Tanzania - Kilimanjaro (Lemosho Glades)

An early start found me standing at Manchester airport at 4am waiting for Amber and Jess. They were easy to spot, not just thanks to their large red Jagged Globe bags, but also the fact they are identical twins. Identical rucksacks too, except that Amber's is blue and Jess' is green - although it took quite a while to work that out because Amber's hat is green and Jess' is blue. Luckily they both respond to either name and are very easy going about the numerous mistakes the team made throughout the week. 

The three of us made our way to Amsterdam where we met the rest of the team - except Juan who was already busy relaxing in Tanzania after flying out early from Costa Rica. A delay in the flights meant arriving in the middle of the night.  Luckily the excitement of the next day kept us alert and early on Saturday morning the entire team met for the first time to prepare for departure into the Kilimanjaro National Park.

A 3 hour drive had us arriving at the Landorossi Gate for lunch and a talk about altitude.  We eventually started making our way towards Big Tree Camp mid afternoon and the pleasant and gradual climb was an ideal start for an exhausted team of trekkers.  Everyone was going to have to eat and sleep hard in order to regain strength lost by two short nights sleep if we were to have an chance of enjoying ourselves on the mountain. 

Luckily an excellent in country crew provided a fantastic three course meal in a mess tent lit with shiny new black diamond lamps. That, combined with spacious tents and our own private toilet tent made all the difference in making everyone feel comfortable (especially Elaine who was over the moon to see the toilet tent). 

The next morning got even better as everyone was treated to a hot drink I'm bed - to serve as their wake up call - followed by warm washing water and a three course breakfast (porridge, cooked breakfast and fruit along with plenty of hot drinks). This set the team up perfectly for the days walking and the treatment remained as high quality throughout the entire trek. 

The walk across the Shira Plateau took two days with a side trip to Shira Cathedral offering breathtaking views onto the plains below and over to Mount Meru. The path, which started in the forest, first becomes a savannah of tall grasses eventually becoming meadow and then semi desert.  From Shira Camp 2 we can see Kibo Peak clearly for the first time and the reality of what the team have embarked on begins to dawn on them. 

With this new clarity of purpose, it is an excited group that prepares for the long walk to Barranco Camp via the Lava Tower. A long walk up followed by a descent that takes us into a camp so close to Kibo Peak that you can almost touch it. With the Barranco Wall looming down on us, Elaine prepared herself for her toughest day yet.  An incredibly determined woman with a fear of scrambling she clambered up the wall holding onto local guide Davis' hand all the way. 

By this time the team have begun entertaining themselves with various word games and inventions - generally on Johns initiative but with a lot of support from Michael.  Keep your eyes peeled for the forthcoming Stallion drink with specific medicinal properties which John assures us all will soon be on the market.  

With entertainment and moral taken care of by John, we arrive in high spirits at Karanga Camp from where the best views of Mount Meru can be seen. For lunch, we are treated to chicken and chips before resting at 4050m in preparation for the big day tomorrow. 

Finally with no headaches in sight and five days of trekking behind us we make our way to our final and highest camp before attempting to climb to the roof of Africa.  Barafu Camp is situated at 4650m and is a busy camp full of excited people preparing to climb and exhausted people returning from a long night out. 

We arrive for lunch with plenty of time to eat, rehydrate, pack, plan and prepare for our big summit departure. Final checks of summit outfits, removal of all un essential gear from rucksacks and as much sleep as can be obtained when at that altitude and excited about climbing one of the seven summits.

At midnight we quietly eat our porridge and drink as much as possible before walking out into the cold night air to begin the long ascent.  After a number of hours we say goodbye to Roger as he returns to camp.  A few hours after that the team stop for a hot drink.  Constantly checking on the team for cold, exhaustion and signs of AMS, everyone is doing well.  Juan is always "great" but finally, an hour before sunrise I receive the reply "I've downgraded from great to very good". Retaining a sense of humour when undertaking a mountain like this is a must!

Exhausted we arrive at Stella Point at 7:30am taking the time to eat, drink and rest for a short while before saying goodbye to Jess who makes her way back down.  The rest of the team reach Uhuru Peak at 9am with just enough time for a few photos and self congratulation before heading back to camp.

The views on the way down can be appreciated now and the form of Mawenzi Peak is seen clearly in the distance.  An hour of rest is much appreciated before trying to eat something and making our way down to Millenium Camp for a nights sleep at a lower altitude.

Finally, our last day on the mountain and our last in Tanzania.  We reach the Mweka Gate  by midday have lunch with our guides back at the hotel before indulging in a much deserved shower and heading to the airport.  Jess, Amber and Juan are lucky enough to be staying on for a few extra days of Safari - we are all jealous and can't wait to hear about it.

Congratulations to everyone for putting 100% into the trip. Everyone pushed themselves to the limit and should be proud of their achievements. A special congratulations to Elaine, Irene, Amber, Carl, John, Michael, Juan and Simon for reaching Uruhu Peak.

Well done everyone, a fantastic trip and a lot of fun. 

Leading for Jagged Globe

www.jagged-globe.co.uk

Tanzania - Kilimajaro (Machame Route)

I am sitting in another dance studio, in another school, at the other end of the country, nearly a month after I met my Scottish group.  This time I am appreciating my last few minutes of quiet before eight young men from Wilson’s School in south London, bound into Hayes Community College.  They break my silent reflection and explode their rucksacks all over the floor in preparation for a kit check.

