POLE, POLE
Pole pole, Swahili word meaning “take it slow”, that’s the mantra on the roof of Africa. Mt Kilimanjaro is by far my biggest challenge in mountaineering so far, an outstanding 5895 meters above sea level (masl) or 19,340 feet. The road to this summit was marred with sweat, determination, razor sharp focus, resilience, all the qualities you would look for in a good soldier, conquered the Rwenzori’s, conquered all 3 Virunga’s in Uganda, conquered the giant to the east, mighty Elgon, preparation is an understatement, I felt prepared a month before this adventure, every muscle and fiber of my being echoed “Bring it on”.
I felt ready, a consistent 5 day work out, each averaging an hour, plus a minimum of 30kms every week, I felt I was in good shape. Not willing to take any chances, I run a full marathon, 42kms and even reclimbed one of the Virunga’s for acclimatization and fitness, I felt like a true son of Sparta, Greek soldiers molded and trained to be the bravest warriors of all, now, with all this running through me, we set off for Africa’s highest mountain. Pack, lift off, land, drive, check in, checkout, check in. At the base of the mountain, we start our adventure, a giant pyramid shaped gate, welcome to Mt Kilimanjaro, our guide Sinai (the biblical symbolism) gives us the orientation speech, dos and don’ts, in every climb, guide is master, he is alpha and omega, we listen carefully, in a blink, the hike begins.
The rain forest, cool and calm, I believe every mountain has a honey moon phase, it cajoles you, makes you comfortable before it reveals its true intention, honey moon bliss it was, day 1, no challenge at all, 3hrs trek, a gentle ascent, no rain, lots of pics, Jambo’s (Kenyan greeting) to the return trekkers. We settle in, camp 1, a chilly night, monkey sounds give us the perfect lullaby, goodnight little wild monks. Good morning little birds, bright sunrise, gentle, perfect, just the right dose of vitamin d, tasty breakfast and the trek begins, forest ends, shrubs begin, lobelia, dry patches, crows in the sky, a scorching sun, a subtle wind, nothing too scary. We match on, every team mate up to the task, all looking sharp, a gentle steep challenged by months of grit and endurance, we literally moved the mountain.
Kilimanjaro rain forest cool and calm 
In a distance, in the not so far horizon, we set our eyes on her crown, Kibo peak, brown and white patches, majestic, inviting, we took in her sight, our goal now in sight, a sigh of relief, a renewed strength, she smiled gently, never too revealing, only a calm demeanor, like a wink from the God’s above, we match forward, day 2 is done, 50% of the mission completed or so I thought.
Photos, dinner, re-evaluation. A very chilly night but nothing like a negative 10 degree sleeping bag to keep you warm. It was only 9 degrees for most of the night. I thought about the morning to come, I thought about the mission at hand, hardly sleeping a wink, I could hear the faintest of winds, every whisper, nature calls, I answer but am startled as I step out, it’s a clear night, white misty clouds all gone, a sight to behold, the starry lights of Moshi town, like glitter and diamond they sparkled, I could see my path, where it began, the runway lights of Kilimanjaro Airport, I appreciated the nights poetry, breathed it in, and went off to salvage what sleep I could conjure up.
Mountains never sleep, I guess that’s why all those seeking to conquer them never have the courtesy to enjoy this luxury, chilly nights, built up pressure in the brain, less oxygen, all make for the worst dreams or sleep if u wish.
A bright and early morning, 6am, I stand facing the sunrise, catch the first light, the first rays, a gentle orange lifts up, so near yet so far, impeccable sun rise, I watch and stare until she grows less shy, bursting every ray of light into my eyes, I raise my arm to cover the light, for a moment, like a shadow in the sun’s eye, I breath in her radiation, I feel unstoppable. My alarm rings- breakfast time it is, reminds me to come down from my lion king moment in the sun, quick military shower (involves a lot of wipes) don’t ask! It’s still 9 degrees outside the warmth of my sleeping bag.
