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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYet again, the lack of Mt Meru T-Shirts surprised me, although one shop did say they had ordered some due to repeated requests. Didn\u2019t help me then, but at least someone was aware of the irony that Mt Meru dominated Arusha\u2019s sky and there was very little Mt Meru merchandise in Arusha. Picked up a couple more Kilimanjaro T-Shirts and some additional souvenirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main attraction of the culture center was a big art gallery. The building was made to look like an African spear and shield. It contained a lot of different artwork styles from all over Africa. Most of it was for sale, but way more expensive than I would ever consider paying for (apparently I do have some control and common sense when it comes to souvenirs and mementos of my trips).<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night, it was time to get a briefing on the Kilimanjaro trek and meet the people I\u2019d be climbing the mountain with. Two of them were the same two guys I climbed Mt Meru with, so there would be no surprises there. A friend of one of those guys joined us for the Kilimanjaro trek. And a young at heart woman joined us, as well. As planned, I had avoided joining a group trek that had a bunch of younger people on it. Not that I don\u2019t like young people, but the last thing I needed was to try to deal with young (guys in particular) people who thought they were immortal and would try to race up the mountain or do something stupid that would derail the trek for the entire group. The group were almost all in our fifties, with one just a couple years older than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the rain on Mt Meru caused some of my upper layers to get wet, I decided to rent a more robust rain jacket for the Kilimanjaro trek (plus the weather report for the following week was looking a bit iffy, rain-wise, so better safe than sorry). Based on how few of my snacks that I ended up eating on Mt Meru, I also reduced the planned amount of snacks that I would take with me for this trek. Although, I still would take enough Gatorade mix to keep my endless bottle of Gatorade filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guide went over my gear and was mostly okay with what I had, but insisted I didn\u2019t need my air mattress since they provided 6 inch mattresses for all the hikers. After checking the weight of everything that I was going to take and seeing that it would fit under the 15 kilogram weight limit for my porter pack, I decided to take it anyway. Being a side sleeper, having a lot of extra support when sleeping on the trail has always been a key to my actually sleeping on the trail. I\u2019d need all the help I could get for this trek. It was the longest trek (time and distance) I\u2019d ever attempted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With my backpacking experience guiding my packing decisions I might have brought a few things I didn\u2019t need (first aid items, some repair items that really didn\u2019t apply to a guided trek, some spare clothing, and similar items I\u2019m used to carrying on my solo backpacking trips). But as long as I was under the 15kg limit, it was all good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1<\/span> We reached the registration gate and had lunch and registered to begin our trek. Again, we started from the Lemosho Gate (7,838ft) later than I imagined. This time they actually kind of let the hikers go at their own pace for a bit, before we wore ourselves out and slowed down to a more manageable crawl. I think they wanted to teach us a lesson about not getting too eager and hiking at too fast of a pace. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n As they say: Pole pole. Which means \u2019slowly slowly\u2019. It\u2019s a reminder that the mountain isn\u2019t going anywhere, so take your time and you\u2019ll be more likely to reach the summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But since the first day\u2019s hike was through a forest, was a short 3 miles long, and only about 1,300 feet to climb it was a very short hike and we reached the Big Trees Camp at Mti Mkubwa (9,137ft) with plenty of the afternoon left. The overcast skies and forest meant there wasn\u2019t too too much to see around the camp anyway, but it was nice to have a simple day to start the trek with. That night, I was glad I brought my air mattress. The 6\u201d mattresses ended up being more like 4\u201d and adding my air mattress on top of that ended up being very useful for me to get a good nights sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 2<\/span> \u2028We reached Shira 1 Camp, which had a beautiful 360 degree view of the Shira plateau with the west side of Kilimanjaro peaking through the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night I was gifted with some spectacular views of the stars over Kilimanjaro. Thankfully, my camera\u2019s 30 second shutter was able to capture a bit of the beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 3<\/span> I think the blocked beam of light in the photo below is from Mawenzi, the second volcanic peak of Kilimanjaro. Although you couldn’t see it from the Shira 1 Camp, it would have stuck up over the horizon on the other side of Kilimanjaro and blocked the rising sun to produce the break in the light seen below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then it was time to climb another 2,200 feet up to Moir Huts Camp (13,632ft). The 6 mile hike was the longest of this trek up Kilimanjaro so far, but without a full 50 pound pack on my back it was a manageable climb. Moir Huts was a nice area surrounded by jagged rock cliffs, remnants of the volcanic activity that built Kilimanjaro. Supposedly, Kilimanjaro itself was there, but I didn\u2019t see it that afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally, there was planned acclimatization climb to the 14,000 foot ridge line planned for the afternoon, but with rain filling the sky no one in our