Kilimanjaro 7 September 2007

The descent from Mweka Camp is through rain forest. The garden furniture passes us (again) on the way down.

Most people seem intent on getting down as quickly as possible. The propsect of hot showers is enticing but there's so much beauty to be seen if you're not in too much of a hurry to stop and take it in, including some, such as the impatiens kilimanjaro that are unique to the mountain.

Our route has taken us round the south side of the mountain.

We celebrate our return to civilisation with a hot shower and a meal in Moshi. It's Jo's 25th birthday and in the evening David has organised a cake for her.

Kilimanjaro 6 September 2007

Set off at midnight. Can see the snakes of light ahead, higher up the slope.

Make it to 5270m by 4.15am but I feel disorientated and losing co-ordination. Altitude sickness. Reluctantly decide the only safe course of action is to descend.

Lose our way, briefly, on the way down, but reach the camp safely. After an hour I feel much better and we begin the descent to Mweka Camp.



Now we are out of synch with the crowds, it feels like we have the mountain to ourselves. It's so much more impressive with the solitude.

We stop for a Coke at the High Camp (3950m) and make the camp by noon after 12 hours walking during which we have climbed 670m and descended 2,170m.

The rest of the group arrives later in the afternoon, having made the summit (even Jo and Sarah who'd been nursed up by Erghet, the assistant guide).

Kilimanjaro 5 September 2007

A long slog of a day - 8 hours walking. Begins with the scramble up the Barranca Wall. There are so many people here that we frequently wait for bottlenecks to clear before we can continue. Across two valleys, filling up water bottles at the last stream before climbing slowly to Barafu Camp (4600m). It is, frankly, disgusting. Tents huddled together around foul smelling long-drop toilets.

David suffers severe altitude sickness and has to descend.

Eat a dinner of potato stew and huddle in sleeping bags, wearing 6 or 7 layers to keep warm. Try to get some sleep before the 11pm call to begin the summit ascent.

Kilimanjaro 4 September 2007

Woke up to find the tent encrusted in frost. Finding a tent which had working zips became the order of the day. Many were broken and this meant that kit you want to stay dry and unfrozen needed to be in the inner tent with you.

We ascended from Shira Camp to approximately 4450m where we stopped for lunch. The group then split in two - those who wanted could go the higher but more direct route to camp via the Lava Tower, others (includng us) chose the longer, lower route across two valleys to reach Barranco Camp (3950m).

From the camp we had good views towards the summit for the first time.

While shaving for dinner (well some of us have standards to maintain), I watched an eagle (7ft wingspan) soaring on the updrafts around the Barranca Wall.

Kilimanjaro 3 September 2007

Early start, packed before breakfast and join the queue of trekkers and porters trudging uphill. We are, however, rewarded with views above the clouds to Mount Meru.

Passed on the way up by garden furniture. This will become a regular, if dis-heartening, experience.

Climb into clouds as we approach Shira Camp (3840m). Worrying guide Maxon cannot locate our tents. Bodes well.

Kilimanjaro 2 September 2007

Drive up through banana plantations to the Machame Gate (1900m).

Bureaucracy runs to African time and crowds mill about aimlessly for a couple of hours before we can set off, led by head guide, Maxon.

The path takes us up through rain forest into the clouds from which we eventually emerge after 4 1/2 hours walking into moorland with heather 8ft high.

We reach our camp for the night at 3000m and face our introduction to the long-drop toilets. Unfortunately, with over 20,000 visitors a year, the long drop isn't as long as it once was and the smell defies description.



Night falls quickly, it is dark by 7pm, and there's nothing for it but to crawl inside the sleeping bags and try to get some sleep.

Kilimanjaro 31 August-1 September 2007

Overnight flight from Heathrow to Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines. http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/ Got our vegetarian meals in spite of having to swap seats with an elderly couple who were confused about row numbers!

Onward flght to Kilimanjaro where we're picked up and taken to the Mountain Inn.
http://www.kilimanjaro-shah.com/mountain_inn.htm

Meet the group: David, the Explore http://www.explore.co.uk/ tour leader, who confesses he's never climbed Kili; Ross, a self-proclaimed Scottish Wanker and referee: Sam, Irish; Colin and Katja, EU civil servants based in Munich; Jo, Sarah and Becks - sisters from Kent; Tez and Chris - a father and son.