Day 3 begins, acclimatization day is the title, a brief ascent to zebra rocks, about 4000masl and return back to camp, yes, the rocks have stripes, black and white, no explanation within our lifetime for this phenomenon, I leave my imagination and geography to a contrast of forces, black and white, black and white, our choices in life some times black and white, our battles of consciousness. Our journey be it in life or on the mountains makes us see more clearly, out with the greys, a moment lived a moment wiser. A short hike it is. A few comrades that had journeyed thus far, a different troop, set forth to summit the mountain. They changed strategy, deviated from the plan, these mountains can be crafty. A purely relaxing day, we take it in, bid our comrades good bye, last words from our guide, their ambition has destroyed their mission. A prophet of doom but for now, time would be the judge and judgement day came early to say the least. (You get the picture; they didn’t summit ha-ha)
To Read: Hiking Mt. Rwenzori – Day 5 (Summiting Margherita Peak )
It’s hard to sleep on summit nights, the exhilaration, adrenaline, fear, all hit you at once, they are all in competition for your head space. The next 48 hrs. were the real deal, a hike of about 7 to 8hrs to reach Kibo camp (4720masl), get some rest and start summit hike at midnight, a hike to the summit and back to Kibo, about 10 to 12hrs, then slope further to the lower camp (Horombo camp) taking about 4 to 6hrs. Simple math tells you we would be hiking for about 24hrs out of the next 48hrs. I meditated on this detail, reassured my mind, remembered my training. It was a go, and all green for me mentally and physically. Not many of us slept deeply or relaxed, we all slept with our minds racing, reciting mantras, this is wat we trained for. This is our final stand.
Day 4. A beautiful morning, a chilly bath (read wipes), a filling breakfast and off we go. Boots on the ground, sights on Kibo, whiter was her peak, more snow, just keep walking I thought to myself, keep walking. The gentle became gradually steeper not too steep just a few jolts to remind us we are on Africa’s highest mountain, the sun is out, vegetation is no more, alpine desert it is, yap a real deserted desert is wat I would call it, clear path for miles, mirages, all but brown, dry ground, scotching sun and cold winds, winds not so brutal, open, wide but gentle winds. Each step closer, the larger it became, Kibo was shy, clouded in mist, never revealing her treasure, a misty song, a dark horse, grey sky’s, not the feeling of a warm welcome. 7hrs down, desert be dammed, we arrive at camp, a few scars, a little drained but fit as fiddles. Dinner is served by 6pm.
Summit speech it is, our lead guide David drills in the do’s and don’ts, basically the scariest parts, your last orders from the general, frontline tips, nothing comforting about that, it’s the Frontline, get focused or you fail, failing on mountains can have much dire consequences. We take it in, check and recheck, no time to sleep a wink. Head Lights-check, base layers-check, boots, warm socks, fleece pants, jacket, bandage, water, gear, tabs, energy bites, bladder, sticks. All packed and ready. We were set. Midnight clocked, a head count to start things off, single file is the line. Am guessing head count is to make sure no one has chickened out, final gear checks, a prayer and we set off.
Cold black night it is, less starry, the steep, vertical climbs begin, trails in zed format, our breath harder with each step, 20,30,40 minutes, a few water breaks, I start to feel it, something I never felt before, 5mountains I had conquered before, not 1 case of altitude sickness, climb continues, 1hr gone, started at the front, now among the tail end. My mind is racing, what’s wrong, my knees shaking, my arms weightless, a case of HACE (high altitude cerebral edema), headaches, shortness of breath, Nausea, Acute body exhaustion, hallucinations, fainting.
It’s 1hr into the hike, Jesus, you couldn’t pick a better time or place, Africa’s roof! No time to focus on negatives, give it your all when you still can, I push every fiber of my being, the guides sing for us, I join in (Jambo Bwana, Habari Ghani, M-zuri Sana) mood songs it is, helps push any soldier, builds endurance and resilience, I sing like it’s the last thing I will do, just to keep my mind alert, awake and away from the pending tragedy befalling my body, its tough, really tough on my comrades, but it’s harrowing for me, every step, all my energy is focused on getting one foot in front of the other, I lag behind, are you okay they ask? I will be I reply. I sloth, I push and push and push, awaiting sunlight, my only hope, the light and warmth of day.
At about 6am, dawn breaks, but it’s breaks something in us, everything it reveals, every where the light touched, we stopped and stared a while, 6hrs we had trotted, we pushed hard but with this first light, a huge mountain still towered above us. Tea break it is, strategic to calm the minds. We were battered, huge boulders ahead of us, a steeper ascent, we looked at each other, no one had given up yet, now that’s the spirit, your team can make or break you. For all the while I tussled, I kept going because they kept going. A cup of tea, the porter asks, yes, I say, hold the cup for a fill, I take 2 sips, and collapse in a hip, I startle back up like a spring, shocked at my level of exhaustion/altitude sickness, on the mountain, everything has to be precise, when to rest, how long to rest, a little too much or a little less and the mission ends in failure, my colleagues had setoff, a few of us behind, one notices but asks if I can proceed, I say yes. Luckily the guides didn’t see this, I doubt I would have been allowed to continue.
