Summit day (by Em)

Barafu Camp -

The landscape here is just rocky and barren.  Everyone was shattered and lethargic at this point but most felt much better than they had at Lava Tower so it looks like the 'walk high, sleep low' acclimatisation technique works well.  It was a beautiful clear night, with an almost full moon (I had planned that we should summit on the full moon but our change of plans altered that).  When the clouds cleared we could see the distant lights of a town far below us and the shadow of the peak high above us..

Once again, the combination of cold air, rocky ground and a steep slope meant that few of the team got a good night's sleep. That plus the fact that we knew we would have to get up at 3.30am to get ready to start our long final upwards trek to our target!  Getting up at that time was easier than I was expecting - we all went to bed in most of the clothes that we would be wearing for the trek so it was just a case of pulling our waterproof outer layers, trusty boots and warm hats on.  (That plus headtorches, water and walking poles...) We could see the lines of lights from other trekkers high above us who had started their summit climb before us at midnight.  A slice of toast, sip of tea and quick check of the oxygen levels and we were raring to catch up!

"Pole Pole" - (Swahili for 'slowly slowly'; a phrase that every Kili trekker will be sick of hearing by the time they leave! or as Gary so eloquently explained in my team messages page; "If I ever hear another person say pole pole I think I will pole pole them in the eyeball"!!)

It was cold and dark, steep and stony.  Following the feet of the person in front of you quickly became the easiest way to get into a good rhythm.  Looking behind us we could see the dim blanket of clouds that seemed to cover the earth below us.  The outline of shadowy peaks around us helped to highlight the start of the most amazing sunrise I have ever witnessed.  The colours that spread across the horizon must have been magnified due to the abundance of dark, barren land that we were walking on. Photos don't do it justice but here is a glimpse ...

 We had frequent but brief stops to catch our breath, sip water or eat a snack (I forgot to mention that we had given Methley some dollars to bring some choccy bars up when the crew brought extra food up!)  Despite this, we reached a point where the lead guide Richard was eager to keep pushing on, but some of the team needed longer rests/a slower pace so we made the decision to separate into 2 groups.

The summit, although obviously closer, still seemed to be so far away.  I remember reaching a point where I began to feel sick; we had a short rest and snack break so I tried to take off my waterproof over trousers.  I'm ashamed to say the effort of is was too much for me so with a few extra helping hands my boots were removed for me, I took off the waterproofs, then guide Richard tied my laces back up for me - "it's ok" he said, "you see up there?" (a snowy peak above us) a huge wave of relief washed over me as I saw the target. "It is only another hour after there".......  I could have cried!! We plodded on; I was at the back of the lead group, until we reached the welcome sight of a green sign...

Only to discover that this was Stella point and that if we wanted to get the 'top top' of Kilimanjaro, we would have to walk for 45 minutes around the crater to get to Uhuru Peak! Quick bit of geographical fact for you that I have since researched; "Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim". "Trekkers who follow the Southern Circuit will reach the summit via Stella Point which is about an hour from Uhuru Peak"

Once again - tears threatened! It may sound cheesy, and I am not normally one to think like this or admit to it, but I kept hearing Tom's voice in my head telling me I wasn't allowed to quit... This, plus the encouraging words of my fellow team members pushed me on to the traditional summit - the highest point in the continent of Africa.  I could barely take in the amazing views of the glaciers down to the right of us, or the breadth of the crater we were walking around - all I could focus in was putting one foot in front of the other.

I got within a couple of metres of the sign, sat on a rock, and finally released the flood gates!! Alex - my brother - ran over to give me a squeeze but I pushed him off because I suddenly realised that I hadn't been for a wee since 3.40am!) After catching my breath, we had hugs all round and quickly got some photos in;  Here we are in our team RMCTF Kilimanjaro t-shirts (I am the one in the pink sleeves and colourful hat - it was Tom's and I wanted my boys to be able to easily i.d. me in pictures!)

Joe showing us the way down the mountain....;





Back down.....
So now, after putting what I believed to be everything I had, into getting up to the top of Africa, we had to face making our way back down the mountain.  All of a sudden, everyone was going at their own pace because going downhill was much easier.  Our guides seemed to disappear as there weren't quite enough to go 1:1.  So, poor Gary had to put up with just me, my tears and complaints for about an hour and a half as we tried to find our way down the scree and loose rocks that formed our path back down to Barafu.  That was, until we heard a familiar (and forever positive-sounding) voice calling from above us, and we saw Kelly making her way down with a guide! We waited for them to catch up, then carried on downwards.  It seemed to take forever; we were exhausted, tired, hungry, I felt sick and really really needed the loo now!  Long story short - some of the crew were sent out to find us and carried our bags for us for the last hour into camp!
Even as I sat down in front of the tent and began to talk to my tent mates Sian and Sam, Methley came over and gently informed us that we would have to leave Barafu within an hour and head down to the next camp which was 'about an hour away' as there was not enough food or water to remain there overnight! I politely informed him that I didn't think I could walk for another hour but I think he must have thought I was joking because he just laughed and walked away!  Once the team had regrouped, refueled and refreshed, we set off - it was dark by now so the head torches were out again. We could see the cloudline for a while before we started to feel the moisture condense on our skin.  It was a good thing that I had learned to stretch the timings that Methley gave us as this walk was much longer than an hour.  That said, it was much more pleasant walking downhill as a team with the knowledge that we had all reached the crater of Kibo!  Team chatter picked up again, films were quoted, there were even smiles and laughter - all previous struggling and suffering temporarily forgotten.. it is amazing what our bodies can go through and how much we can do when we put our minds to it!
It is silly what we appreciate when our creature comforts are removed - finding our ladies toilet was set up in 'High Camp' and our tents were actually pretty level was a joy! I think about 5 of us stayed up for dinner that night (extra helpings all round!) everyone else went straight to sleep!

I think that is enough for this post - you can read all about the final descent and post-mountain days in my next entry! Hope you have enjoyed it all so far..