Kilimanjaro trek - in more detail
Now that I have a little time, I’ll blog a little more about my trip in Tanzania earlier this month.
Here's a breakdown of the trek up Kilimanjaro. (Sorry, the altitudes and distances are in metric.) Most days, according to Joseph, my guide, we traveled anywhere from 9-10 km, except for Shira to Barranco, which was maybe a couple kms more, and the day of the summit and partial descent which was probably 1-1/2 to 2 times that. I took the scenic Machame Route up and the easier Marangu Route down:
Day 1 – Machame Park Gate, 1800m, to Machame Hut, 3000m: We hiked a steep, narrow, packed dirt (muddy but not too bad) path through green and damp rainforest. I was pretty glad that I'd brought a large plastic pancho that covered me and my pack amply. I was one of the few relatively dry hikers arriving in that first camp after a long wet hike. That first night was also rainy, and I quickly realized in talking to others that night and in subsequent days that you do get what you pay for in Africa. All my gear was nice and dry, and I enjoyed a roomy, comfortable tent. Others who paid much less for their trek did not fare as well, although some who paid a little less than I did still enjoyed a good trek. That first night was incredibly dark as the sky was filled with low clouds.
Day 2 – up to Shira Plateau, 3950m: The next morning was beautiful as the last of the rain had stopped hours before. We got our first view of the mountain. Daunting and impressive. I should mention that although I was hiking with my own guide and porters, there were plenty of other hikers (but not too many as we were just before the high season) also making the trek with their guides and porters and making camp at the same places. It was like a little community, and I made several new friends. Anyway, we faced an equally steep climb up to the next camp, except now among rocks and less mud but still a steep incline. The trees gave way to bushes and fewer smaller trees. The views every step of the way were breathtaking, and when we arrived at camp in mid-afternoon, we were treated with a view of craggy Shira Peak (one of the peaks of Kilimanjaro - it's actually made up of 3 peaks: Shira, Kibo, and Uhuru) in front of us, Mt. Meru (somewhere shy of 4500m) some miles away to the left of Shira, and Uhuru Peak & the Western Breach somewhat behind us (soon to be in front as we would head back that way as we continued up). The clouds were thick just below us and covered everything except the peaks; it looked very surreal, like a fluffy ocean. You can imagine the amazing sunset and then the full moon rising over this huge and high plateau just beyond the Western Breach.
Day 3 – up and down on the way to Barranco Hut, 3950m: We started up a flow of rocks with steady drops on either side. Although our 3rd camp would ultimately be at the same altitude as the previous camp, our trek would take us as high as 4500m past the Lava Tower (some hikers would opt to hike up to that and back to the path) and the Western Breach as we skirted around the peak to get to the little valley where we would camp. Here I had my first touch of the altitude effects as I suffered a fierce headache that finally went away after some acetaminophen and naproxen. And here, we had the first up close and personal view of the peak we would be summitting, very awesome in every sense of the word. I met some guys from CA in the tent next to mine, and we enjoyed the rise of the full moon in the clear cold night with Arusha and Moshi below us. When the sun was up, the temps were probably in the 50s F, but as soon as it was gone, the temps dropped like a stone to at most freezing. Brr.
Day 4 – short hike up to the plateau above Karanga Valley, maybe around 4250m. We first had to hike up the "breakfast route," a steep and rocky area that involved some scrambling and a lot of switchbacks. My guide had said that the name came from the fact that the hike was done after breakfast, but given the steepness, I wondered aloud if it was because one was likely to lose one's breakfast. I'd arranged for a 7-day trek, so this was my "easy" day as we hiked only 3-4 hours to this next camp. Although I had a touch of nausea that affected my appetite (in general, I did notice that I gradually lost my appetite as we climbed) I enjoyed another amazing view, far above the city and towns below. The clouds that had hindered most of our view of them had cleared so that now we could make out huge lakes and many farmlands and other landmarks. At night, we could enjoy the lights of civilization (much less than what one might observe in the US, but still obviously there).
Day 5 and 6 – longest day, up to temporary camp at Barafu Hut, 4600m, then up to Uhuru Peak, 5896m, then along the crater rim overlooking Kibo Crater's glacier to Gilman's Point, 5681m, down to Kibo Hut, 4703m, and finally camp at Horombo Hut, 3720m: We hiked a few hours to Barafu and set up a temporary camp in the early afternoon in and among the rocks. Although we were supposed to sleep before the early dinner and after until rising at 11pm,
I probably only got an hour's nap in the afternoon. Here, we could see the saddle plain below us to the southeast and Mawenzi Peak beyond that. At sunset, I got a shot of Mawenzi with the looming shadow of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) just to the right of it. I could never get tired of all the amazing views up there. By midnight, my guide and I were on our way again, now for the last push; the porters would meet us at Horombo. Up until this point, the trek had involved some physical effort; it was steep and rocky, after all, but I'm also in pretty good shape. However, in this last summit push, I finally felt the real effects of the altitude, or rather, the lack of oxygen. Every step was a real effort and left me gasping for air. I held onto my guide's backpack strap as he hiked ahead of me. 
