There are probably only so many times you can write about an experience. I'll try and make this my last.
For the past 8 months I had been fundraising for a charity called Hope for Children, a small charity in comparison to the ones you can name off the top of your head but all the same a brilliant cause. My challenge was to raise £2650 so that I could go on an adventure.
That adventure was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The Roof of Africa. 5895m.
19 Nottingham students rocked up to Heathrow on the 30th June - one only just rocking up in time - for a flight that would see us head to Dubai and then onto Nairobi. This all went swimmingly (although I'm not sure that's quite the description to use for a plane) and we touched down in Nairobi on the 1st of July and began to fill out the forms. These entry/departure visa forms followed us around everywhere we went but wouldn't you believe it we never had enough pens, so the time it took to get through any form of immigration desk doubled. Anyway! On exiting the airport we found our guide, Gibson, who was to take us to the hotel in Arusha. We later found out that Gibson (or Gilbert, to the one who only just rocked up in time) was to be taking us up the mountain too.
On arrival to our hotel we crashed in our rooms for a bit before trudging down for tea. Little was I know to just how inappropriate the word 'trudge' is here...I certainly do now. The newly formed group of 19 headed to bed for an early start which was to be the beginning of our climb up the highest point in Africa.
Our first day was spent in the rain forest. The Machame route is one of the most difficult paths to the top of Kilimanjaro but also one of the most popular; this is due to its breath taking views and diversity in environment as the climb ensues. It was certainly a beautiful route, the rain forest was clouded in mist and looked like something you would find in National Geographic.
It was a long day but our lead guide, Isaac, told us to 'respect the day' and that 'tomorrow is a new day'. These words, although excruciatingly simple, were hard to live by as our group eagerly asked about the days to come.
The Group of 19 was soon to be our world. By the end of the first day we had already forged friendships with people we had only just met but I don't think we quite realised just how close these friendships would become and just how much we would owe to each other.
I knew a few faces from before the trip: the guys from my halls, a couple of girls we'd met at a social and a lad who I knew as a banana. The majority of the group were to be new friends however and with these new companionships came a name; Ed's Eagles. Ed was our team leader and he hated, with fine vigor, the sound of..."When I say Ed's, you say Eagles...Ed's!"..."Eagles!" but I think he learnt to cope with it quite well and may have even joined in with our last one. Maybe.
The second day led us away from the rain forest and across rocky paths and coarse growth. Our destination was Shira Cave which would be the highest point of our trek so far. At 3,900m the air was beginning to noticeably thin but we were not flying too close to the sun just yet. Once again, we were treated to amazing views as we walked but the highlight was once we had reached camp. After some warm water (a pleasant surprise) to wash our faces Isaac called us over. He had assembled the whole group of porters which would take us to the top of the mountain - which was ominously overlooking proceedings - and introduced us to them in a very African manner...song. Which you can see here.
That wasn't all from Shira Cave, as sunset then proved to be the most incredible sunset I'd ever seen and in the morning it gave us a perfect view of the heights we were to scale.
Our next day, oddly, was the penultimate one up. We would be climbing to 4,600m and then back down again to 3,950. This was called 'Judgement Day'. We were to climb to a spot named Lava Tower at a slow (pole pole in Swahili) steady pace and then walk/skid/fall back down to the height we started the day at. If we made it to camp there would be a 95% chance we could make it to the top. In hindsight I am sure that this figure is pulled out of thin air, just like the timescales of our walks are but at the time we did not care; we were going to make Barranco camp and we would make it to the top.
The third day however was possibly too close to the sun for some, who were beginning to struggle. The climb down was one of the hardest parts of the trek that day; endless descent and the torture of being able to see your destination for hours made it tough going but (with a bit of vomit along the way) our group of 19 were all safely sleeping under what was my favourite view so far.
