On our flight from Cairo to Kenya we saw the most Americans we have seen since we left the states. It was one big US backpackers party. The 11 Americans on the plane that we met were all doing a similar extended trip - four straight out of college and the rest in their mid to late 20s that also took leaves of absences or quit their jobs. We spent a day in Nairobi to wait for Chris’s roommate from New York to explode onto the scene and then took off for Tanzania early the next morning – Kilimanjaro was awaiting!
After six grueling days of camping, hiking, climbing, no showers, no toilets and little oxygen, we made it off of Kilimanjaro alive. And we beat the odds (40% success rate) and made it to the top of Uhuro Peak, approximately 19,300 feet above sea level! We all agree that it was the most physically and mentally challenging things we've ever accomplished. Both Bill and Chris agree that the climb up Kilimanjaro made their previous marathons seem like a walk in the park. We began our Kilimanjaro expedition early Monday morning, having little knowledge of what we were getting ourselves into. We had decided the day before, by the flip of a coin, to take the more challenging Machame Route (known as the whiskey route for its difficulty).
We departed base camp with a guide and five porters to carry our bags, cook, man the tents, etc. The journey began in 90 degree heat in the thick rain forest that surrounds the base of the mountain. We hiked through low vegetation on day 2, rocky deserts on days 3 and 4 and finished in 15 degree weather on the glacier capped mountain. The most interesting part was on the night of day four, we left our camp at midnight and made our attempt at reaching the peak. We succeeded at approximately 7am. They tell you that you are making the final trek at night (by flashlight) so you can see the sunrise, and later tell you that the real reason is because the glaciers can melt during the day and cause rock-falls. They also don't want you to see the crazy climb in the light of day.
Chris had a lot of trouble the last two hours breathing and had to stop every few minutes to catch his breath. James blew up like a balloon the previous day from part sun poisoning and part altitude sickness. He looked like he had gone three rounds with Mike Tyson, but he still persevered using every last bit of strength to reach the top. Rob had some equilibrium (balancing) problems the last couple of hours. He could have easily tripped into a lava bath without the assistance from the guide (Tunzo). Other than some fatigue, Bill was probably in the best shape by the time we reached the peak. The view from the top was amazing. We got some great video over the course of the 6 days - it's pretty funny to watch. After about 15 minutes on the top, we began our decent. We spent the next day and a half cramming our toes into the front of our boots walking down. It took a full day of hiking just to get below the clouds. Exhausted, we spent the weekend in the quaint town of Moshi (at the base of Kilimanjaro) relaxing. We celebrated the first night at a local bar with $.85 pints of Safari Beers (the local beer). Bill drank everyone under the table. Chris and James celebrated a little harder having just found out that the Yankees beat the Mets in five games.
We were very thankful for our guides and porters. Without them, we would not have made it to the top. Thanks Tunzo, KB, Haroon, Mula, Awilo and Jimmy. If anyone wants to climb in the future, let us know and we will hook you up with them.
After relaxing, we set out for a four-day safari to several of the Tanzania’s national parks. We saw many animals - in all shapes, sizes and positions. We noted that the elephants and baboons were particularly very “flexible” species. Our driver, Simon, turned out to be an interesting character and a source for much entertainment. Every three hours or so, he would mysteriously stop at a local shop looking for water. He would go in for ten minutes or so, and then come back out and say that they were out. This went on for a few days before we realized that the driver’s mood would significantly improve after each shop visit. It was then that we discovered the beer cans with his lunch. From that point on, we played games with the drunken safari driver when we got bored. We would start slapping the sides of the truck acting like we were swatting Tsetse flies, when all we really wanted to do was watch the driver freak-out and swat everything in the front seat in fear of the bugs. That entertained us for the last few days as we had seen every animal. We’re planning to relax the next couple of days and then will be heading off to the island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania. We also sent James back to New York with several rolls of film, so hopefully we will be able to update the site with some pictures in the near future.