I still had to pull my weight up against gravity, but I needed the physical assistance since my coordination was a bit compromised. I ended up making most of this last push with some new friends I had made, and I was very glad to have such good company at the summit. It was butt-freezing cold; actually, I couldn't feel my toes, but it was worth every effort. I snapped a bunch of pictures as we enjoyed the sun rising. We summitted just before 7am Tanzania time (midnight on the 4th of July, EST).
Then, my guide hurried me off toward Gilman's Point to start down the Marangu Route. When we got there, and I looked down the way to Kibo... Well, let's just say the scree-covered slope was as steep as a double or triple black diamond ski slope and at least 2 or 3 km long if not longer (probably). With my guide supporting me on one side, we quickly stepped, or rather fell, straight down the mountain on our heels. The reward was that from Kibo on, the trail was a nice, fat, packed dirt, not very steep path. Now, I could see why the Marangu Route is called the "Coca-Cola Route" by the guides, although I think those taking that route are crazy, as it's a fast hike to Kibo, from where one is then expected to climb a suddenly steep long switchback route to get close to the summit, not even the summit. (The hike from Gilman's to Uhuru Peak is about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs.) I was glad to descend via this route, because it afforded me yet another and different view of Kilimanjaro and the area around it, but I'm glad I didn't choose to summit this way - very boring and too quick.
Day 7 – down to Mandara Hut, 2700m, and finally to Marangu Gate, 1800m. Horombo camp had huts and running water. Despite the amenities, I missed the closeness and camaraderie of hanging out in the tent community. Before leaving Horombo, my porters and guides sang the Kilimanjaro song for me (about Kili being a snake wanting to eat me, but instead I ate it). It was a nice way to end my trek. Not long after leaving Horombo, we reentered the clouds and with all the passing fog over the reappearing trees and bushes, I was reminded of the Marin Hills, north of San Francisco. We hiked quickly down through rainforest to Marangu gate, where my safari guide and driver, Seif, met me to take me to Arusha (about an hour away) for the night before we’d start the safari portion of my trip. There's nothing like cleaning up in a nice bathroom after a long trek.
Here's a breakdown of the trek up Kilimanjaro. (Sorry, the altitudes and distances are in metric.) Most days, according to Joseph, my guide, we traveled anywhere from 9-10 km, except for Shira to Barranco, which was maybe a couple kms more, and the day of the summit and partial descent which was probably 1-1/2 to 2 times that. I took the scenic Machame Route up and the easier Marangu Route down:
Day 1 – Machame Park Gate, 1800m, to Machame Hut, 3000m: We hiked a steep, narrow, packed dirt (muddy but not too bad) path through green and damp rainforest. I was pretty glad that I'd brought a large plastic pancho that covered me and my pack amply. I was one of the few relatively dry hikers arriving in that first camp after a long wet hike. That first night was also rainy, and I quickly realized in talking to others that night and in subsequent days that you do get what you pay for in Africa. All my gear was nice and dry, and I enjoyed a roomy, comfortable tent. Others who paid much less for their trek did not fare as well, although some who paid a little less than I did still enjoyed a good trek. That first night was incredibly dark as the sky was filled with low clouds.
Day 2 – up to Shira Plateau, 3950m: The next morning was beautiful as the last of the rain had stopped hours before. We got our first view of the mountain. Daunting and impressive. I should mention that although I was hiking with my own guide and porters, there were plenty of other hikers (but not too many as we were just before the high season) also making the trek with their guides and porters and making camp at the same places. It was like a little community, and I made several new friends. Anyway, we faced an equally steep climb up to the next camp, except now among rocks and less mud but still a steep incline. The trees gave way to bushes and fewer smaller trees. The views every step of the way were breathtaking, and when we arrived at camp in mid-afternoon, we were treated with a view of craggy Shira Peak (one of the peaks of Kilimanjaro - it's actually made up of 3 peaks: Shira, Kibo, and Uhuru) in front of us, Mt. Meru (somewhere shy of 4500m) some miles away to the left of Shira, and Uhuru Peak & the Western Breach somewhat behind us (soon to be in front as we would head back that way as we continued up). The clouds were thick just below us and covered everything except the peaks; it looked very surreal, like a fluffy ocean. You can imagine the amazing sunset and then the full moon rising over this huge and high plateau just beyond the Western Breach.
