Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania 

For years I had dreamed about climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. It was hard to get the time to travel for an extended period, given the career path I was on in Disney. The West Coast of America was very far from the countries I wanted to visit. Therefore I decided to go on the Inca Trail first. Peru was a lot closer than Tanzania. While the Inca trail had its own challenges, it seemed less daunting than Kilimanjaro. As soon as I returned from Peru, I started looking at work deadlines carefully and decided that travelling in April would be preferable. Weather wise it seemed like a good time to travel. However, it was off season, which could impact me getting on a tour and the size of the tour. I decided to risk it and booked my flights. As it was such a long journey I planned to go for 3 weeks and arrange 3 very different experiences. So week 1 would be the climb, week 2 a safari and week 3 exploring Zanzibar. Not for the first time, my work colleagues teased me about my “Eat, Pray, Love” travel itinerary !

In order to prepare, I signed up for personal training in my local gym and starting making a list of all the clothing and gear I would need. I regularly caused a stir at the gym, when I walked on the treadmill in my hiking boots, with my backpack on my back. This was not the image the beautiful people in LA were used to and people regularly moved from the treadmills beside me. However, most of the staff were extremely supportive and would encourage me, suggesting different ways to build up stamina and often adding weight to my pack for me. 

I reserved a place on a 5 day hike, which allowed one day to acclimatise. As 50% of climbers do not reach the summit, I hoped that having this additional day would reduce the risk of getting altitude sickness. I  went to a travel clinic and along with the vaccinations and malaria tablets, I also got a course of altitude sickness tablets. I had coped very well doing the Inca trail but I knew this would be a completely different challenge.

While the flight to Tanzania was long, with multiple connections, it all went smoothly. As on previous hikes, I had my essential items in my small backpack (hiking boots, weather proof gear, medical items, dried snacks etc) in case my luggage was delayed. On the first night of the two nights I stayed in a hotel in Moshi, I woke up felling extremely uncomfortable. My fingers and toes were tingling and felt as if they were on fire. I knew that this was one of the common side effects of the altitude sickness tablets. In the middle of the night, I decided sleep was more important and I didn’t take any of them again.

When I met my guide Victor he told me that I was the only person on the tour. I had mixed opinions on this. It would be great to dictate the pace and not hold anyone up or have them holding me up, but it’s always lovely to meet fellow travellers especially when hiking. It took a few hours before Victor had collected the rest of the crew and to purchase all the essential supplies. I was delighted to finally get to the entrance to the park and have my details documented as starting to hike the Marangu Route.

I am a firm believer in starting slowly and while Victor was a man of few words, he liked this approach also. “Pole, pole” which means “slowly, slowly”, in Swahili, was one of his favourite phrases.  He told me it would take about 3 hours to reach the “Mandara Huts” (2743m, 8999ft)  where we would be staying for the first night.  The area we walked through is classified as a rain forest but it really felt like a long forest walk and looked similar to other places I had been. I really enjoyed the first day and was delighted I wasn’t too tired when we arrived at the camp. As we approached the wooded huts, I could see a girl waving enthusiastically at me. As I got closer, it was clear from her attire that she was climbing also. She turned out to be a 24 year old English girl and she told me that she was the only person on her tour. She had arrived about an hour before me and when her guide talked to the hut manager, he explained that another female climber was due (that would be me) and that he wanted us both to share a hut. The guide said it was going to be very cold so the more people per hut the better.  I didn’t mind at all and it was clear that she wanted wanted some company. She proved to be a great companion and as our guides knew one another well, it was decided on Day 2, that we would walk together.

