To the top of Africa
Mount Kilimanjaro towers more than three-and-a-half miles above Tanzania. This summer after months of intensive training and preparation, Swindon’s Gary & Barbara Coombs set out to climb it. Here’s how their adventure unfolded….
Alpine Excursion
Barbara and the 3,770m Wild Spitze
Our first stop was Austria to make final preparations for the huge physical challenge ahead. We spent 4 days and nights living 3,000m up in the Alps and climbing as high as 3,500m to help us acclimatise to the extreme altitudes we would experience on Kilimanjaro. We ascended 2,800 from where we live to the Alpine Refuge in 36 hours and experienced mild altitude sickness as a result. We recovered quickly but this put in good shape for what was to come. We then hiked back down to civilisation and headed off for Munich Airport, Africa and finally Moshi in shadow of the Kilimanjaro itself.
Kilimanjaro Diary
DAY 0
With David and children at TunaHAKI
Rest in Moshi to recover from 36-hours of travel form from the Alpine refuge. Apart from settling into our hotel we visited the TunaHAKI Centre for Development, a Tanzanian charity aiming to provide a secure future for local AIDS orphans and street children. This was immensely moving and humbling and made us appreciate how well-off we are in the West. The poverty we saw is indescribable – if only we had taken more pictures but we felt the camera was intrusive, so kept it our bag! After meeting our Kilimanjaro guides, Fred and Tino, we settled down to an early night and thoughts of what lay ahead.
DAY 1
Barbara follows Fred through the rain forest
The night was short and we woke early feeling a mixture of anticipation, excitement and a degree of apprehension until we actually start walking at 1pm after getting to the National Park, completing registration etc. The path was steep from the outset and we climbed for 5 hours through the rain forest to 3,000m. Barbara found this arduous but Gary looked at her as if to say, “It wasn’t that bad.” We arrived just before sunset and within 30 minutes it was pitch dark and we settled into our sleeping bags by 8pm.
DAY 2
Gary at about 3,400m with a view back towards Moshi
The path is becoming very steep in places, with near vertical pitches to negotiate. The views down on the clouds are like looking out of an aeroplane. The sunset viewed from our tent at Shira Camp (3,800m) is simply amazing. Barbara feels inexplicably tired. It can’t be the altitude surely as we are only slightly higher than our highest point in the Alps. Again we turn in at 8pm as it is pitch black by then.
DAY 3
At about 4,100m on our way to Lava Tower
Wake at 6:30 covered in black pepper-fine volcanic dust blown in through the vents in the tent which we did not close as everything had been fine the previous night. We climb higher than ever before but Barbara begins really suffering. Her legs feel like jelly and she needs all her mental strength and determination, and a bucket load of encouragement from Gary, to make it to Lava Tower at 4,600m.
After a rest for lunch we descend the steep path to Barranco Camp at 3,900m and into the unique Senecio “forest”, which feels like entering Jurassic Park in the fog. It’s really cold at Barranco and by 8pm, we are snug and warm in our down cocoons and soon asleep.
DAY 4
A less steep part of the Barranco Wall
Wake after a freezing cold night to thick frost and views of the imposing 300m high cliff called the Barranco Wall – the toughest challenge so far. After climbing this cliff and trekking to Karanga camp at nearly 4,000m, we enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the sun with views of Kibo, those clouds below and later the full moon rising over tomorrow’s ridge. As soon as the moon was up we retired to our cocoons and a good night’s sleep.
DAY 5
Agonizingly slow progress on the way to Barafu Camp.
It’s getting serious. It feels very steep right from the off and everyone around is moving very slowly. Barbara feels dreadful: Gary is worried. She digs really deep again and makes it to high camp where we realise she has an infection. All she wants to do is sleep. Timing could not be worse just before the summit push. We spend the afternoon resting at 4,600m with fabulous views, get sorted for the midnight start and try to get some sleep, which finally comes at about 8pm. We wake again at 11:30pm to start the summit attempt.
DAY 6
Time for Gary and Fred to leave Barbara and Tino
We set off at shortly after midnight. Barbara feels really rough and two hours into the climb Fred suddenly gives us just 30 seconds to decide whether to follow his advice and send Gary off on his own or insist we push on together. It’s gut-wrenching but we part. We each watch the other disappear into the darkness and wonder what the night will bring.
Gary pushes on but finds the going extremely tough. It feels as though someone is sitting on his chest, gagging him and asking him to climb a 500m sand dune while blindfolded. After six hours of toil and with the summit in sight he has nothing left and just stops. Digging really deep he manages to get going and makes it to the top, where all that pain ebbs away even though the victory is somewhat hollow without Barbara. Thoughts turn to her. He has no idea where she is. Is she OK? Has she turned back or might she still make it? All he wants now is to get back to camp and make sure she is OK.
- 6:58 and Gary is on the summit
For Barbara the going is hideously tough. She can hardly lift her legs and each step moves her forward by no more than 10cm. She can hardly breathe and stops every few metres to recover. Two hours after she and Gary parted company she has nothing left. She knows she’s done. Confused thoughts flash through her mind, “With enough time and frequent rests surely I can get to the top”, she thinks but then reality kicks in, “Don’t forget you have to get down in one piece too”. The simple fact is, the mountain had beaten her and she had to turn back for her own safety. “Dying up here is not an option” rattles through her head. She talks with Tino and they turn and climb equally slowly back down to camp where she rests and waits for Gary to return. Although she had no doubts he would make the summit she did worry about his fate on this most unforgiving of mountains.
Tino said to expect them back at midday but just after 9am Gary and Fred emerge from a cloud of dust and Gary trudges exhausted, thirsty but triumphant into camp having descended the 1,300m from the summit in just under 2 hours.
DAY 7
Celebrating with the team
We’ve spent our last night on Kili. It’s all over. Just 1,400m to descend through the rain forest. In less than four hours we’ll be back at the hotel.
Was it all worth it? Yes but we’ve had enough of big mountains (for now).
Donate
There have been many life-changing elements to this adventure. The TunaHAKI experience is one as is the extent to which you learn to dig really deep and achieve the impossible but the support of family, friends and colleagues is right up there and we would like to thank everyone who donated and helped us raise over £1,600 for Comic Relief.
To find out more about what we did in August 2009 go to www.kilimanjaro2009.co.uk. If you would like to donate go to www.myrednoseday.com/kilimanjaro2009.