Day 3 – up and down on the way to Barranco Hut, 3950m: We started up a flow of rocks with steady drops on either side. Although our 3rd camp would ultimately be at the same altitude as the previous camp, our trek would take us as high as 4500m past the Lava Tower (some hikers would opt to hike up to that and back to the path) and the Western Breach as we skirted around the peak to get to the little valley where we would camp. Here I had my first touch of the altitude effects as I suffered a fierce headache that finally went away after some acetaminophen and naproxen. And here, we had the first up close and personal view of the peak we would be summitting, very awesome in every sense of the word. I met some guys from CA in the tent next to mine, and we enjoyed the rise of the full moon in the clear cold night with Arusha and Moshi below us. When the sun was up, the temps were probably in the 50s F, but as soon as it was gone, the temps dropped like a stone to at most freezing. Brr.
Day 4 – short hike up to the plateau above Karanga Valley, maybe around 4250m. We first had to hike up the "breakfast route," a steep and rocky area that involved some scrambling and a lot of switchbacks. My guide had said that the name came from the fact that the hike was done after breakfast, but given the steepness, I wondered aloud if it was because one was likely to lose one's breakfast. I'd arranged for a 7-day trek, so this was my "easy" day as we hiked only 3-4 hours to this next camp. Although I had a touch of nausea that affected my appetite (in general, I did notice that I gradually lost my appetite as we climbed) I enjoyed another amazing view, far above the city and towns below. The clouds that had hindered most of our view of them had cleared so that now we could make out huge lakes and many farmlands and other landmarks. At night, we could enjoy the lights of civilization (much less than what one might observe in the US, but still obviously there).
Day 5 and 6 – longest day, up to temporary camp at Barafu Hut, 4600m, then up to Uhuru Peak, 5896m, then along the crater rim overlooking Kibo Crater's glacier to Gilman's Point, 5681m, down to Kibo Hut, 4703m, and finally camp at Horombo Hut, 3720m: We hiked a few hours to Barafu and set up a temporary camp in the early afternoon in and among the rocks. Although we were supposed to sleep before the early dinner and after until rising at 11pm,
I probably only got an hour's nap in the afternoon. Here, we could see the saddle plain below us to the southeast and Mawenzi Peak beyond that. At sunset, I got a shot of Mawenzi with the looming shadow of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) just to the right of it. I could never get tired of all the amazing views up there. By midnight, my guide and I were on our way again, now for the last push; the porters would meet us at Horombo. Up until this point, the trek had involved some physical effort; it was steep and rocky, after all, but I'm also in pretty good shape. However, in this last summit push, I finally felt the real effects of the altitude, or rather, the lack of oxygen. Every step was a real effort and left me gasping for air. I held onto my guide's backpack strap as he hiked ahead of me. 
I still had to pull my weight up against gravity, but I needed the physical assistance since my coordination was a bit compromised. I ended up making most of this last push with some new friends I had made, and I was very glad to have such good company at the summit. It was butt-freezing cold; actually, I couldn't feel my toes, but it was worth every effort. I snapped a bunch of pictures as we enjoyed the sun rising. We summitted just before 7am Tanzania time (midnight on the 4th of July, EST).
Then, my guide hurried me off toward Gilman's Point to start down the Marangu Route. When we got there, and I looked down the way to Kibo... Well, let's just say the scree-covered slope was as steep as a double or triple black diamond ski slope and at least 2 or 3 km long if not longer (probably). With my guide supporting me on one side, we quickly stepped, or rather fell, straight down the mountain on our heels. The reward was that from Kibo on, the trail was a nice, fat, packed dirt, not very steep path. Now, I could see why the Marangu Route is called the "Coca-Cola Route" by the guides, although I think those taking that route are crazy, as it's a fast hike to Kibo, from where one is then expected to climb a suddenly steep long switchback route to get close to the summit, not even the summit. (The hike from Gilman's to Uhuru Peak is about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs.) I was glad to descend via this route, because it afforded me yet another and different view of Kilimanjaro and the area around it, but I'm glad I didn't choose to summit this way - very boring and too quick.Day 7 – down to Mandara Hut, 2700m, and finally to Marangu Gate, 1800m. Horombo camp had huts and running water. Despite the amenities, I missed the closeness and camaraderie of hanging out in the tent community. Before leaving Horombo, my porters and guides sang the Kilimanjaro song for me (about Kili being a snake wanting to eat me, but instead I ate it). It was a nice way to end my trek. Not long after leaving Horombo, we reentered the clouds and with all the passing fog over the reappearing trees and bushes, I was reminded of the Marin Hills, north of San Francisco. We hiked quickly down through rainforest to Marangu gate, where my safari guide and driver, Seif, met me to take me to Arusha (about an hour away) for the night before we’d start the safari portion of my trip. There's nothing like cleaning up in a nice bathroom after a long trek.
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