Breakfast. Not what you'd expect, rather 800 foot of rock called Barranco wall. A steep ascent, with some parts maybe being a bit close to the edge for some, which was done by early morning. The effort put in was just a precursor to the oncoming ups and downs of the valleys and streams which would bring us ever close to base camp. As we were doing a 6 day climb we walked straight through Katanga camp and soldiered on towards Barafu. The group were continually perked up by the porters and guides; 'poa kichizi com ndizi' ('crazy cool like a banana') 'no hurry no worry' both standard phrases to help us on our way and then came the uplifting voice of one of our guides... 'Shakira shakira shakira'. Okay, not quite what you'd expect up the mountain but accompanied by a fantastic smile and a booty shake this guide was instrumental in us reaching the top.
It is hard to believe just how beyond words these guides are. Running past you with your 15kg pack as well as a table, water, tents etc and all this quite often in the standard climb-a-really-high-mountain-gear of sandals and jeans...maybe even a suit. Well, why wouldn't you wear a suit when 'Kilimanjaro is [your] office'? These guides are your life on the mountain, you may feel like you are on top of the world or that it is on top of you - depending on how altitude is treating you - but they are there propping you up. We would not have made it to the top without them but nor would we want too: they kept us smiling, laughing and became friends. Even if there was a language barrier and all they could offer was simple phrases, you never felt like you needed anything else because they were already giving you everything you needed and more.
By early afternoon we made Barafu camp. We still had everyone, with our whole troop made up just after dinner and all of us amazed at the terrain we had covered that day. Camp offered a great view back across the valley we'd just walked...which hid the one before that. All we had wanted to do was get to camp and I think for the first time Isaac's words from the first day had sunk in. This was more useful than on any other day because by midnight we would be on our ascent, to those literal dizzy heights.
So it was. 11:30. 'Jambo...wake up time', our alarm each morning. Pitch black outside, we saw a few head-torches in the distance beginning their ascent. That was soon to be us. We left as a group and began to wind our way up the 1,200m to the summit. Not for the first time, when you looked up you were greeted with the most beautiful sight of all. We may have seen the curvature of the Earth, beautiful sunsets and been above the clouds since day one but nothing was comparable to the sky.
Stars. So many it felt like there was more of them than there was the darkness of space which surrounded them. The Milky Way too, a pale inky line stretching across the wide expanse.
'If you ever start to lose inspiration...just look up'.
After a while a few of us forged on from the group. Six and two guides, we challenged our bodies to make the summit for sunrise. Our pace was not much quicker but we stopped less and ever so gradually ate up ground. One of us dropped out and waited for the others to catch up and although we didn't want to leave him we didn't want to stop; I was almost possessed with a sense of getting to the top. I had been questioned as to whether it was wise we split from the group; how would our bodies hold up? I knew, even if my body didn't, that I would be okay. This belief stemmed from my Gran.
Less than 2 months before we left for Africa my Gran passed away. When I was in Surrey, after going to Wimbledon and staying around so it was quicker to get to Heathrow, I got a text from my mum. After going through some possessions at the house she had come across a letter. Attached was a mascot, asking whether he (Olly Owl) could be taken to the top as my Gran's legs were too short. I then had something to climb for, aside from the charity and the experience. I would have loved to have stayed with the group and to have reached the summit with them but I had a drive to get to the top and I felt, for some reason, that time was running short. I must thank our leader who was with me in that small group, he managed to calm me down as I was urging everyone to get up and carry on. The renewed level headedess probably helped me to the top as much as anything, thanks to Ed just saying; 'Look mate, there's no rush, relax'.
Four of our six reached Stella point, the marker for the summit, for sunrise. It was beautiful but short lived. We rested for 5 minutes before Gift, our guide, urged us onto Uhuru point. Legs like iron and minds slipping, one friend seeing suns wherever he looked, we trudged (this time, it is the most perfect description) towards the purpose of our climb. Uhuru.
