Thursday, January 21, 2016

To the Top and Back Again: A Kilimanjaro Climbing Tale




A few people have asked me about Kilimanjaro, and after a month of deliberation (but mostly sleeping and deliriously consuming holiday baked goods), I’ve compiled a semi-coherent packet of advice for anyone considering the Big Climb. For those of you too sensible and frugal to consider Kilimanjaro, this post also serves as an embarrassing—if indirect—description of my ascent. I’ll first discuss general training advice, then at the bottom of the page you’ll find my recommended packing list.


General Training and Information

 I really underestimated how difficult climbing Kilimanjaro would be. I had read that Kilimanjaro was really just a long hike, which is—in a sense—true. Ascending Africa’s highest peak requires no technical climbing experience: no ropes, no harnesses, no dangling over bottomless crevasses. I assumed that because I didn’t need crampons, Kilimanjaro must be easy. However, dear reader, I was perilously wrong. I took the seven-day Machame route, which goes up the south side of the mountain and is affectionately known as the “Whiskey Route.” (A name that compares it to the easier Marangu route, known as the “Coca-Cola Route.”)

 The first four days were moderately difficult—especially day three, when we did an acclimatization climb to 15,000 ft. At that altitude, I became light-headed and irritable. However, on day five—when we climbed to the summit of 19,341 feet—I became genuinely ill. Day five consisted of waking up at 11:30 pm. (I think everyone does it at night, though for what reason I am not certain. I theorize it is to protect all us white and Asian tourists from sun burning in the thin air. My secondary theory is that we tourists whine less when we are semi-conscious, which makes life more pleasant for the guides.) We then walked for nearly eight hours to the summit. This walk is extremely steep for the first seven hours and forty minutes. At one point, I could only take five steps at a time before I would collapse in despair. Upon reaching the summit, I groggily gave my camera to a guide. He snapped a picture, and I turned around to hike a further three hours back down the same steep, knee-breaking trail to the base camp. There I took a nap, ate snacks, and then continued about three more hours to the next camp. Altogether, this amounted to about 14 hours of hiking in one day over extreme elevation changes at high altitudes with little sleep. All these factors combined to make day five far more difficult than any marathon, Spartan race, or backpacking trip I have ever done.

Keeping this narrative in mind, I would encourage you to train for the climb with the same thoroughness that you would for a marathon. I would also HIGHLY recommend getting prescription altitude medication to take during your climb. I tried to buy it over the counter in Moshi (the town nearest Kilimanjaro), but they were—predictably—out of stock. In the end, a fellow climber gave me half her altitude pills. Don’t be me. Get altitude pills. The tallest point in the continental U.S. is 14,505 feet; a full 4,836 feet lower than Kilimanjaro. Even if you routinely climb Mt. Whitney, you can’t adequately train for altitude in the States. Spare yourself the headache (literally), and get altitude pills before you come to Tanzania.



Bare Minimum Packing List

I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous packing lists for Kilimanjaro. One blogger I read recommended packing a small tent to hide one’s toilet… As a volunteer, I didn’t have the budget to invest in those fancy things. Here is a skeleton list of what I would consider bare essentials for climbing.

Note: Weather there is extremely unpredictable. Kilimanjaro is one of the only places on Earth where the full range of ecosystems—from tropical rainforests to polar glaciers—exists within a few miles. Two of my Peace Corps friends climbed Kili two weeks before I did, and they had no bad weather. On my climb, it snowed all of the summit day and rained on the way down the mountain. That being said, it’s a really good idea to pack for the worst.

