The road to Mount Kilimanjaro
Our seven-day journey to the highest mountain peak on the African continent started on a high note on the morning of December 27, from the town of Moshi, in Arusha, Tanzania. There were 11 of us, including myself, Anton van Zyl, who is the publisher of two independent newspapers in Limpopo, his wife, Adri, and …
Our seven-day journey to the highest mountain peak on the African continent started on a high note on the morning of December 27, from the town of Moshi, in Arusha, Tanzania.
There were 11 of us, including myself, Anton van Zyl, who is the publisher of two independent newspapers in Limpopo, his wife, Adri, and their two sons, Jaco and Elardus. Also in our team was Rohva Kharive, a Limpopo-based dentist as well as three others from the Western Cape, another from KZN and a former South African who is now a British citizen.
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It was a journey that later became one of the most intriguing walking trails that took our team through some of the most difficult and hazardous weather conditions, including torrential rains in the mountain’s rainforest, extreme heat and freezing winter winds during extremely dangerous climbs up the face of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Our plan was to walk through the rugged ridges of Tanzania’s wildest terrain and commence our ascent on New Year’s Eve in a bid to reach the peak on New Year’s Day and celebrate the new decade at 5 895m above sea level.
The team started off at Machame gate, which is 1 800m above sea level. At that point, the weather was warm and humid as can be expected from a country situated on the equator. The first day’s walk stretches through the stunningly beautiful rainforest. The forest lived up to expectations and within a few kilometres, the climbers had to get out their raincoats as torrential rains started to pour down on us.
We had opted for the seven-day Machame route, also known by the locals as the “Whiskey Route” because of its tough and treacherous long winding, hilly and rocky passes, which allow time for the climbers to acclimatise to the altitude. Because of its steep up-hill inclines, one of the dangers posed by this route during the climb was the altitude sickness. Above 3 500m, the air became thin, making it difficult for the lungs to absorb enough oxygen.
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Our first overnight stop was at Machame Camp, at 2 835m above sea level. Fortunately, our group did not have to carry their entire luggage with them. Mount Kilimanjaro is a major employer for Tanzanians in the Arusha region and generates thousands of jobs for the local people. Each group of climbers is accompanied by guides, porters, chefs and even ‘mobile toilets’ are carried along for the convenience of the climbers.
On the second day, the climbing was shorter, but much steeper. The lush forest changed into rocky bush terrain, and when the group reached Shira Cave Camp, the elevation was already at 3 750m. We had to wear jackets as the wind brought icy weather conditions from the mountain.
On day three, our group walked all the way up to Lava Tower Camp, situated at 4 600m above sea level. The strategy was to ‘walk high and sleep low’ to help climbers acclimatise. Mount Kilimanjaro’s three peaks were formed after volcanic eruptions in the region millions of years ago. One volcanic cone, Shira, is now extinct and eroded, while the other two, Mawenzi and Kibo, ‘melted’ together after subsequent eruptions.
We had the opportunity to cross this vast terrain which almost resembles a moon landscape. After spending some time at Lava Tower, the group went down to sleep at Barranco Camp, still high at 3 985m.
Day four saw the climbers tackling the arduous Barranco Wall. The route seems to go almost straight up the cliffs and one section of the path is so narrow that only one climber at a time can shuffle past the rock face. This section is aptly called the “kissing rock” as climbers literally hug the rock to ensure that they do not tumble down hundreds of meters.
After spending some time at the high altitude, the group descended to Karanga Camp at an altitude of 4 041. Considering that the nearby Suikerboschrand Mountain, is just over 1 900m above sea level, this is still a considerable height.
The dreaded day five started early on December 31 with a hike to Barafu Camp, which is situated at 4 681m above sea level. The distance between the camps is less than 9km, but the team still took about five hours to reach what is also called ‘base camp’. After lunch, we immediately went to sleep in preparation for the summit attempt, which started at just after 11pm.
The big test started that night with groups of climbers, armed with tiny headlights, made their way up the mountain peak. The weather was exceptionally nasty, with temperatures far below zero. To make things worse, a strong wind made life even more uncomfortable. After a couple of hours into the treacherous steep midnight climb to the summit, and just less than a few hours more to Uhuru peak, I could no longer continue and after a brief discussion with Anton, he advised me that it was better for me to turn back.
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“We did not come here to take each other back in coffins,” he said as I felt the numbing cold winds getting the best of me. My whole body was numb with cold and out of fear of being another dead South African statistic on Mount Kilimanjaro, I heeded his warning with tears running down my cheeks.
It was tough, rough and worth every minute of the seven days I spent trying to conquer one of the highest mountain peaks in Africa. Would I do it again at my age? I doubt it. But instead, I think I have paved the way to leave the challenge to younger South Africans to take off where I left at just over 5 000m above sea level, and just 3km away from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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