Having removed all unessential personal kit (including Ed’s boot cleaning set), found space for the group kit and completed all final briefings, we board the bus, then the plane to Nairobi and finally almost 24 hours after first meeting, we land at Kilimanjaro airport, Tanzania.

With the town of Arusha our base for the next three weeks we make our way to a hostel and begin our orientation phase.  We have phones to buy, a city to discover, meths to find, a week’s menu to plan and purchase and some fun to have.  The team experienced a steep learning curve when accosted by a particularly persistent tout on their first day visiting the market area.

Finally we start making our way 80km north to Longido, home of the Masai and base for our acclimatisation trek and project phase.  Starting out on the trek, we make our way towards Longido Mountain, our objective towering in the background.  Our Masai guides protect us with spears and lead the way.  Our guides ease in the environment is clear as they carry little more than a small plastic bag of essential kit to accompany their weapons making us look slightly over prepared with large expedition rucksacks containing everything from tents and stoves to food and a change of clothes.  And why would you need a tooth brush? They clearly demonstrate the use of a natural version – a stick.

After a successful summit with an exciting scramble at the top, we find ourselves back in Longido preparing for our project phase.  The team is disappointed to find that the playground we had planned to help build will not be going ahead due to disputes over land ownership.  Luckily the creation of a football stadium is the centre of the town’s development and the team help make and transport bricks, dig foundations and build walls for it.   A lot of hard work rewarded with a game of football with the locals.

The project phase was intermingled with lots of cultural visits and the team were lucky enough to visit a boma (Masai village) and a Masai Warriors cave.  In the cave, young Masai men hang out and eat meat for anything from 10 days to a month, depending on how much meat they have.  The Warriors eat, sleep, chat and rest. When the meat has been eaten, they go home.

With the project phase and a day of preparation in Arusha complete, we turn towards our main objective for the expedition – Kilimanjaro.  The team are fortunate to benefit from an excellent acclimatisation profile with 8 days on the mountain.  This greatly enhances the probability of success by allowing the team enough time to adapt to the diminishing quantities of oxygen available to them as they make their way up the mountain.

The first few days take the team through rain forest and out onto dusty plains.  Finally, we are above the clouds and get our first glimpse of the mountain.  It still looks so big and so far away it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that we aim to be standing on the top of it in just a few days time.  As we look back down at the view, all we can see is a sea of cloud and Mount Meru rising out of it: an inspiring view which will stay with us for the rest of the trip.

On day 3 we have lunch at Lava Tower (4600m) before descending to Barranco camp for 2 night’s acclimatisation.  An acclimatisation trek takes us onto the ridge above the camp.  With just a few light headaches between the team there has obviously been eating and drinking plenty and looking after themselves in order to acclimatise properly.

The daunting Barranco wall is scaled more easily than the team expected and the scramble to the top was enjoyed by all though watching the porters dance up the wall with their loads balancing precariously on their heads made us feel like we were making rather a big deal out if it.

After passing spending an extra night at Karanga Valley we finally arrive at Barafu Camp and begin to prepare for the summit.  With the team composed of all males ranging from 16-18 years, food has been a constant source of discussion.  Usually there is not enough of it and fending for yourself at meal times has become a necessary survival skill.  For the first time on the trip, there is food left on the table as appetites diminish due to the altitude.  Sleep is also difficult to find but we retire early to rest if not sleep.

We are up again at 11pm and after a hot drink and some final preparations we set off at midnight.  Luck is on our side and the moon is still quite full providing good light and little need for head torches.  The couple of hours of the walk are warm, exciting and really quite pleasant.  At around 3 am it gets cold, very cold.  And the path steepens.  Conversation dwindles and the slow plod for the summit has begun in earnest.

Rahul is suffering with mild asthma but is determined to overcome his challenge and continue with the team.  Andre is quietly retching, his nausea making it difficult for him but he has also found the determination within himself to continue.   The steep path to Stella Point seems to continue forever but we are just 1 hour away now and I can see the first colouring of red in the sky.

The a voice from behind me breaks the silence – ‘Jo, Kierans hit the ground’

All manor scenarios flash through my mind as I rush back to find Kieran lying on the scree slope.  Automatically working out how to descend him as fast as possible, I begin talking to Kieran who seems strangely fine.  What happened?  He fell asleep.  Kieran mastered the skill of sleep walking – almost.  Having checked him for any signs of altitude illness I’m confident that he’s ok to continue and taking his arm we walk together to Stella Point, my constant babble of chatter keeping him awake.

The pain and achievement of arriving at Stella Point at sunrise, gave way to a pleasant walk along the crater rim with views that take your breath away.  Everybody in the team made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro that day and it was down to their excellent preparation and strong determination to succeed.  Each and every one of them deserved it.  Congratulations!

Ascending the mountain is only half the journey and the 2 days of descend to Mweka hut is painful on the knees and seems to go on forever.  We finally arrived at the gate and with showers, a safari day  and some last minute souvenir shopping tempting us back to Arusha we turned away from the mountain for the last time.

Leading for Outlook Expeditions

http://www.outlookexpeditions.com/