Uhuru means freedom. On the 9th of December 1961 Tanzania gained independence from Britain and in honour of this renamed the points of Kilimanjaro. Freedom point does not just represent their independence; when you reach the Roof of Africa you forget all pain. You may be tired, you will be tired but it doesn't matter. You are free from everything as you look out onto the second largest continent in the world. Then you are overcome with incredible joy and any ills are washed away by the smile on your face. I had reached the top of Africa with eighteen others, we may have made the top at different times - with two not quite making it - but I still made the top with them all. They had been there all the way, with Gran, Olly Owl and all the sponsors who I wore on my back and it was just the most amazing experience of my life. I hope this is how everyone else felt and I think they probably did.
We did, eventually, get down. The laughter in the group rose to new levels as we had a beer at the bottom and the laughter didn't stop for the rest of our time in Africa. As was how our group worked.
I was continually amazed by our group,
at the support we so effortlessly gave each other. I knew that our group was good fun after the first day. I knew that our group was awesome after the second. By the third we were all shattered, some of us effected immensely by the altitude yet we still gave our support without thinking to spare our breath. At this point, alongside the effort of one of our crew which I think I have now lost the ability to understand, I knew that our group was incredible. But by the end of our climb we were superhuman. This can't be shown any better than by just this one photo. What it shows is Kilimanjaro, gathered by mist and clouds, taken from a seat on a plane. Uhuru point stands at 19,341' our plane was travelling at just over 18,000'. It is not often that you can claim to have stood higher than a plane flies yet we can. And still with our wings intact...just.
The climb was in aid of Hope for Children. A fantastic charity working across Africa, Asia and Europe who support: homeless, orphaned, poor and exploited children. Ed's Eagles were lucky enough to see the work they do when we visited a local project. Seeing those small, smiling faces is probably nothing new to those who read this, as they are shown constantly on charity adverts and other kind hearted people's photos. But you don't quite realise just how inspiring they are until you meet them; for all the words that I can write they come no where near the kind of words that would be fitting to those who are fighting life, yet full of it at the same time.
If you want to read about our visit you can do here: Mkombozi Visit
You can find out more about the charity here: Hope for Children
For the past 8 months I had been fundraising for a charity called Hope for Children, a small charity in comparison to the ones you can name off the top of your head but all the same a brilliant cause. My challenge was to raise £2650 so that I could go on an adventure.
That adventure was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The Roof of Africa. 5895m.
19 Nottingham students rocked up to Heathrow on the 30th June - one only just rocking up in time - for a flight that would see us head to Dubai and then onto Nairobi. This all went swimmingly (although I'm not sure that's quite the description to use for a plane) and we touched down in Nairobi on the 1st of July and began to fill out the forms. These entry/departure visa forms followed us around everywhere we went but wouldn't you believe it we never had enough pens, so the time it took to get through any form of immigration desk doubled. Anyway! On exiting the airport we found our guide, Gibson, who was to take us to the hotel in Arusha. We later found out that Gibson (or Gilbert, to the one who only just rocked up in time) was to be taking us up the mountain too.
On arrival to our hotel we crashed in our rooms for a bit before trudging down for tea. Little was I know to just how inappropriate the word 'trudge' is here...I certainly do now. The newly formed group of 19 headed to bed for an early start which was to be the beginning of our climb up the highest point in Africa.
Our first day was spent in the rain forest. The Machame route is one of the most difficult paths to the top of Kilimanjaro but also one of the most popular; this is due to its breath taking views and diversity in environment as the climb ensues. It was certainly a beautiful route, the rain forest was clouded in mist and looked like something you would find in National Geographic.It was a long day but our lead guide, Isaac, told us to 'respect the day' and that 'tomorrow is a new day'. These words, although excruciatingly simple, were hard to live by as our group eagerly asked about the days to come.
The Group of 19 was soon to be our world. By the end of the first day we had already forged friendships with people we had only just met but I don't think we quite realised just how close these friendships would become and just how much we would owe to each other.