group had any desire to leave the dryness of our tents. Besides, it was the same ridge line we\u2019d be climbing in the morning, so didn\u2019t provide any particular incentive for us to get wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 4<\/span> This day would prove to be a long one. It started with a steep climb to a pair of 14,000 foot ridges overlooking Moir Huts. Being familiar with 14,000 foot mountains from my time climbing 14ers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Colorado, this wasn\u2019t too difficult of a climb for me. It was exhausting and gave me the first serious knee pain of the trip (more than just the mild aches and pains on Meru and the previous day on Kilimanjaro). Fortunately based on prior experience, I had anticipated this climb causing my knees some discomfort and that morning I had wrapped some sports tape around them to help stabilize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After admiring the view from atop the ridges, it was time to descend towards our camp for the night. As one of the rules of high altitude hiking and climbing states: Climb high, sleep low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there was a very strong and cold wind blowing across the area, so we had to bundle up and do our best to keep walking forward into the strong wind. Quite a challenging day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where we got our first good view of Kenya through breaks in the sea of clouds that had been covering the eastern slope of Kilimanjaro. In addition, the view of Kilimanjaro from this side was an interesting change from the other sides of Kilimanjaro. There weren\u2019t many of the glaciers visible from this side, so it was more rock than ice. Still gorgeous, but a different face of Kilimanjaro than I\u2019d seen up until then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We reached the Second Pofu Camp in early afternoon. This should have been our stopping point for the day, but on the second day of our trek, the group had gotten together and discussed combining days 4 and 5 of the original itinerary. This would skip Pofu Camp and end the fourth day at Third Cave Camp instead. It was almost 5 more miles to hike on day 4, but it was mostly level hiking terrain (on paper, during the hike my legs disagreed with the idea that that part of the trail was \u2018level\u2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary reason to make this change was that it would allow us to start our climb from School Hut to Uhuru Peak (Kilimanjaro\u2019s main summit) later in the morning. Instead of 1am, we may be able to depart as late as 4am. It would mean less time climbing in the dark and it not being as cold. It would also prevent a real long descent from the summit down through Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp on the same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It did add another night sleeping at 15,476 feet, which could be a concern. One less day on the trail for acclimatization could also play a factor in our success in reaching Uhuru Peak. Despite some reluctance to make the change, the group had made the decision to combine days 4 and 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then once we reached Pofu Camp, there was some discussion about stopping at Pofu Camp after all. Mostly caused by being tired from the morning\u2019s long hike up and then down from Moir Huts. But after lunch, we decided to continue on to Third Cave Camp (12,913ft) after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way, we got a peek at Mawenzi, the second volcanic cone of Kilimanjaro. Closed to climbing, but it\u2019s a technical climb and outside my skills to even think about climbing it anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were welcomed to camp by a rainbow over the eastern slope leading to Kenya. Very beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where there\u2019s rainbows, there is usually rain in the skies for the light to reflect off of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yup, not for the first time during this trip, I was treated to a rain shower within minutes of reaching the camp. Thankfully, the tents were already setup and we could seek shelter from the rain. The porters were almost always faster than us and had most of the camp setup before we arrived at the camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 5<\/span> On paper, this should have been a hard day. A little over 3 miles to go from Third Cave Campsite at 12,913 feet ft to School Hut 15,476ft, which would be our base camp for our attempt to reach the summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It should have been hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this day was a pretty straightforward climb up an easy trail. No surprises, no rain (a bit overcast and gray), and no switchbacks that I remember. Maybe it was the previous 4 days of hiking that allowed this day to go so smoothly for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We did pass a mummified remains of a cape buffalo that had died many years, if not decades earlier. The dry conditions and salt in the soil had preserved it fairly well. It\u2019s a shame that some morons thought that it was a good place for graffiti. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Climbing over 15,000 feet put me over Mt Meru\u2019s elevation and made this the second highest point on Earth that I\u2019d reached up until then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once at camp, we rested briefly, then climbed up a bit more (about 400 feet) for an acclimatization hike, although we were starting to believe that these \u2018acclimatization\u2019 hikes were more so the guide could get a cell signal and upload the day\u2019s photos to Facebook. