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Rongai Route Revisited - Part 4 : More travelling to our climb start

After the previous day's exersions, we awoke around 7.30am for a good hearty breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, bacon, sausage and eggs! I really pigged out on the banquet, knowing that we wouldn't be eating a hot meal again until the end of the day at least!
By 8.15am we had our bags packed,and water bottles filled. For the next half hour or so we stood and watched as our gear was loaded onto the two white Land Rover Discoveries which would carry us the two hour journey to our starting point for the climb at Rongai Gate.

There was something strangely reassuring about getting into our Land Rovers. One of the iconic British Exports which epitomises quality British design & engineering. As we sped past our third Japanese 4x4 copy on the offroad track taking us to Rongai, it was great to feel we could rely on the Land Rover to plough through the rocks and potholes ahead! Then....disaster....! As we past through what must have been village number 6, our driver suddenly stopped, the fan belt had come off! Typical!

Seizing the opportunity to stretch our legs after the hour long drive, we decided to get out of the vehicle . A small crowd of children had already gathered to see what was going on, so I approached to say hello. Within no time at all we were surrounded by over 200 children. It was one of those cliche moments you see on tv that you believe to be contrived by producers, and yet this was an extraordinarily powerful completely off the cuff encounter. I found myself completely engulfed in children, playing hand games and trying to communicate my name over to them. It was an amazing feeling to be stood in the middle of such obvious poverty and be surrounded by the happiest of all faces! It was a moving and very humbling experience!

All too quickly our fan belt was fixed and we were back on our way. Within an hour we were pulling up at our start gate, and carrying out our last few preparations before heading off up the mountain!

Rongai Route Revisited - Part 3: The Journey to Tanzania

There are clearly several routes to get you to Kilimanjaro, the most direct being a flight to Kilimanjaro Airport itself. Charity Challenge, (the UK based Tour Operator), handled our itinary, and I have to say, right up to departure I couldn't fault their efforts to ensure we had as much information as possible, including our own group web area and members page with personalised details of the trip. We were to fly to Nairobi and then catch a bus in comfort for the six hour journey to our hotel! Not so! The experience both to and from Tanzania fell someway short of the good impression created prior to leaving. For me the journey was typical third world, but once immersed in it, there was no point getting stressed out by the process.

Rather than make our own way to Heathrow, Nigel had very kindly organised a minibus to collect us each from our homes on the day of departure. With heavy snow and the promise of more to come, these arrangements were brought forward a couple of hours so that by lunchtime on the Friday we were on our way from MK, ahead of our flight scheduled for 7pm that evening. Not five minutes after hitting the M1, however, we encountered our first problem! The wipers on the bus failed and for the next few minutes we limped somewhat slowly towards Toddington Services for a replacement fuse. Ten minutes later, with several bladders emptied and the wipers fixed we were on track. Amazingly the journey on to Heathrow T4 was remarkably quick.

In the past T4 has been the terminal all the taxi drivers like to take you to. In my experience it stood head and shoulders above T's1,2,& 3 and despite having flown out of the new T5 myself only a couple of weeks earlier, I still expected T4 to have all its welcome space and exciting buzz. How wrong I was! T4 is now a building site! Abandoned by BA in their fiasco of a move over to T5, T4 has been left derelict and about as welcoming as a migrane. The portents were not good as we sought out a resting place before check in, only to realise that the one refreshment area left is a tiny Wetherspoons cramped into a first floor corner of the terminal. What a disappointment. It is fair to say that once through Baggage & Passport Control T4 still retains some semblance of a reasonable passenger terminal, but it falls massively short of a pleasant experience, and I would advise anyone flying from there in the next couple of years to be prepared for lots of disruption.

