Bryan and Andrew from NewsWatch begin Day 6 of the climb to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Today is the day. We will summit tonight.
7:00pm – We fall asleep after dinner (or at least try and fall asleep).
11:30pm – The porters wake us up with coffee/tea. We are already exhausted from our climb earlier that day. Some people in our group already have headaches from the altitude. But we are excited and ready to conquer Kilimanjaro. We get dressed, covering ourselves from head to toe and strap on our nearly-empty backpacks. The only things we need are water, a few snacks and energy beans/bars, head lamp, and whatever extra clothing we wish to carry. Unlike other days, we are sticking to the bare essentials.
1:00am – I’m cold, I’m tired, but I can’t wait to summit. The absolute darkness, mixed in with the never-ending wind and freezing cold temperatures, make this trek exhausting. We are only 2 hours in and already members of our group are suffering from altitude sickness. One member has already thrown up and several are complaining about headaches. But we continue onward and upward.
3:00am – Still hiking. Only a few breaks so far for a few minutes. If you wait too long, you get cold and tired. The trail is pretty crowded and any stoppage puts you behind dozens of other climbers. We want to be ahead of the crowd, not behind it.
6:00am – Finally, a major checkpoint. We’ve reached Stella Point, approximately 18,800 feet above sea level. We were all so excited to sit down for a few minutes. Several people in our group are sick, but still pushing along. We sit down, have a cup of tea and an orange and relax for 10 minutes. Bryan and I fall asleep while drinking our tea and are woken by our guide. Apparently sleeping mid sip is a bad idea.
6:15am – We are back to hiking, but less than 1 hour to go until we reach our goal.
NewsWatch Summits Mt. Kilimanjaro
6:51am – We all reach the summit together. It’s hard to describe the emotional rollercoaster we feel upon reaching the summit. Tears are falling down our face, we are barely able to stand upright, but we all made it. We wait in line to take photos at the summit post and then continue back down. We are so exhausted we barely notice the sunrise. All I know is everything is suddenly brighter on the top of the mountain.
8:45am – Don’t let anyone fool you – the descent is the hardest part. You spend all your energy reaching the top that when you suddenly have another 4 hours back to your camp, your body is simply unprepared to cooperate. What should have taken us 3 hours is taking 4.5.
12:00pm – We are back at the Barafu Camp and immediately crash. We get a 1 hour nap before lunch and the rest of our descent to Mweka.
1:30pm – Time to descend another 4 hours to Mweka Camp. Rajeev and Jonathan don’t want to get out of the tent, but the guides force them up and we all continue downwards. This section of the descent isn’t that hard, but the concept of it is tough to swallow. Luckily, it’s moving along and we are making good time.
NewsWatch descends Mt. Kilimanjaro
6:00pm – We have been awake and hiking for 18 hours, with only a 1 hour break. But we are down at 10,000 feet and feeling better. We grab something quick to eat and get in bed.
I am still in awe of what we were able to accomplish. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa. It is the tallest free standing mountain in the entire world. It is the 4th largest of the 7 summits. And we summited it as a group. Knowing what your body is capable of doing and testing every limit you can helps you understand what you’re made of. By accomplishing this fantastic feat and living to tell the tale, I grow respect for myself, for Bryan, and for anyone that has climbed it in the past or intends to in the future.
I can’t wait to share my photos and my experience with my family and my loved ones. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that none of us will ever forget!
