Mt. Kilimanjaro Stories
A collection of stories from climbers who have attempted to climb Kilimanjaro.
We Are Not in Minnesota Anymore
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
By Brad Moir
Arrival
We arrived in Moshi last night in pretty good shape - not much jet lag. Mark decided to try his oxygen inhaling skills as he felt weak and slightly passed out. That’s not bad, but we hadn’t left the plane yet! We were heading to Amsterdam and a lady woke me up asking if I was traveling with him. He was on the floor in the galley sucking on oxygen. He’s fine - no Baileys or wine before the climb. That’s what I always say.
We hiked in town today and to a forest and saw some monkeys and ran into some street kids - with no where to go. Our guide told us about them. They were fascinated with looking through the binoculars and seeing themselves on the video cam for the first time. It was very funny to hear them giggle.
I am heading out a 9 am for the Kilimanjaro climb. We went over everything with our guide today. I saw the top of it through the clouds and it is very impressive. I’m ready - guess we will be walking on one of the glaciers. We will summit Fri am about 6 in the morning. It’s a nine hour difference.
Back From Mountain
We have returned from the mountain. I got the flu in night of day 5 and didn’t summit. Everything else went well. I felt I was well-prepared, only had a headache once when we went up to 13,000 feet and got better when we descended. Otherwise, the breathing was good, appetite was good, and no signs of altitude sickness. While it was disappointing, some things you have no say over. If I would have been 80 percent, I would have tried but I was only 20 percent after 3 hours of sleep and no food in me. I proved you can live on water alone as I barely made it DOWN 3,000 feet, let alone UP 2,000, which would have been the next days journey. The following night would have been the summit.
When I got to camp I slept from 2 pm/m until the next day except for 1 hour of attempted supper. I figured it would be the hardest thing I did physically but was thinking up not down. Mark was challenged and made it to the summit at 6:05 am He said it was 20 or so with a 10 mph wind so it very cold. He stayed about 15 min then descended with our guide.
The views were incredible early in the morning and at night. The glaciers were moonlit so all the water one drinks made it worthwhile to get up a few times a night and water the rocks. The rest of the day was pretty much in the clouds, which was neat by itself. The temperature got to maybe 65 to 70 depending on if cloudy or not. In the evenings, it was maybe 35 to 45 depending on the altitude. A few nights we had frost on the tent in morning and only our noses and mouth were sticking out of sleeping bags.
The guide and staff were excellent. They waited on us hand and foot. The saying on the mountain is “pole pole” (po lay po lay ), which means “slowly, slowly.” One step at a time and drink lots of water about 3+ liters a day. The first few days had trouble picking up their English so when we were served soup, which was good, we were told what it was. The only interpretation we figured was chicken lips soup. We started laughing! Later it was something leek soup, spelled with two ee’s for the twisted minds that may read this.
Date: March 6th, 2006 |
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Western Breach Investigation
Here are the details from the investigation of the Western Breach, which killed a number of people back in January.
KILIMANJARO SAFETY PATROL RECONNAISSANCE EXPEDITION
25th - 27th January 2006
An investigation to determine the cause of the Western Breach accident of 4th January 2006 and to offer recommendations for the way forward for this route.
Date: February 21st, 2006 |
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Lost Pictures - Please Help
This is a message posted in the Africa Travel forums on BootsnAll Travel Network. Thought someone might be able to help.
If you are planning on climbing Kilimanjaro, or know someone who is please please please read this and help!
Last October myself and my boyfriend did a climb of Kilimanjaro. We took the Marangu route (the “easy” one) and it was absolutely spectacular!!
Unfortunately, a week after our last climb, we were mugged and our camera was stolen with all of our photographs of the climb and the summit on it (and the rest of the three week trip we did!!). As …
Date: January 30th, 2006 |
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Going Down Early
Sometimes Kilimanjaro gets the best of people. You traveled half way around the world, paid an enormous amount of money, have been training for months, and unfortunately you are only able to walk a few days up the mountain before something, like altitude sickness, forces you to go down. It happens to many people. Read a little bit of
Francesca’s feelings from her blog as she descends down the mountain on Day 3.
Date: January 20th, 2006 |
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Mike and Michele’s Global Wanderings
Some BootsnAll travel bloggers, Mike and Michele, wrote about their experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, with great pictures and perspectives. They also have some great pictures of their safaris in Tanzania. Read Mike and Michele’s Global Wanderings.
Date: November 15th, 2005 |
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Kilimanjaro Park Fees
In 2006, the Kilimanjaro National park fees were dramatically increased. Almost all outfitters mountaineering companies include the park fees into the overall price of the trip. However, it’s important to see how the price breaks down:
This is PER PERSON, PER DAY on the mountain.