Kenyan Airways Flight KQ101 was pleasant enough. I managed to bag an aisle seat at least, which meant my knees and elbows could get a regular battering by the attendant trolley as it rumbled past, which is much more preferable to being decapitated by the tray table on the permanently reclined seat in front! When you are 6'2" these are small mercies on a flight lasting nine hours! I always hope for it whenever I board a plane. Indeed I always check myself to see the size and build of the person in the seat behind me to determine if there is any room for inclining my own seat back. To date however, I have never sat on an aircraft when the back of the seat in front wasn't thrust with menace in towards my abdomen making viewing of the TV screen impossible, even at its maximum tilt! Fortunately on this Kenyan Airways flight my TV screen didn't work anyway, so I wasn't very much inconvenienced.

After a suprisingly pleasant meal (served amazingly nearly 4 hours after take off), a snippet of rest, some light hearted banter and a continental breakfast we approached our final destination. All eyes (except mine) turned to the TV screens for the map and altitude readings on approach. Rather curiously we managed to land at Nairobi with the height above ground reading 560m. Something had gone amiss, but atleast we seemed to be on tarmac with something resembling an airport terminal passing us in the window. I didn't know it at the time, but this was to be the last decent bit of tarmac we would experience for atleast the next twelve hours or so!

Getting through Jumbo Kenyatta Airport took around 2 hours. Most of this was spent standing in a queue for the transit Visa. Although initially the authorities only had two desks open for this process, after an hour or so they decided to allow the process to spread along to the nationals arrival desks as well, which had a dramatic effect. Queueing is something we British seem to do so well, but next time I pass through Africa I shall remember that the concept of fixtures and fittings is lost on most Africans, and to save time, I will simply pick up the barriers and move them out the way! I must have seen this happen on atleast a dozen occassions as I waited patiently in the queue with a $20 note sticking out of my passport!



Once through the passenger terminal we were greeted by our host, and our luggage loaded on to our "luxury" bus. Vehicle T901ANY, had soft cushioned seating, sliding windows and pouches in the seatback in front for your water bottles. Some of the seats reclined which I found slightly ironic, but non the less, we were on board and ready for the last leg of our journey. By bus standards this was OK, not great, but OK. What we should have boarded however was something more akin to what you might ride at Thorpe Park or Alton Towers. Five minute out of the airport and we hit our first dirt track. And there we stayed until virtually the other side of Arusha, some seven hours later!!

Our journey from Nairobi to the border town of Namanga took some 3 1/2 to 4 hours along the worse road I ever been on. This leg reminded me of the journey from Nadi to Suva in Fiji. There though they carve the potholes out of tarmac atleast. Here its just dirt track all the way. I half expected to see a prison and a cemetry as we drove into Namanga, but on this occassion all I saw was more of the same ram shackled, brightly coloured tin huts, lined up precariously on the side of the track. Each brightly painted facade, doorless and windowless, but offering anything from raw meat to the hottest retail offering...replacement tyres!

Namanga is a town of hustle and bustle. Here, the merchants and mechanics mix openly with the tourists and the truck drivers. As you approach the border from the Kenyan side, the road begins to rise quite steeply until you reach the first set of gets to the crossing. This is the signal for checking your documentation. Yellow Kenyan Exit Form, Blue Tanzanian Entry Form, Passport with Visa (if you bought it in the UK), and Yellow Fever Certificate. Getting out of Kenya was easy enough. We boarded the bus again and passed through more gates to the Tanzanian side before parking up and joining the queue for entering the country. This seemed to take quite a while although the process itself was straight forward enough. We passed the time observing life in and around the border gates themselves. Occasionally we come across the odd beggar or artifact seller, but compared to some of my experiences overseas, (especially Turkey or the Carribean), we were pretty much left alone by the locals.

We hoped for better roads on the Tanzanian side for our two hour journey to Arusha and our lunch stop. Unfortunately it seems the whole of this part of Africa is spending money on new road development. So more bumpy tracks most of the way! On finally reaching Arusha we passed through the most commercial town on the trip. A thriving buzzing place with all of industry it seems setting up. You could want for nothing in Arusha.

