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Day 1 - Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
Our day started early, we met for breakfast at 7:30 and found it hard to stomache anything as feeling nervous! We met our other two team mates Karl and Marcus also from Sweden.
We met at 9 with all our bags which were quickly loaded by our 19 staff members! On the way to the National park gates we stopped at a shop for last supplies (some people had to buy water bottles because the national park do not allow tourists to carry plastic bottles).
When we arrived at the gates our CEOs had to sign us all in and pay park fees which left us waiting for about an hour, we were fresh meet for locals trying to get us to hire kit, they were telling us that it was all essential but they soon got the hint we were not interested, no one was going to get Laura to wear gaitors!!!!
At around midday we set off on our 4 hour, 8km, hike through the rain forest. There was lots of waterfalls the air was very humid, there was a big colony of huge ants that managed to get up everyone's trousers and bite! We stopped for lunch where we got to get our first experience of the mountain toilets (laura very unhappy and continued to pee behind bushes and rocks for the rest of the week to avoid the loo), when eating a little mongoose appeared in the bush and waiting very timidly for some food, Ben threw it some chicken.
At around 4 we arrived at camp and checked into our little log cabins, the boys in one and the girls in another. Our porters brought us bowls of warm water to wash and cooked us popcorn to nibble on before tea. For tea we had Cucumber soup, potatoes with vegetable sauce and fish, straight after the team recorded our heart rates and oxygen levels, which was done every evening, then off to bed at 19:40!!!
Day 2 - Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
We started early again, up at 6:30, water for 'washy washy' as they called it at 7:00 and breakfast at 7:30, our first taste of the dreaded mountain porridge. Laura obviously didn't eat any. Ben was over enthusiastic to use the toilet. We set off at 8:00 on our 6 hour, 15km, hike out off the rainforest and through the moorland which we both loved as reminded us of Dartmoor! We were just going through/ above the clouds at this point which was an exciting thought for us all. Ben found a camelion and named it John Clease as everyone had already made fun of Laura that day for not knowing who he is...now she knows he is a Camelion!!
We have been taking Diomox for a couple of days now and as the altitude gets higher the need to pee pee is getting ridiculous.
We arrived at camp around 15:00, it felt like camp sat floating on the clouds, we were at 3720m. We had washy washy and popcorn followed by dinner.
We could start to feel the altitude today, when we walk it is very slowly, all the porters call out 'Poly Poly' which means slowly slowly. Even a quick dash to the toilet had you out of breath! Ben taught Sam our CEO to say 'about an hour' every time someone asks how much further - true Ten Tors style. As we were above the clouds there was no light pollution so the view of the stars was amazing! We were in bed early again, boys in one hut and the girls in another, unfortunately the girls hut was situated next to a spring so the need to pee only got worse! There was also lots of mice.
Day 3 - Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
We were instructed to dress warmer today and be prepared for all weather conditions but within 30 minutes we all needed to stop to layer off! Our hike today was to take us 6 hours, 15km, through the Alpine Desert, it was dull, no nice trees or bugs or waterfalls to look at, just rock, mostly rock that isn't big enough to pee behind! We stopped for lunch, as we did everyday and had our packed lunch which consisted of a sandwich or pasty, chicken leg, boiled egg, fruit and a juice.
After lunch we set off for our last leg of the day, it soon started raining, then hailing, then snowing, this was certainly different to the morning when we put on our factor 50! Laura's hands painfully cold and Ben singing to the tune of Alice the Camel ' Laura the human had 10 fingers - go frost bite go'.
The weather along with a altitude headache left Laura feeling miserable and emotional when we made it to camp.
We arrived at camp around 14:30 and were allowed a 2 hour nap before tea - spag bol, and then back to bed after tea as our descent to the summit would start at midnight. Both of us started getting headaches so taking ibroprofen along with Diomox, all of us in one room together so we knew sleep was limited, and its freezing!
Day 4 - Kibo Hut to Summit
We were woken at 11, found it difficult to sleep as breathing is fast. We were fed hot drinks and biscuits and layered up for our hike, we both wore 4 pairs of trousers, Ben wore 5 tops and Laura 8! We set off at 12 up the face of the mountain, hundreds of us forming a snake of headlights all the way up, it was 6 hours of continuous up! All porters singing, felt like we were on a pilgrimage!!
The altitude making people walk drunk and a fair few being sick...not us thank god!
We hit the top known as Gilmans Point (5685m) at 6am, very tired, very emotional, everyone feeling like poop! However we knew we were not far from summit which gave many people the lift to carry on, fair few reach Gilmans point and head straight back down.
We continued on to Stella's point (5765m) which was not too far, a rocky pathway around the crater, once here we both realised we couldn't stay up high for long, heads feeling like they were in a clamp, feeling sick and couldn't take more than 2 steps without stopping to breathe!
It was a very very slow walk to the summit but we made it at 7:15, the sun had just come up. We queued amongst all the people to get pictures by the sign, (Japanese people don't know how to queue), then we snuck in a cheeky engagement (yippee!!) And made our descent.
Now people think the hard part is going up the mountain....oh how wrong they are...going down was painful but we saw monkeys so its all good!!!
All in all the trip was amazing, our team stuck together and our porters were saints!!!
- comments
Mumma L Wicked blog....Ive been reading it out to Fox Gill Shane Hayley and lil Max. I feel emotional just reading it!!!!!! Love you both xxxxx
Mumma P So proud of you both, it all sounds amazing but very very hard work - you must be so pleased with yourselves xxx
Pappa P Good start to a great adventure. A good read...I felt that I was there! Congratulations again and good luck with the next stage of the trip.X
Margaret Carney Congrats to you both on engagement and reaching the summit. Jan just texted me to say you were engaged so it must be on Facebook. Enjoy the next stage of your trip. x
Colin Sinclair Congratulations to you both we are delighted.. Your trip sounded amazing we certainly enjoyed reading about it. Love to you both xx
Louise Love reading about all your adventures! You're both amazing! X
Esther Coops Sounded tough - good effort!! Loved the whole Alice the camel-Laura frostbite sing song! Xx
Troy Congratulations on the engagement guys - amazing news! The trip sounded awesome - can’t wait for the next instalment! Have fun!