Day 8 - Climb to Summit Uhuru Peak
MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW
Summit is around a 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 16,000 feet
Ending elevation 19,344 feet
Elevation gain 3,344 feet
Distance hiked 4.5 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
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Journal Entry ~ Murphy Brennan
Hi everyone! Writing this as a quick check-in about Summit Night as all 8 of us, our porters, and our guides have just returned to base camp (Kosovo Camp). I’m happy to report that everyone is safe and healthy!
Stay tuned later for a full report of our day— we still have several thousand feet to descend today!
-Murphy
Hi again! Now that we’ve made it down to High Camp, here’s the crew’s reflections:
Brett: Getting to the summit is easily the most difficult thing I’ve done physically. It would not have been possible without the Beyond team and the support of this incredible group of hikers. The sense of accomplishment is unbelievable. I summited the tallest mountain in Africa. I still can’t quite believe it.
Baileigh: I’m not gonna lie, I think I’m still in shock and processing Summit Night overall. I wholeheartedly believe I would not have made it— on 0 sleep and little appetite— without the Holy Spirit carrying me. It was absolutely stunning, beautiful, moving, and something I’ll never forget…once I start to remember?! God changed my heart and moved so much through these last 7 days (especially Summit Night!) and I’m beyond grateful.
Davis: The vast majority of the credit for our summit goes to our porters and guides. without their guidance (and coffee they brought for the summit climb) we would not have made it. So, a huge thanks to the support team and a huge congratulations to the climbers— we did it! About 8 odd hours to summit from Kosovo Camp, all of which were brutal, followed by a beautiful sunrise and a view from the Roof of Africa. I am grateful for the opportunity, the resulting summit, and very proud of the crew.
Ben (Moses): I wasn’t prepared for how hard it was for me. Having done this 4 years ago, I assumed it would be the same, but that wasn’t the case. I was prepared, but my body didn’t respond as expected and it was a struggle. BUT, thanks to the guides/porters/other members of the group, I made it! So proud to have done it again and grateful for everyone who helped me that morning.
Sadie: I loved summiting! It was much colder, but not as physically demanding as I was expecting. My favorite part was sliding down the mountain in the deep rock/ash/sand with John Also.
Katie: I think I blacked out until Stella Point. Hard mentally but I’m so thankful for getting to summit with my dad!! God is so good!!!
Keri: “Challenging & Helpful” 6 days to the top & I did make the top at Stella Point. So much gratitude. I missed the second summit by less than 200 meters due to another level of altitude challenges, and for this I’m grateful for John Simon. It has been an amazing experience. You never come down the mountain the same.
Murphy: Very very proud of the hard work this group put in— porters and guides included. It was even one of our porters, Mike, first time summiting, too! The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: no wind, no snow, not as cold as usual. It snowed just a matter of hours after we got down! Like the others said, summiting is no small feat. I still cry every time when I see that Uhuru Peak sign. What an honor to be here again!