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back at camp, it was time to prepare our summit gear and get an early dinner so we could get to sleep as early as possible. Even if we were going to get a 4am start instead of 1am, we still needed to get to bed earlier than we had been up until that point. For my summit gear, I had brought an ultra-lightweight backpack that I\u2019ve used for summit attempts in the past. It held my Camelbak reservoir, a few snacks, extra camera batteries, a battery for my iPhone, and some sports wrap. This would be lighter than the day pack I had been using up until then. To help lessen our loads further, the guides also carried our spare water bottles (Gatorade in my case), and some of the spare items we might need (clothing, warm knit hat, additional gloves, etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For what I would be wearing: Layers, layers, and more layers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bottom: Long underwear, fleece pants, lightweight sweatpants, rain pants, leg gaiters, and my hiking boots with a waterproof sock liner, heavy hiking socks, and liner socks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Top: Lightweight short sleeved T-Shirt, mid-weight long sleeved shirt, heavy-weight long sleeved shirt, down jacket with hood, and rain jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thick winter gloves and a balaclava ski mask fished the \u2018mummy\u2019 that would be attempting to reach Uhuru Peak, the main summit of Kibo and Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we were starting later, it \u2018probably\u2019 wouldn\u2019t be that cold. Probably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 6<\/span> The other four of us started towards the summit, along with our 3 guides and a porter to assist us if needed. The clouds obscured the summit and just a bit of the light from the full moon shown through, so our headlamps were all we had to find our way with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first part of the hike was pretty straight forward and the only tricky part was that we were in darkness. It was slow going, but we seemed to be making good progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time we reached Hans Meyer Cave (17,254 feet) there was enough light to do without our headlamps for the rest of the climb. I was too tired and focused on keeping my feet moving to be aware that I had blown past my previous 16,300 foot high point. After a rest, we continued towards Gillman\u2019s Point which waited for us on the crater rim. Unfortunately, this part was much steeper and consisted of endless switchbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On paper, I thought this part would be similar to the 99 switchbacks leading up to Trail Crest on the way to Mt Whitney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite not having that many switchbacks, it was much harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where the desire to keep going started getting overcome with exhaustion and creaky body parts. Thankfully, I had taped both of my knees in anticipation of them being the first part of my body to really feel the stress of the slow climb towards the summit. They still hurt, but not to the point of stopping me from continuing. The light layer of snow on the ground only added to our dismay, even if it didn\u2019t really physically impede us at all. Any problem with the snow was all in our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were still climbing through a thick cloud, so could not see much above us and had no idea how close or far Gillman\u2019s Point was. I didn\u2019t even have the strength to look at my GPS app to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadly, this is where another of our group had to stop and turn around. He had been having problems sleeping during the trip and hadn\u2019t gotten any sleep the night before. Despite the help from the guides and his already climbing well over Mt Meru\u2019s altitude, we were told to continue ahead of him. While he tried to continue for a while after we left him and his guide, he eventually surrendered to the mountain and returned to School Hut Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope that the decision to combine days 4 and 5 wasn\u2019t the reason the two guys couldn\u2019t reach the summit. But whatever the reason, I feel bad for both of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some time later\u2014I\u2019m not sure how long it was\u2014the three of us dragged ourselves up to Gillman\u2019s Point (18,763 feet). Like Mt Meru, we saw the faint outline of the sign only when we were almost on top of it. Amazed at reaching this major milestone of the climb we celebrated, took pictures in front to the sign, and had some Red Bull to get a jolt of energy to continue. Sadly, there wasn\u2019t a view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of the guidebooks insist that you\u2019ll feel like giving up at this point, but somehow the elation of reaching the crater rim vanquished all thoughts of turning around for me. Maybe I didn\u2019t feel any hesitation and ignored my pain and exhaustion because I memorized the description of this final part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 578 feet to climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One and a half miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No switchbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just a moderate slope to hike up, with occasional loose scree to deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could also have been the lack of oxygen making me too stupid to know how painful the hike up until then was and how tired I really was. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n On paper, it was similar to Mt Whitney\u2019s final approach to the summit. That was a very long and hard slog, so I expected this to be as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One part of the trail ran along a steep, scree covered slope. While it didn\u2019t look that steep or dangerous, they had built a metal fence along the slope. The only reason I could think of for that fence being there was that they had a lot of accidents along that section of trail. Nothing scary about that thought, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking required oxygen, so we continued forward anyway. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some time later, we reached Stella Point (18,885 feet). We didn\u2019t even really pause for pictures or a rest at Stella Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no need. We knew where we had to go. No need to wait. The summit awaited us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cloud cover still masked any kind of view, so like on Mt Meru the summit was hidden from view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There it is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oops\u2026 Nope. False summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repeat the last two paragraphs a dozen times and you\u2019ll get the idea how maddening it felt as we kept seeing false summit after false summit. I really don\u2019t know how many it was, but it felt like dozens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then we started to hallucinate when we saw some people riding bikes down Kilimanjaro. They may have been real\u2026 but couldn\u2019t be real. Right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaking off the hallucination, we trudged forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then\u2026 deja vu!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of the thick cloud cover, a sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was that really the summit sign?<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, couldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\u2026 yes\u2026 it might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nope, it\u2019s my brain shutting down due to the lack of oxygen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sign that I\u2019d seen pictures of a thousand times as I planned this trek over almost 2 years was in front of me. Even if it was covered in snow and ice, I didn\u2019t need to actually read it know what it said and what it meant to be in front of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMount Kilimanjaro\u201d I had arrived at my ultimate goal for this trip. Two years of planning and training had led me to this point. And it was also the culmination of 10 years of hiking more and more, higher and higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I doubt I could ever really explain how I felt at that moment or what it meant to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thick cloud that was sticking tight to the summit was a disappointment, but I made the most of my time at the summit. A full series of photos, photos of my feet on the summit (one of the things I\u2019ve always done after reaching summits), leaving a rock that I had carried up from Moir Huts (I forgot to grab one at the trailhead like I usually try to do), leaving a handprint in the dirt, and taking some panoramic pictures (even with the cloud cover, I still wanted as much photographic proof that I was there as I could get).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, trips over. Nothing more to see or do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, we did have to get down off the mountain. Down is the easy direction, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sort of\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guides did have to be somewhat assertive to get us to start down. My experience with 14,000 foot summits usually allowed me to stay hours if I wanted to at the top to enjoy the views, take thousands of pictures, and savor my accomplishment. Heck, I spent the night at the top of Mt Whitney once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19,341 feet is a lot higher and has a lot less oxygen available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it was the lack of a view that helped me start down without too much reluctance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we started to get near Stella Point again, the clouds started to lift and show us the crater and glaciers all around us that had been hidden from view on the way up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My first thought was that we had to turn around and go back to the summit to enjoy the view without the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did I mention the lack of oxygen may make us stupid and prone to making bad decisions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n To further reinforce our (really bad) thought to go back to the summit, we could now see the sign at the summit clearly at the end of the long ridge that we had climbed up to reach the summit the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would have helped motivate us a lot and avoid us getting pissed off at all the false summits if we had been able to see that on the way up. Nature\u2019s a bitch sometimes. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n We did see the route down to Barafu Camp we would have had to take had we stuck to the original schedule. From above and in our exhausted state, it looked pretty daunting. Somewhat relived, we continued back towards Gillman\u2019s Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time we reached Gillman\u2019s Point the clouds had moved back in. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it was the weather getting to me, the altitude, the lack of oxygen, exhaustion, or just that the adrenalin rush that had kept me climbing up to the summit had run out once the main goal was reached\u2026 or ALL OF THAT\u2026 but I started to get dizzy and started to stumble with each step I took towards Gillman\u2019s Point. Only my trekking poles helped me from toppling over several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the steep section of switchbacks stretching down below me, I wasn\u2019t sure I could make it safely down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe I could have inched my way down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or crawled down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or rested for a while and made my way slowly down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But at that altitude, I didn\u2019t