I knew a few faces from before the trip: the guys from my halls, a couple of girls we'd met at a social and a lad who I knew as a banana. The majority of the group were to be new friends however and with these new companionships came a name; Ed's Eagles. Ed was our team leader and he hated, with fine vigor, the sound of..."When I say Ed's, you say Eagles...Ed's!"..."Eagles!" but I think he learnt to cope with it quite well and may have even joined in with our last one. Maybe.
The second day led us away from the rain forest and across rocky paths and coarse growth. Our destination was Shira Cave which would be the highest point of our trek so far. At 3,900m the air was beginning to noticeably thin but we were not flying too close to the sun just yet. Once again, we were treated to amazing views as we walked but the highlight was once we had reached camp. After some warm water (a pleasant surprise) to wash our faces Isaac called us over. He had assembled the whole group of porters which would take us to the top of the mountain - which was ominously overlooking proceedings - and introduced us to them in a very African manner...song. Which you can see here.
That wasn't all from Shira Cave, as sunset then proved to be the most incredible sunset I'd ever seen and in the morning it gave us a perfect view of the heights we were to scale.
Our next day, oddly, was the penultimate one up. We would be climbing to 4,600m and then back down again to 3,950. This was called 'Judgement Day'. We were to climb to a spot named Lava Tower at a slow (pole pole in Swahili) steady pace and then walk/skid/fall back down to the height we started the day at. If we made it to camp there would be a 95% chance we could make it to the top. In hindsight I am sure that this figure is pulled out of thin air, just like the timescales of our walks are but at the time we did not care; we were going to make Barranco camp and we would make it to the top.
The third day however was possibly too close to the sun for some, who were beginning to struggle. The climb down was one of the hardest parts of the trek that day; endless descent and the torture of being able to see your destination for hours made it tough going but (with a bit of vomit along the way) our group of 19 were all safely sleeping under what was my favourite view so far.
Breakfast. Not what you'd expect, rather 800 foot of rock called Barranco wall. A steep ascent, with some parts maybe being a bit close to the edge for some, which was done by early morning. The effort put in was just a precursor to the oncoming ups and downs of the valleys and streams which would bring us ever close to base camp. As we were doing a 6 day climb we walked straight through Katanga camp and soldiered on towards Barafu. The group were continually perked up by the porters and guides; 'poa kichizi com ndizi' ('crazy cool like a banana') 'no hurry no worry' both standard phrases to help us on our way and then came the uplifting voice of one of our guides... 'Shakira shakira shakira'. Okay, not quite what you'd expect up the mountain but accompanied by a fantastic smile and a booty shake this guide was instrumental in us reaching the top.
It is hard to believe just how beyond words these guides are. Running past you with your 15kg pack as well as a table, water, tents etc and all this quite often in the standard climb-a-really-high-mountain-gear of sandals and jeans...maybe even a suit. Well, why wouldn't you wear a suit when 'Kilimanjaro is [your] office'? These guides are your life on the mountain, you may feel like you are on top of the world or that it is on top of you - depending on how altitude is treating you - but they are there propping you up. We would not have made it to the top without them but nor would we want too: they kept us smiling, laughing and became friends. Even if there was a language barrier and all they could offer was simple phrases, you never felt like you needed anything else because they were already giving you everything you needed and more.
By early afternoon we made Barafu camp. We still had everyone, with our whole troop made up just after dinner and all of us amazed at the terrain we had covered that day. Camp offered a great view back across the valley we'd just walked...which hid the one before that. All we had wanted to do was get to camp and I think for the first time Isaac's words from the first day had sunk in. This was more useful than on any other day because by midnight we would be on our ascent, to those literal dizzy heights.
So it was. 11:30. 'Jambo...wake up time', our alarm each morning. Pitch black outside, we saw a few head-torches in the distance beginning their ascent. That was soon to be us. We left as a group and began to wind our way up the 1,200m to the summit. Not for the first time, when you looked up you were greeted with the most beautiful sight of all. We may have seen the curvature of the Earth, beautiful sunsets and been above the clouds since day one but nothing was comparable to the sky.
