Altitiutde: 2,360m (7,742ft) - 2,895m (9,498ft)
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| Checking in at Londorossi |
We are all in high spirits and are excited by the
sights of the Tanzanian countryside we’ve just passed. However Kilimanjaro
remained hidden behind clouds and hasn’t made an appearance since we arrived in
the country a day earlier, making me seriously question its actual existence!
The crew are waiting at the gate for us. It comes as a bit
of a surprise how many porters there are–many more than I expected. For our
group of 5, we have 21 porters, a head guide, and assistant guide. It seems
rather indulgent. The logistics of getting even our small group up there is
amazing. Everything has to go with us, that means not just the usual tents,
sleeping bags, and climbing gear, but all our food for the entire 8 days. Fires
are no longer allowed on the mountain, so we have to take cooking gear with us
(including propane tanks, water filters, and carrying containers). I use the
“royal we” here. These guys carried all but me up that mountain and all had to
carry is my own day sack!
The weather changes drastically over the course of the
climb, so we all need clothes suitable for both the equator and for the
arctic-like conditions at the summit. There’s safety gear to take, and all of
our trash needs to be carried with us, yep even the chemical toilet! When you
add it all up, it makes sense. And more porters means that they’re not being
loaded down with too much weight. Everything our porters carry is weighed
before we set off and porters are not allowed to carry more that 20kgs.
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| Our team of guides and porters |
One of the reasons we chose the company we did is their
dedication to treating their porters fairly. Our head guide Sera is responsible
for picking our team and he is very selective about who gets to come with us.
All of our porters are studying at the nearby technical or agricultural collage
and our fee goes a long way towards their tuition. All of them affectionately
refer to Sera as “Padre” and as our trip progresses we all become like one
large slightly crazy family and I begin to understand the reason all these guys
hold Sera in such high regard. He really does look after everyone and make sure
we all have the best experience and despite the fact he’s summited Kilimanjaro
well over 200 times (he stopped counting years ago!), he hasn’t lost his
enthusiasm for this mountain. He loves his “office” and wants us to appreciate
just how great it is too!
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| Our Guides Sera and August |
With the paperwork sorted, and after a quick, makeshift
repair to the truck’s brake line–done “African style” with plastic wrap,
electrician’s tape, and a bit of rubber belt–we drive another hour or so along
eroded dirt tracks through the timber forests to the edge of the national park
and the Lemosho Glades Trailhead.
The crew is waiting, and so is lunch. We’d just as soon get
cracking and have a sandwich while we walk, but as we soon learn, that’s not
how things are done. Our crew includes a dedicated cook, after all, and he’s
going to make sure we do meals in style… Tartan tablecloth and all!!
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| Finally ready to set off |
We still can’t actually see the mountain. All we can see a
path going up through thick forest, with clouds above that. It’s fairly steep
in places, but manageable and the lush rainforest is a wonderful backdrop. Not
too long ago, it was standard practice for groups to be accompanied through
this section by armed rangers just in case an elephant or buffalo caused
problems. We are assured there is no chance of a run in with any big predators
or wild cats and instead our afternoon is accompanied by a cacophony of
chirping birds and chattering Columbus Monkeys, of which we manage to spy a
few.
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| Lush Rainforest |
It’s dry and warm without being too hot and the trail gently ascends through
the rain forest until we are welcomed into Mti Mkubwa camp
(which in Swahili means Big Tree), where our tents are already
set up for us. I’m beginning to get the impression this camping malarkey
is going to be fairly easy and Glamping might be a more accurate description.
We have survived day one!
We have survived day one!
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