25th April 2017, Rohan Koshal

My decision to climb Kilimanjaro was made without much thought, one evening, whilst talking to friends thinking what could we do that would truly challenge ourselves! Having been scared of heights as I was growing up, climbing a mountain was not something I had ever thought of doing! So for me, this was both a physical and a personal challenge.

So with my rucksack packed, I was on my way to the airport, and I  started to feel quite nervous, but it was too late to have second thoughts and I was soon on my way to Kilimanjaro airport from London Heathrow. My first glimpse of this amazing  mountain was from the aircraft window, 

The first night in Tanzania we stayed in a hotel in Arusha. Our guides, who we're going to be escorting us over the next 6 days, came to visit us and to do a kit check.

After breakfast, we were driven to the base of Kilimanjaro, where we met the rest of the 16 man team that were going to be with us for the next 6 days, which included a cook, trek guides, porters to carry our rucksacks, carry our tents and everything else we needed along the way. We had decided to follow the Machame route as this would take 6 days instead of 7, which was really going to test our physical as well as mental strength. 

Day 1 was hiking for 7 hours through the rainforest. Luckily it was a dry day and quite humid. We made our way through the forest to our first camp for the night – Machame camp. By the time we made it to the camp, the porters had already pitched up. Food was ready and we all assembled in the Mess tent to eat our dinner. Still excited about what we had accomplished and what lay ahead.

Day 2 was a wake up call at 6am by the cook, who brought tea into our tent, and hot water to wash ourselves! After breakfast of a bowl of sloppy porridge, fried eggs and fried bread, we set off with our two guides, the day saw us trekking through Moreland, climbing steep rocks and walking along crevices, not good for someone who is scared of heights! We climbed for an exhausting 6 hours to Shira camp at an altitude of 12,500 feet. Again our tents and belongings were all in place when we reached our camp for the night. Dinner was served in the mess tent, and throughout the whole expedition, this was the nicest meal of the day, and literally the only time I ate through out the trek.

Day 3 was another 6am wake up call with a cup of tea and a bowl of hot water to wash! We left after breakfast leaving the porters to clear and pack up. This was a day of walking for 8 hours through more desert like terrain. The temperatures were noticeably colder as we made our way to Lava Tower at a height of 15,100 feet, and then climbed back down to Barranco Camp at 13,000 feet where we were going to spend the night. The reason for climbing to Lava Tower was to help acclimatise to the high altitude, which we were going to climb to over the following few days.

Day 4, again a 6am wake up with the customary mug of tea and hot water! Just couldn't face breakfast today, so started the day feeling hungry! We climbed from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp at 15,000 feet through Alpine desert terrain, where there is hardly any vegetation. The temperatures dropping quite significantly. We rested at Barafu Camp during the day. We were woken up at 11pm as this was the night we were going to trek to the summit.

Day 5, leaving camp at midnight on day 4, we trekked for 6.5 hours through the night, with only our head torches to light our path, fixing our gaze on the persons feet walking in front of you. The air was extremely thin as we climbed towards the summit. This was by far the most difficult of all days because of the altitude as well as exhaustion. Not eating all day certainly didn't help me, as I started to feel very weak and found this part of the trek extremely demanding both physically and mentally. We stopped at Stella Point, 18,600 feet, which gave us amazing views of the summit.

Another hour of climbing and we reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,345 feet. We had made it to the top! We sat at the summit taking in the crater at the top, and glaciers all around. We could only stay at the top for half an hour as temperatures were at -15*C. The views were breathtaking. The air was very thin, and I was feeling very unwell. Mixed emotions!

We then started our descent, trekking for 5 hours back to Barafu Camp, reaching the camp by around 11am. It was very difficult trekking down the mountain, as the terrain was loose gravel, and so was difficult to put your foot down, so felt like you were sliding and at some time there was no control or grip underfoot. We rested at the camp for a few hours and then started a 3 hour descent to Mweka hut, which is approx 10,000 feet above sea level. 

Day 6, and it was a 3 hour trek through the rain forest back to the base. Where we said bye to our guides and porters who had been our guardians for the last 6 days. We collected our certificates and made our way to the hotel for a hot shower and a comfy bed. 

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