To Read: Tracking Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Post Lockdown
Heat, I need to generate body heat, I must start moving now, I start my climb again, I feel my body drained, I drink more water than planned, I can only think about now, big mistake, I push, not yielding, a little hope, 20mins to Gilman’s point, shouts the guide. I rest to catch my breath, am dizzy, guide takes notice, it’s 8am..suns out, guide walks towards me, checks my eyes, says take it off, your too heavy now, shed some weight, little to no energy, a porter comes to my aid, heavy pants off, I remain in a track, heavy jacket off, head sock off, light jacket on, 1pair of warm socks off, I feel a bit lighter, main problem is my head feels light as well, not good, pack up what I shed off, I try carrying my back pack, I fail, guide offers, I say no, I will carry my weight. On with it, finally it’s on my back, I stumble on for what seemed like a lifetime, stop to rest, 5mins gone, a comrade is near by, his knee is injured, we share a laugh about climbing Mt Elbrus next (one of the seven summits), seeing how battle beaten we were, it was a hearty laugh filled with emotion, pain and joy. He gives me some pain killers for my headache.
We push on but I concede to the weight, I leave the back pack to my porter, he happily carries it, he looks back at me and offers a hand, his smile and eyes very innocent, he could tell, I didn’t want to be helped, with a short stare he surmised that I wouldn’t summit if I refused help, I buried my pride, lifted my arm, he held me, and we resumed the Climb. 15minutes later we reached Gilman’s. Am assuming a famous climber/explorer only managed to stop here, thus the name.
For about 10mins I enjoy this success, 5681masl, it had become my new benchmark, my goal in case all failed, at least make it to Gilman’s I said to myself, Gilman’s and now I was here. My hunger for victory lingers on, I reminisce about all the hard work, months of training, in a flash, I say to my guide, let’s go, he turns to descend, I say no, We going to the summit, he stares deep in my eyes, searching for a flake of doubt, he sees nothing, he says it okay, pushes his arm out for me to hold onto, I smile back at him, push it down, he smiles again, we both know it was a test, I passed. We procced to ascend.
After Gilman’s point, if you have the right mindset, you have completed 90% of the hike, it’s relatively gentle after this, the steepness is reduced to plains, views un imaginable, glaciers, giant ice blocks, sand sun and ice, co-existing, it’s a wonder, it’s why we climb, to experience nature’s story. To be one, to tell the tale, with humility, with respect. In an hour or 2, I made it to the summit.
An anti climax I would say. Only to me mentally, I took about 3 or 5pics in total and started a quick descent, my friends called out for me, stay a little longer, pictures with those arriving, I couldn’t, I had to descend, my life depended on it, I could feel my body letting go, needed to get as low as possible for my body to overcome my altitude sickness. I raced so to say with as little energy I had. One two step, I fell a few times, drained, exhausted but sure I had to make it down to survive, water was done, my guide offered up his noticing how drained I was. Tanked it, had some energy biscuits and back to it.
2 comrades cruised past me, we can’t be on the mountain any longer, they said, I could tell altitude had started on there brains as well. In a few minutes, I saw 1 of them take off like a ghost, only his heels and a mini tornado of dust following him, I don’t know what possessed him but nothing is surprising on these mountains, they turn you against yourself sometimes. With some luck and an unwavering will, I arrived at Kibo camp to a delicious glass of orange juice and some snacks, devoured them in less than 5mins and continued down. I reached the next camp after 4hrs. I felt my soul return to me. I can’t explain how life less I felt on summit day but let me try to explain why I am still in love, to live at 5895masl is unbelievable, I seek and will go much higher on this journey, but for now, I stand humbled, beauty and satire isn’t enough, grit, and endurance isn’t enough, the will to live, to be alive with the journey, to laugh with friends in the hardest of times, to be real and raw, to face the mountains and say, I am a champion, I conquered, that stays with you for life. The world belongs to the brave, keep exploring, keep moving forward. Life is but a series of moments worth living.
