By Emma Simmons
I traveled to Tanzania after graduating from college to volunteer at Mt. Meru Day Care and the Rift Valley Children’s Village with a close friend of mine. Prior to our trip we mentioned climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, but did not put that on our itinerary until we were living in a town outside of Arusha. The moment we decided to make the trek sticks in my mind like a flash of light: While watching a local soccer game on a late Sunday afternoon in the company of new friends, I saw the clouds quickly roll by and there she was ”like olympus above the Serengeti” as brilliantly described Toto’s 1983 hit song, “Africa.” The moment the summit came into view, we looked at each other and without question or each other’s approval we knew we had to make it to the top.
The four of us reaching Uhuru Peak, the "rooftop of Africa"
We chose a friendly, knowledgeable local guide company and selected our route up Machame, with its disparate pathways it’s also referred to as the “Whiskey Route.” We arrived at the Machame gates to a sea of porters loading the last of each group’s gear, placing the bags on their heads and taking off up the path. Starting up the path, we were quickly taught to go pole-pole (slow in Swahili) to pace and acclimate ourselves. Each day up the mountain the vegetation surprised us with a change: We passed through thick forest, moorland, highland desert and up to the summit with views of glaciers rapidly changing.
For anyone concerned that it’s too much of a challenge, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is not technical and is a very manageable hike. Reaching its summit, however, is a different story. After completing a seven-hour hike (following a decision to do the climb in six days rather than seven) to reach the 15,500-foot-high Barafu Camp, we ate a nice dinner and had our usual warm chai tea before crawling into our sleeping bags to rest our eyes for a brisk three-hour nap. We woke at 11:30 p.m. to start our final ascent to the rooftop of Africa. I donned every article of clothing and gear I had rented from a “storefront” in Moshi, including every pair of socks I had to ensure the two-sizes-too-big rental boots would fit. Fortunately, this all helped brave the quickly dropping temps and strong winds. (more…)
