Roger Crabtree, Saturday, 10 November 2012
Jeff has just completed the climb up Mt Kilimanjaro to raise funds for a Young Adventurers Award.
Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the tallest mountain in Africa, has been a 40-year dream that I just fulfilled! At 5,895m tall, it would be a lot higher than the 4,500m I climbed way back in 1979! And I was not sure if this 64 year-old male could do it.
I joined a trek on the Marangu route, a six-day walk with hut accommodation and fully catered for by the Marangu hotel. Starting at 1,800m at the National Park gate, it would basically be climbing a vertical height of 1,000m every day, with one rest day on the fourth day. The trek climbed through rain forest, then low scrub, then alpine conditions, before finishing with just rock and snow!
After reaching the final hut at 4,700m, we departed for the summit at 11pm, walking throughout the night in very cold conditions, but luckily no snow. Altitude sickness affects many people, with several climbers turning back, and I was affected by loss of balance, extreme tiredness and disorientation. But at around 6.30 am, I watched the sun rise over nearby Mt Mawenzi and then at 6.45 am, I reached the crater rim of Mt Kilimanjaro at 5,685m. I was very happy and celebrated with some chocolate and taking photos of the Gilman’s Point cairn.
I wanted to keep going on the two hour walk around the crater rim to the highest point (another 200m higher), but my trusty guide Joffrey was not recommending it, due to my poor physical shape. He was correct, as I just had enough energy to get down the mountain, a steep 3 hour slog, with a further 3 hour walk through a snowstorm to Hirombo hut down at 3,700m. On this walk, I met a man who was very keen to get to the top, but I heard the next day that he had died overnight! It was possibly cerebral edema or 'water on the brain', a grin reminder that altitude sickness can kill and needs to be treated with great respect.
Many thanks to my sponsors for the Young Adventurers Award I created to encourage children to explore the world and seek adventure. Hastings Coast Guard, Westernport Yacht Club and the Balnarring branch of the Bendigo Bank have all been very supportive.
Jeff McDonnell
Last Modified on 10/11/2012 20:37