muslim, we weren't sure all porters would humor their lofty goals.
It was nice to see the familiar faces as we took a few photos with them and continued on to our ultimate goal- Uhuru Point- 5895m tall, and the top of Mt Kilimanjaro.
This was personally emotional for me, as I was still struggling with being light headed and dizzy. I remember just starting to cry for no reason other than the grandness of it all. I could see Uhuru, but i could barely more towards it. Willie put his hand on my shoulder and said, "you are strong. You are almost there." All I could say in return was "why is this so hard?!" He smiled and we kept going. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but for someone who athletics come semi-easily to, I was having a hard time handling the handicap. I knew in my head I would not give up, so why does my body feel like it might fall over? It was very much an out of body experience that was only conquered by keeping my eyes on that green sign ahead.
Azizi linked his elbow on mine and said, "pole pole. Almost done." The other climbers returning from the peak were full of smiles and words of encouragement, much like runners who have finished the race and returned to cheer you on. You have love their support, have envy their completion.
At approximately 10:30am, we had done it. We had reached Uhuru Peak! We hugged, high fives, and took the deepest breaths the thin air allowed. It was certainly a humbling, and nearly unbelievable accomplishment. We soaked in the view of the famous green sign with Tibetan good luck flags tied to the posts. Massive glaciers surrounded us but there was no snow under our feet. It was approximately -10 to -15 degrees Celsius but felt colder with the altitude. But the sun was shining and we were truly- on top of the world!
We took many photos, had snacks, rested, and eventually felt the cold seeping through our layers. It is not good for the body to stay at altitude for too long so we knew we had to soak in these last incredible moments and memories before we descended. We did just that and then optimistically, excited, and very relieving, began the long climb down.
We had climbed the single tallest peak on planet Earth. We were awesome.
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