A Climbers Diary

Day 8 - 27/02/09             
The Big Push - As remembered at 20.00hrs
Horombo Camp - 3720m
Duration 16 hrs - Height Gain 1290m
                              - Height Loss 2180m

I’m sitting cross legged on a rock at the Horombo camp (3720m)on the Marangu Route overlooking Mount Kenya in the distance. Kili is behind me to my right with a waxing moon hanging peacefully over it and the stars are just starting to show themselves.  The usual camp hustle and bustle is going on as porters clean up after meals, play cards, or call out to each other in their respective groups. I am pretty tired, exhausted in fact, but back down off the mountain after an incredible day and in a state of shattered euphoria.

The push started with an alarm call up at Kibo camp at 11.30pm yesterday following which we packed up and set off up the mountain at midnight after a breakfast of porridge and coffee. The pace was Pole Pole (pronounced poly) and despite the surprising steepness of the slope there were groups overtaking us.  The weather for the assault was good with clear skies and no snow. It was cold though, and at the lowest and coldest part of the morning, that 3 – 4 am period when you really have to dig deep, Naiman estimated the temperature  as -15 c plus wind chill taking it to what felt like 20 below. He told me he was really really cold on the ascent.  The slow pace meant that the initial part of the walk was easyish but we soon saw lights coming down the hill from those who had given up because of the toughness of the ascent or had been forced back down by altitude sickness. It was one foot in front of the other, heads down, slowly trudging up the hill lost in our own private thoughts with the odd song being sung now and again. For me it was Wish You Were here by Pink Floyd that kept creeping into my mind and out of my lips. I wish I’d brought an I Pod like a lot of the others. This part of the climb was simply a case of locking down, digging in, and getting on with it.

By Hans Meyer Cave at 5150 metres we lost one of our own guides, Stanley, to Altitude Sickness and he had to come straight down off the mountain. It was a sobering thought for everyone as we were all in “the zone”. Everyone has their own tale to tell about the climb and I don’t want to steal their thunder or be flippant about our achievement to date but with the exception of the distances that we were covering, and also the fact that I was living in such close proximity to Stans habits, I hadn’t felt that challenged so far. My view changed about 15 minutes before Hans Meyer Cave when I hit a bit of a wall both physically and mentally and thought I was a goner to AMS as well. I threw down some Kendal Mint Cake, walked through it, had a bit of a break, and eventually went on to Gilmans Point at the crater rim where all was well again and my confidence was boosted by the recovery.

Going back to the trek up to Gillies which was certainly challenging on legs lungs and head, and we had another Mossy moment. Good old Mossy can’t walk slowly and got frustrated with the pace on a number of occasions.  He would stop, hang back until the person in front had made a bit of ground, then speed up like a white van man on a motorway catching the person in front before slamming on the brakes and causing everyone in the line to stop. Eventually the pace settled to one that suited everyone and we trudged on.

We caught the first bursts of an African sunrise over the impressive peak of Mawenzi as the sun rays blazed into the sky and that glorious orange pre dawn hue emerged at Jamaica point before we continued onward and upwards to the crater rim. The sunrise was breathtaking and I found it quite emotional thinking about mother and what she would say to me if she could. The last bit of the climb from Jamaica to Gilmans was tough going especially as we could all see the sign for Gilmans but it still seemed a long way up.  We all got there. A few coughs were now developing around the group (they started becoming repetitive at Hans Meyer cave) but now they were more obvious. Stan was one victim and shortly after leaving Gilmans for Stella Point he called a stewards enquiry as to whether he should continue. His chest was playing up a little and he was light headed and dizzy. He decided to press on and Naiman decided to check him again at Stella Point. A few of the group were now struggling and I later found out that Dasha was sick at the summit and most of the others were also struggling either with the altitude or exhaustion.

It was slow going around the crater rim and a good result to get one foot all the way in front of the other. Most of the time we were shuffling like zombies edging slowly forwards half a pace by half a pace. At Stella (the point that the celebrities will reach the crater rim on their approach) Stan still looked rough and may have to turn around. We had a quick chat and agreed that I would push on.Nick had headed off on his own so Mossy, Kate and I headed off at a reasonable pace behind him. One of the lads we had met at Moivaro told me that the route between Gilmans and Uhuru was easy and that if you got to the one there was no reason why you shouldn’t get to the other.  I dug in and pushed on as it was now getting very tough going and my breath was short. Our group split as Mossy did his usual charge off then collapse, which is certainly what happens at 5500m. He started struggling at this height and Kate was also feeling the effect of altitude as well as it was also slowing her as it was us all. I carried on and reached the southern glacier which I found to be a very emotional part of the climb for me. So near to the summit and yet still so far due to the effort required just to move one metre ahead. I was thinking about family, looking at the glacier which is an incredible sight, and just drinking in the scenery around me when I was nearly overcome by tears, crazily fighting them back and thinking that any fluid loss of de-hydration would not be good and may increase the risk of AMS. Lack of oxygen sometimes can lead to strange thought processes. 

The last 50 metres or so seemed easy and it was an incredible feeling to reach the official summit, shake Nicks hand and touch the sign. Kate arrived a few minutes after me then Mossy turned up looking shattered. Candice followed and I was just taking some piccies when Stan staggered in supported by Naiman and Elsemeh . Incredibly I remember seeing Dasha, Erin and Stefanie at the summit but cannot remember them arriving or leaving. It was a great feeling to see Stan up there as I thought he had already turned around and gone back down. It wouldn’t have been the same without my old twist and bend there.

