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Standing tall at 5896 meters (19,344 feet), Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest free standing (i.e not part of a larger mountain range) mountain in the world. The diameter of this volcano's base is 40 miles. We have been looking forward to climbing Kili ever since we began planning our 2 Go Global journey. Climbing Kili by law requires a guide and at least one porter which may be easily arranged with any number of trekking companies. We signed up with Shah Tours and the next day, on Sunday, November 4, 2000, started our 7 day journey up the mountain.
The rainforest has been given its name because it rains a lot. We experienced some of that rain, but it only added to the experience. After six hours of hiking, we made it to the Machame camp (1800 meters). The rains picked up and we were pretty tired, so we spent a lot of the evening in our tent. However, late in the evening, the rains stopped and the stars came out and we sat outside and enjoyed the starry African sky.
After passing through the rainforests the following morning, we reached a rocky area where we encountered some steep passes. As always, the strong porters make it look easy.
We reached the Shira Camp (3700 meters) early at 1:00 pm. After a few hours of rain, the skies partially cleared and Kili came out.
From our camp, we could also see the nearby Mt. Meru pop out from the clouds. Meru is also supposed to be a scenic and challenging climb. Our night at Camp Two, however, became unbearably cold. We found that two sleeping bags alone were not going to provide the warmth that we needed to survive, so we reached into our backpack and put on every single article of clothing that we had with us.
Our third morning on the mountain welcomed us with clear and sunny skies. This provided us with more magnificent views of Kili. Here is Kelly walking through the heather with our friend Andreas.
As we climbed higher, we encountered a more lunar terrain.
If you believe they put a man on the moon, this may be how he looked.
We are still days away from the top, so try to keep up with us as we continue our ascent. |
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There
are several routes up the mountain. We chose to climb via the Machame
route, which has been dubbed by the guides and porters as the "Whiskey
Route". The Machame route is supposed to be more difficult, longer
and less popular than other routes. However, it is also supposed to be far
less crowded and it provides for greater success given its more gradual
ascent. The climb begins as we walk through farms and then begin to ascend
through lush rainforests. The amazing porters walk through the forest with
heavy baggage on their heads and old tattered shoes on their feet.
