Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

October 10 - 20, 2013
There was a lot of anticipation during the morning. We had a long wait at the Machame Gate since there were many groups of hikers trying to sign in and get permits organized, but we eventually got on the trail around 12:30pm. Day one consisted of hiking from Machame Gate (1800m) to Machame Camp (3033m) through the rainforest. The pace the guides set (Laurence, Paulo, Gaudance and Felix) initially felt quite slow, but we eventually discovered that this was definitely an appropriate speed as we gained in altitude. After about four hours we reached our first camp and we discovered how well we would be treated for the next five days. As soon as we arrived, we noticed that our tents were up and we were directed into the mess tent for tea and salty popcorn followed by a hearty dinner of beef stew. The great food and service would continue for the next five days so all we had to do was eat, walk and sleep.

On day two we were warmed by the sun as it came over the mountain around 7:30am after a cool night, but the sun didn't last long as a dense and cold fog rolled in around 10am as we cleared the tree line. Today's climb was from Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3837m). We struggled to locate our camp (the camp sites are large with multiple groups spread over the entire area) due to the fog and spent about fifteen minutes walking in circles. Our guides final discovered our porters and we again were treated to hot food and tea. The hike on day two would be the shortest of the trip but, besides the summit night, it was the coldest. That afternoon it rained (or the fog was so dense it sounded like rain as it hit the tent) and by the following morning everything had frozen over.

Day three from Shira Camp to Lava Tower (4637m) and back down to Baranco Camp (3976m) was the first real altitude acclimatization day. We both had slight headaches at Lava Tower, but nothing too serious, and we recovered after we started heading down to camp. This was one of the longer days and we got into Baranco around 3:30 pm. We spent the evening resting as the following day would also be fairly long (something we weren't expecting) which would then be followed by the summit night.

On day four we climbed over Baranco Wall, which we were told would only take about an hour. I was sure, just looking at the vertical wall, that it would take at least twice that, but sure enough we were at the top within about an hour. We meandered our way (slightly and annoyingly undulating) to Karanga Camp (4033m) where we had a hot lunch of fried chicken and chips. From there it was straight up to Barafu Camp (4673m). The air definitely started to feel thinner but we were moving at a slow and steady pace and we managed to get to camp again around 3:30 pm. We rested for a while and then had an early dinner of vegetable stew before getting into bed. The idea was to get five hours of sleep before we were to be woken up at 11 pm, but very few of us got any sleep at all. This added fatigue would definitely come in to play as we made our way to the summit.

The penultimate day started out from camp at midnight and would last until about 4 pm before we got to our final camp. The climb was pretty much straight up from the start and only got steeper as the night progressed. The wind was also quite strong adding a significant wind chill to the already subzero temperatures. The altitude didn't seem to affect us until we got to about 5300m, at which point it came on like a ton of bricks. The nausea was the worst, and coupled with the extreme fatigue, it made the going extremely slow. At one point near the end our guide wanted to drag us up the mountain and Gaudance ended up hauling our packs up. We arrived at Stella Point (5739m, regarded as a successful summit as it is the first part of the crater rim) around 6:00 am to catch the sunrise and Uhuru Peak at 7:00 am (5895m).
I almost didn't go through with the next part of my plan due to the nausea and fatigue, but since I'd been planning it for months and had everything prepared, I got down on one knee and proposed to Jenny. After she wiped away the tears she managed to say yes.
After a short moment together we decided that we'd enjoy it more when we got down from the altitude so we spent the next two and a half hours painfully walking back down the mountain to Barafu. At Barafu we had an hours rest, a quick lunch (not much wanted to go down) and started the three and a half hour hike down to Mweke Camp (3100m) which meant another 1500m of painful descending. It was great relief once we finally made it to the days final resting place, had our appetites back enough to eat a full meal, and be in bed by 8 pm to sleep for the next 10 hours.

The final day was a short three hour 'stroll' down to the Mweke gate where we were greeted by our drivers and taken back to our hotel in Moshi. After a quick farewell beer with our guides and a couple of pizzas, we drained all the hot water in our shower washing away the past five days of the mountain. I also cracked open the bubbly I had brought from South Africa and shared a few celebratory drinks (and engagement drinks) with my beautiful new fiancée.