Day 268 - 274 Trekking on Mount Kilimanjaro

Today is the day. Today, perhaps, the biggest challenge of my journey begins. After breakfast, our team was introduced to us. We met our personal porter who carries our luggage up the mountain and our guides and the kitchen crew. All in all, a team of 32 people for 12 hikers. We were distributed among the vehicles that took us to the entrance of Kilimanjaro National Park. On the way, I became really nervous for the first time. It had become clear in the conversations yesterday and this morning that everyone else regularly hikes in the Swiss mountains and has alpine experience. Everyone except me. I have accumulated all my trekking experience in the last 9 months. Well, we'll see how I will do. Plus, I gave my porter the smallest backpack, which suddenly made me uncertain if I have thought of everything.

After registering at the park entrance and taking a group photo, the trekking started.

Christine, the tour guide, leading the way and the rest of us following in single file. She sets the pace and no one overtakes her.

We are supposed to get used to a slow and steady pace, which is crucial especially at higher altitudes. The slow pace made me desperate. I felt like I was not making any progress. I had to force myself to keep up with the pace and not step on the heels of the person in front of me all the time.

Today we hiked through the rainforest and took small drinking breaks from time to time. We are supposed to drink a lot to acclimatize to the altitude. At least 4 liters of fluids per day.

After a little more than halfway, we took a food break before tackling the last stretch. Just before reaching the hut, we were able to observe a few monkeys swinging from tree to tree.

After 6 hours, we reached the Mandara Hut (2720 meters above sea level), where we spent our first night on the mountain.

As soon as the sun was gone, it became noticeably chilly. We were given a basin of hot water to wash ourselves a bit and then settled into our beds in the shared sleeping area above the dining room. Shortly afterwards, dinner was served. Since everyone was a bit exhausted and there wasn't much to do anyway, we all retreated to our beds relatively early. The disadvantage of drinking a lot is that you constantly have to go to the toilet. So, crawl out of the warm sleeping bag, quickly get dressed, and go out into the cold with a headlamp.

The next morning, we were awakened by our guides with a cup of hot tea. After getting dressed and repacking our bags, it was already time for breakfast, and shortly after that, we were on our way again.

The sun was glaring down from the sky, so it was pleasantly warm, almost a bit hot. Since many other groups had set off with us, we took a detour to a small crater. From here, we caught a first glimpse of the summit of Kilimanjaro.

We slowly left the rainforest behind and the landscape was dominated by small bushes and shrubs. We walked steadily and at a consistently slow pace, always stopping to take a drink.

I had gotten used to the pace and was no longer annoyed by it.

And then we had already completed the second leg. We reached the Horombo Hut at 3780 meters above sea level.

We settled into our huts. It was already quite chilly up here, and when the sun was gone, it required the longer clothes.

In the Horombo Hut, the hiking groups that are on the ascent meet the hiking groups that have already been up. And so, the same question was always heard. Which way are you going. The groups that had already been up were celebrated with the Kilimanjaro song by their porters and guides. An additional motivation boost for me (as if I needed it). Ueli was celebrating his 60th birthday today. But he couldn't really enjoy the cake that our kitchen crew had brought. He was suffering from severe headaches.

The third day was dedicated to acclimatization. A light hike to the Mawenzi Saddle was meant to take us over 4000 meters above sea level to acclimatize our bodies to the altitude. After reaching the saddle, we returned to the Horombo Hut for another night. After breakfast, we hiked with light backpacks past the Zebra Rock to the Mawenzi Saddle at 4340 meters above sea level.

From here, we had a beautiful view of Kilimanjaro.

The mountain has a magical attraction.

The altitude didn't bother me either. We could then walk back to the Horombo Hut at our own pace. The afternoon was free and while some went to sleep, the rest of us had a little tea party and drank liters of fruit tea. The advantage of the nightly toilet visit was that we could enjoy a fantastic starry sky.

In the morning of the fourth day, the group had a setback. Roger, still affected by a cold he had in Switzerland, unfortunately had to give up and make the journey back down. It's just difficult when you can't breathe properly... It's a shame, I would have liked to have stood on the summit with my sponsor.

