We were awoken on summit night at 10pm for our briefing. The temperature was minus 8 and we had four layers of trousers on and five layers on the chest. It was cold and very windy.
Immediately we were let into the scale of our task. There are two main routes up to the summit of kilimanjaro being the Western route and the Kibo route. The western route is used by 90% of tourists and is being used by the BBC comic relief team. We, however, were going up the Kibo route which is that used by climbers and experienced altitude hikers. We were told that the climb (note not walk.....climb) would take 6 to 7 hours in darkness to the first stop point being Gilmans point. Then another 90 minutes to the summit and Uhuru peak. We were advised that the climb would, for the last half be at a gradient of 30 degrees and would be very difficult indeed. At the top the oxygen level would be around 8% as compared to 22% in England. Simply moving at this level was almost impossible!! The human body cannot survive at 6.5% oxygen so we were right on the edge.
To put the summit in context we were about to climb the equivalent of Ben Nevis, in the dark, with little to no oxygen!! I have to be honest I was apprehensive.
Jez, who is without doubt the fittest in the group and had trained immensely for this had been suffering with a cold and flu all week and had, as a result, not been able to adjust properly to the altitude. The Park advised everyone with a cold not to go over 3,000 metres as you simply cannot adjust properly. To note that Jez got to 4,300 and Kibo camp is a testiment to his strength and determination. Sensibly, however, Jez decided overnight not to attempt the summit. Another day, perhaps. We were down to 7.
Here though is an important point. Our group were attempting this climb DRUG FREE. Post climbers use a potentially dangerous drug called diamox which masks the symptoms of altitude sickness (thereby enabling you to climb) but it does not remove the problem. I personally am aware of a man who last year had a near fatal experience on Kilimanjaro as he used diamox which masked a pulomary oedema. Jez: we are all proud that, even in the face of desperation, you refused to take this drug. Unlike the Americans in camp who, along with thigh and calf steroid injections had been taking diamox for weeks !!!!
At 12pm the 7 of us set off walking at less than a snails pace. We were literally putting one foot in front of the other. After 30 minutes Jacky, who had picked up a bug from the water supply and had not been well for days decided she was not well enough to continue. We were down to 6.
After an hour, Charlie, the leader of our group unexpectedly lost the ability to balance and see properly. It was a surreal experience to witness the sudden, acute, onset of altitude sickness. What made it all the more real as that this was Charlie - the group leader and someone who had literally devoured everything in this adventure so far. Charlie had a severe attack of altitude sickness and was unable to continue. This was very sobering indeed. We were down to 5.
The five of us being Jane, Dean, Mark, Simon and myself continued for another hour or so and we reached a third of the way up. At this point the gradient turned severe and you felt as if you could fall off the mountain at any time. Soon after the gradient changed, Dean, who is a personal fitness trainer, had a terrible attack of altitude sickness induced nausea and had to withdraw from the main group. Again totally unexpected, Dean was lost to the main group. At this stage we did not know if Dean was carrying on or not. The main group was down to 4.
I cannot properly put into words just how hard the next four hours were. At times climbing in the dark (using only a head torch) on your knees, other times literally pulling yourself up with your bare hands, the climb was excrutiating. About 300 metres from the first stop point I was shattered. Totally spent. I had nothing left and I could not move. Jane, Mark and Simon carried on. Legends all three of them, they were (at this point anyway!!) strong and relentless. I was pretty spaced out and after a few minutes I realised that I had no idea where Mark, Simon and Jane were. I stopped and lay on the ground and asked myself whether I really wanted to do this? After 15 minutes rest (which is so hard at this altitude with your heart literally thumping in your head) I decided to carry on. This, I told myself, was what IT WAS ALL ABOUT.
It took me a whole hour to do the 300 metres to the first stop point. This, mind you, is at 5600 metres high. When I got there, I collapsed. I literally fell to the floor. Dead!! The Tanzanian boss of the climb arrived and measured my pulse. It was 208 !!!!!!!!!!!!! Now those that know me well know that I am blessed with a very low resting pulse rate of 42. Before we set off it was measured at 84 (the altitude doubles your pulse rate at 4000 metres). He advised me that whilst not dangerous (a pulse in a fit man can go to 250 for a few hours of extreme exercise) he said I should not continue.
I just lay there and hit my "moment of truth". How badly did I want to do this? Could I even move? I knew I had the mental energy but could I put it all together? And that is when I saw Jane who was seemed to be going through the same thoughts at the same point. Mark and Simon, who were incredible frankly on summit night, had started their Summit bid already. Between us, Jane and I decided that, so long as we were not endangering ourselves we were going to give it a go. Even if we crawled there.
After resting for 30 minutes (my pulse lowered to 176) we set off. We walked (and I often crawled - quite literally !!) past glaciers well over 100 feet high, we past 400 feet volcanic craters. I had to stop 10 times to catch what little breath I could get. Jane was a true tower of strength for me at this point. My asthma as a child was definitely hindering my lung capacity by now, though I confess I kept that to myself. I knew I had trained hard and that I had doubled my aerobic capacity - so I ignored the familar sound of wheezing in my chest. We past Mark and Simon who had reached the summit. The sheer elation in their faces was fantstic to see.
With 200 metres to go Jane shouted that she could see the top and this spurred me on. Slowly, very very slowly we got there. Four of us had succeeeded.
Dean, drawing on every ounce of his superb fitness, had managed to get to the 5600m that is Gilman's point. Quite how he did that with altitude sickness none of us can quite believe. His, in many ways was an ever harder thing to do. Incredible effort.
The drama, for me however, was not over yet. On the descent I realised that in my efforts to get to the top I had literally forgotten to drink the energy filled water that I had been given. I hadn't had a sible drop. Idiot !!! As a result three quarters of the way down my legs and body refused to talk to each other and I started to wobble. And boy did I wobble !! Amazingly, a tanzanian poerter Hussen that I had befriended throughout the climb saw me in trouble and climbed up and helped me down. This selfless act was absolutely representative of the nature of the locals in Tanzania who, to a man, were truly incredible.
Back at camp I had the strangest experience. I got back to my tent and burst into tears. I couldn't stop!! Whether from sheer exhaughstion, relief, emotion or whatever - I was crying like a baby. What a strange feeling it was !!!
So. Four of us tamed the Mountain using the hardest summit route that is Kebo. For me, I am really proud of myself. I set about this challenge to see if I could use that determination (sometimes stubborness....) that I have used in my business career for years and apply it to the hardest of physical challenges. That I did is one of the best moments of my life. I know that sounds very cliche - but it really is.
My lips are cut to pieces, I am sunburned on my ears, eyes, nose and arms and I ache everywhere and then some more. I shall not be doing anything like it in a hurry again however !!
I have some stunning photos which I will post when I get back to the UK on Monday.
Thanks for following. Please forgive me for any typos and weird statements. Focusing on a keyboard on my iphone has been a challenge from day 2 !!!
Ciao for now.
