This journey began 12 years ago, when I decided that I would climb Kilimanjaro in 2011 to celebrate a big birthday. Over the years I wondered if I could actually do it. Let's just say I don't have a lot of experience with camping or hiking at higher altitudes. Ultimately though, it became about so much more than reaching the top of the mountain and celebrating a milestone. It's also been about helping Africa's AIDS orphans.
My good friend and triathlete training partner, Tracey, and I launched the Triathletes Hiking Kilimanjaro campaign, and over the course of a year, raised more than $20,000 to benefit Global Alliance for Africa (GAA) and the work it does helping AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We just returned from a two week trip to Kenya and Tanzania, where we visited GAA's programs and met so many children in need. Oh yeah--and we trekked up Kilimanjaro too.
Our porters taught us a popular Swahili saying:
poa kichizi kama ndizi, which means "crazy cool like a banana." This journey was that and so much more.
Like any typical journalist, I took a lot of notes during this big adventure...so here's the story.
Nairobi, Kenya
Monday, August 1
We are in a van and heading through the streets of Nairobi. This city of about 4 million people is home to a tenth of Kenya's population. Our tour guide, Kevin, seems to know everything about this place.A few interesting tidbits: Kevin says there's no smoking allowed in the streets of Nairobi, except in designated smoking areas -- very cool. And he says President Obama's relatives live about an hour from here. Children, schools, parks--even a beer--are named after Obama.
We pass the "August 7th Memorial Park," the site of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy. One of my high school classmates, Michelle Paulson O'Connor, was killed in that bombing, so this stop is personal. She died in a place that's so unfamiliar and far away to me and now here I am, after all these years, looking at the spot where it happened.
Kibera Slum
Our next stop is the Kibera Slum where we will see the fantastic work being done by Global Alliance for Africa. We've been looking forward to seeing where our donors' money goes and how it will be used.
No one seems to know the exact size of the Kibera. The government puts the population at almost 200,000; the United Nations says it's more like 1 million. In any case, it's huge: row after row of shacks with their rusted tin roofs stretch as far as we can see. Some of them are made of mud, others of stone, and many don't have electricity. It's not uncommon for a family with 6 kids to have only 10 x 10 feet of living space. With the exception of a main road or two, there aren't any streets here, just muddy paths winding between rows of shacks; sewage is flowing down some of these paths and trash is stacked up on the sides of the main road.
Kevin tells us the people of the Kibera live on less than $1 a day. Those who work earn only $2 to $3 per day, many as casual laborers. Many of the women stay home or work as maids or sell groceries.
Global Alliance's presence is huge here.Our first stop is the community library GAA opened in September of 2010.
Fourteen students, all of them teens, are studying at long tables. The library's director, Josephine Aloo, tells us that the students prefer to come here to study because their homes are too small, dark, and crowded. Glancing over their shoulders I can see that they're tackling subjects like Geometry and Physics--impressive! The shelves that line the walls of this small library hold textbooks and literature, but there's one section that is empty-- and Tracey and I vow to change that. We decide right then that we will hold a book drive and send enough books to fill those empty shelves.
We already have a good start at helping the Kibera; GAA says it costs about $19,000 to build a library here -- and thanks to the generosity of our donors, we've raised enough money to build another library! That's a nice thought.
We meet a woman in the library named Rose Adhiambo. She is making yarn out of sheep's wool, which will then be woven into colorful scarves. Rose is a beneficiary of GAA's micro-lending program. With some grant money from GAA, Rose has been able to start her own business and we can see that she's very proud of it.
What really stands out about the Kibera is the children. So many children living in these shoddy conditions -- and yet they're smiling. This is their normal; it's all they know and that's hard for us to accept. They want hugs, high fives, and candy. They also want to have their picture taken so we can show them what they look like in the camera....and they get the biggest kick out of this!
One tells me she wants to be a doctor, another an engineer. It seems like education is their only ticket out of here.
A woman named Beatrice who runs a tiny store (another beneficiary of GAA's micro-lending program) agrees to take us to her home. It's a tiny hut with two lightbulbs dangling from the ceiling. She's one of the lucky ones--she has electricity. She lives here with her 5 children. Her daughter Regina tells us she wants to be a journalist when she grows up--very cool. I give her my best "so you want to be a journalist" advice.
About a dozen children are following us all over this slum. Everywhere we go, they're smiling at us, holding our hands. One of them shows Tracey a hand clapping game. I'm wishing that we had more to give them besides hugs and candy. I think of all the food, books, and other comforts I take for granted at home. There's so much need here and I feel like we're not doing enough!
