First Steps On Kilimanjaro
Machame Route, Kilimanjaro (TZ) Sep 2012
The Start Of The Expedition
The evening before we had something that they called 'briefing'. It sounds quite professional but it was far from that. We got a list of equipment we should have with us, a list which we also received by e-mail and we got a few pieces of information, some contradictory to each other. Frankly, we could have done just as well without them. There was one interesting piece of info though. Although our group would not consist of any other members, they planned to have a 7 (!!!... Yes... Seven) people support team for us: a guide, an assistant guide, a cook, and four porters. It felt like there are too many people but we were actually expecting this since there are a lot of people which live off only the tips provided by the tourist after the trip.
I could hardly sleep that night. I had a feeling of anticipation similar to the one I sometimes have before an important exam or a big event. We already had our bags prepared, leaving behind the items that we would not need on the mountain and renting a few things we were missing. All in all, we easily fitted within the 15kgs limit that our bags had to have. Any bigger than that, and they surely would have added a new porter to the team.
We were ready with the bags and just waiting for the car to pick us up from the hotel when we notice a medium height guy looking attentively at us. He was Josephat, our guide. Not much of a first impression, I must say, as he was dressed with a shirt and suit pants and had a pair of sandals on his feet. With a guide equipped like this, I was starting to worry about our chances of reaching the top.
The car finally comes and we depart for Machame gate (1800m).
Entering Kilimanjaro National Park
Machame Gate, Tanzania, Sep 2012
I hoped we will meet our team here but it was not the case. They rushed us off to the registration office while some guys quickly took the bags and made off with them. There were many people in the waiting area of the registration office (registration was just a 5 minutes bureaucracy) so we got to see some of the people we were to climb alongside for the next few days. I remember one lady in her early 50s calmly waiting for her guide to pick her up and I also remember a group of three British people, two guys, and one girl, all around their mid-20s to mid-30s. I remember being annoyed by the girl’s accent but more than that I remember her jumping around. She was excited, no doubt, but I thought to myself that she is either in such good shape that she can just waste energy on such childish behavior or... She is as stupid as her accent.
Taking advantage of these few minutes of relaxation before the start, we made the final preparations: gaiters, soft shells,s, and sunglasses.
Joseph shows up asking us if we are ready to go. He says we will meet the team at the first camp and I did not like that. I heard stories of how they take some porters and show them to you as being part f the team just so they can get more tips from you at the end. Anyway, we were off and the first thing I noticed was that even the easy slopes were a little bit more difficult than any machine in the gym (unlike Georgi, my (Alex) preparation took place mostly in the gym) but even like this, the adrenaline keeps you going.
The second thing I noticed was that our guide did not change clothes and we constantly left him behind. He was not changing his pace. Much rather he was simply not taking any breaks and he was catching up with us when we stopped to take pictures making sure to tell us to go 'Pole, pole!' which means to take it slowly.
Crossing The Jungle
Refusing to listen, we reached the third important thing to notice: all of our final preparations were useless. We were climbing through a clearly marked path (I bet you could easily go by motorcycle there) through a tropical forest. It was cloudy so there was no need for sunglasses. Even if there were no clouds, the trees were so dense that we still would not have needed the glasses. It was hot and there was no wind in the forest so the soft shells were just making us sweat more. The same applies to the gaiters. Gaiters are synthetic and they do not allow the air to go in and out so there is no reason whatsoever to wear them in a tropical forest unless you are facing a rainstorm that makes you wet to the bone. It was not the case so all the gaiters managed to do was to make me sweat even more and make the socks wet, which is especially 'good' when you are climbing as it creates all the conditions needed for blisters to appear. Blisters did not hesitate to appear so at the end of the first day I already had medical issues to attend to.
Towards the end of the trail the tropical forest made way for some kind of smaller trees about 2-3 meters high. We were at about 3000m. All in all the vegetation felt a little bit strange given that in our countries, once you go above 2300m, all you can find is some small bushes and grass. But who cares about that? It was 3 pm and after four hours of trek, we reached the camp. We were surprised given that we were told it will take a minimum of 6 hours or more depending on our fitness level but I could not care less, I was happy to have reached the camp. Especially since for the last hour or so I refused to take over any person on the way. I decided to just follow the zombie-like pace of a porter I found on the way. He was probably carrying more than 25kg while my pack had no more than 12. He had sandals and I had hiking boots but he was setting the pace for me to follow... Yes... Office life is not good preparation for the mountain.
Arrival At Machame Hut Camp
Machame Hut, Mt. Kilimanjaro, 2012
The first thing we did that the camp was to register. I guess they need to make sure that no one is lost on the mountain. What was surprising was that we were actually the second and third people to reach the camp that day (sure... I mean tourists as most of the porters were already getting bored by the time we got there). But still... given that we only left at around 11 am (which means about 90 minutes later than initially scheduled), it was something! I kept thinking that we should take it slower the next day as there is no sense in arriving earlier. Conserving the energy was by far more important.
Machame Hut Camp, Kilimanjaro (TZ), Sep 2012
“Go slow to ajust better to the altitude”
The first stage of our Mt. Kilimanjaro was behind us. So far it was fairly easy. Actually, I found myself forced to slow down, in order to give my body more time to adjust to the altitude. I can see how the training prior our expedition was paying off and I could enjoy the scenery along the trail.