We diverted off the main road up a dusty track towards our hotel and a hot meal atlast! Despite our exhastion and frustration with the journey, the meal itself was lovely, a selection of spicy meats and chapati's. The hotel itself, an oasis amidst the tin shacks and huts which served as commercial premises up the hill we had travelled. By now we were all very tired and grumbles were starting to be heard about the length of time we were spending travelling to our final stop for the night. Most stick was aimed at the BBC however, when Immanuel, our guide, revealed the arrangements for the 9 Celebrities climbing Kilimanjaro for Comic Releif. He is one of the guides on the trek itself and revealed some interesting insights. Extra days acclimatisation, portable showers and bottled water flown in from the UK. It all seemed a little too much pandering for our tastes, but I guess thats television for you!

After about 45 minutes we set off on the final leg of this now epic day to Marangu and our Hotel. Fortunately with the grumbles not really going away, this leg was punctuated with out first site of Kilimanjaro. Initially you could just make out an outline etched against the greying skies, before, suddenly it appeared, the full extent of its size laid bare for us all.

The impact is made all the more impressive because it is a single standing structure, its base reaching out along the horizon for miles before rising to its snow topped cone. We were all hit with a sudden sense of awe and forboding at the magnitude of the task before us. Scary but inspiring in the same breath!

The first site of Kili spurred us on to our Hotel, the now very welcome Hotel Capricorn. On arrival, we quickly unloaded our stuff, found our rooms and took an hour out to prepare for dinner, evening briefing and then bed! It was one of the longest journeys I'd ever undertaken, and yes just about the most uncomfortable. But at least we got to see some of the beautiful countryside, its inhabitants and places. Flying in to Kilimanjaro airport would have avoided all this. For me, tired and exhausted I was non the less very happy to have experienced the journey and looked forward to our next day with eager anticipation.

Rongai Route Revisited Part 2 - Our Kilimanjaro Journey in Map Form: A Google Maps link

Rongai Route Revisited Part 2 - Our Kilimanjaro Journey in Map Form
Hi, I'd like to share a Google Maps link with you.
Link:
<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111527803157459417570.00046306f6cf2b7a2d6f2&t=h&z=8>
Please feel free to review the route and some of the details I have
attached to each icon.
For me this map is best viewed in Satellite View where a lot of the detail
can clearly be seen!

This email was sent to you by a user on Google Maps (maps.google.com)

Rongai Route Revisited - Part 1 : Preparation

I decided back in September 2008 that Kilimanjaro was for me. It struck me as the type of physical challenge that was eminently achievable,..... even for an overweight 40 something year old recently separated....and so it proved!

How you go about preparing for a trip such as this is very much dependent on individual circumstances. In my case I saw three priorities:
First - the Charity Fundraising
My journey to Kilimanjaro was in aid of local Milton Keynes Charity, Climb Your Mountain. Raising the necessary £3,000 to get on the trip, was not going to be easy particularly given the need to have most of the money raised before Christmas!
Second - My Physical Fitness
I knew at 18st 4lbs I was clearly overweight, and unlikely to attain my goal of reaching the summit carrying this much bulk.
Third - Mental Preparation
From day one I visualised only 1 outcome, that of me standing next to the rickety sign on Uhuru Peak. The image of this in my minds eye was to help shape all my approaches to the training, and with hindsight, proved to be the glue that secured all my other preparations.

I formally signed up for the trip on 1st October 2008. At this point I had already taken measures to address my weight and fitness issues. Nothing drastic but simple things that fitted into my lifestyle and work schedule. Looking back the most important thing that affected my weight loss was to switch my main meal of the day to lunchtime as opposed to the evening. That aside I did nothing very extraordinary, cut down on alcohol up to Christmas and stopped altogether from New Years Eve up to departure on Feb 6th.
In terms of exercise I hate running and gyms so didn't really see these as a workable option. I did work out a manageable schedule however which saw me doing some exercise every day. For eight weeks I split my training between the bike and spinning classes, walking, running and swimming. It sounds a lot but wasn't really, no more than an hour and a half 5 days a week. After eight weeks my emphasis changed exclusively to walking. I used Dunstable Downs as a local training base which saw me walk a circuit of 4.6 miles involving 3 steep climbs of 200m each. Personally I believe this was the most important element of my whole physical training, particularly the week I was able to do five consecutive days. So much of the preparation is getting your body used to getting up and walking for 5 - 7 days consecutively!
Interspersed within the training were a trip to the Peak District and a memorable first ever climb of Snowdon in just about the worst conditions possible!
By the time I left for Kilimanjaro my weight had fallen to 15st 12lbs (a loss of 2st 6lbs), but most importantly I felt confident in my bodies physical ability to get me to the very top even if the altitude issue remained an unknown.