After spending a few hours in the Kibera, Kevin says it's time to go. But Tracey and I want to linger a while longer. We don't want to leave these children behind in this slum, living amid the filth and trash in those crowded shacks...it's heartbreaking.
2:30 PM We stop for lunch at the Makutano Grill. Their most popular dish is.....drum roll, please....the California Cheeseburger! LOL I get the chicken and a Coke Light -- love it that I'm still getting my Diet Coke fix before our big camping adventure begins. Am I really worrying about my Diet Coke habit after meeting the kids in the slum?
Giraffe Park!
Our final stop of the day is a Giraffe Park on the outskirts of the city. This is an awesome place. You climb up into what looks like a tree house to feed the giraffes. Laura and Daisy come right up and take the food right out of our hands.
The Road to Kilimanjaro!
Tuesday, August 2
9 AM We are packed in the van and on our way to the embassy to pick up our visas. Tracey and I have our water bottles loaded with electrolytes and we are pumped! According to Tracey's GPS, we are now at an altitude of 5,627 feet, less than a third of the way to our final destination altitude at the summit. Altitude is the big wild card here. I have no idea how it will affect me....but hey, I had two Coke Lights for breakfast -- so I'm not worrying about anything right now. Gotta stock up before I'm forced to quit cold turkey.
10 AM We are driving through the Kenyan countryside and seeing a lot of those flat-top Acacia trees, supposedly the favorite food of giraffes. Also seeing a lot of random cows and goats on the side of the road. Kevin is telling us about the Masai--a nomadic tribe of people who wear bright red drapes of cloth and beaded jewelry and live in round huts made out of sticks of wood with thatched roofs. Kevin says Masai males go off alone into the wilderness for a year or two to earn the right to be a warrior. They survive only with a spear to track animals for food. Supposedly lions won't attack them. Fascinating stuff.
11:30 AM Flat tire! Here we are in Nowheresville, Kenya, on the side of the road with a flat. We take the opportunity to take a bathroom break at the bush across the road.
12:30 PM Tanzania border! We make it through with limited hassle and transfer to another van for the remainder of the ride. Time to say so long to Kevin, our awesome tour guide.
Tracey has her watch alarm set to buzz every 15 minutes; when it buzzes, we drink water. Hope there are bathroom stops ahead because right now there's only desert and scrub brush as far as the eye can see!
1:30 PM Mt. Meru comes into view-- Kili can't be far! We pass a field of sunflowers, an odd sight amid the brown, sandy soil. We are now at 6,100 feet and passing through a little village. I'm wondering if people here wear brightly colored clothing so they can stand out against the bland landscape.
Just saw a woman on the side of the road washing clothes out of a bucket right next to a road crew in the middle of nowhere. Very random.
3:00 PM Lunch at a Chinese restaurant....not sure why this seems odd, but okay. I have the diced chicken because the owner says it's a special recipe his mom made when he was growing up. Yum!
5:00 PM Are we there yet? No, we're transferring to another bus. Looks like some of the porters who will accompany us up the mountain are on this bus. Michael introduces himself as our lead guide and Kennedy will be second in command. Both say they've been up Kili more than 100 times each. Can't wait to see Kili for the first time! Let's get this puppy started! woooohooo
7:30 PM Yay, we're finally somewhere. Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort is our final stop before we leave civilization for our 6 day epic camping adventure up Kili. Time for dinner, then a pre-hike briefing from our guides, then one last night's sleep in a bed.
Triathletes Hiking Kili
Day 1
We start up the Rongai trail around 3:00 PM, a little late, but hey,we're on Kili time. I really am enjoying this part of the trail. We are hiking through the rain forest and see a couple of monkeys. We also meet a family that seems to live out here all alone in a shack. It's such an odd place to live, so remote. They have a little stand on the side of the trail, sitting next to rows of corn. This must be how they earn some money, I'm guessing. We stop to give the kids some candy.
Our guide, Kennedy, keeps reminding us to go "pole, pole," meaning slowly, slowly, and at first I am shocked by just how slow that is. Tracey and I really have to put the brakes on! I'm thinking, are we really hiking up the whole mountain at this pace because I'm not sure I can take it! The pace is as slow as a bride walking down the aisle! I almost start hyperventilating at the thought of it. But alas, once I get into the groove, I'm okay. And I decide that whatever Kennedy says I have to do to get up this mountain, I will do. Want me to walk slower? Fine. Crawl? No problem. Walk backwards? If you say so.
