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Hi Everyone
I'm slightly emotional because I battled to come into town to show you all my amazing photos.. and I didn't bring my camera lead. Sniff sniff.
So anyway, you will have to read my account, and I'll find you photos when I get home. I'm going to type up from my diary because it's too much to think about! Its really really long, you don't ave to read it if you don't want to.
Wednesday 8th (Day 1)
Woke up early because I was too nervous. Was all packed last night so just had to have breakfast and wait. The taxi came and took me to Marangu gate, where I got the mzungu price for gaiters and then signed in at the park entrance wth my guide, James.
The walk was beautiful. The trees were so green and covered in moss. Vines hung down to the small winding path, which was broken up by tree roots and stones. It was steep, and I alread found it hard work (which doesn't bode well for the rest of the trip, does it?) I climbed 1000m up, over 8km. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to reach Mandara huts. Our hut has 4 beds and a small sloped roof that goes right down to the floor meaning you bang your head. I'm sharing with an American girl called Laura and a Canadian called Lindsay.They're both very nice.
Everyone here today is doing a 6 day cimb, so we'll all be together. After lunch, we did a 1 km walk to Maundi crater. It wasn't overly impressive as a crater, but it had some great views of the peak and the villages below.
Came back and ate at 5, so much food! Fish here is not good. It's cool up here.. t the point that I'm wearing my fleece. It's quite nice. Looks like it will be wet tomorrow. Thankfully it didn't rain on the walk but it has a lot since, and there's been very loud thunder. We'll see how it goes.
Thursday 9th (day 2)
Ok, so that's day 2 down. Half the climb. Tomorrow is an acclimatisation day. Have to admit I already feel proud.
I had a massive breakfast (my guide is telling me off fr not eating enough. They make me eat SO MUCH food!!) and eft at half 8. Pretty soon got caught up by Lindsay. Shes really great and we walked together for the rest of the day. It was great having someone to walk with, made it all easier.
We walked through the rainforest to open moorland. The first half of the day was steep! It was really, really hard work. I was getting to that point where I was depressed and thinking I couldn't go on (I know, already) but after my (massive) lunch things were easier. We walked with Colm after lunch, it was good fun. Gt to Horombo huts at about 2, so not bad. Horombo is much bigger, it has to accomodate 3 times as many people.
Lay in bed reading, had some food and chatted to James about tomorrow. I'm basically sticking with Lindsay from now on. Should be good. Tomorrow is quite a lazy day.
Friday 10th (day 3)
Headed up with Lindsay and her guide Frederick this morning. We walked up to zebra rock, at 4000m. Zebra rock is, surprisingly, a big stripey rock. Felt fine there, and walked back to the camp for lunch. Everyone else headed up to te saddle, or to Mawenzi, but frederick said we didnt need to. Felt pretty lazy.
Played cheat with Lindsay and Colm, won both roundsand got criticised for being such a good cheater. My vocab was seriously affected by the altitude.. managed to accuse them of being very mean and not nice. Lindsay got sick when we were going to bed. Slight worry, but she thinks it was the food.
Saturday 11th (day 4)
Had a pretty early start and walked with Lindsay and Colm all day. We eft Horombo and headed up (of course). Not much of note at first.. looked like a mountain, you know? We had a break and sat on those ridiculous benches which you can only fit half your bum on. A few hills later, the scenery changed pretty drastically. We entered te "alpine dessert". It was ver surreal, all dark and orange with only rocks and sandy hills.
As we turned a corner around one of these hills we suddenly saw it all.. Kibo Hut, te summit, the unimaginably steep ascent. The walk to Kibo hut was deceptive. It took us over an hour when it was in view. It was freezing. It snowed whe we got there. Between te mouse on my bed at Horombo and the cold at Kibo, sleep on this mountain is hard!
The altitude sickness started to affect me here, with eadaches and nausea all the time (though only minor). Remind me why I'm doing this? Had dinner at alf 5, was brifed by James and repred for my few hours sleep.
*In thinking slow we named ourselves the sloth, the snail and the tortoise. It kept us entertained.
12t April (day 5)
We. Made. It
**
That was, without a doubt, the most physically difficult thing I have ever done.
We were woken at half 11, had tea and bscuits and got our layers on. I had 4 on the bottom and 6 on top. We eaded out at midnight. Frerick led the way, with Lidsay and me following, and James bringing up the rear in case we fell. It was hard frm the start. It was incredibly steep, and the higher we got te looser the stone and grit was beneath our feet.
We had a brief rest against a rock wall and then eaded on past the sign declaring we were at 5000m. It got more sippery and difficult, on more than one occasion James had to grab me and stop me falling down the slope. We reached a cave at around 5150m, and several of us took selter there to sit a while and drink/eat for energy.
As we headed on from here, the altitude sickness really started to get me. The headache was incredibly intense, and the nausea was overwheming. I took the advice o tw wonderful australian women we met, Jen and Sue. With each step I would sa to myself "I. Can Do. This." It does actually help. It occupied my brain, which for the first half hour had been singing carry n by ben's broher (my brain is so unoriginal) and then started singing see sawnarjorie daw (it would be worth mentioning that I had no control whatsoever over my brain at various parts of the climb. I think, if I ad, I would have turned back)
From that point on up the slope, it was a matther of "I. Can. Do. This" taking tiny baby steps and collapsing on the floor roughly every thirty paces to be sick and to stop the pain in my had. As we got closer to te top of te slope, it became a matter of clambering over big rocks, an effort whic made you breathless with every step.
Whilst taking anoer "sitting down break", I heard Lindsay above me shouting that I could do it, I was almost there. It was Lindsa that spurred me on to reac Gilmans Point, at around 5600m. I had half a cup of sweet tea, then carried on. From Gilman's you walk around te crater rim and up to Uhuru peak at 5898m. I half stumbled, determined I hadn't walked that far not to stand at te top.
It took a few more sitting down breaks and more than one cary stumble, but then I was there, bu that signpost I had seen in photographs. I collapsed on the floor again, and cried. Tears were freezing on my face. I was exhausted, sick, in so much pain and yet I as standing somewhere so many people will never be. We reached the peak at 6, so watched a breathtaking sunrise across the peaks. It was incredible. We ad our photos taken, then headed to get off, asap.
With the sun up, we could see the massive glacier to the side of us. As we were walking up, we could hear it cracking.Heading back to Gilman's was scary. Now that we could see, we registered the steep crater edge, the sharp rocks.. I tried not to look.
Walking down was painful and scary. James grabbed my arm and we literally ran down the side. We were dwn in 45 minutes. We had soup and set off to Horombo. Half way tere, it all set in. My legs and back were agony, I was weak and tired. I had never been so glad to get to a bed and sleep. Nothing woke me.
13th April (day 6)
Walked all the way back today. It was painful and tiring. I was exhausted. Pleased to get my certificate though.
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