Page 21 - AMA Winter 2023/24

slippery terrain in some areas. Despite the difficulty, the view was awe-inspir- ing, offering glimpses of the rainforest and fog-covered surroundings. This was the start of most of the group noticing mild symptoms of altitude sickness and these would persist until the very end of the next leg. Rising the next day, we were introduced to our entire crew of 46 individuals who were there to support us on this expedition, including porters, chefs, guides, and other helpers. The group participated in a cultural dance and songs, embracing local traditions before beginning our trek. Our 12km route for the day involved hiking a mild ascent profile to a spot named the Lava Camp (4600m) before descending down to Baranco Camp at 3800m around 8 hours later; the idea is to climb high and sleep low to minimise the effects of altitude. Sunday involved tackling the infamous Barranca Wall, a 2km route that was very steep with only enough room for the group to progress single file. This made for some interesting manoeuvres as the porters (who were con- siderably faster than our group, despite the greater weight they carried) were keen to get past us in order to get the camp ready for our arrival. The route up the ‘Wall’ was good fun and involved some periods of scrambling, however the views back over our previous night’s camp were breathtak- ing. After reaching the summit of the ‘Wall’ the trek transitioned into a downhill section
arriving at Barranca Camp after a 4-hour hike, covering roughly 4km.
The following day was the shortest of our routes, a 4km trek to Barafu Camp, arriving at just 1pm. A deliberately easy day to prepare for our summit attempt the following day. Amazingly the camp came with wifi connectivity, even at 4600m, so we took the opportunity to contact friends and family back home, which was a great morale booster and helped motivate us for the challenge ahead. This night we slept until midnight, the rest proving an immense benefit in preparing for the long, slow ascent to the summit.
Eventually, we were woken by James (the assistant to the group’s cook) who needed to make a few trips to certain tents to make sure that those inside actually got up! After gathering as a group and putting on all available warm kit, we began the final leg of our journey. The 6km route was consist- ently uphill from the very start and with only the light of our head torches showing the way, movement was challenging. Altitude sickness started affecting some after just an hour of hiking. The weather was bitterly cold which made the 5-hour journey to Stella Point (5756m) feel like an eternity. From this point onwards it took 45 minutes to reach Uhuru Peak, the summit at 5895m. At 0630hrs we arrived, just in time to take in the sunrise and the scale of what we
had accomplished. The descent took a further 3 hours and funnily enough, was much easier than climbing up. Back at the Barafu Camp, we rested briefly to regather ourselves, then made our way down to Mweka camp, approximately 7km away. As expected, the day was very challenging. Starting at midnight we had been trekking nonstop for about 15 hours, travelling 17km and ascending then descending 1300m and 2800m respectively.
Wednesday, our final day, involved the last stretch back to the base of the mountain from Mweka Camp. The route down concluded with a heart-warming display of singing and celebration by our entire team with some having enough energy to break into a run for the last mile or so. We expressed our appreciation to the porters and guides for their invaluable support and they thanked us for choosing them as our guides. After a 7km and 3-hour hike back down through the rainforest, we finally reached the finish line. Mount Kilimanjaro – Completed!
THE MACHAME TRAIL
Machame.com describes the Machame trail as moderately difficult but within the ability of most first-time ascensionist and is frequently the route of choice because of its easy access, varied habits and expansive vistas of lush valley rainforests, heather defined brush and rugged mountain topography. Unlike the comparatively easier accent of the Marangu trail with its hut accommodation, those tackling Kilimanjaro via the Machame will be faced with steeper trails and wild camping to add to the adventure. In total, a journey of some 37 miles to reach the 5895m summit of this dormant volcano and the world’s highest single free-standing mountain. Kilimanjaro is truly a sight to behold!
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