want to wait and I SHOULDN\u2019T wait to descend. While I don\u2019t recall having a headache on the way up, but along with the dizziness I think I recall having a mild buzzing in my head at that point. Once you start to have any symptoms that could be signs of altitude sickness you do not wait to descend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where having the guides with us saved my butt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I accepted the help of one of our guides and started down the steepest part of the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, since this part of the mountain as made up mostly of pebbles and fine volcanic materials, I could descend through the middle of the switchbacks. Since I know it erodes the trails, as a general rule I don\u2019t cut switchbacks unless it\u2019s an emergency. But in this case, they allowed people to descend down the middle. The make up of the soil was somewhat similar to the fine volcanic sand on the Osunabashiri area on Mt Fuji. You can literally RUN down that area on Mt Fuji since the sand is so fine it cushions each step you take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sand in this area on Kimanjaro wasn\u2019t as fine as that and had some large rocks scattered around, so running wasn\u2019t possible (or at least was a very BAD idea). But it did allow me to take some very large steps down through the middle of the field of sand and descend much faster than I would have been able to otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also had the hand of the guide to help steady me and make sure I didn\u2019t fall head first down the mountainside. Thank you, Victor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I reached the bottom of the switchbacks, I seemed to be feeling better and was able to make it down to Hans Meyer Cave safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, the other two hikers and guides were waiting along with our cook with lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, I wasn\u2019t able to keep the little lunch that I had felt like eating down for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dizziness and refunding of my meal seemed to be similar to what I experienced climbing over the 16,300 foot \u0016Incachiriaska Pass in Peru. Although that dizziness and vomiting episode happened a day and half later. I image the higher altitude and overall fatigue of the longer trek caused these symptoms to appear quicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was slow going, but I made it back to School Hut Camp and had a very much needed rest. I even managed to get some food down at dinner, but I was very careful to stick to simple, bland food to avoid a repeat of lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elated at successfully reaching the summit and exhausted at the same time, I went to bed and got some sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 7<\/span> It\u2019s all downhill from this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the change in our itinerary, we headed down past the Kibo Huts and over the saddle that connected Kibo to Mawenzi. We managed to get some nice views through the low clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hike down the saddle was pretty easy and eventually the clouds parted and gave us some beautiful views of Mawenzi, the saddle, and Kibo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also got a good view of Barafu Camp as we neared Millennium\/High Camp. It looked as crowded as it seemed during planning and we also thought the long steep route that we would have had to take on summit day if we didn\u2019t change the itinerary looked very exhausting. But we were exhausted anyway, so who knows how things would have turned out if we had stuck to the original schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there was a very small part of me that thought it would be easy to just turn up towards Barafu Camp at that point and climb to the summit again, that itty bitty mole on the back my arm was vetoed by the rest of my aching and tired body. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n At High Camp, I was tempted to ask to spend the night there. While I wasn\u2019t that tired from the day\u2019s hike, the camp did have a great view of Kilimanjaro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But adding 2 miles to the last day\u2019s hike from Mweka Camp to the exit gate would be asking a lot for our tired, exhausted, and battered bodies. With bad weather also moving in, it was better to just continue the day\u2019s hike as planned and celebrate the last night at Mweka Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 8<\/span> And after 8 long days of hiking up the mountain and down the mountain, we reached the ultimate goal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A ice cold Coca-Cola and a flush toilet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, mostly it was just a great feeling to reach the Mweka Gate and celebrate a successful trek! But I really looked much dirtier, very tired, and a lot older than I did in the pictures of me at the Lemosho Gate. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 57 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 13,000 feet of elevation climbed and then descended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weather could have been better, but I made it up to Mt Kilimanjaro\u2019s summit!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kibo\u2019s Uhuru Peak!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19,341 feet!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was hard\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was exhausting\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It pushed my body to it\u2019s limits\u2026 and beyond\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n On October 13th, 2019 at 11:15am I reached the highest point in Africa and the highest point on this planet that I\u2019ve ever reached with my own two feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n GOAL!