Well it has arrived, Summit Day. Or actually it hasn't arrived yet. The good news is I got a full nights sleep, the bad news is that a full night was only 4 hours. We wake up at 11, and get up slowly. It is probably about 5 or 6 degrees below zero. Luckily I was wearing my thermal underwear anyway. It pays to be prepared. Still having said that, the time has come to layer up. It is expected to be cold at the top of the mountain, so you have to wrap up warm. This involves putting on many layers. I have 2 pairs of socks, 3 layers on the legs (thermals, trousers and rain leggings to protect from the wind), and 6 layers on top (a thermal top, a base layer, a t shirt, a mid layer, a fleece and my rain coat as a windbreaker). Plus a woolly hat, a bandanna as a scarf, and a pair of gloves. And another pair of gloves for later.
I didn't really feel like eating at this point, but we were being served breakfast before we set off. There is something wrong about eating breakfast at midnight. For some reason this seems even more wrong than getting up at 11. But I do manage to eat a little before we set off. Despite the plan to leave at 12, we actually set off at about 12.40. Because we once again had a low camping point we seemed to take a while to get going as well. We can look up the mountain and already see the snake of head torches ascending in a zig zag. Its a bit strange, we have normally been fairly good at getting going ahead of the other groups, but on this night we seem to be behind.
However that doesn't really matter as this is not a race, it is a slow slog up the mountain. It is even slower than normal, and all you do is follow the feet of the person in front of you. I have been given number 10, and am placed behind John. Because it is so dark you have to have your head torch on (it has to be a head torch as you need both hands for the poles) and this gives quite a small area that you can see. So all you can see is the feet of the person in front of you, so I get quite acquainted with John's feet. Its just as well, you need to see where their feet have gone, so you can put your feet there as well. The footing for this ascent is quite different to what has gone before, it is a lot more scree like, and so a lot of the time a misstep will send you backwards not forwards.
Today's climb is actually very steep. It is relatively short, only 5k but it is 1300m vertical. To put it in perspective it is almost the equivalent of climbing Ben Nevis starting at the top of Mt Blanc. It is very steep. It is very dark. It is very cold. And there is the altitude.
To be honest after the initial shock of having someone with altitude sickness on day 1, we haven't really had too many problems since. Yes we are all having problems sleeping, there have been a good few headache tablets taken, and a few of us have had the runs, but nobody has had really extreme reactions, possibly because of the Diamox, although not everyone has Diamox. But this is where the real effects of altitude will be felt. By the time we get to the top there will be only 40% of the oxygen that there is at sea level. Throwing up will not be uncommon, hopefully that is the worst that happens.
But for me it is the dark that is much more annoying. Not because of the dark itself, but because of the way in which the head torch is illuminating a circular area. It makes me think I have tunnel vision, which is a possible sign of altitude sickness. I think there is also something somewhere in the back of the mind that says it is night, why aren't you back in bed.
We continue up the mountain passing another campsite a few hundred metres above our one. Now it becomes clear why there were people ahead of us on the mountain, and in fact when we look down the mountain there are even more people coming up behind us. After an hour and a half we pass 4910m. This is an important milestone for me as it represents the highest point I had been up to before. Everything after this is a personal best. I do feel a bit nauseous at this point but its not too bad. Unlike previous days there is little talking amongst the group, and obviously with our numbers no moving around. We snake up the mountain probably at a rate of 150m per half hour. Its not that bad a rate really. We do stop every half hour, but they are only short stops because once you stop moving you really begin to notice the cold.
I decide to put on my second set of gloves over my first ones as my fingers are getting a bit cold. This is where I realise probably my biggest preparation mistake. I never checked whether or not the outergloves fit over the other ones. I had tried both on separately at home, but never tried them on at the same time. It is a classic schoolboy error. It takes about 20 minutes to work out how I can wear both pairs and hold the trekking poles at the same time.
Besides one quite public stop for a dose of the runs, it has gone quite well in the first 3 hours. To preserve modesty I won't mention who, but I did have some close encounters of the windy kind, as I was walking right behind John. To be honest I didn't really notice, and passed the compliment on to the person behind me. Suffice to say that as the altitude increase, so does flatulence. However at about 4am we have our first few falters, but the guides are eagle eyed and step in really quickly. They immediately take some bags off people and we continue on.
At this stage I have developed a fair rhythm. Step, breathe, step, breathe. If we stop I make sure I breathe as deeply as possible, I have to count to ensure I am breathing properly. At this height something which you never think about no longer comes automatically. But my mind is beginning to wander, I find myself thinking about all sorts of things, including how the hell did Dorota manage this. It is now 5am and I am beginning to flag. We have had 5 hours walking in the dark, we are still 200m from Stella Point (5750m), the first part of the rim we will reach where things level out.
