Kilimanjaro re-post: Day 1 on the Mountain

Day 1 on the Mountain- September 2, 2010

Last night we met out Guide- Sifuel- a small wiry man with a big smile. He speaks English pretty well. He says he's been to the top over 100 times and has guided thousands up the mountain. We got up this morning at 5:00 AM and I was a mess of emotion- nervous, exited, hungry... 

I took one last shower and got dressed then we went down to meet our team, including our other guide Frank. We also met General (he introduced himself as a stomach-engineer, which is a fancy way of saying he'd be helping to cook our food properly) and also Nixon, Thomas, Eludi, Good News (Gordie) and a few others that would be helping us get to the top. We crammed into this hilarious 70's style bus and started driving to the Machame gate. 

The drive to Machame gate on the first day of the hike.

 Looking out the window was incredible. I was captivated by what I saw- little boys on bicycles pulling heavy loads behind them or sometimes a huge hand cart loaded up with bananas, women with impossibly large bundles of sticks or buckets of water balanced perfectly on their heads dressed in the beautiful and traditional African wear, children playing with rocks, babies strapped to their mothers' backs as they work, shacks and shanties made of aluminum or crumbling mortar, some houses of sticks, bright colors painted on cement buildings- teals, bright yellows, oranges, reds, etc. with the green lush jungle in the background and coconut, banana and avocado trees everywhere you look. We listened to Sean Kingston and Rihanna as we drove. 

Drive to Machame

 Then was saw her- Kilimanjaro in all her glory. I couldn't quite see the top due to cloud cover but the sight was still impressive (and intimidating) enough. Truly a huge free-standing mountain that looks as if it popped out of nowhere. There isn't any mountain nearby- Kili stands on her own in the middle of the moorland. Absolutely majestic.

First view of the mountain.

We stopped for some supplies and then made our way through the foothills and the mountain city of Moshi, which lies is Kili's shadow. Many of our team are from this rustic town. We left the jungle and began our ride through the African rain forest, which is unlike anything I have ever seen. Incredibly green and thick with wide wild vines falling this way and that and crazy sounds emitting from the trees. Finally we pulled through Machame gate and got out to register and obtain permits. I studied the signs with numerous warnings and kept thinking to myself "what the heck have I gotten myself into?!"

Warnings.

 We waited for everything to get organized and I felt a little nauseous because we were actually attempting a climb up Kilimanjaro. It all seemed to foolish all of a sudden. We decided to climb the mountain on a whim back in February. I was upset about a recent break-up and my Dad wanted to think of something I could work for and look forward to... and somehow Kilimanjaro was thrown on the table. But standing at the gate and looking at the trail, it suddenly seemed like the stupidest idea in the world. I was nervous and apprehensive, but there was no turning back. No giving up. We'd come all this way and I was going to get up that mountain, no matter what.

Nervous to start.

Dad stands out a little as we're prepping for the climb.

Realizing that turning around and quitting simply wasn't an option, I took a deep breath and started up the mountain.

African rain forest

Bottom of the Mountain

Frank was our guide today and I have to say I LOVED the hike. It was gorgeous! Through lush beautiful rain forest and up lovely mountain trails- steep at times but still gorgeous. The views were INCREDIBLE. The trail led pretty much straight up the mountain so often there were these huge drop-offs that overlooked dense rain forest and beautiful wildflowers. 

Amazing leaves on trees

The path was well kept and muddy. We went for about 7 hours today but I could've gone longer. I felt great. Maybe it was because we were at such a low altitude. It was cool and overcast- not hot at all. the air seemed drenched with oxygen and the humidity felt great because it wasn't coupled with stifling heat. I took  deep breaths as we went and enjoyed the African rain forest. Frank pointed out beautiful flowers and bird calls.

Beautiful flowers

I really like Frank, he is very good-natured and funny. We discovered that he used to lead hunting expeditions but left that work because it was far too dangerous. He likes being a guide and has been to the top over 50 times. He's in his late thirties and has a deep kind voice. Something happened to his right eye because his pupil is damaged and clouded over. He taught me Swahili as we walked. Frank is married to Beatrice and they have a 10-month named Faith. His face brightens when he speaks of them. Faith has malaria right now and I get the impression that it isn't very uncommon here. He said she's doing okay now though and isn't worried. 

Hiking with Frank. He's actually taller and bigger than me, I don't know why I look like a giant in this picture. 

We got to camp tonight around 5:00 and had hot chocolate and dinner. I'm surprised how cold it is when you stop moving. The nights are very chilly and the fact that we're climbing higher and higher means that they'll just get colder. I'm so cold that I'm going to bed early. We need to be up and ready tomorrow at 6 so the earlier the better. Frank keeps encouraging us to drink as much as well can to stay hydrated but I must admit that the idea of getting out of the tent to take care of business doesn't seem like a very attractive prospect when it's so cold. And if its this cold right now, I don't want to even think of summit day. Tomorrow we will be getting in to the African moorland, which is full of heather plants. Sifuel says tomorrow will be pretty hard and very very steep.