The terrain on the 2nd day, was described as “Alpine-like” and our goal was to reach 3000m (9842ft) within 6-8 hours. It was more challenging and I was glad to have a fellow hiker with me. We did arrive at Horombo Huts within our allotted time. We were both staying for two nights as day 3 was our acclimatisation day. We were the only people there and I was glad to go to my bunk early and get a good nights sleep. The following morning, my young companion had a headache and after talking to her guide, it was agreed that she should go back to bed. Victor, told me he wanted to walk uphill for about 2 hours and then walk back down. He said this would help to avoid the risk of getting altitude sickness. This is what the experienced mountain climbers do, go up a bit and then come down. We had a really lovely day walking at a steady pace and enjoying the scenery. When I arrived back to Horombo Huts, it was a hive of activity and 4 other climbers had arrived who were also going up-hill (another English girl with her guide, an American girl with her guide and two French men travelling together with 1 guide). Also, there was a group of 8 people who had come down from the next stage. They were all male but of mixed Nationalities. The people I remember most was an English chap and Norwegian twins. I remember them because of the conversations I was to hear later that evening. The 4 people going up-hill, were all planning to summit the following night and were not having an acclimatisation day. The American girl told us she was from Colorado and was a very experienced hiker and used to high altitude. I usually enjoy meeting people when travelling but that evening probably wasn’t my favourite as I could have done without hearing from the group ahead of us. When I went to the hut to check on my English companion, she told me she wasn’t coming to the main dining area as she was starting to feel nervous after talking with the other group. When I went back for the evening meal, I realised what she meant. Only 2 of the 8 had actually made it to the top of Kilimanjaro. I remember the Norwegian twins as one had summited successfully and the other had to turn back. He was extremely angry about it and said that while he had not felt well, his guide had over reacted and had insisted he turn back. He said they had argued about it, given the fact his Twin was proceeding up-hill. He said his guide had told him, he could die if he continued, as his breathing was very erratic. I didn’t engage in the conversation and sat quietly on my own but I was listening to every word. After awhile, most of them left and the English chap remained. He starting talking me to and told me that he had completed 3 Iron Man events and that he found summiting Kilimanjaro more difficult. He asked me if I was friends with any of the other girls. I told him I had just met one two days before and the other people earlier in the evening. He then asked if he could give me a piece of advice and before I said anything he proceeded to tell me to just concentrate on myself on the following night. He said, stick with your guide, take his advice and watch for any changes in your body i.e. breathing issues, headaches or limbs getting cold. He said, the 7 people climbing the night before had tried to stick together at all times and that they were arguing with guides and were helping one another, even when it was clear people were sick and unable to continue. He had asked his guide to walk ahead of them at one stage as they were starting to annoy him. He was very direct with me “think of how much time and money you have invested in doing this and how disappointed you will be if you don’t summit, don’t consider people you may never see again”. His words seemed quite harsh but I thanked him for the advice, wished him well and went to my hut. The atmosphere in the hut was quite tense. All the girls were staying together and everyone appeared to be nervous about the following day. We all knew that only 2 people had successfully summited from the group of 8 but I didn’t know if anyone else had had a pep talk from Iron Man.

We set out early the following day and our schedule again was to walk for 6-8 hours to reach Kibo Huts (4703m, 15430 ft). I did find it quite difficult but I didn’t appear to have any major issues. While we kept in sight of one another, we did walk at our own pace and only stooped together to eat our lunch. When we reached Kibo, we were given some food and told to go to bed straight away. We were getting up at 11.00pm, with a goal of starting the climb at 11.45pm. I was quite surprised that I did actually sleep a bit, but I still wasn’t ready when the light came on in our room and we were told to get up. Victor, came over to my bed and asked what I would be wearing and he told me to swap a heavy fleece for two lighter ones. He said layers were important for the descent. He also told me not to take my malaria tablets as nothing lived where we were going ! I was pleased not to take them as they did make me a little nauseous at times. When he started talking to me, I realised I was breathing very quickly and he told me I needed to control that. When we were getting something to eat, one of the French men came to the dining area and told us that his friend was very ill. He had been vomiting for several hours and had a very bad headache. He said he also had a headache and that their guide had told them, they would not be climbing uphill but would be returning to Horombo at sunrise. As he wished us all the best, I immediately thought “2 down, 4 to go” and hoped this meant my statistical chances of summiting had just increased. However, my breathing was a concern and I could see Victor was starting to get anxious, so I went outside and locked myself in the toilet. I spent what seemed like an age, but was probably only a few minutes, taking deep breaths and trying to control my breathing. I am sure readers are wondering why I did this in the toilet and not outside. I needed privacy and the atmosphere was highly charged. I was very nervous that Victor would decide I couldn’t climb and I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. To my delight my breathing became normal and I felt very like the cat that got the cream. I was extremely excited and got my backpack and I lined up with everyone else. We were told, we would be walking up-hill in single file and that periodically, our order would be changed. We needed to all walk the same pace and to stick together. Miss Colorado was put in the front and I was put last and off we went with our hiking poles stepping one, two, one, two like a marching band. I had my iPod on, with a playlist of rousing Irish tunes. The first 30 minutes went fine, but it was getting noticeably colder. We all had heating pads in our gloves and socks but you could still feel the icy cold. After 30 minutes our walking order was changed. This went on for about 2 hours. When we stopped again, the girl from Colorado said the pace was too slow and that she wanted to walk ahead. I wasn’t surprised, as she did seem to be more experienced than the rest of us. She and her guide then started off alone. The English girl, who I had just met the night before, said she was starting to feel very cold and was adjusting her jacket and gloves. I was 2nd in the walking order and it becoming very evident that the younger English girl was struggling also. Her pole would slip occasionally and she wasn’t keeping to the tempo we had previously been walking to. I asked her if she was okay and she seemed to be crying, so I tried to encourage her. I felt fine but all I could hear was Iron Mans words in my head. I pushed them aside for awhile and we continued uphill. However, it started to get worst. The girl behind me had stopped and the one in front of me was now sobbing and was walking at a snail’s pace. I shouted over to Victor. When he came to my side, he asked if I was okay and seemed surprised when I said, I want to walk ahead on our own. I said I felt fine and thought I could walk at a quicker pace. He readily agreed and after I wished my companions well and gave them some spare hand warmers, off we went up-hill. I have to say, I really enjoyed the next few hours. It was extremely exciting as we reached Stella Point and then Gilmans Point (5685m, 18651ft). I started to feel very confident. At one stage, we came to some high rocks and I hesitated, only to have Victor reach down, grab my shoulders and lift me up. Other than that brief moment, I felt invincible.  We didn’t talk much and as my iPod had stopped several hours before, the saying ‘the silence was deafening’ did seem real but absolutely magical. The scenery was changing drastically and the glaciers were absolutely breathtaking. When we had the top in sight, Victor suddenly started to get giddy and for a split second, I wondered if he had altitude sickness and if I was going to have to look after him. He then announced like a proud Papa, “you are going to summit first”. I stopped in my tracks and said, “No I won’t, because the American is ahead of us”. Victor actually smirked, when he said, “No, we passed her earlier and she was vomiting down at Gilmans”. I could not believe I hadn’t seen this but think, he must have distracted me at that time. So, there you have it, all 5 ft 2 and 50kgs of me from Co. Wicklow, Ireland was the first person on that faithful day to reach the top of Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa and one of the seven summits. It’s called Uhudru Peak in Swahili and stands at 5895m or 19340ft. I was so proud of myself and it was quite emotional. My only slight regret, is I couldn’t get my Irish flag out of my backpack and so my summit photo, is me with an Irish t-shirt”.  Maybe that’s a more novel summit shot. Miss Colorado did reach the top, while we were there and I was delighted to get my photo taken with her and tried my best not to be excited about summiting first !!