  • Comfortable hiking pants (I wore the same pants every day. If they are waterproof, even better.)
  • Hiking shirt (I wore the same shirt every day. This should be something that’s wicking, so not cotton.)
  • Ladies: sports bra(s) (I wore two over the course of the hike.)
  • Underpants (I leave the numbers, material, and cut of said panties to your individual discretion.)
  • Warm sleeping clothes (I wore the same long underwear, top and bottoms, every night and on summit day.)
  • Light hiking fleece
  • Rain jacket
  • Wool hiking socks (I took four pairs.)
  • Summit clothes: Down parka, fleece pants, thick ski gloves, warm hat, balaclava, foot warmers (I wore all these clothes in addition to my long underwear pajamas and daily hiking clothes. One woman in my climbing group wore her ski pants and Under Armor and was fine. Also I tried just wrapping my face in a scarf and wasn’t warm enough. So I had to borrow a balaclava from a guide. Once again, don’t be me. Balaclavas—alternatively known as ski masks—are cheap, so you can buy one before you depart, or they are available to rent from most guide companies. Also balaclavas will protect your ears.)
  • Waterproof hiking boots (Buy these and break them in at home. I was extremely lucky that my climbing company had a pair in my size. I was even luckier I didn’t get blisters.)
  • Gaiters (I only used these on summit night, but they would have been essential in heavy rain.)
  • Poncho (It didn’t rain hard enough for me to use this, but I am glad I had it.)
  • Sleeping bag rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (Kilimanjaro is only three degrees from the equator, but it gets extremely cold at high elevations. On my summit night, including wind-chill, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.)
See? Cold.
  • Something to carry water in, 3 liters minimum (It’s against park rules to take disposable plastic water bottles up the mountain. If a ranger sees you, he will confiscate your bottle. Once again, this was me, and I had to sneak my bottles around seven days.)
  • Wide brim hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp and batteries
  • Camera and extra batteries
  • Powerbars and snacks for the day (Your tour company will supply and cook your meals.)
  • Hiking poles (I thought I didn’t need these. I did. Your knees will be grateful for them on the ascent and descent day.)
  • Toiletries (Take what you normally use. Also make sure you bring a lot of high SPF sunscreen. I fried the hell out of my face, and my nose peeled for a week. Also the guides will give you a bowl of hot water for washing in the morning and evening. I would recommend bringing a package of baby wipes to supplement cleaning in between.)
  • Tiny towel or wash cloth (for drying yourself after tiny bucket baths).
  • Medication (Whatever you normally take, plus altitude medication. Also there is malaria in Tanzania, and four days up the mountain would be a terrible place to get a sudden high fever. Bring malaria medication. Other note: by the first night, the elevation was high enough that mosquitos weren’t a problem. So I never used bug repellant. But malaria can take a few days to set in, so it’s best to keep taking your prophylaxis. I would also recommend an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. My knees got real’ sore coming down the mountain. Lastly, your guide will have a first aid kit, so you only need the basic first aid supplies.)
  • Toilet paper and a small trash bag (The toilets are nasty. They are mostly tiny squatter holes, and it seems people can’t aim their bricks at high elevations. You’ve been warned. Also don’t be the jerk who leaves their trash on the mountain. For once, this wasn’t me. Keep a little Ziploc to put your wrappers and others bits in.)
  • Small day backpack (The porters will carry most of your stuff every day. The weight limit for the pack you give them is about 30 pounds. However, you will need a small daypack for you to carry your water, snacks, jacket, sunscreen, etc.)
  • Large duffel bag or backpack to give porters (They will put your bag—fancy backpack or scruffy duffel—in a non-descript nylon bag and throw it on their heads like you’ve seen Africans do in so many National Geographics. So don’t stress about whether or not you have a big, expensive mountaineering backpack: it doesn’t matter. Also almost every climbing company will require you to have a porter. I’ve heard rumors of companies that will allow you to carry your own gear. If you’re interested, you can ask Google. However, once again, don’t underestimate the altitude. The porters are accustomed to the elevation and can zip up the trail even with a huge pack on their head and their own backpacks on their backs. Every tourist I saw—even the super fit ones with tiny backpacks—moved much, much slower than the porters.)

Not being jerks and taking our trash off the mountain.
Also my sweet friend who gave me her altitude drugs.

That’s all I can think of that was absolutely necessary for me. But I’d recommend reading other blogs about Kilimanjaro (except the toilet tent lady's). It’s good to have multiple perspectives and to be as prepared as possible for this expensive once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My tour company supplied tents and sleeping pads. So I’d check with yours to see what they’ll supply. Also ask to see your company’s list of available rental equipment. I rented almost everything from the tour company—even my shoes (not recommended). And the things I didn’t rent from them, I wish I would have. E.g. hiking poles. I went with Zara Tours and was very pleased with their service. However, I know many people who went with different companies and were all very happy as well. Most of the companies offer basically the same services.

While climbing Kilimanjaro is very difficult, it’s still glamping. The guides and porters will take very good care of you and make sure you’re well fed. Really, I was never hungry at any point during the climb. If you’re curious about cost, I paid $1,450 USD for the seven-day Machame route. This price was after a $200 discount for agreeing to clean up litter on my climb. Prices will vary on the route and the number of days you spend on the mountain (varies from five to ten days). I paid an additional $280 in tips. Ask your tour company what their tipping policy is. Zara Tours recommended between $250 and $350. I know it’s a lot of money, but I was very impressed by how the porters and guides treated me.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post them in the comments below. I will try my best to answer them or will refer you to other people I know who’ve successfully climbed Kilimanjaro. It’s my hope that if you follow the advice in this post, you will learn from my mistakes and not be the most chronically under-prepared person on your trek. Good luck and happy climbing!

My climb captured in one photo.



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