Actually it was a little bit less...99 hours and 34 minutes to be exact. This took us from the entrance, all the way up to Uhuru Peak, 5985 meters above sea level, and back down again to the entrance. It was a long ass hike that took 4 days, 3 hours and 34 minutes and included roughly 38 hours of walking.
First some bad news. Unfourtunately, Amanda wasn't able to reach the summit with us because of altitude sickness. Altitude sickness affects different people in different ways, and they say there is no way to tell who will be affected by it, and who will not. However, it was pretty much agreed that if someone was going to get sick, it would definitely be Amanda. For a reference, she is also apt to car sickness, bus sickness, boat sickness, plane sickness, video game driving simulation sickness, not enough sleep sickness, too much sleep sickness, and etc. Some of the most common symptoms of altitude sickness are headaches, neasuea, redness, tiredness, and Amanda had them all. So sadly after day 2, she had to go back to the bottom and feel better. And she does. It was not for a lack of ability or effort, but simply the way she is designed.
Moving along, here is the breakdown of how it went:
Day 1: 3.5 hours of walking and 30 minute lunch from Marangu Gate (1980 m) - Mandara Huts (2700 m)
1.5 hour hike for acclimatization around a crater
Day 2: 5.5 hours of walking and 1 hour for lunch from Mandara Huts - Horombo Huts (3720 m)
2 hour hike for acclimatization up to Zebra Rock
Day 3: 6 Horombo Huts - Kibo Hut (4700 m)
This is where it got really interesting. On day 4, you start your hike at midnight for the climb to the first peak, Gilman's point. This was a really, really, long day.
Day 4: 6.5 hours from Kibo Hut - Gilman's point (5700 m) We left Kibo at midnight, so arrived here just as the sun was coming up. What an incredible view and place to see the world come to life around you!
1.5 hours from Gilman's Point to the summit of Kilimanjaro! The peak, the apex, climax, maximum ascension available, largest altitude possibility, uppermost atmospheric reach of Africa!! Uhuru (freedom) Peak (5985 m)!
1 hour back to Gilman's, 1.25 hours back down to Kibo (yes, 6.5 hours up and 1.25 hours down), and then another 3.5 hours back down to Horombo. All this was in one day, on day four. Within less than 24 hours we climbed and descended Kilimanjaro, and included 13.75 hours of walking up and then back down.
Day 5: 4 hours from Horombo - Mandara, and another 2 hours back to Marangu Gate. We started at 11.10 am on day 1, which is why day 5 includes more than 3 hours and 34 minutes of time on the mountain, and adds to a total of 38.25 of actual walking time.
What an amazing experience. To reach the highest peak in Africa, to have climbed and worked so etremely hard to get to this point was really an amazing feeling. It literally felt like you were on top top of the world. The only problem was the altitude itself. Because of the altitude, we were feeling pretty unhealthy at this point. The final 285 meters were extremely hard. Your body felt like lead, your head felt like it was going to explode, and just trying to walk uphill was an incredibly difficult task. But, with the sign post in sight and the peak just a few meters ahead, we knew it was worth it and had to be done. And it was (although today, the day after our descent, all my muscles feel stiff and don't really want to work all that much. So we are taking a rest day and Amanda went on a tour for the day instead of sitting around with us).
On the way up and down you have people who carry almost all your stuff for you...except water and a rain jacket which you need in case it rains. It didn't, but apparently the weather can change dramatically. At night it was cold and we slept in our long underwear and socks. Our porters, 9 of them, carried our clothes, sleeping bags, food, and anything else we need, we had a cook, a waiter and 3 guides with us as well.
Anutie Heidi made it all the way to Gilman's Peak, and this is a truly magnificent triumph. Walking from Kibo to Gilman's took about the same time as the previous day, however instead of being almost 12km, it was about 5, so you can imagine how much steeper the hill was up to the top. Each step was difficult, as each meter higher you go, there is less oxygen available and therefore less is getting back to your muscles to help you climb. Needless to say it was difficult for everybody.
On the way, we stayed in huts. Crappy little wooden huts that did nothing to keep the cold out, but they did have solar powered lights and small batteries so we could still see inside when it was dark...for a little while at least. We arrived at Kibo hut, at the base of the final ascent, around 3.30 in the afternoon for a bit of rest before we hiked up. Dinner was at 6.30 and we then had a few hours to sleep and rest. However, this is where I started to really feel the affects of the altitude. Lying in my sleeping bag, I started to feel neasous and have a headache. And I had the same song in my head for all five days and it was driving me crazy since I didn't bring my iPod up with me! Well, group of songs. For two hours I was lying in bed with Joseph and the Amazing Techncolour Dreamcoat running through my mind. I swear. It was rediculous and I was singing it the whole way up! I was lying there singing the song when the 11 brothers are left in Canaan with no food and they say 'It's enough to make anyone weep....we are down to our very last sheep...' And I simply could not fall asleep with my pounding head. Finally, I had to get up and take some Ibuprofin and was able to get two hours of sleep before being woken up at 11 pm.
At 12 we started our ascent, along with all the other groups who were heading up that night. It is busy season, so there were a bunch of groups. We saw many other people, and heard many other stories about people who did not make it to the top, and it is quite common. One British girl got to the top, and had a Pulmonary edima (that is what I was told but after wikipedia-ing it, I doubt that is what it is), and blacked out when she got up. She was carried down by two porters back to Kibo and then helped back to Horombo to see how she was doing. She was alive, so that is good.
And the way down was just as hard as the way up. Just in different spots. The way up hurts your muscles and your head, and the way down hurts your knees and feet. I have blisters and am sore all over. But, obviously, it was entirely worth it! Once! So if you are going, I will tell you all about it, but will not be joining you. I am exceptionally proud and happy to have had the opportunity and ability to get up there this one time. The views, of course, were spectacular. Other than seeing the sun rise from the roof of Africa, there are the glaciers, and the desert crater in the centre of Kili and just the feeling of being up there was incredible. And now I am done that.
Tomorrow, we leave on our safari for another 4 days and 3 nights. I wish I could upload some pictures as I go, but alas can not do that from here. So you will just have to wait until I put them all up on FB.
Thanks again for reading, I hope I didn't forget anything. Will be back in another 5 days!
Sincerely,
Elliot S. Weinstein
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