4.15 am and we wake up. Jen wishes me a very Happy Birthday. It's a cold birthday to wake up to. Quick wash, contact lens and a loo stop at 18500 ft above sea level. The water is frozen to flush, need to call a porter for help.
Cereal and porridge for breakfast and we struggle to be ready by 5am. Our heads are spinning but yet we are eager in anticipation of the last 800 ft hike to the summit. We finally make it out of the camp at 5.55am. Cold again but we are better prepared than yesterday. We have our hand warmers in our gloves today but they don't seem to make much of a difference. Fingers still cold, still hurting, still numb at times. 10-15 min and we need to stop to catch our breath. The sun is starting to shine already, we can see it on the horizon, lovely views yet again. Crystal clear skies this morning. Tempting to take a photo but the body is not responding. Each of us is concentrating on each step, we know the top is within sight, within striking distance, we just need to find the reserve energy this morning. Walking in rhythm, in silence. I know each of us are digging real deep inside.
An hour into this hike and we can see the top and soon enough we have made it. Higher than anything else around us. We can see the camp site below, the colorful tents on the ground. The sun is in the sky, the snow all around us. We have a 100 m or so of a gradual incline to the sign post. Relief. Ecstasy.
It's a fast walk, I can't wait to get to the sign. We have snow all around us, the sun is glaringly bright. It's an incredible sight - all 360' around us. My camera is in my hand, I am not going to let this opportunity pass to capture these moments. Within minutes we can see the sign in the distance, we have made it to the roof of Africa - Kilimanjaro. 5895 meters or 19,340 feet; Looming some 16000 feet (4900 meters) above the plains that spread out from its base, this mountain dominates the surroundings.
*** jen's outakes ***We started early again today, Zube, our morning wake-up call porter came "knocking" at our tent around 4:45 am. I turned over in my sleeping cocoon to look at Arun in our little tent and wished him a Happy Birthday!
It was cold again today - I just hope my hands don't freeze up on me like they did yesterday. The hike today was a short distance, only 800 feet. But, it was all uphill. The terrain wasn't very solid and our feet kept sinking into the ground, making hiking a bit difficult. Again, my hands were starting to get numb and I had to stop on the trail a few times to try and warm them up. Frank, our first assistant guide, again gave me his gloves and tried to warm my hands by rubbing them together and placing them under his armpits.
I don't recall how long we walked for, but soon enough we were at the top of the uphill trail. We had done it! It was just a few more feet till we reached the sign - making it official! We had scaled Kili! :) We stopped long enough to take some pictures and videos, commemorating our accomplishment. The views from the Roof of Africa, were amazing.
Then, we started the long walk down.
It was cold again today - I just hope my hands don't freeze up on me like they did yesterday. The hike today was a short distance, only 800 feet. But, it was all uphill. The terrain wasn't very solid and our feet kept sinking into the ground, making hiking a bit difficult. Again, my hands were starting to get numb and I had to stop on the trail a few times to try and warm them up. Frank, our first assistant guide, again gave me his gloves and tried to warm my hands by rubbing them together and placing them under his armpits.
I don't recall how long we walked for, but soon enough we were at the top of the uphill trail. We had done it! It was just a few more feet till we reached the sign - making it official! We had scaled Kili! :) We stopped long enough to take some pictures and videos, commemorating our accomplishment. The views from the Roof of Africa, were amazing.
Then, we started the long walk down.
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