Day 7 (Part 2) Summit day – Uhuru Peak 19,341ft to Millennium Huts (12,556ft)
Why men climb mountains is a question that has been asked for as long as men and women have been climbing mountains. I guess the answer is as individual as the person who is asked. I’m sure Alex Honnold and Chris Bonington would give different, but not maybe too different answers. For me, walking satisfies a deep need. A need, not to achieve, or conquer but to find peace with myself. It gives me time to think and reflect, time to pray and settle my mind, time to consider and make decisions. Life and experience change us but the Mountains remain reassuringly the same. They provide a constancy in our lives and the mountains are always bigger than our own personal circumstances. So here I am on top of a Mount Kilimanjaro, filled with that immense sense of satisfaction that comes from doing something that is not easy, that takes something out of you but gives you so much more back in return.
Reaching the summit, the hard slog up the mountain is quickly forgotten and we all have a bit of time now just to soak it all in. The views, as expected are expansive with the plains of Tanzania and Kenya stretching out as far as the eye can see in the bright Blue morning sky. Its busy and there is a Disney Land length queue waiting to get photos taken at the famous sign that will be familiar to anybody that has ever shown an interest in climbing Kilimanjaro, its the sign that says ‘you’ve done it’. Its not the only thing of interest on the mountain however.
As mentioned in my previous post we have spent the last six days looking up at the ice fields and glaciers and now we get to see some of them up close. We passed the Rebman Glacier at Stella Point and from the summit the Southern Ice Field can be seen. Despite the weight of scientific evidence pointing to climate change there are still people who will deny it. The men and women who climb up this mountain week in and week out however have no doubts. The Southern Ice Field used to reach all the way up to the summit path and they have seen it recede significantly, as can be seen from the photo over the years.
Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano and the summit of the mountain, Uhuru is actually on the rim of the outer crater, which is called Kibo. Within the Kibo crater is the Reusch crater, which, up till now has been hidden from view but from our summit vantage point we can now look down on it. In the middle of the Reusch crater is the Ash Pit from which sulphur still emits.
Eventually our turn comes to have our pictures taken at ‘the sign’ and we spend a jolly five minutes taking individual and group pictures. After maybe half an hour of admiring the views, soaking up our achievement, congratulating each other and getting our pictures taken there is now the small matter of getting off the mountain and dropping the seven thousand feet to millennium camp to be undertaken.
Leaving the top we retrace our way back to Stella Point. The Sun is now high in the sky and we are starting to shed layers. Foolishly I have been far too relaxed with regards to the importance of Sun block and have put no where near enough on for this altitude and high UV and I will pay the price for this in the next few hours with my face becoming the colour of beetroot. Just beyond Stella Point there was a surprise. I hadn’t really been looking forward to the descent and was steeling myself up for my middle aged knees to take a battering jarring down seven thousand feet of rubble. However, just beyond Stella Point we left the main path and dropped off the mountain down what, in effect was a scree slope heading practically straight down a valley to the side of the main path up. More gravel and dust than scree it was far easier on the knees than I was expecting and was a pleasant surprise. It was also no doubt a lot quicker than the usual route. Down the scree slope we slid until the valley levelled off a bit and it was back to regular walking. By now, over trousers, down jacket and fleeces were off and the hot African sun was bearing down on us. I was also starting to feel pretty tired. The alternative descent path rejoins the main path by Kosovo camp, a camp used by special permit and one I hadn’t noticed on the way up, not surprising as it was pitch black. Shortly after this we were met by our helping porters who had come up to meet us. I had carried by own stuff all the way to the summit, I am quite attached to my old Karrimor Rucksack but Joshua took it off me for the descent and ‘Goodness’ my own personal porter relieved it from him. We negotiated the rock steps twenty minutes out of camp and at 11am we were safely back at Barafu Camp, eleven hours after we had left it. Had a bite to eat and drink and then a couple of hours sleep before the final walk of the day down to Millennium Camp. At 1.40pm we set off again for the two and a half mile, 3,000ft drop to Millennium camp. I was pretty tired towards the end and my right knee was just starting to ache a bit, but overall they had stood up well to the rigours of the last seven days. I got dropped off the back a bit on the way down and it was a good job Joshua was behind me with Heather and Lisa to give me a shout or I would have ended up following another group past our site and down the mountain. We arrived at Millennium camp at 3.40pm, so in all, a total of thirteen hours walking. We had climbed 4,000ft from Barafu to get to the summit of the mountain and from the summit dropped 7,000ft to reach Millennium Camp. Not a bad days work. We had an early dinner at 5pm and by 6.30pm, exhausted but very satisfied I was in bed.
For map and route of this walk click ‘learn more’ below.
