Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Day 6- Tuesday 11th August 2015, 3980m, Karanga Camp

Karanga Camp, 3980 meters above sea level.

Today was a lot better that I had expected. Same routine as every other morning. I felt quite sick this morning as I didn't sleep too well. I did manage to eat half a bowl of porridge and a drink of barocca, which was horrible.

The first part of the day was the Barranco Wall. From camp this looked terrifying. Once we had begun it was tricky but manageable. There was one bit in particular that I really did not like. I had to put my foot across to a higher rock and rely on one of the guides to pull me up as there was no where for me to hold onto. Good job the guides that take you up this mountain are so amazing! The rest of the wall, including kissing rock (which you have to hug to get around, so you don't fall off) was tough but enjoyable once you had reached the top.

After the wall there was lots of walking up and down hill. The biggest of these hills was right near camp.

We arrived at camp at 1:15 pm had lunch and a rest. At 4pm we went on an acclimatisation trek from camp up 240 meters. The view from there was wonderful you could see Mount Meru.

The trek up took 1 hour and the trek down took 30 minutes. We then had a wash (I checked the blisters on my heels and they have not got any worse) and then had dinner.

Today my porter had set up my roll matt which was wonderful. The small things really do make a difference and it was so kind of him to do so.

Tomorrow things are supposed to become tougher as we walk to the next camp. The walk there will only take about 3 hours 30 minutes but we will be going up to 4600m. We will have dinner and rest until 11pm when we will get up and trek to the summit (leaving camp at 12am) I am nervous and excited all at the same time.

The view from this camp and the sunset are out of this world, pretty sure the camera won't do it justice.

Right I am off to bed now because it is freezing!

Night x

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Day 3- Saturday 8th August 2015, 3500m, Shira 1 Camp

3500m above sea level, Shira 1 Camp.

Today began at 6 am with a cup of tea, we packed our bags before getting a wash bowl at 6:30 am, before eating breakfast at 7. We finally set of for the days trek at 8 am.

I slept quite well getting around 6 hours sleep in total which more than the majority of the people in the group. The monkeys were in the trees howling at each other throughout the night and I think this kept a lot of people awake.

During the trek myself and the Doctor needed the toilet because of all the water you had to drink to help with the altitude. It was quite undignified, we had to find a large tree to hide behind to avoid the trail of porters and other hikers using the path. We felt much better after and were able to walk quickly to catch up with the rest of the group. As a group we stop every hour for 10 minutes for a toilet break and drink.

For the first part of the trek we walked through the rain forest which was beautiful. I saw a bird that was all black but when it flew past us the underside of its wings were bright red (Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of this because it flew away before I could get my camera out.)

After about 2 hours of walking we began to head out of the rainforest and into heath moorland. There were some stunning views of the valleys and we were able to see how far we had come which was nice, you could also see the porters ahead on the trail so we were able to see the path that we would shortly be taking.

We stopped for lunch at 11:30 am. The porters had set up a tent for us to eat in and a toilet tent had been set up, which was AMAZING! (no more hiding behind trees). For lunch we had vegetable soup and noodles. I had a small headache starting at lunch. It was very hot so while we ate lunch I took the opportunity to drink as much water as possible and that really helped. We set off again after an hour. The trek was quite steep but the pace was great so I didn't get out of breath at all and everyone was happily chatting to one another.

At 2:30 pm we walked around a corner and saw the most wonderful sight! THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT KILIMANJARO!!! What we have all come here to see and conquer. It truly is the most stunning sight. I am sure that my camera will not do it justice. The feeling of seeing it in the distance was amazing, and truly brings home what this trip is about for everyone in the team.

We got to camp at around 3:15 pm and unpacked, at 4 pm we had a cup of tea and some nuts and sat around admiring the view until dinner which was at 6 pm. I got a stomach cramp before dinner, not sure why, which went away while we were resting before dinner but came back during dinner. I feel a lot better now as I sit here writing in bed so hopefully that has gone away.

The word of the day has been 'WOW' every corner we turned was stunning which I am sure will only get better. Even the view from the door of the tent is breathtaking.

I am very excited for tomorrow. We climb a little which will be good fun. The trek today took 7 hours and tomorrow is set to be 5-6 hours, with stunning views apparently. I am excited!!!

Good night. x

P.S. The sunset this evening was gorgeous it turned Kilimanjaro a beautiful shade of orange.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Day 2- Friday 7th August 2015, 2700m, Mti Mkubwa Camp

2700m above sea level, Mti Mkubwa Camp (Big Tree Camp)

Today was the first day of hiking. We had breakfast at 6:30am and left the hotel at 7:30am after our bags were weighed, (mine was 14kg, the maximum our porters are allowed to carry is 15kg), and we had a group photo.

The drive to the bottom of Kilimanjaro took 3 hours. We stopped during this for a toilet break, the toilets had a working hose in there which is very different to most toilets back home. We drove along some very bumpy roads to reach the gate, they really reminded me of Kenya.












We finally reached the gate at about 11:30 and signed in, got a stamp in our passports, took some photos and got back onto the bus.










The drive from  the sign in gate to our starting gate took about 45 minutes, we had lunch (a packed lunch which included chicken, egg, juice, an orange, chocolate bar and a sandwich) and then set off.














The trek took us through the rainforest, which I really enjoyed. It only took us 2h 40m which was very good we were expecting it to take us 3-4 hours. I got a tiny bit out of breath on the steep sections but nothing major or any different to the rest of the group. It was raining lightly for most of the walk but it was still very warm.













We got to camp at around 4pm, got a bowl of water to wash, unpacked our bags and settled in. My porters name is Jeremy and he is also one of the guys that helps to serve our dinner, he seems really lovely and has done a great job putting up our tent. Monkeys came into camp just before dinner, I have taken photos.



Everyone has had a really good day. I have felt some hot spots on my feet and have put some blister plasters on which has made them feel so much better.




Tomorrows trek is meant to take 6-7 hours, so hopefully I will not develop blisters. The altitude goes up again tomorrow, hoping that it does not have any effect on the group.


I am off to bed now.

Night. xx

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Day 1- Thursday 6th August 2015, Flight and Hotel.

In the last 30 hours I have had a 30 minute nap. I have just taken a ibuprofen to get rid of the tired headache I had, it is working.


I am sharing a room with another woman who seems lovely. We have organised our bags for the hike tomorrow. I am really excited and a little nervous about starting the trek and the challenge ahead of us. I really hope that the altitude does not effect me, as I managed to avoid it when climbing Mt. Kenya.

Everyone in the group seems really lovely and we are all getting on so well.


The flights went very smoothly. It was nice being back in Nairobi airport again, it brought back many memories of 2009. The flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro airport was AMAZING! as we got closer to the airport you could see Kilimanjaro above the clouds. The extent of the challenge really has hit home, I cannot wait to get started.

It is currently 3:30 and dinner is at 6. I am not really sure what to do for the next few hours, I am sure that I will be going to bed nice and early tonight.

I may add more later but for now I am going to go for a wonder around the hotel.

xx










(N.B. I never did go back and add to the diary entry for this day. Before dinner I sat outside with a few of the other team members and enjoyed the African sun, while trying to not fall asleep. We also, had a group chat about why everyone had decided to do the trip and the reasons they had chosen their particular charities. It was really lovely hearing everyone's personal stories, it made everyone more motivated to reach the top. We had dinner and everyone swiftly disappeared to bed.)