Victor said it was dangerous to be up there for too long, so we started our descent. The first part through the snow, was absolutely beautiful and I was delighted to get some photographs of the amazing glaciers and wouldn’t help wondering how long they would remain. Once we got past Stella Point, the terrain was difficult, with really slippy mud. Victor asked if I had been skiing and told me people try and walk downhill mimicking skiing movements. At this stage, I had never been skiing but after some coaching from Victor, I got into a rhythm for a few hours. It was by far the most unpleasant part of the journey though. I really needed the bathroom and there was nowhere you could go discretely so I knew I would have to hold it until we got back to Kibo. The temperature got warm at times and I saw glad I had listened to Victor regarding clothes as I had to stop several times to remove a layer. Victor told me that the guides all had a bet on who would summit first. While he had picked me he told me I wasn’t the favourite. Apparently no one else had picked me so he would win the money pot. I congratulated him and thanked him for his vote of confidence but he told me he was very surprised also. I did tell him, us Irish are great at being underdogs. The whole camp was out cheering us, as we approached Kibo and as I was hugged and slapped on the back, I was handed a glass of orange juice as a congratulatory drink. Liquid was really the last thing I needed so I drank it down very quickly. This was the wrong thing to do, as they thought I was thirsty so a 2nd one was handed to me. I pushed it into Victors hands saying “Congratulations to Victor for helping me” and then leapt across the campsite like a bucking hare towards the toilets. You all know what the relief feels like but how many of you have walked out to to 10 pairs of concerned eyes, who clearly thought I was losing the plot or about to pass out ? 

Victor told me I could sleep for about 3 hours and we would then start our descent down to the next camp. The two French men had left and everyone else had different plans on when to leave based on how they were feeling. We were about 30 minutes into our walk, when the heavens opened and it rained for the rest of the time. However, it didn’t dampen my mood as I was still on a high. We didn’t stop at all and just eat some snack bars as we walked. Victor was like a different person and talked the whole way down. He asked me lots of questions about my life growing up in Ireland, my family and about living in America. He also chatted very freely about his own life and family and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Even though I am sure he was delighted to win the bet with his colleagues, I started to appreciate how much responsibility the guides have. While Victor was extremely experienced, had summited over 40 times, they literally are responsible for peoples lives. I was thinking of what it must be like when people argue with them and don’t listen to their advice. I was extremely lucky to have a dedicated guide, but as my Iron Man friend confirmed, there are no rules when it comes to Altitude Sickness. It can strike anyone and at any time. A few years later, I would experience it somewhat when hiking in the Himalayas, but that is a story for another day !

So to finish I am very proud that I reached the top of Kilimanjaro (Urdu Peak) and have a certificate to prove it. I summited at 6.45am on April 22nd 2007 !!

This last photo was taken looking back at Kilimanjaro as I descended !