Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro!

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I´ve not been updating my blog lately because of being away from Mtwara. First of all, I had something official work to do in Dar, and secondly I had a holiday in the northern Tanzania. The main reason for going to North was participation of climbing Kilimanjaro with a Finnish charity group called KaaPo, Kaarinan Pojat, which co-operated with LiiKe. The Finns stayed in Tanzania for having a holiday and doing some volunteering work for two weeks.

On the way from Marangue to Mandara.

During another week the Finns stayed in Tanzania, we climbed to the highest mountain in Africa called as Kilimanjaro. We took Marangue route which was the easiest and the most popular way up and basically hiking, not climbing with the equipment at all. We had 6,5 days totally – 4 days for going up and 1,5 days coming down. All the following below, was part of my diary.

Sunday 27.2. Marangue 1970m – Mandara 2700m

We started hiking from Marangue gate which is almost 2000 m above sea level. The weather was excellent and nature was awesome. I felt like I was hiking in a jungle. We walked quite slowly that helped us to get used to the highness and air. And of course, we wanted to enjoy nature, have a lot of breaks and also relax. There came some people back down and wished good luck with little of smile. Most of them had reached the top and of course we congrated them. After eight kilometres and eight hours hiking, we ended up to Mandara which was the first hut. We had our own guides and porters who had carried our bags to Mandara. I was so confused how fast they had walked with all the heavy bags and boxes. I was quite tired when going bed but not too tired to notice the beautiful sky at night. I will never forget it. There were thousands and thousands of stars twinkling in the sky. I was just staring at the stars and couldn´t believe how beautiful it really was.  

Monday 28.2. Mandara 2700 m – Horombo 3720 m

Gueretsa

I couldn´t sleep at all because I felt thirsty and I drank water a lot and afterwards I needed to go pee many times. Actually, I was not the only one standing in a toilet queque last night. :)  I realised that my body reacts to the highness already in the first hut and I started to have some symptoms of altitude sickness already.

In the early morning, when the sun was rising (that was also very beautiful!!), we continued our way up. We saw gueretsa monkeys and nature changed little by little drier. All the high trees and beautiful plants had been dissapeared. We saw little trees and more grass. The trip went well by singing songs, having breaks and talking. Before coming to Horombo, we realised that singing was getting harder because of low partial pressure of oxygen. Some of us were feeling as we were drunk that was quite funny feeling. Breathing was bit harder than before. I had also a terrible headache even though I felt I had drunk enough water. After hiking 11 km from early morning to early evening, we were on 3720 m high. 

Tuesday 1.3. Horombo 3720 m

Sirja and Aino at Horombo hut, Kilimanjaro behind.

Last night was my second night without having a sleep even though I had been very tired of hiking yesterday. It was a very windy night and I felt the wind came inside the hut. I woke up early in the morning and wanted to see the beautiful sunrise again. Today we stayed in Horombo and had a short trip to the zebra rocks which were around 4000 m high. We were told that it was good to have an extra-day for acclimation so the last part of hiking would had been easier. Zebra rocks were great and I tried bouldering a bit but I didn´t have power enough for doing sports on that high.

 

Kilimanjaro

Wednesday 2.3. Horombo 3720 m – 

Kibo 4703 m

I got sleep a bit, yea! The way from Horombo to Kibo was just an alpine desert which meant that there was nothing else to see than Kilimanjaro and Mawenzi, which is another mountain next to Kili. BUT Kili was actually a lot to watch! Little by little, I started to undestand that Kilimanjaro was very close. After hiking 10 km in 8 hours, we had only a dinner and just a few hours to sleep before starting our last hiking part up.

(The last hiking part must be always start at night because the way up is covered by sand which becomes slippery and hard to walk when the sun starts to shine.)

