Climb For A Cause

Summit day! (Vamshi)

As far as the toughness of each day goes - the Summit day (night actually) is equal to all the rest of the days put together.

We reached our 4th & final camp at 15,700 ft on the 31st by noon. We tried to have lunch and rest up before the push to the summit. The summit attempt usually starts in the night as the weather is usually calmer during the day and it also allows time to climb down to a lower altitude after summitting. There is another advantage of starting in the night - you can't see how far you have to go which reduces anticipation and prevents demoralization.

We had 3,700 feet to climb. We tried to get some rest before the hike. Dinner was at 5pm and we tried to sleep a bit though I don't think any of us succeeded. We got up around 11pm for some tea and snacks. There was loud banging and drums from all the porters to signal the new year in and we started off on the hike! It was a clear night and the half moon threw up enough light so most of us didn't use our head lamps.

"Pole pole" (slowly, slowly) is the mantra here. We all started off in a line and very soon James wanted to race up the mountain. Being 18 does that to you. We had 4 guides with us just in case we split up on the mountain. Quickly enough Pernille also decided to step up her pace. We were now 5 of us with 2 guides. I was sticking to the back of the pack as I wanted to summit with my sister and Anoo. It dawned on me earlier that the experience of climbing with them was more important than summitting. That immediately changed my focus and I think it made the climb much much easier for me.

And I was amply rewarded with an experience that I will remember for a lifetime.

Anoo puked at around 18,700 ft. And was still determined to go on. I took her pack and got her to start breathing a little better. My sister (Shalu) was taking baby steps. We reached Gillman point (about 18,950 feet) and were overjoyed. Gillman Pt. is on the eastside of the crater and Uhuru peak (the summit) is on the west side. We had trekked for 6hrs. We reached it exactly at sunrise. We took some pictures and rested a bit - if there is such a thing at that altitude.

I immediately noticed that Uhuru peak was a good couple of hours walk around the rim of the crater. It was only 1 mile to Uhuru but at 19,000 ft everything seems to go in slow motion. I wasnt entirely sure if Anoo and Shalu realized how far they were. That is probably what worked best for them eventually.

As we headed towards the peak, we could see Mawenzi peak (15800 ft) on the left and to the right lay the famous walls of the Kilimanjaro glaciers. I started off being the guide for Shalu and Anoo. My fear was that if we stopped for rest we would turn back. However, they couldnt take more than a few steps without stopping for a minute or two. After about 1/2 an hour of this, we seemed to reach a high point. However, we were nowhere close to the peak. Anoo puked again and Shalu stopped for a long enough time that I decided that she should not carry her pack. At this point I was using false promises and just walking between the two of them; egging them on. I didnt know when they would just collapse and I would have to carry them back down. I was amazed at every step they took. They were teetering and didnt look like they could stand on their feet.

Two hours and 20 minutes later, we walked over the edge of what did indeed look like the final 50 steps to the summit. 8:20 am on January 1, 2005 the 3 of us made it to the 19,340 foot tall peak. Tears, hugs and pictures ensued.

I am amazed at the determination of these two women.

Yes, all 7 of us made it to the top!

posted by Climb For A Cause @ 7:39 AM