I did see Mt Kilimanjaro on my way to Malawi, however the first time I thought of doing this was back when I heard stories from Eric Saavedra in Yemen. The worst headache of his life is what he called summit day, and for some reason I still wanted to do it. I knew it would be a long way, but to go to the top of this iconic mountain has remained in my thoughts for 20 years. I was glad I waited that long. I needed all the camping tricks and cold weather experience over the preceding years to make it. Every day it rained and then it actually snowed 4” the the night we summited. You’d spend most of the day wondering “What the heck am I doing here?” and then you’d get a glimpse of the mountain, dry your gear and be inspired again. Physically, I held up far better than I thought I would the entire trip. That was a huge relief. I just had to slow my pace and stay within myself. Poli, poli is what all the guides said. Little by little and you will get there is what they meant.
The day we went for the peak, the 16th, we left at midnight for a total of 13 hours of hiking that day. Whew. Being on top of the mountain and seeing the sun come up felt different from any sunrise I had ever seen. It was beautiful and humbling. It is also one of those things that I’m glad I’m done with; I doubt I’ll be one of those who does the 7 summits. I'll never forget it though.
All the videos are now posted.
Honest and I at the start. The skies opened up with rain 30 min later.
Evening tea with the porters.
Waking up at Machame Camp. You can see Kili in the background.
These porters are amazing. They carry their own gear and yours so you only need a daypack.
Shira Camp where we spent night 2. You can see our tents if you look closely.
Some brilliant sunsets in the mountains after the day's rain. That is Mt. Meru in the distance.
Day 3 up to Lava Tower. Again, all praise to the porters
Lava Tower in the background.
Barranco Camp where we slept the third night.
Every once in a while the clouds would clear and you'd get this. What a vista to pitch a tent at!
This porter put on a dancing show for us under the mountain.
If you notice, the mountain gets more snow with each day. Still. Wow.
Here's the elevation map for the day of the climb and before. This is for you Shaun Sava.
It was a brutal hike from Barranco Hut to Barafu Hut. Three huge climbs of more than an hour. And it rained all day. Spending all day sopping wet knowing you are going to try and summit in the cold at midnight is an anxious day 4.
On day 5 we woke up at 11:00 pm at Barafu Hut to leave at midnight for the summit. 6 hours up to get there at sunrise. The incessant rain turned to snow and I awoke to 5'' of snow. This is what it looked like when I got back to the camp after the summit.
Honest and I made it just as the sun came up. We were in the first group up. I felt amazing the first 2/3 of the morning. The last 1/3 the wheels fell off. I was moving like a grandpa with a walker. Either an inhale or exhale with every step.
It was far colder than I imagined it would be. I thought it was around 7 degrees F, while Honest thought it was single digits below. Glad I was a Nordic coach and knew how to dress for it.
It was worth it though.
On the way back down.
That is the glacier that is melting in the background (not this day, however).
The rest of the groups from two separate routes now start to arrive.
Going down, we now were able to see what we came up through as we encouraged other groups. Going up it was six hours of only being able to see what your headlamp illuminated.
Congrats, Kevin! Appears you had some very tough weather to deal with. I sent your blog to the 7 people I went with, as reading your post made me nostalgic for my trip up in 2006. Can't wait to talk about it with you! - Andrew
Yeah, I can't wait to talk more about it! The weather was awful: Just about the only time it didn't was when I took the pictures above. The snow before summiting was a terrible surprise as well. I needed to be pretty resourceful to have dry clothes for that morning. That was all I cared about. You made a great recommendation though. It was unforgettable and very much worth it. And I never want to do it again:)
It's a damn good thing you're from MN in those conditions! I hung on every word as you described this epic adventure! Way to go, good to see no tears shed this time, LOL! Hats off to you brother, jealous as hell.
You would have loved it, Shaun. I needed every cold and wet weather camping trip in my arsenal to get up that mountain; hard to believe how low the temps got. So in many ways I should thank you for tipping that canoe 15 years ago. I learned something by almost dying. Haha.
Congratulations Kevin on the climb and your engagement! That's fantastic. I was one of the 8 that climbed Killi with Andrew 9 years ago. Looks like you are having a great adventure in Africa. Nice blog too. Claudia, your skydiving buddy
Thanks, Claudia! It's been one of the best years of my life. I do remember our sky diving; I still use the video for class. And without you, Andrew, Olivia, and the rest of the crew doing this, I probably would have passed for another time. I'm glad I listened to Andrew and you all. Take care! It was worth it.
Nice addition of the videos! On a scale of 1-10, how physically demanding did you find it? For me, it was a 75. In your video at the top, you seem almost energized. I kinda hate you. - Andrew
The day before and day we summited were 10s. Each of those felt like running 20 miles. I was only energized at the summit because I wasn't moving. I could barely turn the camera 360 degrees. That last 1/3 was brutal. Inhale or exhale with each step and then stop every 20 resting on my poles. Seeing that sunrise left me in awe. So that was just a temporary thing.
Wow...Amazing accomplishment !!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Kevin! Appears you had some very tough weather to deal with. I sent your blog to the 7 people I went with, as reading your post made me nostalgic for my trip up in 2006. Can't wait to talk about it with you! - Andrew
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can't wait to talk more about it! The weather was awful: Just about the only time it didn't was when I took the pictures above. The snow before summiting was a terrible surprise as well. I needed to be pretty resourceful to have dry clothes for that morning. That was all I cared about. You made a great recommendation though. It was unforgettable and very much worth it. And I never want to do it again:)
DeleteIt's a damn good thing you're from MN in those conditions! I hung on every word as you described this epic adventure! Way to go, good to see no tears shed this time, LOL! Hats off to you brother, jealous as hell.
ReplyDeleteYou would have loved it, Shaun. I needed every cold and wet weather camping trip in my arsenal to get up that mountain; hard to believe how low the temps got. So in many ways I should thank you for tipping that canoe 15 years ago. I learned something by almost dying. Haha.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Kevin on the climb and your engagement! That's fantastic. I was one of the 8 that climbed Killi with Andrew 9 years ago. Looks like you are having a great adventure in Africa. Nice blog too. Claudia, your skydiving buddy
ReplyDeleteThanks, Claudia! It's been one of the best years of my life. I do remember our sky diving; I still use the video for class. And without you, Andrew, Olivia, and the rest of the crew doing this, I probably would have passed for another time. I'm glad I listened to Andrew and you all. Take care! It was worth it.
DeleteNice addition of the videos! On a scale of 1-10, how physically demanding did you find it? For me, it was a 75. In your video at the top, you seem almost energized. I kinda hate you. - Andrew
ReplyDeleteThe day before and day we summited were 10s. Each of those felt like running 20 miles. I was only energized at the summit because I wasn't moving. I could barely turn the camera 360 degrees. That last 1/3 was brutal. Inhale or exhale with each step and then stop every 20 resting on my poles. Seeing that sunrise left me in awe. So that was just a temporary thing.
Delete