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1 – Lemosho Gate (7,838 feet). 3 miles to Mti Mkubwa (9,137 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 2 – Mti Mkubwa (9,137 feet). 5 miles to Shira 1 Campsite (11,496 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 3 – Shira 1 Campsite (11,496 feet). 2 1\/3 miles to Simba Cave Campsite (11,942 feet) and then 4 1\/4 miles to Moir Huts (13,632 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 4 – Moir Huts (13,632 feet). 2 miles to 14,442 foot ridge and another 1\/3 mile to the 14,441 foot ridge. Decend 3 1\/4 mile to 2nd Pofu Campsite (13,232 foot). Day 5 – Third Cave Campsite (12,913 feet). 3 1\/4 miles to School Hut (15,476 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 6 (SUMMIT DAY!) – School Hut (15,476 feet). 1 1\/4 mile to Kibo Huts junction (16,975 feet) & Hans Meyer Cave (17,254 feet). 1 very long mile to Gillman\u2019s Point (18,763 feet). 1 1\/2 miles to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n !!!UHURU PEAK!!! 19,341 feet!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Return to School Hut (15,476 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 7 – School Hut (15,476 feet). 9 1\/2 miles down to Mweka Camp (10,190 feet) along Saddle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 8 – Mweka Camp (10,190 feet). 5 3\/4 miles Down to Mweka Gate (5,358 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n _____________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n A collection of all of my Tanzania 2019 Photos and Movies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/wanderingjim\/collections\/72157711519926736\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1 Highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/INNXINE.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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Like Meru, the first day began with a pickup at our hotel, a stop for gear and the porters, and some nice views of Kilimanjaro along the drive to the trailhead. Due to the extra people in the group, the longer trip (distance and time-wise), and extra gear (tents, mattresses, and portable toilets) this time we had three guides, a cook, and an amazing 21 porters (some of which had additional duties around camp). Quite the entourage for someone who is used to trekking solo most of the time, but I knew I needed to focus on the hiking and not deal with carrying all my gear in order to be successful in this demanding trek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00055.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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The second day started simply and without too much fanfare we started towards Shira 1 Camp after breakfast. While only 5 miles, the 2,300 feet we had to climb over varied terrain would be a bigger challenge than the prior day. After we left the forest, we got some nice views of the Shira plateau before the rain started. It wasn\u2019t a heavy rain, but a little annoying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00071.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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And then the sun outdid the stars as it rose behind Kilimanjaro and lit up the whole plateau with a light show that soothed my tired body with its beauty. Not for the first time in my hiking career, I knew this is the kind of thing that keeps me coming back to the mountains over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00071-1.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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But the night and morning brought a repeat of the previous spectacle that thrilled me at Shira 1 Camp: Gorgeous views of Kilimanjaro under the stars and a glorious light show as the sun rose behind Kilimanjaro and some clouds. While the sun was hidden by clouds longer than the previous morning, the added clouds just added more color to the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00021.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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We got some color at sunrise, but clouds obscured a lot of the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00003.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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Unfortunately, the day started with one of the 5 hikers not being able to even start the summit attempt. He had been feeling sick for most of the trek up to that point and I guess it just wasn\u2019t going to happen for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00044.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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\n\u201cCongratulations You are Now at\u201d
\n\u201cUhuru Peak Tanzania 5895M\/19341 feet\u201d
\n\u201cAfrica\u2019s Highest Point\u201d
\n\u201cWorlds Highest Free Standing Mountain\u201d
\n\u201cOne of World\u2019s Largest Volcanos\u201d
\n\u201cWorld Heritage and Wonder of Africa\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00213.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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Feeling much better in the morning, it started with some nice light from the moon and then the sun splashing light across Kibo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00005.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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Mweka Camp was in the forest so there wasn\u2019t much to see during the sunrise. After a nice celebration song and dance performed by our porters, we made our way down to Mweka Gate. We did get some last glimpses of the mountain around us and Kibo behind us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/wandering.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSC00009.jpg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1\")
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With the change of plans, continue 4 1\/2 miles to Third Cave Campsite (12,913 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>