Kilimanjaro Itinerary
We are leaving home in one hours’ time, to go to Dublin Airport, to catch a flight to Amsterdam, and on to Kilimanjaro (is this the only mountain in the world, with its’ own airport?)
This is a summary of the itinerary, taken from info provided by our tour company, Adventure Alternative.
Monday: Machame Gate to Machame Camp ( 5 to 6 hours; 18kms; 1490m to 2980m )
Depart from the hotel at about 8am and arrive at the gate an hour later, where passport details are taken and all the equipment is weighed and prepared. Your duffle bags will be put into waterproof sacks. The trek is through equatorial forest, a very easy path. You carry light daysacks and must be prepared for occasional rain showers. There will be a lunch stop enroute.
Tuesday: Machame Camp to Shira Plateau ( 5 hours; 9 kms; 2980m to 3840m )
Leaving camp at around 9am the path continues fairly steeply uphill through forest and into more open ground, eventually onto the huge lava plateau which is called Shira. Allow three hours of quite hard going in the morning to reach a lunch spot. Another two hours will finish up at the camp. It can be quite dusty and exposed on Shira plateau but you will arrive latest by 3pm, allowing plenty of time to rest and relax.
Wednesday: Shira Plateau to Barranco Camp ( 7 hrs ; 15 kms ; 3840m to 3950m)
The day ascends 700 metres and then all the way back down again, with only a net gain of about 100 metres, which is good for acclimatisation. The terrain is high desert and exposed to possible rain and even snow. The path is easy to follow and clear. The route heads towards the dramatic summit massif to a junction of paths for lunch, and then descends quite steeply on often loose ground to the beautiful Barranco Valley. This is a long day so be prepared with extra warm clothing and your waterproofs. If can be very sunny, so prevent sunstroke by wearing a hat. The pace will be slower and try to keep together as a group.
Thursday: Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley (3 hours ; 5kms; 3950m to 3950m)
This is a short day with no net height gain, although the route goes up and down over two valleys. It is very dramatic. The day starts with a scramble up the Barranco Wall (the porters call it ‘breakfast’) which is enjoyable and fun (don’t carry poles, they will get in the way), and then follows a rocky path to a high point with great views of the Heim Glacier. This is followed by an easy route down into the next valley and across to the Karanga Valley. Be aware of a few sections of rock which can be wet and slippery. The route effectively circles the summit massif. The lack of height gain means that people should be sleeping well and generally
feeling strong. If not, then consideration must be given to not summitting.
Friday: Karanga Valley to Barafu Hut ( 4 hours; 7 kms ; 3950m to 4550m )
A short day but gaining height on a fairly easy path which is still semi-desert, rocky and often dusty. The route aims towards an obvious ridge ahead and you will see the silhouette of a ranger hut and probably some tents. Barafu means ‘ice’ but it is now all rock, and after lunch we organise an early dinner and an early night. Arrive by noon and take a rest, the guides will give a pre-summit briefing and dinner will be at 5.30pm.
Midnight, Friday night-Saturday afternoon (sometime): Barafu Hut to Summit and down to Millennium Camp
( 12 hours in total , 7 hours up and 4 hours down with up to an hour on the top (weather permitting); 5kms to top and 13 kms back to Millennium Camp; 4550m up to 5895m and then down to 2800m )
We awake at midnight for tea and biscuits, and leave before 1am. The route up seems never-ending and it will be cold. The terrain is mostly rock and scree. Much of the path is zigzag and but never precipitous
although early on there is a section on rock which will require care. We reach the crater rim itself (Stella Point) shortly after sunrise, with extremely scenic views over the Kibo crater, before continuing to the
summit itself. This will take about 45 minutes. The path is easy but there may be snow, which can be slippery. Many glaciers are visible from the top, and generally the weather is clear
very early in the morning. After about 45 minutes taking photos on the top, we start the descent.
It is immediately obvious that going down is as tiring as going up, and probably harder on the knees. People often split into small groups as they take their own time with the initial descent back to Barafu. As long
as you are with one of the guides they will ensure your safe descent. Back at Barafu camp lunch is served and the group then descends to Millennium Camp where there is greenery and a dinner waiting. You
will need to pack your bag before leaving Barafu. Generally the walk down to Millennium takes about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Sometimes this day is very long, up to fifteen hours, and it is always challenging. Climbing at night is,
for most people, a first time experience and there is always an element of the unknown and
apprehension. Once it is over and everyone is back at Millennium Camp, this is replaced by euphoria
and relief. You may be too tired to eat but it is important to do so. More important is to drink lots of
liquid because the ascent will have left you dehydrated.
Sunday: Millennium Camp to Mweka Gate (4 to 6 hours ; 2800m to1200m)
People with sore knees will be moving slowly but the path is quite easy and passes through beautiful forest with unique indigenous plants. We reach the gate and have to queue to pass out of the Park and to receive
the gold certificate (if you get to the top ), or a normal certificate (if you get to Stella Point). Then we pick up the transport and go back to the hotel for a shower and well earned celebration dinner.
So…God willing, I will get back to you, when we get back! In the meantime, check out Climb Mount Kilimanjaro for some great info, and photographs. Kilitrekker has some good reading too!
Bye for now!
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Kilimanjaro Expedition info
Here is some info about Kilimanjaro! I have taken this from information received from our tour company, Adventure Alternative.
