What’s it like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
When the committee organising the centenary celebration of the first ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro tried to track down relatives of the men who first stood on the peak of Africa’s tallest mountain they received a pleasant surprise.
Not only did they get in contact with relatives, they also managed to track down a man whose personal testimony suggests that he was one of the first men to scale the 5,895 metre mountain.
The man in question, Yohani Kinyali Lauwo, was also matched to photographs of the first expedition; one which was led by German geology professor Hans Meyer. Incredibly, Lauwo was thought to be 118 when the 100th year anniversary of the epic first climb was marked.
The Tanzanian recalled climbing the mountain barefoot – a memory which suggests that climbing Kilimanjaro is easy. In fact, the feat of reaching the peak is not as straightforward as Lauwo makes it sound as I discovered when I talked to two Britons who attempted an ascent which proves too much for the lungs of many climbers.
If you want to follow in the footsteps of other Kilimanjaro climbers then do bear in mind that tailor-made safari specialist Safari Consultants offers Tanzania expeditions to locations such as Kilimanjaro National Park.
Question: When and why did you attempt to climb Kilimanjaro?
Tim Aldiss: I attempted the climb in the summer of 2004. There were seven of us on the expedition; all of whom were work colleagues. We were raising money for a children’s home in Moshi, a town situated on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro.
Jon Garside (training officer of the British Mountaineering Council): I was in charge of a party of teenagers who were attempting to walk up the mountain in 2002. There was one other adult accompanying me and we were looking after a group of nine teenagers.
Question: What preparation did you do prior to the climb?
Jon: I’d had experience of mountaineering and climbing at a higher altitude before which proved really useful; I knew what to expect. The teenagers in the group had had no experience of climbing at altitude – it must have been quite a challenge for kids used to walking around on flat streets in Dorset to suddenly find themselves at a height of 5,000 metres above sea level.
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Tim: I had three months of training prior to arriving at Kilimanjaro. A personal fitness instructor tailored a programme to prepare me for the lack of oxygen I would encounter. I spent quite a long time walking on a raised treadmill to prepare for some steep gradients. However, not everyone on my expedition had time to prepare like this.
Q: Do you think it’s true that the fitter you are the easier the climb should be?
Tim: Altitude sickness seems to be strike quite randomly. Ray was one of the fitter people in our group but did suffer from crushing headaches. One of the girls in the group freely admitted that she never did any exercise and she was fine. She even had a few cigarettes during the ascent! I was okay, though it got harder and harder. When we got to the rim of the crater near the summit, it was really hard!
Jon: Being at altitude puts your body under stress so working on your fitness before you start the climb should definitely help you.
Q: With celebrity climbers such as Chris Moyles and Gary Barlow reaching the peak, the routes to the top must be quite busy with people trying to emulate these famous charitable feats?
Tim: It can be really busy up there. You can actually get stuck in a human traffic jam on some of the paths. As you have to move so slowly it’s quite easy for gridlocks to last a long time! But you would sometimes see local porter-guides running past in order to set up camp for the expedition groups they were working for – running was not advisable for the rest of us!
Jon: We took the classic route – the Marungu. This is referred to as the ‘Coca Cola’ route; a reference to the fact that it is the most-populated route and supposedly the most littered way to the summit. Actually I think it’s quite an unfairly derogatory term as we didn’t seem much litter on the way up there! The route was ideal for our needs as we got to spend each night in a hut on the way up.
Q: The route normally takes five or six days. It’s a long time…
Tim: Yes, but the scenery is beautiful and so varied. You pass through lots of different types of tundra – cacti and fairly dense jungle included. I vividly remember one night looking down and seeing the lights of the village of Moshi far below us. Then a shooting star streaked past!
Jon: It’s so important to take things slowly. Our party spent an extra day acclimatising on the way up. This meant there was no rush; something which made a big difference to our health and sense of enjoyment.
Q: The big question: did you summit?
Tim: Well, things were looking a bit bleak when our boss turned back before reaching the peak. He suffered from asthma so decided not to risk his health. Another person was reduced to just eating nuts as their digestive system was badly affected by the climb. We had to use poles as we neared the summit as the gradient was so steep. But we did it. The peak is very glacial, very bright and very exposed – there’s nothing above it to give it shelter or shade. I remember playing hacky-sack up there but the air is very thin so you can’t stay for long.
Jon: Yes, I reached the top and it was a great feeling that everyone in the party summited. There was bright sunshine on the morning that we set off for the peak and it was so nice to feel the sun on our backs as we summited.
Q: What advice would you give to someone attempting to climb Kilimanjaro for the first time?
Jon: I’ve said it before but imagine an 80-year-old arthritic person walking backwards – that’s probably a pace which is a little too fast to protect your health on Kilimanjaro. It is also essential to drink lots of water and to carry the bare minimum. I was group leader and yet I only carried water, some food, a camera and a first aid kit. All groups employ porters to carry other kit. Finally, and this might seem strange advice, do make sure you enjoy the trip. If you convince yourself that the expedition is going to be a gruelling challenge then it will be. If you think it will be enjoyable, then it should be!
Tim: Wear plenty of layers as any place where you awake to find ice inside your tent is obviously cold. Also, take plenty of Kendal Mint Cake – I wish I’d taken more. And don’t forget that the descent is tougher than the ascent. But the best advice I can give about climbing Kilimanjaro? Just do it!
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