I begin to see strange shapes among the rocks. At one point I see a rock shaped like an elephant, then one like our mess tent, and finally I see one that I am convinced is a large pizza, and when I say large I mean big enough to feed all 15 of us. Of course these are hallucinations, and are all really only rocks of different shapes. I'd say I had about a dozen big ones and I also see a lot of flashing lights on the ground ahead. I'm not too far gone because I do know these are altitude sickness symptoms, but I don't bother the guides because I'm sure everyone is having them.
We have had one casualty though, one of the 15 is suffering and has dropped off. We have 5 guides with us so can afford a couple of splits in the group, or a couple of people suffering. I am amazed nobody else is suffering, but afterwards I find out actually they are, its just in the dark I haven't seen the couple who have thrown up. Its probably just as well, I still feel fairly sick and the sight of others throwing up might well have set me off. Strangely even though I feel unwell I am using thoughts of food to keep me going, the best one being me thinking of which Michelin starred restaurant I'll take Dorota to when I get back to celebrate both of us having made it. That gets me through 15 minutes at least.
Which is really the worst 15 minutes of the climb. By 5.30 the first signs of light appear above the Eastern horizon. This gives an amazing lift to the spirits. I'm no longer sure if we were supposed to be at Stella Point by the time the sun rises, but I don't really care. At this point all you really want to do is get there. But it is true that it is darkest just before dawn. If not literally, it is definitely the case that the mind is at its weakest at that point. Again when we discuss it afterwards a number of the group also point to this half hour as the worst.
Just after sunrise we reach Stella Point. As the sun is out we can stop and rest and soak up a few rays. It is time to put on sun cream, sun hats and sun glasses. And take out the camera as there is finally enough light to take some pictures. It would have been nice to take a picture of the sunrise but it would have been a bit of struggle to take out the camera on the slope. This is because it is wrapped in a sock and tucked in the pocket of the inner most layer of trousers, close to the body. This is to ensure that the camera battery does not lose its charge in the cold, as they are won't to do. In fact spare batteries are wrapped in socks in my backpack as well.
Although the camera's were protected against the cold, it has to be said that I don't think it is that cold. Yes I am wrapped up like the Michelin man so may not feel it, and although I needed spare gloves at one point, the truth is that I don't think it is anywhere near as windy as I expected, and therefore it is not as cold as it could have been. The main thing that is exposed to the weather, my water bottle, only has a tiny bit of ice in it.
After a while resting at Stella, we head off for the summit. We can see the peak from here, it is about 150m above us, and less than 2km away. To be honest this is probably the flattest walk we have had all week, but we are at an altitude above that of Mt Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe. Still for some reason it reminds me of walking on Howth Head, which is considerably smaller. A pleasant stroll it is not, there are still a lot of breathing issues, but eventually after 45 minutes we round a corner, and there about 100 metres away we can see the crowd at the summit. Still there is no way you could break into a sprint, it is still Pole Pole as we approach, but at 7.45am we reach the summit of Kibo, Uhuru Peak.
The highest point in Africa.
And that is that.
Well not really. Having spent all the time getting to the top, there is now the matter of being at the top. I think I was in the front 5 of our group getting there, so as we all shake hands with each other, we look back to see there the rest of the group are. All bar one had last been seen at Stella Point, so we are fairly sure that the 14 others will make it. While we wait for everyone I have a little look around. I probably haven't said it, it sort of goes without saying, the views are amazing. There are glacial fields all around, and of course we are actually on the rim of a volcanic crater. The floor of the crater is about 300m below, and the other side is about 2k away. In fact the crater is so vast that you can't actually see the vent.
While we wait for the rest of the gang it is time to break out the treats. Everyone brings treats to eat when they get to the top, so there is chocolate, haribo tangfastic, and my skittles to share out. There is also the small matter of some whiskey. And note it is whiskey, not whisky, as it is 12 year old Jameson. My fellow Irishman has brought it as the route we are climbing is often called the Whiskey route as is is the hardest. to be honest the way my stomach feels at that time I would rather we were doing the easiest route, the Coca-Cola route. I refuse the Whiskey at first, but about 10 minutes later when some of the others arrive and are offered some, I have recovered enough to take a sip. Only a sip, any more at this altitude could literally be dangerous. Just as well it is a doctor prescribing it.
