Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania. It is the tallest free-standing mountain rise in the world, rising 4,600 metres (15,000 ft) from its base, and it includes the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 metres (19,340 ft), providing a dramatic view from the surrounding plains
Our path to the summit of Kilimanjaro was the Machame route. One benefit of this route is its quick rise to relatively high elevations (~10,000 ft/~3,040 metres), and a short ascent to the Lava Tower site (~15,000 ft/~4,560 m) before descending back to Barranco Camp (12,700 ft/3,870 m) on the same day. This follows the climber's adage 'climb high, sleep low', and helps altitude acclimation. The initial steep ascent also helps climbers acclimatise better.
With a planned departure from our hotel in Tanzania on December 27th, our actual itinary saw us reach the summit in the early hours of January 1, 2008.
Day 1-2 MOSHI (3,000 ft.)
Day 3 MACHAME CAMP (9,750 ft.)
Day 4 SHIRA PLATEAU (12,480 ft.)
Day 5 BARRANCO CAMP (12,850 ft.)
Day 6 BARAFU CAMP (14,950 ft.)
Day 7 BARAFU to UHURU (19,340 ft.) to MILLENNIUM CAMP (12,500 ft.)
Day 8 RETURN TO MOSHI
Our path to the summit of Kilimanjaro was the Machame route. One benefit of this route is its quick rise to relatively high elevations (~10,000 ft/~3,040 metres), and a short ascent to the Lava Tower site (~15,000 ft/~4,560 m) before descending back to Barranco Camp (12,700 ft/3,870 m) on the same day. This follows the climber's adage 'climb high, sleep low', and helps altitude acclimation. The initial steep ascent also helps climbers acclimatise better.
With a planned departure from our hotel in Tanzania on December 27th, our actual itinary saw us reach the summit in the early hours of January 1, 2008.
Day 1-2 MOSHI (3,000 ft.)
Day 3 MACHAME CAMP (9,750 ft.)
Day 4 SHIRA PLATEAU (12,480 ft.)
Day 5 BARRANCO CAMP (12,850 ft.)
Day 6 BARAFU CAMP (14,950 ft.)
Day 7 BARAFU to UHURU (19,340 ft.) to MILLENNIUM CAMP (12,500 ft.)
Day 8 RETURN TO MOSHI
This was by far the most ambitious adventure our team has ever undertaken. To put things in perspective: some 20,000 people each year climb the mountain; in 2005, Park statistics indicate that just over 40% reached Uhuru peak. For our chosen route, I believe that the number increases to just over 60%.
Every year an average of 10 individuals lose their lives on the mountain (due to incidents such as rock slides, or due to complications attributed to altititude sickness). The majority of fatalities are porters. However, we were dramatically reminded of the risks early on in Spring when preparing for this trek. A Canadian climber lost his life on Kili due to complications resulting from altitude sickness. Like us, he was doing this for charity.
In order to increase our chances of success, we believe that we "stacked the deck" in our favour:
1. we picked a route (Machame - sometimes called the "Whiskey run") that offered lots of opportunities to acclimatize thereby limiting the potential impact of altitude sickness on our team:
2. we were well equipped. Our past trekking experience ensured that this year we would have all the proper equipment on hand (we also worked hard to avoid "airline losses");
3. drugs - yes that's right...but not the illicit kind. Based on last year's experience in Peru, we all decided to take Diamox. This drug was not developed for climbers but was found to have the side effect of being a diuretic and of increasing the acidity of urine. In turn, the body reacts by increasing respiration which helps in acclimatization. Some statistics suggest that Diamox can increase the chance of reaching Uhuru peak by 10 to 20%; and finally, and most importantly,
4. we picked a guiding team with significant experience and a solid reputation: Tusker Trail. Our lead guide (Simon) had over 100 climbs under his belt and a success rate of over 90%....and he was determined to get us all up to Uhuru as "a family". The entire Tusker team was well trained in all aspects of mountain safety, giving us a great sense of confidence. And to complete the entire experience in a very positive manner, Tusker professionally managed and showed significant care for our porters.
The remainder was all due to fate and that included avoiding accidents and benefitting from good weather.