The guides had said it would take us about 2 to 3 hours to reach our camp for the night, but it actually takes 4 hours and we roll into camp after dark. This makes things a bit challenging. Where the hell did I put my head lamp?!
This picture shows our little tent, our home on the mountain. It's just enough room to fit our two sleeping bags and our duffle bags.
We have hot tea, hot chocolate, and popcorn waiting for us when we get to camp. The porters--who carry everything up the mountain except our day packs--have set up our tents and the cook, William, is fixing dinner: fried Tilapia, veggies, and potatoes. It's so good! I'm thinking we'll be eating well on this trek.
Tent Confessionals
Did I mention this whole adventure is being filmed for a documentary? It's a long story, but basically we have two photographers following us up the mountain. Every night at camp we have "tent confessionals." Here's how it works: as soon as we arrive from a day of hiking, we take turns going into a tent, facing a camera, and offloading whatever is on our minds. Just us and the camera, all alone in the tent, so we get to say whatever we want--- except that it's all being recorded.
So here's a tent confessional for you:
I confess: I have very little camping experience. I managed to get in some "practice" camping earlier in the year...and Tracey made a valiant attempt to teach me the basics. But we never really roughed it LIKE THIS. Can we talk about my hair for a minute?! Spending 6 nights in a tent with no way to take a shower or wash and blow dry my hair just adds another layer of difficulty to the whole shebang! Plus, being on camera without makeup on, in this messed up, dust-covered condition, doesn't really fall within my comfort zone. And yes, as pathetic as it sounds, not having a Diet Coke for the duration of this hike is truly going to test my stamina! Okay, enough complaining! Time to HTFU!
9:00 PM Time for bed. we have a long day of hiking ahead of us.
Hiking - Day 2
This was a long day of hiking across rocky terrain dotted with scrub brush and not much else. Not very steep, but about ten hours of hiking up to 12,000 feet. I felt awesome--no sign of altitude sickness at this point. Spaghetti for lunch and carrot soup and beef stew and rice for dinner. We are eating well for sure.
Tomorrow's hike will be steep and cold, so I'm trying to mentally prepare.
Hiking - Day 3
My fav hiking day so far! It's the steepest hike yet, but the weather and the scenery are spectacular. Up ahead of us is Mawenzi peak -- OMG gorgeous against the blue sky. Over to the right of Mawenzi is Kibo, our final destination. It's a beautiful sight. At this point we're hiking above the clouds, a brand new experience for me. I've only been this high in an airplane....very cool.
After making it to camp, we go on a short acclimatization hike up to a ridge where we have a beautiful view of Kibo. All I can think is, I'll be standing on top of that thing soon. The picture to the right shows Kibo, the final 4,000 feet to the summit. The flat part leading up to it is a long stretch of alpine desert at about 14,000 feet.
Had french fries for lunch -- my fav so far! Caramel popcorn and ginger tea before dinner, then macaroni with an eggplant red sauce. This William guy knows his stuff.
Tonight we are camping at 14,000 feet... still feel great.
Hiking - Day 4
We are on our way to Kibo-- our base camp for summit night, altitude of more than 15,000 feet. wooohoo! To get there we have to cross the "saddle"-- miles of alpine desert that stretch from Mawenzi to Kibo. It starts out easy enough...but about 5 hours into this 7 hour hike, I'm starting to feel like crap. The wind is whipping across this barren landscape, blowing dust in our faces, and the sun is brutal. I have my face covered with sunscreen and a scarf and I'm wondering how everyone else is faring without this extra protection.
At this point, I realize that I'm not drinking enough water. Rule number one for avoiding altitude sickness: hydrate! But here's the deal: Every morning the porters give us water they've retrieved from somewhere on the mountain. They boil it, so it's supposed to be safe. But today our water has a cloudy brownish look to it and I am wary of drinking much of it. Do I risk drinking the water and getting sick from it? Or do I risk not being hydrated and getting altitude sickness? Decisions, decisions. No good answer.
By the time we reach base camp, I just want to crash. It's 3pm and we're supposed to eat dinner, then go to bed. Our wake up call is 10 PM that night. I just head for the tent. I have zero appetite and feel weak and I'm wondering if these are the first signs of altitude illness. I know I should eat something, but I just can't. So sleep it is.
10 PM The porters wake us up -- it's summit time! I slept in most of my summit clothes, so all I have to do is add a couple more layers and I'm good to go. I'm feeling a little better and ready to tackle the final 4,000 feet to the top.. Still no appetite, so I take a few bites of toast and sips of tea and that's it.
