#9 Mount Kilimanjaro

Day 0 | The day before the hike, I finally received some information about the ascent. I wasn't bothered by the short notice, but I was very excited. Pristine Trails is a partner of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, which has a mission to improve the working conditions of porters. Regular inspections of partner companies' expeditions are carried out to ensure that the porters have adequate equipment, for example. This was one of the reasons why I chose Pristine, so it was disappointing to see that one of the porters was not well equipped in my opinion. In my view, the employer bears responsibility for this, but in most companies, everyone has to provide their own equipment. In the evening, my guide Erick (with over 150 summits) and I did an equipment check and went through the route. Two Americans were supposed to start with me, but unfortunately their luggage did not make it to Moshi. So, it became my 'private tour'.

Day 1 | Machame Gate (1800m) - Machame Camp (2835m) | 11km | 4h30 | I was picked up at home at 9 am. After picking up my rental equipment from the office, we headed towards the gate. It took a while to get permission to start once we arrived there. We cheated a bit and saved two porters. I said that I would cook for myself, so officially I didn't need a cook and the cook could officially be a porter. Cooks are actually only allowed to carry their own luggage (and eggs). We also didn't need a kitchen tent because Juma (the cook) could share one with another group. My other two porters were named Jonny and Hamudi. We started the first leg around 12:30. The trek took us 10km through the rainforest, and I was surprised by how steep it was right from the beginning. How would the next few days be?! Suddenly it started pouring and the rain gear had to work hard. As we approached 3000m, the landscape began to change. The rainforest gave way to smaller trees and it became rockier. When we arrived at the camp, we tried to dry everything as much as possible. My tent was already set up and I was welcomed with tea. The food was delicious too, we had soup, rice or noodles every evening, and usually a vegetable sauce and fruit. The night was clear, the summit was visible, and the starry sky was incredible. I was freezing right away and hardly slept. Since I was taking altitude medication, I also had to go to the toilet quite often. So, the night was short.

Day 2 | Machame Camp (2835m) - Shira Cave Camp (3750m) | 5km | 4h30 | The morning sun came out and it quickly got warm. For breakfast, we had cocoa, fruit, scrambled eggs, porridge, and toast. Way too much, but really tasty. The trail was steeper than on the first day, and the view of the Shira Range was great. We reached the camp around noon, and after lunch, I took a little nap. Before dinner, we hiked to the caves where the crew used to sleep 40 years ago. From one viewpoint, we could see the Shira Plateau and our camp, all the way to Mount Meru. The Zara group, whose kitchen tent we used, consisted of two young Australians, two young Danes, and an older Australian. We watched the sunset together and then it was time for dinner again. I froze again during the night, but slept a little more.

Day 3 | Shira Cave Camp (3750m) - Lava Tower (4600m) - Barranco Camp (3900m) | 10km | 7h15 | Acclimatization day. Despite the sun on my face, the first steps were somehow difficult today. It quickly became colder and the rain turned into hail and eventually snow. The five-hour trek to Lava Tower was really long and tiring. But apart from slight headaches, I was feeling fine. We had our packed lunch there and then quickly set off again. 3km downhill to the camp. I actually preferred uphill... In the end, I was really exhausted and relieved when we reached the camp. Until the evening, the camp was covered in fog until it cleared and we had a close view of one side of the crater. After dinner, I played cards with the Zara people and tried out my new warmth strategy in the tent. I stuffed my feet into a down jacket, wrapped a fleece jacket around my legs, and put on the thick down jacket. I was actually warm during the night!

Day 4 | Barranco Camp (3900m) - Karanga Camp (3995m) | 6km | 4h30 | After 10 hours of the best sleep, we climbed the Breakfast Wall. The 6-day Trekkers started an hour earlier, as they hiked straight to the base camp without stopping at Karanga Camp. The steep wall is about 100 meters high and required real climbing at times. The effort was worth it, as we had great views of the camp repeatedly. However, when we arrived at the top, we found ourselves in the clouds. From there, we hiked for another three hours up and down and up again to the camp. The last section was another steep wall, although not as steep as the first one. We arrived at the camp soaking wet. Luckily, it cleared up for a short while and everything could dry. In the afternoon, we walked towards the base camp and practiced the pace for the final ascent. The night was warm and clear.

Day 5 | Karanga Camp (3995m) - Barafu Camp (4673m) | 4km | 3h30 | We started the day very relaxed and strolled to the base camp. We steadily climbed up and down until reaching the final section. It was very steep, but with the camp in sight and having saved energy beforehand, it wasn't a problem. The camp was the largest and most crowded, as the 6-day trekkers, 7-day trekkers, and returning summit trekkers all came together. The day consisted mainly of sleeping as much as possible. I managed to nap quite well after lunch. Then we had dinner and a summit briefing. Health check, I was feeling great (except for slight headaches, which is normal at this altitude). Oxygen saturation was still at 80%, also excellent. No signs of altitude sickness. Furthermore, the sky was clear without any clouds, and the moon was nearly full. Perfect conditions for a successful summit! From 7 to 10 pm, I dozed off, but couldn't find real sleep. Then I slowly started putting on everything I could, and at exactly 11, we were the first group to leave the camp.

Day 6 | Barafu Camp (4673m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m) - High Camp (3950m) | 13.5km | 13h30 The trek started with a wall of about 100 meters, then we passed through the unofficial Kosovo Camp, where we were allowed to sleep with a special permit to be an hour closer to the summit. There was another group ahead of us, but it felt like we were the only ones on the mountain. We didn't even need headlamps, as the moon was so bright. The next 3 hours went perfectly. We made good progress, I tried to drink as much as possible, and due to the darkness, we couldn't see how steep it really was. But as we passed 5000 meters, I started feeling worse. Nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. And of course, it didn't get better the higher we went. Somehow, we kept going, and then Stella Point came into view. The crater rim. The last stretch to there seemed endless, but eventually, we made it! The sunrise was breathtaking (haha). I was so exhausted, I couldn't eat or drink. From here to the summit, it's only 700 meters. And there was no question of whether or not to continue. If you buy cinema tickets, you don't just stand at the ticket booth. It took us over an hour. On the way, I met my Zara friends, and they had all made it to the summit. I actually found the summit itself quite unspectacular, but the surrounding landscape was crazy. On one side, there were glaciers with giant ice blocks, and on the other side, the volcanic crater. It was really cool up there. Unfortunately, I didn't feel well at all, so I wanted to descend as quickly as possible. But fast wasn't possible. It took us three hours to get back to the base camp. Including sliding on the sandy slopes. When we finally reached the bottom, everything hurt, and I was more exhausted than ever in my life. I immediately fell asleep and 2 hours later, there was lunch. But I still couldn't eat. Normally, you would descend to 3100 meters for 4 hours, but that was impossible. So, we only descended for 2 hours to almost 4000 meters, a very wise decision, as it turned out the next day. When we arrived at the camp, I pretty much slept until the evening, and then I felt better.

Day 7 | High Camp (3950m) - Mweka Gate (1633m) | 13.5km | 4h15

The last day started early, as we had to make up for the 3.5km from the previous day. We left the camp at 7 am. I had slept incredibly well and felt like a new person. The path to the rainforest was very rocky, and if I had to walk it the previous day, who knows what would have happened. But this time, it was an easy stroll, and I only started feeling my legs from kilometer 10. We reached the gate around 11 am and drove back to Moshi. We had lunch together at the office, and then I was home!

It was so amazing! However, the tips of my big toes are still numb from the descent.