Amsha (Stand up and get moving)

  Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
December 28, 2015

It was just after midnight and we had been awake for an hour and had been making the steady ascent. Our path was lighted by the near full moon and our head lamps. To our backs is Moshi, who was winking at us and silently encouraging us on. On our right was Mount Meru, the second highest mountain in Africa. Once we get above her, we will know that we are making some progress. 

At the beginning of our trek there was a steep area that was sheer rock. We had to TYB - Trust Your Boots (or Bill or Bosco)! 


We hiked across, down a bit, then just up, up, and more up!

At first I thought I was overdressed and would not need my heavy gloves Dawn Near the Summit. After a few hours of climbing I definitely needed them and more!

At various points during the hours and minutes leading up to the summit we all had moments when we wanted to throw in the towel. I was totally hangry after the first hour. Since we had eaten dinner at 18:00 the previous evening, I had only eaten one tea biscuit and had two sips of tea. Poor Karen was not feeling 100% as her tummy was giving her troubles, so she was having a hard time. Bill was really happy until we were stuck behind a slow lady for a while.

At one point Karen and I could not take the colder temperatures any longer. We added foot warmers and put on our water proof pants. Those hand and foot warmers work amazing and I had used them on my hands and feet while sleeping most nights.

Along the way each of us began to feel spaced out and simply put one foot in front of the other while staring at the person's ankles in front of you We Made It!!!!. Karen and I both swore that we were very close to sleep walking!

But, as we neared the top and our energy lagged, we had some GU and it helped to power us through! At 7:30, 8 hours after our start, we reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. We were so happy and relieved, but that was not the highest point yet. We took some photos and then kept going.

Karen was so sad, but she powered through! The view from the top was amazing and the crater and glaciers were stunning! 45 minutes later we officially reached the highest point in Africa - 5895m. It was an amazing accomplishment and I was so proud of each of us for achieving this challenging goal. It took a lot of physical and mental strength.

We took some photos, then headed back to camp. It was slow going and we certainly did not run down like we saw a few others doing! At one point Bill did give a ski demonstration to Bosco, who had never seen skiing before!

We had a short break, had some lunch (the grilled cheese and fruit tasted amazing), then headed back out.

It was a gruelling 4 hour hike to camp. It should have only taken 3 hours, but our toes, feet and knees were throbbing. I think we were the slowest group of the day!

It really felt good to have dinner and then crawl into our sleeping bags and crash out!

Eco Sytem: Alpine to Moorland
Weather: -10C, sunny and foggy
Summit: 9 km round trip, 4600m to 5895m
Base Camp to X camp: x km, at 3100m
Pictures & VideosThe Glacier is Still ThereAlmost ThereWhat goes up must come downGetting Down was Tough on the Knees