A local man shared his journey of how he conquered the highest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing one. Lucky Lubisi from Croquet Lawn outside Hazyview recently climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and said it was not an easy route to tackle.
According to him, he had made preparations for the climb and ensured he was mentally and physically fit. He said when they arrived in Moshi, they had no idea what lay ahead. Before climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, they had to prepare by climbing Mt Meru.
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“We slept at Weru Weru Lodge. We drove from the lodge to the national park, and then we walked from there to Miriakamba Hut. The altitude was 2 500m above sea level and the total distance we walked was 14km. We slept there, and that was our entire first day. The next day we walked to Saddle Hut. The altitude was 3 570m and the distance was 6km. As the altitude increased, the oxygen thinned out, and it got harder.”
Lubisi said the journey did not stop, and they kept going up.
“The route to the second summit was extremely difficult. Our oxygen was becoming less and less. The body was very tired, because when one loses oxygen, you also lose your energy. In my backpack I had sweets and water. As we were climbing, the guides would remind us to stop and quickly snack. We finally summitted Mt Meru, where the altitude was 4 566m.”
He said going down was the hardest. “As we climb up, it is hard, although one can control oneself – which is not the case when going down.”
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After Mt Meru the next day, what they had been waiting for finally came.
“We left Moshi and started walking in the Lemosho Glades; it was so cold at that point: -10ºC. On the first day, our altitude was 2 750m and the distance we walked was 6km. On the second day, we were over the clouds and on the Shira Route. Our altitude was 3 850m and the distance was 14km. We then proceeded to Barranco and then to Barafu Hut Camp, which is located at an altitude of 4 673m up Kilimanjaro. The weather was very cold; my water even froze on our way, and at some point I had to rest, because I was losing oxygen again, although I regained my strength thereafter. After all this, we finally made it to Uhuru Peak. The altitude was 5 985m. We rested for a short period, and then we walked back. Going down was hard, and it required balance. Fortunately I had prepared for it.”
Lubisi said the experience was extremely difficult, but entirely worth it.
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