So, there were only 11 of us left for the 3rd leg. With every step, you could feel the altitude more and more, and the pace that was unbearably slow on the first leg became the ideal pace. That way, you don't get out of breath and your heart rate stays within a reasonable range.

The landscape changed again, the bushes and shrubs disappeared, and sandy terrain and rocks took their place.

It also got colder, but never really cold. We reached the Kibo Hut at 4750 meters above sea level and were welcomed by a few porters who brushed off our dusty shoes.

We settled into our bunk beds and started preparing for the final stage to the summit. I still had no problems, neither with my fitness nor with the altitude.

At 6 p.m., we went to sleep, and Christine handed out the last headache tablets for those who needed them. We wanted to wake up at midnight and start the final ascent at quarter to 1. However, I woke up at 11 p.m. because I had to go to the bathroom. When I sat up, my head felt like it was about to explode. I put on my warm clothes that I had prepared for the stage and went to the toilet. The headache didn't go away, so I decided not to go back to bed but to sit at the table and have some tea. After the third cup, the headache got a little better. At quarter to 12, we were awakened by our guides and everyone got dressed. Breakfast, which was served, was only eaten half-heartedly. Shortly after half past 12, we set off on the final stage with headlamps. My headache was back. Slowly, very slowly, we climbed the mountain. We took a short break every hour. My headache didn't get better, rather worse if that was even possible. After the second break, I seriously considered giving up the whole thing and going back down. Drinking and breathing didn't help. But then suddenly, the headache was gone, and I felt better all of a sudden. And hiking became much more enjoyable again. And that's when I knew it, I will reach the summit. On the horizon, the sunrise was slowly announcing itself.

The last stretch to Gilman's Point, we hiked in the rising sun. The problem was, now we could see our goal, and it didn't seem far away anymore, but the last meters seemed to stretch on and on without us getting any closer. But then, after one more curve and climbing up another rock, we stood on the platform, Gilman's Point (5680 meters above sea level).

From now on, we can say that we have climbed Kilimanjaro. From here, the mountain is considered climbed. I had tears in my eyes, I was emotionally touched. Slowly, the whole group arrived, and we could congratulate each other on our success.

But our ambition was even greater, we all wanted to reach the summit. That means another 2 hours on the crater rim from here, another 200 meters higher. But the first hour, fueled by our already achieved success, presented no problem.

The second hour, however, dragged on again. And every new ascent was a new struggle.

But at 9 a.m., we stood at Uhuru Peak at 5895 meters above sea level. The highest point in Africa. We did it.

All 11 of us hugged each other and celebrated our success.

We all stand together on the roof of Africa. We all reached our goal. That certainly called for a summit toast.

But we couldn't stay on the summit for too long. On the one hand, it was getting cold, and on the other hand, we still had a long descent ahead of us. And so, we started our way back. The descent was much easier than the ascent, but this path also seemed to stretch over time. And it required completely different muscles than the ascent. Now it's all about stamina. We were back at the Kibo Hut just before noon. But we didn't have time to rest. The next group already wanted to move into our sleeping quarters (The space in this hut is very limited). So, we packed up our gear and headed towards the Horombo Hut. After another good 3 hours, we arrived at the Horombo Hut, quite exhausted but overjoyed. There was a hot water basin where we could wash off most of the dust. Dinner was a rather quiet and short affair, everyone was quite exhausted.

The next morning, we packed our things one last time and set off on our final leg towards the park entrance. This descent was a pretty relaxed affair, a kind of cool-down.

When we arrived at the gate, we congratulated each other once again on our achievements. After signing out, there was, of course, a victory photo.

We were then driven back to the hotel by car, where a cold beer and a hot shower were waiting for us.

After washing off all the dirt, a small cozy celebration with the entire crew was on the agenda.

We all toasted to our success and distributed the tips. We were also presented with a certificate and were able to take a photo with the whole team and our porters.

Afterwards, our group had a small New Year's celebration. The mood was quite cheerful and happy.

In this sense, I also wish everyone a happy new year.