If you remember back to August, we had posted an article about Shannon’s trip to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro! She trained long and hard for this opportunity and has finally returned (and recovered) from her grueling climb! We got an update from Shannon about her trip and how the climb went for her. I can’t even begin to imagine what she would have been going through while on the climb, how exhausted she would have felt not only physically, but mentally as well. There was a long stretch of training leading up to this climb, but she made it and we are very proud of everything that she accomplished!! Great job Shannon!! On to the next one!
By God’s grace and one very convincing lead guide, on Sept. 4th, at approximately 9am, I reached Uhuru Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, 5895 meters.
I was very lucky to have an exceptional group of guides/porter, etc, with the African Walking Company, and an equally inspirational group of tourists to climb with.
We were eight days on the mountain, with each day getting a little longer and more challenging as we went. I actually climbed a rock face at one point. My training definitely prepared me for the strength and endurance part of this adventure. While at the end of lengthy days of both accent and decent, I was certainly exhausted and body parts fatigued, but after a good nights sleep, I was good to go each morning. No lasting aches and pains from the previous day’s exertions.
The greatest challenge for me was my breathing as the air got thinner at the higher altitudes. Cardio/breathing has always been my weakness despite all my training. That being said, the guides just slowed my pace and allowed me all the time I needed to catch my breath. This meant that I travelled at the back of the pack, but was never made to feel bad about it. Polepole, slowly, slowly is the moto of the mountain.
Summit day started at midnight. With head lamps on and oxygen tanks on our backs, we trudged uphill endlessly for hours. It was pretty neat to look up and see the mountain lit up like a Christmas tree by the various groups summiting that day. The hour or so before reaching the crator ridge was grueling. The terrain was loose scree, like stone dust. So with every step forward, you would slide back half as far. I was struggling at this point because we were seven hours plus of uphill trekking by now. I was cranky and tired. Innocent, my personal guide, mentions that as long as I make it to the ridge, I get a certificate. I finally make it, plunk my butt on a rock and announce that I am done.
I can see the summit in the distance, and the rest of my group except for me and one other are already on their way. Abraham, the lead guide, had stayed behind, and was having no part of my throwing in the towel. I agreed to proceed, but did mention that I didn’t know how I was going to get down. He assured me not to worry.
Off we went, and thankfully I caught up with the rest of the group in time for a group photo, but it took minimum another hour to get there. Thankfully the terrain was manageable, and Abraham took my camera and took many pictures on the way.
The decent was a whole other story. I’m now ten plus hours in as I reach the ridge where the ground turns to dust. I didn’t have it in me to fight the terrain, so Abraham to the rescue again. He assigned a guide for the gear and a guide for under each of my arms, and they literally dragged me down through the scree. My guides kept assuring me to trust them, and what choice did I have. Once we reached solid ground again, I was able to drag myself down to base camp. Oh, after lunch, we had another 2 hour trek down to the camp where we’d spend our final night on the mountain. All tolled, approximately sixteen hours that day.
Despite all the after effects; chapped cheeks, noses, lips, and hands, sinuses full of blood and dust, two lost toe nails, and a weird swelling of my ankles and feet that lasted for a week, I’m proud to say I did it.
Thanks to Abraham, Innocent, and God’s grace, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
Shannon