The Trek of Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the finest in the world, ascending the highest point in Africa, it also being the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It straddles the equator on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. It’s height is 5895 metres (19,340 feet) and over a total trek distance of around 120 kilometres you will pass through five distinct habitats, from equatorial jungle to ice cap.
Trek organiser:
The trek is organised by Adventure Alternative (owner Gavin Bate) and their subsidiary Cappello Adventures, which is run by their representative Castro Kapela. They are one of the leading companies operating in Tanzania, and have an office in Moshi, a town at the base of the mountain. They average 24 trips per year and have a summit success rate of 88%, although the overall summit success rate, taking in all routes and companies, is reported to be 50%! They have a 100% safety track record and the ratio of porters to trekkers is 3:1.
Route and Weather:
We will climb the Machame Route which is a total trek distance of around 120 kilometres, over 7 days with a net height gain of 4405 metres and passing through five distinctly different habitats – cultivated farmland, montane forest, alpine heath, semi-desert and ice-cap. Temperature will be warm during the day dropping to an average minimum of 5 degrees. Summit morning can be as low as minus 8 degrees, with the wind chill factor making it much colder. (Click here, for a 6 day forecast) Rainy seasons are during April and October, but Kilimanjaro can be climbed any time of the year.
Food:
They provide a high quality menu, and can cater for vegetarians. Breakfasts are a variety of fruits, porridge, sausages and eggs, toast, tea, coffee and herbal teas. Lunches are salads, soups, sandwiches and fruits with beverages.
Dinners are three course with soup starter; main dish of meat (commonly chicken) with vegetables, pasta or rice; dessert of fruits or jelly or pastries. Water is provided every day, boiled and treated, by the cooking staff. We can also bring our own supply of water purifying tablets.
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One week to go…to Kili!
Well, with just one week to go, till we strike off for Kilimanjaro, God willing, I thought I would share a photo from a walk we had last Saturday. We had beautiful weather again (just a few spots of rain, to remind us what country we were in!), and fantastic scenery was the order of the day, here is a shot, taken from the top of Binevenagh.
I must say there is quite a bit of intrepidation now, when I think about what is ahead next week, I think it is a bit of ” fear of the unknown”, not really knowing what to take, not wanting to forget anything, and I suppose we will just have to try to be prepared for anything.
I am not really looking forward to leaving my wee family for 12 days, but I suppose I knew from the start, that that side of things would be difficult. We will just have to trust that God will help those at home, as He helps us.
Have a look at this 6 day weather forecast for Kilimanjaro, you can see the weather for the next six days, at the summit (5895m), at 4524m, and at 3152m. Just click on the different heights, on the free 6 day forecast link.
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Keren was so content
Although Keren had all the complications associated with Trisomy 18, she was a very content wee baby. She would lie in her wee cot, and when she wasn’t sleeping, she would be looking all around, listening to her wee musical, soft toys, or to us talking to her.
She enjoyed stretching her wee arms up, and she always seemed comfortable, and not in pain.
This was very reassuring to Glenn and I, and indeed to all those that loved her, because many did.
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Visible Progress!
A few weeks ago, Irwin (H), and I had a training walk along a familiar stretch of the North Antrim coast. The last time we followed this route, one member of our group ended up getting whisked off to hospital, by the Coastguard! (I might be persuaded to share some photos from that experience, at a future date? Any interest?)
Last summer, we walked this route, from the Giants Causeway, to Ballintoy (10 miles) in just over 6 hours, and I was really glad to get it finished…sore legs, and knackered. When Irwin then said that in a years time, we would be doing it both ways in not much more time…I thought he was…well, let’s just say, I wasn’t looking forward to it!
However…
…when Irwin suggested it, both ways, 20 miles, the other week, I felt we could go for it! When we finished…8 ½ hrs later, I was not in the same state as I had been in, the previous year, after doing it 1 way, in fact I felt we could, quite easily, have walked further!
White Park Bay
Irwin
Me!
As you can see, we had fantastic weather, and we were smiling the whole day through!
I can not believe that we are going to Africa, to Kilimanjaro, 2 weeks from now!
We have our last half serious walk tomorrow, at Binevenagh…looking forward to taking some more photographs!
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Learning to feed wee Keren
Wee Keren was not strong enough to suck properly, and had to be fed through a wee fine tube, so I was really pleased, when I was able to express my own milk, for Keren’s feeds.
Her feeds were every two hours, and one of the nurses suggested that we could learn to give her the tube feeds. Now, in Antrim Area Hospital, the NG tube (Nasogastric tube) was fed through her mouth, to her stomach, but later, here in the Causeway hospital, when it was due to be changed, it was fed in through her nose, where it remained.
At first, I must admit, I was quite apprehensive about feeding her, but I said I would give it a try, after I had closely watched the nurse doing it several times! I remember Glenn managed a tube feed first, without any problems, and then I too managed to pluck up the courage.
Here is a photo, that Glenn took, of one of Keren’s early feeds…
As we got more confident, we were able to do most of the daytime feeds, and then the night staff kindly took over, so we could get some sleep. The staff really looked after us so well, doing all they could to help. It was nice to be able to lie down, with Keren (and her beeping monitors), within earshot, knowing that she was in good hands.
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