Friday 18 July 2014

Day 4 and 5 (Summit) 2 and 3 July 2014

Our guide woke us at 23:00.  We rushed to get our remaining gear on and gathered in the tent for tea and biscuits.

We started the climb about an hour or so later.  We could see the headlamps of the groups that had already started.  It looked like stars! Winding up and up. Our group took it slow.  It was difficult to move with all the clothes and of course no oxygen.  We slowly made our way in the dark.  The temperature was not too bad - we even took off one layer.  We kept seeing the groups in front of us getting closer - so we must be doing well!

All the time guides were encouraging.  They adjusted gloves, hats, headlamps and took day packs from us.

The water really freezes on the way - I couldn't believe it - it didn't feel THAT cold?? My Rehadrat had turned to slush and my water pipe's nozzle froze - I had to chew it a bit for the water to get out.

Ye, h sunrise at last!  But oh no we weren't even close to Stella Point! We pushed on.  It felt a bit easier when we could see where we were going but also more difficult because we could see how slow we were going.

At last at around 08:00 we reached Stella Point.  Our group had split up in the meantime.  A few had fallen back and would only reach Stella.



After some time, waiting for a few of the team we pushed on.  It is not a good idea to wait too long - rather take a minute or 5 and carry on with the journey.

It took us over an hour to walk the last bit to Uhuru Peak.  I felt so alone at a stage - nobody in front of me and nobody behind me.  I just kept on going.  You could see the sign and it seemed so close. I waited for a while so that I would not summit alone. Everybody was exhausted.  Finally we made it!  2 guys were waiting for us with 2 guides.  WE MADE IT!!




Wow what a feeling - it was still so unreal.  We tried to take a few group pics and the first group members started feeling ill.  The guides started walking down.  The best way to feel better is to go DOWN.

I also felt like I needed to start walking.  It is still difficult but I felt less breathless.  As we went down the ground became more loose and sandy.  I ski'd down!

When you get to a stage the road ahead looks flat - ITS NOT! You go down down down.  I think we arrive at 14:00 or so - after being on my feet for so long, I felt so relieved to get to the tent!  I had time to wash my face and hair and get on some lighter clothes.  The others came down in drips and drabs but mostly about 10 to 15 minutes after one another.  We had to pack our stuff and WALK SOME MORE!

Because our group took a bit longer we only needed to get to Millennium Camp.  None the less, we still needed to get going to reach it before dark.

We had lunch, and started walking.  Our porters came running past us to set up in time.  It took about another 2 hours to get to the next camp.

We arrived and had dinner.  The air was cold and still thin but the group felt much better. After dinner we fell into bed and slept until 07:00.  It was difficult for me to find enough breath to sleep well but the group all had a great night's rest.  The next morning we needed to go very far.  Our guide gathered us together and said that it would be hard but that we needed to push on.

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Route Overview:
Distance:  15 km (5km plus 10km)
Duration:  4-6 hours
Descent:  2075 m

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