Thursday 3.3. Kibo 4703 m – Gilman´s 5685 m – Horombo 3720 m

It was 00.30 am when we started our way to Gilman´s point and Uhuru Peak. We walked in a long queue, everybody having headlamp in the darkness. We had nine guides totally for supporting us. The only things we saw in the darkness were many queques front of us on their way up and the city lights of Moshi and Kenya. After walking for 2-3 hours, we decided to divide in to two groups. I was feeling well so I decided to join to the group which was going a bit faster. It was getting colder and colder the upper we went. None of us wanted to give up, neither me. It was impossible to have long breaks because of coldness that meant there was not enough time to eat anything special. I had some sweets in my pocket and that helped me a bit to get some more energy. When it was 4.00 am, I was freezing and realised I didn´t have enough clothes. (Somehow I thought that it couldn´t be that cold up there in Kilimanjaro even though some people had warned me about it before. I had told them that I came from a very cold country – it couldn´t be colder in Kilimanjaro than in Finland. In fact, it was very cold and I regreted I didn´t wear my warm winter clothes.)

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A beautiful sunrise on the way to Gilman´s

Anyway, the way up looked like it was endless. Walking became harder the upper we went. Nobody did speak, everyone was just giving all the energy for walking. I remembered I thought “Why people are doing this!? This is terrible!” and probably many people were thinking the same thing. On the way, some people came back down with a guide and looked very sick. I was just hoping and waiting the sunrise, it was freezing up there. Every step up was hard. I put all my effort for just taking steps forward like the others.

A view from Gilman´s.

Finally, I saw Gilman´s Point. The last 50 m up was the longest and hardest way I had ever done in my life. Finally, at 7 am I took my final step up and reached Gilman´s Point. The sun had arised and the view was very beautiful. I decided to enjoy 15 minutes at Gilman´s and go back. The way to Uhuru Peak (5895 m) was two hours far and that was too much for me. I was just happy that I reached Gilman´s. Not only going up but coming down from Gilman´s was also hard because the sand was slippery. Actually, it was not walking down, it looked like more surfing or snowboarding (of course, without snow or board J).

Kilimanjaro behind and we´re on they way back to Horombo.

After two hours, I was finally back in Kibo. It was very hard to describe the feeling: I felt like I was totally beaten. And that was not all, I knew I needed to walked back to Horombo after few hours. Around midday, every of us were back in Kibo. We were totally 20 people: five reached Uhuru Peak, one Stella Point (5756 m) and 12 got to Gilman´s.

After resting few hours, 10 km way back to Horombo was waiting. Actually, the way was not that bad. Probably, I was just too beaten and couldn´t stop thinking anything else than the dinner which was waiting. And finally, in the evening I got sleep very well.

Friday 4.3. Horombo 3720 m – Marangue 1970 m

It took six hours from Horombo to Marangue. I wished good luck for the people who I faced on the way. I thought they were not having any idea where they really were going. And of course, I didn´t tell, I was just smiling them.

When got to Marangue, we had a ceremony where we had some food, drinks (btw, thanks for the finn who had made salmiakkikossu for us : ) ) and dancing.

I never could had believed that climing Kilimanjaro was that hard. What made it hard, was the second last day going up and coming down. Of course, it was fun and we spent good time there but still, it was tough.

After Marangue, I went to Moshi with Aino for rest a day and see Kilimanjaro again. Kilimanjaro looked huge, and we were just amazed that we really were there just a few days ago.We decided to go there some day again. And also, we decided to remember two things when going there next time:

1. Remember to take warm clothes even though you´re Scandinavian. It is cold up there!!

2. Take both small salt and sweets snacks and put them into your pockets so you can have some energy during the last hiking part.

And, of course, the most important thing, is to have a good company during the way. In Kilimanjaro, there´s time to think and talk. Thanks for KaaPo people  - you were absolutely great and did a good job in Tanzania! And especially thanks for Aino, Timo, Krista and Jani with whom I shared most of my time and part of my life in Kilimanjaro.

(Ps. Uhuru Peak is still waiting for me. Anyone who wants to join? I trust you GoGa Climbers, there´re also great rocks for boulderingJ )