Day 8: Climb to Summit Uhuru Peak
MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW
Summit is an 11 to 16 hour day. Climbers go to sleep after an early dinner the night before and are woken up around midnight to being their summit attempt. After a light snack, they ascent into darkness, cold, and wind. Temperatures usually range from -4° to 5° fahrenheit. This is where climbers feel the altitude, so they’ll carry as little as possible, hike slowly, and take many rests to ease the symptoms. They’ll make their way up a trail that is flanked by the Ratzel and Rebman Glaciers. After climbing for around six hours, they’ll reach the edge of Kilimanjaro’s crater between Stella and Hans Meyer Points. They’re just an hour from the summit when they get here! After a hot cup of tea and rest, they’ll begin climbing on a rocky and icy trail to the summit, Uhuru Peak, at 19,344 feet which is the highest point on the continent of Africa. Once they reach the summit, they’ll spend a few minutes making sure they touch the sign, celebrating with the group, and taking pictures before descending to Kosovo Camp. Once they reach camp, they’ll eat lunch and take a short nap before continuing their descent to Mweka Camp. Once they arrive at camp, they’ll have dinner and go to bed early after a 13 to 19 hour day of hiking!
MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS
ASCENT
Starting elevation 15,400 feet
Ending elevation 19,344 feet
Elevation gain 3,944 feet
Distance hiked 4 miles
Average hiking time 8 to 10 hours
DESCENT
Starting elevation 19,344 feet
Ending elevation 10,200 feet
Elevation loss 9,144 feet
Distance hiked 8 miles
Average hiking time 7 to 9 hours
The entire trip has led up to this night. 5 days and many miles of hiking through forest and alpine desert to arrive at the camp sitting at the very base of the mountain.
We were scheduled to stay at camp Barafu at 15,331 feet. But Beyond Adventures secured a special permit to stay at a higher camp to reduce the distance and elevation on ascent night.
We had a somewhat light day and had visions of getting some sleep from 7 to the 12:30am wake up call. Most of us just slept a few hours in between the anxious thoughts of a hike that we just weren’t sure we could pull off.
We gathered for some light food, tea and coffee. The early mornjng was surprisingly warm and almost zero wind.
We prayed briefly as a group and took the first of many steep steps. The rows of headlamps heading up the mountain looked surreal. And very intimidating. It would have been easier to look down and not even be presented with the massive size and height of this mountain.
Breaks were short and infrequent. Just a minute or two to add or remove clothing, guzzle some water, eat a snack. Gabriel, our guide was more focused than on previous days, working a very specific plan. This gave us a calm amidst the uncertainty. After all, none of us had ever experienced altitude anywhere near this high. How could we know how we would respond?
Along the way, the sun began to paint the sky. Our jaws dropped when the sun shined on glaciers. Everywhere you looked was unbelievable beauty.
Then the cold set in. I wasn’t able to get enough oxygen in my lungs even with deep breaths. This hike is getting real. We were at around 18,000 feet with a long way to go.
We stayed together as a group and just kept getting higher and closer one small step at a time. Once we hit a rim line, we were spent. And yet we had an hour to go. The crew brought hot tea if you can believe that. And it provided the spark we needed to finish this thing.
We finally arrived at the iconic sign and exchanged high fives and hugs. Then took some pictures. What a feeling!
Then to drop altitude, we practically ran back to base camp. After a relatively short few hours, we hiked 2 hours down to a 12,500 foot camp to catch up on sleep and prepare for the final hike back to the van.
This climb was no joke. Very challenging but doable. It will no doubt have a profound impact on all of us for the rest of our lives.
What are you waiting for?
~ John Coats