The biggest threat to my mental preparation came about three weeks after signing up for the trip. It was then that I realised I had committed myself to what amounted to a total lottery. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to be able to cope with the altitude and there was nothing I could do to affect this. I dismissed very early on the use of Diamox and took a bit of time to settle in my head the possibility of not making it. It helped at this stage having a significant focus on fundraising, and all the good things that would come from my efforts whether or not I reached the summit. Despite this, Kilimanjaro for me was all about getting to the top. If I could have controlled the altitude element without the use of artificial drug taking then my outlook may have been different. However I couldn't do this and therefore reasoned out a decision to reconcile myself with the risk of possible failure, by minimising any other risk factors in my preparation.

It helped massively to talk to people who had previously climbed Kilimanjaro and I am particularly grateful to Nicola for providing me with her own insight and some invaluable reading material. My experience on Snowdon also taught me never to underestimate the challenge of climbing any mountain. Not two weeks after climbing Snowdon myself, in really challenging circumstances, two brothers were killed on the same mountain caught out by the weather and prevailing conditions under foot. This told me everything I ever needed to know about preparation. If there were elements I thought I could wing on this trip, they were rapidly dismissed after that weekend.

A week before I was due to leave, I was packed and ready to go. 24 hours before leaving I had packed and repacked my rucksack three times! This was more about questioning the need for certain items and packing in a way that would minimise the need for repacking on route to starting the climb itself. Communication between our group was now almost hourly as we each tried to help each other with tips for packing. I will address the kit list contents under general Tips For Travellers at the end of my blog, but for now will finish off with my top three tips in the packing process:
1) Sealable Frozen Food Bags (Med or Lrg) make excellent waterproof compression bags for your clothes.
2) You don't need to fret as I did over the type of rucksack to take. A large Kit bag (min 65lt) is perfectly suitable. The porters will put whichever bag you take into its own green holdhall for carrying up the mountain, usually on their head! (I kid you not!)
3) If you are camping, take the best base matt possible/affordable. You will rarely find your tent pitched on a flat stone free site so anything you can do to improve your sleeping comfort will prove invaluable. You will have enough trouble sleeping as it is with the altitude!

There it is, my preparation in summary. I guess the biggest thing I would say about this stage of my challenge is that I probably wouldn't change a thing. I was certainly as well prepared as I thought I could be at the time and with hindsight that still remains my view!

A time for Reflection and Expression of Thanks

Five days ago now, after an exhausting climb from Kibo Huts, I along with 3 others of my party successfully reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. Over the next few days I will retell the story of my journey from Milton Keynes to Uhuru Peak and back again, but for now I feel its a time of reflection and thanks.

In the days and hours since Friday morning, I have had time to bathe in a certain amount of reflective glory. To be honest I never visualised any other outcome for myself, right from the very first moment, back in October 2008, when I signed up for the trip. That may indeed sound very arrogant, and inflective, but as Nigel, Mark, Jane, Dean, Jez, Jacquie, Peter and Charlie will all testify, there comes a point in the journey when you realise only you know if you are going to get to the top. Friendship and encouragement undoubtedly carries you so far, but in the end, climbing Kilimanjaro is all about your PERSONAL battle with the mountain, its nature, environment and your own inner demons.

Before retelling my story (from my narrow participative point of view) I wanted to say a few words of thanks.

Thanks to my fellow climbers, Mark, Nigel, Jane, Jez, Jacquie, Peter, Dean and Charlie for allowing me to participate and share with them the trials and tribulations of a memorable trip.