The theory is that most people only spend a few minutes at the top, get the picture and head back down. This is because of the cold and wind, but in fact it is a really nice sunny day and there is no wind. Its cold, but no colder than a nice sunny day in winter at home (i.e. I'd say about 3-4 degrees). So there is no hurry to go down. Also most people can head down quickly because they can get their photo at the sign over and done with in minutes. Not today. There are about 30 people already there, and more arriving by the minute. It is a bit of a struggle to get a photo on your own with the sign. But eventually I get mine taken. So do the rest of the team, even the rubber chicken.
Yes those of you who remember the noise from the plane in Heathrow will remember the rubber chicken. I speculated that it would be going to the top of the mountain, and it was. It was actually the honorary 16th member of our group, as it belonged to one of the guys in the group. It actually got us a lot of laughs on the way up as it was hanging on the outside of his bag so every time he hit something all we could hear is a squeak. Each time you hear it you just have to smile. Anyway the chicken made it, and got his photo, and a chicken dance (that's another story).
All that remains now is to take another dozen photos, place a stone on the little pile near the summit (from travelling in South America we do this as a thanks to Pachamama - the goddess of Mother Earth who protects us climbers), and wait for the rest of the group so we can get a group photo taken. All 14 who made Stella at roughly the same time make the peak. Its a pretty good return for our group. Our only casualty is someone who we later find out made Stella, but was so exhausted from the lack of sleep over the previous nights, he could not make it any further.
All told I spend about 30 minutes at the top, although I have to say it feels like twice as long. It is so beautiful, and such an achievement, that time does seem to slow. Of course that could be a side effect of the lack of oxygen.
At this point we realise that of course what goes up must come down. This is actually not really a problem heading back to Stella Point because it is a fairly flat and wide track. In fact this time you can appreciate the views, and the terrain. And because with every metre you go down you get more breath back in your lungs, you can give encouragement to people who are still on their way up. I'm not 100% if everyone appreciates it, but I wouldn't have minded it on the way up. Somehow on the way down I am on my own for the first time, some of the others have gone on ahead, others are behind. Its the first time since we started on the mountain that I am actually out walking on my own. I'm not sure why but at this stage I actually begin to cry. I could blame the altitude, as it gets blamed for everything, but in this case I am fairly sure it is just the emotional release of having made it. There was some pressure on me with Dorota having made it, not from her I have to say, but sort of self inflicted. Anyway the relief from having made it is so much a couple of tears appear.
We regroup at Stella Point at about 9am, have some more food and drink, and then we head back down the much steeper slope. This is a lot more interesting as a descent. Its a bit like skiing down the scree. Of course I don't ski, and that makes it a bit difficult for me. In fact I do lose my footing once or twice, although its a backwards stumble not forward, which probably would have had me going down the mountain in record time. One of our guides sees it and insists on taking my backpack for a while thinking I'm tired. The truth is that I am slightly, and it is affecting my balance slightly.
The descent is great, but by this time we are a bit on autopilot, it is 9 hours since we started after all. It takes 2 hours all told to get back to the campsite, and we do get a good view of what we came up, and the campsites below. One interesting thing that we saw was a big rucksack rolling down the mountain. Obviously someone dropped it. It disappears off 100m to our left and none of us can get to it.
Once we get back to the campsite and get the congratulations of the porters, we hit the tents. Most normal groups would now rest here until the next day, but not our group. We do have a couple of hours to sleep in the tents, although it is so hot it is more like half in the tents, and half out of them, but after lunch at 1.30 we have to head off again down to our last campsite. While this does seem like a lot of trouble, we have already gone up 1300m in 5k, and come down it again, and now we have to go down another 1500m in 6k, on balance I think it is worth it because we are going to be one day closer to the lodge, where showers and a sit down toilet await.
The walk down is on a different route to the one we came up, but it looks fairly similar. The only difference is the speed at which we cross the various vegetation zones. Where it took us 2 days to get from the tree line to the barren desert stage on the way up, it takes only 2 hours to go down. We are all tired, but we are back to our talkative selves after the more quiet morning, again possibly because with every few minutes we have more air.. We get passed by others who are racing down the mountain.
It is something I have noticed while on the mountain. There seem to be a lot of people who are rushing past and who have really serious expressions on their faces. We see individuals who look like they are in training for something even harder, and we see groups who don't seem to be talking to each other. On the other hand our group are always talking, and having a laugh. A lot of the jokes are related to the strange effect the mountain has had on bodily functions, but we are enjoying ourselves. A lot of these others passing by at speed do not look like they are enjoying themselves.
Anyway we pass one campsite, and then head to our campsite lower down the mountain. As always we sign the register, and then head down to our campsite. While I am glad that this is the last night of camping, I will of course miss the popcorn. But one last night of dinner and baby wipe showers is all that separates us from getting off the mountain and back to civilisation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness
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