Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 5: Summit Day! (part 2)

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” ~Mark Jenkins

Our goal was to try and make it to the summit by sunrise. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The path to the summit was crowded with people trying to make it to the top and because it’s narrow you can only hike as fast as the person in front of you. People were definitely living the “pole pole” (“slowly, slowly”) Kilimanjaro phrase for this leg of the hike.

Along the way we encountered man people who were sick from the altitude. The severity of symptoms ranged from people with headaches to people with bloody noses to people curled over vomiting. Seeing people intensely sick from the altitude made me nervous and Arnold telling me it was incredibly common made me scared I would be next.

Two and a half hours from the summit was when the hike began to take its toll on me. The frigid cold made it difficult to keep moving continuously, even though that is the only way to stay even slightly warm. Every seven to ten minutes our group would stop for a quick break because we were exhausted. Less breathable oxygen in the air due to the extreme altitude was most certainly the cause of our exhaustion. 

When we stopped for breaks Arnold and Daniel would force us to drink water or hot chocolate that he brought in his pack. He would also take off our gloves and try to warm up our hands as well because they were practically numb. The last two hours of the hike Arnold gave me one of his jackets to wear because I was shivering uncontrollably. 

On top of feeling numb and freezing cold, my headlamp battery burned out. Arnold took my by the arm and guided me up the mountain because I couldn’t see for myself. I have never been more thankful for having Arnold as a guide. He was so dependable, caring, and determined to help us to the summit. Without him I don’t know if our group would have even made it this far.

By 5 o’clock in the morning I was consumed with the thought of the sun rising. I could not think of anything else. To me, the sun rising meant warmth and that was all I wanted in that moment. 

The sun rose between 6:15 and 6:30 and I have never seen such a stunning sunrise. There is nothing so beautiful as witnessing a sunrise at 18,000 feet from the side of a mountain where the clouds can’t even block your view. Unfortunately even when the sun did rise, the temperature was still incredibly low. 

I was so out of breath by this point I started to question if I was going to make it to the summit. Every two steps I took, I would be gasping for air. My chest was tight. It was scary how downhill my physical condition had gone. 

Arnold and Daniel supported Aaron, Rakhi and I. They traded turns allowing me to grasp their arm to stabilize myself. More importantly they gave us words of encouragement and continually reminded us how close we were. 

As soon as we came over the crest of Gilman’s point, I found the nearest rock and laid down on it. Although I was happy to have made it this far, I was shivered uncontrollably and couldn’t feel my toes or fingers. Arnold and Rakhi worried for me, and kept adding layers of clothing on me. Rakhi went so far as to force feed me five or six bites of an energy bar even though the last thing I wanted to do was eat anything.

It was then that Arnold told our group I was on-set hypothermic and I shouldn’t go to the summit and needed to go down immediately. Uhuru peak was another 1000 feet which would take us 45 minutes, and he wasn’t sure I should attempt the trek.

Being told I wasn’t going to be able to go to the summit and get a picture with the Uhuru peak sign was all the motivation I needed to get up and finish the hike.

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 5: Summit Day!

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~Jawaharial Nehru

Waking up at 11:30 PM was a complete whirlwind. Exhaustion and anxiety had crept in and decided to permanently reside with me.

I was so thankful for Rakhi because she did such a wonderful job of encouraging me by reminding me we had worked hard for this moment. Having another girl of this trip turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened. Not only was I checking something awesome off my bucket list, I made a new friend for life in the process.

Before leaving camp, we nibbled on a Cadbury chocolate bar that Arnold had given us which in retrospect was not even close to enough food for summit night. But the chocolate was a treat and at the time I didn’t have much of an appetite because of my nerves and the altitude.

Arnold and our porters warned us that the higher up the mountain we progressed, the more our appetites would decline. Their best advice was to force feed ourselves even if we didn’t feel hungry. Our goal was to drink at least three liters of water on the summit hike. After some fast conversion math, I found that three liters of water is almost 13 cups. And we were supposed to drink this in an eight to ten hour time frame. I felt like a camel taking in enough water to last me across the Sahara desert.

For the summit hike I bundled up in layers upon layers of clothing. I wore a spandex, moisture-wicking workout tank, a long sleeve base layer, my red University of South Carolina t-shirt, a fleece jacket, a windbreaker, and gloves on top. On bottom I wore long underwear, hiking pants, and two pairs of socks beneath my boots. I also wore a fuzzy turtle fur over my ears and my USC baseball cap. I am sure that I looked identical to Ralphie’s little brother Randy in my dad’s favorite movie “A Christmas Story” because all of my layers added 15 pounds to my figure.

Even though I was wearing many layers, stepping out of the tent into the frigid night air was like hopping into an ice cold shower. Miserable. I hate being cold and at home I am usually bundled up in a sweatshirt. I turn on my cars seat heaters in the summer for goodness sake. Arnold told us the temperature was in the mid-20s, however with the wind chill the temperature felt a lot colder.

At 12:15 we officially began our hike to the summit. It was pitch dark and looking up the mountain I could see a dotted line of tiny headlamps. I clicked my headlamp on and joined the line of lights leading to the summit.

Playing Doctor

Be prepared. ~Girl Scout & Boy Scout Motto

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably pretty incredibly accident prone. I have fallen down stairs, had sprained wrists, and gotten surgery on my ankle. My most embarrassing moment in college was when I passed out in the dining hall at peak lunch hours after donating blood at the Carolina/Clemson blood drive. What was possibly more mortifying was being wheeled out of the dining hall with everyone staring as I drowned my sorrows in a glass of orange juice the nurse gave me (hey, anything for a freebie!).

With this in mind, I brought an emergency medical kit filled with basic supplies in case my clumsy self took a tumble on the way to the summit. My medical kit included nail clippers, Qtips, tissues, eye drops, hand sanitizer, tweezers, ace bandage wraps, an ankle compression brace, band aids of various sizes, gauze, Neosporin, medical tape, moleskin (for blisters), an IcyHot roller, scissors, and a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. 

You can purchase a pre-made Adventure Medical Kit to make sure you don't forget any essentials. This kit is good to have around your house or apartment in general in case of minor injury.

To ease aches and pains as well as headaches, I made sure to bring more than enough Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Also, Tylenol PM was a must have, especially for the long plane ride to and from Tanzania. 

Because prescription medicine such as blood pressure medication, birth control, insulin, anti-histamines, and your Malaria pills are incredibly important, storing them where they won’t be exposed to water is crucial. Kilimanjaro weather can be unpredictable, so I stored my most important items like medications, water purification tablets, and my passport in an Otterbox waterproof case. They range from $20-$35 depending on the size you purchase, but if you find yourself in a torrential downpour, you will really thank yourself for spending that extra cash.

I also kept batteries, a digital clock, a Maglite, and my trusty head lamp in the watertight box. A headlamp is an absolute necessity for your Kilimanjaro or camping adventures. I wore my brother’s Petzl LED headlamp every night after dark when I ate dinner, rummaged around the tent, or wrote in my journal. Also, the day where you trek to the summit is done completely in the dark in the middle of the night (details to follow in later posts), so you must have a headlamp to make the nocturnal journey. Petzl headlamps come in fun colors so you can pick one to coordinate with your cute jacket.

With a quality headlamp to guide your steps and a medical kit in case you stumble, you will be well on your way to reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Adventure Medical Kit

Icy Hot will ease your aches and pains on your hike

Otterbog watertight box to keep your valuables safe from rain

Maglite flash light

Cute colorful headlamps will be key to lighting your way

Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Capsules will help headaches you may experience from altitude