Stars. So many it felt like there was more of them than there was the darkness of space which surrounded them. The Milky Way too, a pale inky line stretching across the wide expanse.
'If you ever start to lose inspiration...just look up'.
After a while a few of us forged on from the group. Six and two guides, we challenged our bodies to make the summit for sunrise. Our pace was not much quicker but we stopped less and ever so gradually ate up ground. One of us dropped out and waited for the others to catch up and although we didn't want to leave him we didn't want to stop; I was almost possessed with a sense of getting to the top. I had been questioned as to whether it was wise we split from the group; how would our bodies hold up? I knew, even if my body didn't, that I would be okay. This belief stemmed from my Gran.
Less than 2 months before we left for Africa my Gran passed away. When I was in Surrey, after going to Wimbledon and staying around so it was quicker to get to Heathrow, I got a text from my mum. After going through some possessions at the house she had come across a letter. Attached was a mascot, asking whether he (Olly Owl) could be taken to the top as my Gran's legs were too short. I then had something to climb for, aside from the charity and the experience. I would have loved to have stayed with the group and to have reached the summit with them but I had a drive to get to the top and I felt, for some reason, that time was running short. I must thank our leader who was with me in that small group, he managed to calm me down as I was urging everyone to get up and carry on. The renewed level headedess probably helped me to the top as much as anything, thanks to Ed just saying; 'Look mate, there's no rush, relax'.
Four of our six reached Stella point, the marker for the summit, for sunrise. It was beautiful but short lived. We rested for 5 minutes before Gift, our guide, urged us onto Uhuru point. Legs like iron and minds slipping, one friend seeing suns wherever he looked, we trudged (this time, it is the most perfect description) towards the purpose of our climb. Uhuru.
Uhuru means freedom. On the 9th of December 1961 Tanzania gained independence from Britain and in honour of this renamed the points of Kilimanjaro. Freedom point does not just represent their independence; when you reach the Roof of Africa you forget all pain. You may be tired, you will be tired but it doesn't matter. You are free from everything as you look out onto the second largest continent in the world. Then you are overcome with incredible joy and any ills are washed away by the smile on your face. I had reached the top of Africa with eighteen others, we may have made the top at different times - with two not quite making it - but I still made the top with them all. They had been there all the way, with Gran, Olly Owl and all the sponsors who I wore on my back and it was just the most amazing experience of my life. I hope this is how everyone else felt and I think they probably did.We did, eventually, get down. The laughter in the group rose to new levels as we had a beer at the bottom and the laughter didn't stop for the rest of our time in Africa. As was how our group worked.
I was continually amazed by our group,
at the support we so effortlessly gave each other. I knew that our group was good fun after the first day. I knew that our group was awesome after the second. By the third we were all shattered, some of us effected immensely by the altitude yet we still gave our support without thinking to spare our breath. At this point, alongside the effort of one of our crew which I think I have now lost the ability to understand, I knew that our group was incredible. But by the end of our climb we were superhuman. This can't be shown any better than by just this one photo. What it shows is Kilimanjaro, gathered by mist and clouds, taken from a seat on a plane. Uhuru point stands at 19,341' our plane was travelling at just over 18,000'. It is not often that you can claim to have stood higher than a plane flies yet we can. And still with our wings intact...just.
The climb was in aid of Hope for Children. A fantastic charity working across Africa, Asia and Europe who support: homeless, orphaned, poor and exploited children. Ed's Eagles were lucky enough to see the work they do when we visited a local project. Seeing those small, smiling faces is probably nothing new to those who read this, as they are shown constantly on charity adverts and other kind hearted people's photos. But you don't quite realise just how inspiring they are until you meet them; for all the words that I can write they come no where near the kind of words that would be fitting to those who are fighting life, yet full of it at the same time.
If you want to read about our visit you can do here: Mkombozi Visit
You can find out more about the charity here: Hope for Children