We had done it. Of the 9 that had attempted the summit, we had all made it not just to Gilmans but to Uhuru Peak and the highest point in Africa. Of course I had to stand on the biggest stone whilst up there just to be a bit higher than everyone else and it was a magical moment looking around at the scenery up there in such an inhospitable place.

Photo’s were taken, flags and banners raised, and we all made our way back down. On the return leg along the crater rim I sped up a little and soon paid the price with another headache.  The others had all gone on and I wanted to stay at the summit taking in the sights. I tried to get a text off to Cath but the signal was too poor (NB Vodafone is not very good in Tanzania). Naiman hung around with me and we eventually we got back to Gilmans where everyone was looking a little worse for wear. I felt on top of the world, literally, and from somewhere had found a new burst of energy and enthusiasm.  I was buzzing and suggested to Naiman that we scree run back down to camp. It’s a long way down, certainly around a couple of km,  but it’s certainly the quickest and easiest way to get down if you have the energy reserves and the strength to do it. My knees took a right pounding on the way but it was great fun. Nick joined us and we got down from the top to the camp in a little over an hour when it should really take 4. I heard later that both Erin and Kate had done some Scree running as well and they arrived back at camp about 40 mins later looking exhilarated by the run. Without being sexist here it took some strength to be able to Scree Run down after the previous assault and the girls proved their metal in droves by doing this.

The rest of the team that followed the conventional route arrived a couple of hours later and Stan looked really rough when he turned up at the mess tent. He couldn’t eat other than scoffing a few pieces of pineapple for liquid and energy and had to go and crash out shortly afterwards. Whilst he was asleep his breathing was very fast and shallow and when he woke up he had an un-stoppable coughing fit and was bringing up some nasty stuff with bubbles in it. I got Naiman to check him over straight away and he immediately arranged for Stan to be taken down the mountain to Horombo camp as they feared he may have the onset of HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) which is seriously bad news. Mossy went with him and I packed his kit for the porters to take along. Once ready Nick and I, refreshed after a short rest, decided to race the porters down the mountain to the next camp along a 9k gravel track which is the Machame ( Coca Cola) route. We were beaten by all but 2 of them. Admittedly we had just climbed a rather large mountain but we were only carrying day packs of around 6kg apiece and they had 10kg plus on their heads and the same on their backs.  Fit as anything these Chagga and Masai lads but we were pleased with our result.

At Horombo Camp I found that Stan had been put into Erin / Stefanies tent, dropped his bat and followed through ( it wasn’t the first time this trip….)so there was some confusion as to who was staying where when they arrived at camp. Stan chivalrously offered to give up his Death bed but strangely the girls refused to let him opting for another tent that was free.

Dave was here and was very happy to see us. Whilst he didn’t have the effort of summit day he did have the nightmare of a 9k walk over rocks, some of it in extreme heat, the rest in the dark, and all of it whilst suffering from AMS which at best is like a very bad hangover. That took some courage not to just want to curl up and sleep which of course would have been literally fatal.

Mossy was at camp, fag in one hand and a bottle of lager in the other as he had found the bar at Horombo. He told me that he too had been rough at the top and whilst he made the summit un-assisted, exhaustion rather than AMS got him on the way down and he had to be helped back to Kibo camp as did a number of the others.

As for me…..well I was physically finished after the summit attempt plus the scree run and the 10k porter race down to Horombo. I managed to take on some fluids but couldn’t even get into my sleeping bag. There was a little bit of shade by the side of my tent and an area where there were no stones and a small patch of heather. It looked too comfortable to ignore so after a dose of Dioralyte I crashed into oblivion for an hour or so.

 The summit attempt was definitely no walk in the park and the stats read as follows.

Nick - Fit as a fiddle and scree ran down. Suffered occasional headaches
Erin - Generally ok. Some nausea /headache but no sickness. Fit and steady. Scree ran back
Stef - OK up, some symptoms, but had to be assisted down
Kate - Generally ok. Mild headaches. Fit and steady. Scree ran back
Candice - Got up OK. Felt rough at top and required some assistance to get back down.
Dasha - Fine all way up. Sick at top and guided ½ way down.
Stan - Fine to Gilmans. Rough at top. Guided ½ way down scree and medevac’d to Horombo from Kibo.
Guy - Charged up to summit. Rough at top and helped down from Gilmans to Kibo Hut.

Of the 11 of us that started this adventure 2 were not able to attempt the summit due to AMS. Five of us required assistance including one medical evacuation, and the other four were relatively symptom free but did notice the altitude.

The biggest thing for me wasn’t the toughness of the summit attempt, but how hard it was when we were up there. Everyone found it challenging to get up there, but then we had to get round to Uhuru and down again to relative safety as quickly as possible.  We had all trained for to get to the top of the mountain but very few of us had considered how hard it would be to actually get down again. That was tough in itself but then after a short rest they wanted us to carry on for another 10km in the heat to lose some more height which made the whole day an incredible marathon.

Consider this. After a 12km hike through what can only be described as a desert in extreme heat and at high altitude we had 3-4 hours rest before attempting the summit at midnight in the extreme cold. Some of the team didn’t actually get back into camp until nearly 5pm which meant 17 hours of hardcore altitude trekking immediately after a tough day with virtually no rest in between. It’s no wonder everyone’s shattered and bruised.

I’m off to bed now with aching legs and a tent to myself only to be woken up at 6am for tomorrows 8 hour walk once again in extreme heat.  Nighty night.