Daily Charge $60.00
For a six day trip, you would pay $360.00 per person to the Tanzanian government. On a seven day trip, you would pay $420.00 per person.
Night Charge $40.00
For a six day trip, you would pay $200.00 per person to the Tanzanian government. On a seven day trip, you would pay $240.00 per person.
…
Date: February 28th, 2006 |
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Cold, Wet and Pissed - Kilimanjaro Podcast
On Day 1 of our climb hiking up to Machame Camp, the rain started to pour. After an hour of solid rain, we ran into our first big issue on Kilimanjaro. It wasn’t with our group, it was another. There were two girls, wearing nothing more than shorts and tank tops, in the pouring rain. These girls didn’t even anything to keep them dry. There looked very upset, were soaked, a bit stressed out since there trip just started, and were trying to communicate with their assistant guide, who didn’t speak any English.
Listen to Donovan discuss what …
Date: February 9th, 2006 |
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Nothing But Sky
A father/son trek to the roof of Africa
By Ed Abell
W. H. Murry, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
My father amassed an enviable library of mountain exploration books. He was an enthusiastic student of Himalayan climbing history. Over time I’ve added contemporary volumes to the collection that now resides in an honored place on my shelves. One of them is invariably on my nightstand. Since I was a boy those books instilled a quiet passion in me that only fanned the fires of action as I approached my 50’s. Not exactly an age to begin climbing at high altitude but getting arguably close to now or never. In 2001 I climbed, non-technical, Mt. Fuji with my family. (Non-technical means no ropes or special climbing gear other than your own two feet, a walking stick and some pluck.) Fuji-san was 12,300 ft. A wonderful, dream come true experience. I had been bitten, however, by the bug and, in time, became restless for a more challenging adventure.
The Beautiful Mt. KilimanjaroMany of my heroes in those books climbed The Seven Summits. They are the highest points on each continent, Mt. Everest being the highest. My 53-year-old frame does not possess the youth or skills to climb any of them except for possibly one. The notions to experience high altitude and stand in a place my heroes have been were intriguing and lead me steadfast to my decision.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is 19,340 ft. It is the highest point in Africa and the tallest mountain in the world that has the potential to be reached without technical climbing skills. It is the one mountain where I have a chance to climb to a summit where Reinhold Messner and others have been. (The only higher elevation that can be hiked to is arguably advanced base camp on the north side of Mt. Everest, 21,400 ft.)
In addition, with our two sons now in their teens, my wife and I are taking advantage of one on one opportunity. With college imminent, I felt it was the perfect time to have a shared adventure of this magnitude with my 17-year-old son Nathan.
Date: January 22nd, 2006 |
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Killing the Kili
By Memet Walker
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kilimanjaro is a snow covered mountain 19,710 feet high, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called the Masai ‘Nga’je Ngai,’ the House of God. Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude. - Ernest Hemingway in the preamble to The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
At least the leopard, presumably, didn’t pay cash.
“You have to kill Kili before it kills you,” the driver says, near the entrance of the Machame gate.
Kill me? To be honest, the thought had occured previous times in my darker thoughts. In conversations with locals, roughly ten people die per year attempting to summit this great giant. The National Park, however, publishes a much nicer number, at around three. I’m an optomist; three already died this year, I was safe.
And I now I stood at the gate of judgement. One year of preparation; devoting my entire being to carefully studying other people exercising on television. It took one step uphill, however, to realize I would die young.
Nine idiots standing at the foot of this mountain. Ambassadors of stupidity from every corner of the world. Myself, from America, a man from the Phillipines, a woman from China, a French diving instructor, a student from Holland, a biologist from Switzerland, a German doctor, two Candian fishiologists (I’m miles away from google) and a partridge in a pear tree.
Date: January 18th, 2006 |
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Test of Wills
Some mountain climbers talk about “conquering the mountain”, but that simply is not true at all. If anything, it is more a test of wills, and the mountain’s will is rock solid – having been forged over millions of years. In reality, climbing a mountain like Kilimanjaro is a tremendous personal challenge. The mountain knows all about its capabilities and limitations, but the question is. Do you? You will find yourself tested in ways you never considered until now. The mountain demands much of you – commitment, desire, toughness, patience, physical and mental endurance. But what do you demand of yourself?
In the morning of the First Day of my climb I met my guide, Samuel, and our porters, Nechi, Avoit, and Reginald. That’s FOUR humans tasked with assisting me with my climb – Wow! As we drove around town collecting the final goods needed for our trek, I asked Samuel how long he has been climbing the mountain. With a big smile, he replied “22 years!” When he got out of the truck to buy some meat I saw that his calf muscles were carved from stone and I knew that it was true.
Date: November 2nd, 2005 |
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