Summit Day!
This is one of the hardest challenges I've ever taken on....and it's also a day I will never forget. We leave at 11 PM, starting our ascent in the pitch black of night with a sliver of moon and stars to help light the way. The terrain is very steep; it's a mixture of sand and gravel--just like hiking up a steep beach. There's no obvious trail. How on earth do our guides know which way to go? It's too steep to hike straight up, so we crisscross our way up. We are barely moving forward in the darkness, just one small step at a time.
It's also cold and I'm wearing 8 layers on top and 3 on bottom. The temp is in the teens when we start, then drops to the single digits around 3 AM. The wind kicks up too. Even with two set of socks and two sets of toe warmers, my toes are freezing!
We make it to Williams Point at about 16,500 feet. At this point, my heart is beating out of my chest. I'm thinking, it's never beat this fast--I must be in Zone 10! I'm stumbling along--thank God for Bob's hiking poles, they're holding me up! I'm fighting this feeling of extreme drowsiness-- I just want to lay down and sleep.
I turn around to see how Tracey's doing and she's not there. Where's Tracey? I tell the group to stop--we have to wait for her. Someone says she stopped to adjust her backpack. Okay, I think, she's back there, it's just too dark for me to see her.
We take a few more steps. Still no Tracey. We decide to wait...then Kennedy walks up and announces that Tracey has to head down the mountain. She has altitude sickness and has to go down. And this is where I lose it. Yep, started crying (the camera swoops in to capture the drama!). I tell Kennedy, "Maybe I should go down. I can't imagine going to the top without Tracey. We train together, we race together, we were going to make it to the top of this mountain together..."
Kennedy and Michael have obviously dealt with this kind of thing before. They both stand in front of me and say very firmly that I can't turn around. I have to go on. I'll regret it if I turn back. Tracey wants me to continue. I need to make it to the top for both of us. The other hikers tell me to keep going. I know they're right. I don't want to keep going, but I force myself to press on.
We continue our slog up the mountain for a few more hours. Three steps forward, stop. Three more steps forward, stop. We can see the headlamps of other hikers up ahead, snaking through the darkness on their way to Gilman's Point, but we don't seem to be getting any closer. The porters are singing to us and offering words of encouragement. They've given me the nickname "Mama Ndogo" --Little Mama--and every now and then one will say, "Keep going, Mama Ndogo. You will make it." I'm trying to draw strength from somewhere and find myself staring up at the stars--we seem so close to them! This mountain is bringing me closer to the stars than I've ever been.
All I can think is--when the hell are we going to get there?! Kennedy says we still have 1.5 hours to go and I start thinking I'm at my breaking point. We have been hiking in the dark up this hellish incline for more than 6 hours now. I tell him that I'm not sure I can keep going, I just want to lay down and go to sleep. No headache, no dizziness, no real shortness of breath...I just feel like I'm sleepwalking my way up this mountain and all I want to do is pass out! Kennedy tells me this is not a symptom of serious altitude illness, that I'm fine and need to keep going, that I'll regret it if I turn back. Then he says to turn around and look at the view. I turn to see the sun starting to rise behind Mawenzi. The sky is turning pink and orange--it's an amazing sight. Suddenly I feel like I'm waking up, like I can do this!
Next thing I know I'm ahead of the rest of our group. Cosmas, one of the porters, is helping me navigate up the final stretch, known as the Jamaica Rocks. He tells me this is the most difficult part of the climb. Really?! Because nothing can be as bad as that sandy vertical nightmare we just hiked up. But basically, we pick our way up, over, and around rock after rock after rock. Every few minutes we sit on a rock and take a break. But if we sit for more than about 30 seconds,the cold starts creeping into our bones....so we keep moving, moving along in slow motion.
Finally--after 8 hours of hiking, the top of this mountain is within reach! I can't believe it. I've waited for this moment for 12 years. Now here I am, pulling myself over the rim, standing on the roof of Africa!
Kennedy reaches into his backpack and says, "Here - your friend wanted me to give this to you." He pulls out our Triathletes Hiking Kilimanjaro banner. We had posed for pictures with it at the bottom of the mountain and vowed to take it all the way to the top. The banner reminded me of all Tracey and I have been through on this journey together. All the planning, all the training, all the fundraising (all the shopping- LOL). But what I'm most proud of is the money we raised for Global Alliance and the thought that, thanks to the generosity of so many family, friends, and strangers, we are offering a bit of help and hope to Africa's AIDS orphans. That feeling is priceless.