Thanks to the people of Milton Keynes who have so eagerly supported my fundraising to make my participation in the trip possible.

Thanks to my friends and family for their unswerving support and encouragement.

Thanks too to Makele and his team of hard working guides and porters from the African Walking Company. You are a truely amazing group of people.

Finally, thanks to everyone involved in and around the Charity, Climb Your Mountain. You have provided me with faith, fun and friendship at a time when I needed it most. But most importantly of all, you have provided me with opportunity! Opportunity that I hope I have lived up to and rewarded you in a small way with fundraising and support.

By the time you read this most of you will have updated yourselves via Nigels blog. The last 48 hours without battery power and signal have been very frustrating but let's not forget this is Africa and Gods Country! Besides there is always a pause before the jury delivers it's verdict. In this case the mountain decided that four of us should reach the summit from our base camp at Kibo with a further team member peaking at Gilmans Point. that's five out of nine acheiving an altitude in excess of 5680m. A fantastic acheivement by any measure!
For my part this has proved to be an deeply personal challenge. I knew that day five of the climb would be tough but I hadn't quote envisaged just how tough. we climbed only 400 m from Mawenzi Tarn Hut to Kibo Huts, but that journey was in itself a real test for the epic challenge ahead. The fact that all nine of us made it to Kibo was testiment to both our team ethic and individual powers of acheivement.
On the night of ascent, in the end 7 of us set off on the final leg up to the summit. Within an hour that witttled itself down to six as Jackie succumbed to the effects of dehydration! By the half way point we were down to five with our fantastic support staff disagreeing on how best to proceed. In the end the journey to Gilmans Point became an attritional campaign for all 5 of us left on the mountain . At somewhere between 6.15 and 6.30 am three of us succeeded in reaching Gilmans Point! A truely inspirational moment for Mark , jane and myself was later followed in equal measure by Nigel and Dean!
The emotional intensity in acheiving a summit height of 5685m spurred myself and Mark under superb leadership from our guide Hubert, on to acheiving our ultimate goal. At 7.45 am on Friday 13th the two of us stood proudly ontop of Kilimanjaro, the worlds highest single standing mountain. An hour or so later that acheivement was repeated by Nigel and Jane who amid emotional scenes had passed us on the way round the crater summit!
Words cannot begin to describe the raw emotion felt by the whole group on learning the news of our acjeivements. A very personal comment will follow in subsequent entries but for now let me sum up by saying the following:
Kilimanjaro is like no place on earth. You are able to discover more about human nature and your own shortcomings than any other place I know. And amidst all that, is raw beauty and magnificance seldom to be found elsewhere. My first experience of Africa has been truely uplifting and one I will remember for the rest of my days.

Day 4 we have made it to 4600m

we have made it to 4600m and most of us are now suffering to some degree with the altitude. The real story of the day happened during the night and at day break. The almost full moon lit up Malwenzi as if a million lights had been turned on illuminating the scene. But this was just the start of the show. It was almost as if the night with it's brilliant light was some prelude to the main event where the sun as it rose above the horizon conducted the two main players on the stage. I can recall few other places on earth where mother nature presented such a magnificent show. Awesome doesn't describe the sight as we rose from our sleep

Climb Day 4

The view from my tent at camp on day 4!

Camp three on a day when two of our team have suffered

"made it to camp three on a day when two of our team have suffered. Peter was amazing in walking through his altitude sickness this morning, but Jez is now suffering quite badly from his cold. He is strong and should pull through with rest this afternoon. I had a bad panic attack on the night but managed to regain control and so far no further breathing side affects. Mark continues to make us laugh with his anecdotes and snoring! All looking forward to some rest now ahead of the difficult climb to come!"

Group Photo Day 2 of Climb

Here we all are with Kilimanjaro in the background!

Campsite Location Day 3

Our location having reached camp on day 3 of our climb. It's a
spectacular location for sure!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=-3.053051,37.447800%20%28Kilimanjaro%20Region%20Tanzania%29

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