Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 1 (part 2)

Adventure is out there! ~Up!

Five hours later at an elevation of 9,840 feet, our group made it to Machame hut, which is the first camp. Our five hour trek consisted of about four hours of hiking, a 30 minute lunch break and other small stops that accumulated to 30 minutes. 

To say I was super tired was an understatement. Though my adrenaline from excitement kept me motivated, the first day of hiking was physically challenging for certain. Almost the entirety of the hike was uphill with certain stints being very steep. If one thing is for certain, my legs and buns better be toned when this is all said and done.

The hiking we did today was through the rainforest that is at the base of Kilimanjaro. And while the surroundings were pretty to look at, the mud we traipsed through was not as appreciated. With waterfalls and beautiful flowers unique to Kilimanjaro, I took in the scenery to distract myself from the burning sensation of climbing stairs like on a Stairmaster machine. 

Aside from having sore legs, my right ankle aches (I have a bad right ankle) so I plan on wearing an ace brace tomorrow for extra support. I’m sure my ankle would hurt a lot more had I not had the walking pole for support. It provided a way of stabilizing myself when the ground was slick from mud and wet, mossy rocks. 

Relief and accomplishment are two things I feel right now. I feel relieved that a portion of the journey is completed and I know a little bit of what to expect for the next several days. I’m still nervous about getting sick from the altitude and I’m worried I’m not quite physically prepared enough.

Thankfully, Arnold eased my anxiety by telling me the oldest person he has guided to the summit was 68 years old. If a person of that age can get to the top of this mountain then that’s pretty good motivation for me to get there. While Arnold shared stories about his many treks, we ate a quick snack of coffee, hot chocolate, and kettle corn. 

After snacking, Rakhi and I went in search of the bathroom. The closest thing we found to a bathroom was a rickety, wooden shack that served as an outhouse. Hesitantly, I used my foot to push the door upon. Big mistake. I about fainted from the wretched smell that crept out of the shack and immediately, Rakhi and I booked it to the woods.

On our way back from the woods, I took in the camp and those around us. By this time, night was beginning to fall and everyone staying at the camp had arrived for the evening. Around us were people from all over the world including other Americans, people from Britain, Russia, Sweden, Peru, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada, Italy, and Holland to name a few. Although everyone was from different parts of the world, the one thing each camp was listening to on the radio were the World Cup games.

We listened to one of the games and chatted about Tanzania, London and America while eating dinner . Why was I ever nervous about what I would be eating on the trek? The food was delicious! We dined on a meal of zucchini soup, potatoes, bread, vegetables with coconut sauce, and breaded Tilapia. Sweet Tanzanian bananas were our dessert and they were just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth. 

Laying in my sleeping bag in the tent next to Rakhi, I was exhausted. Today was a great start to this adventure and I am excited for tomorrow’s journey.

Our group getting ready to leave at the Machame gate

Me hiking through the rainforest

Upward climb on the stairs almost the whole way

Daniel and Arnold pausing for a break

Mud made the path slick

Aaron and Rakhi resting for a bit

The Kilimanjaro flower

Aaron, me, and Rakhi at the Machame hut

Rakhi and me at our tent, affectionately nicknamed the Puma/Cub Tent

One of the goofiest pictures of the trip

Nom Nom Nom!

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices:  take it or leave it.  ~Buddy Hackett

When traveling, the take it or leave it principle can be applied to food as well. While abroad, your options become limited mostly to whatever is put in front of you.

Over the years I have gotten better about being a picky eater. Now I will give almost any type of food a try (seafood is still difficult for me though).  I start to get nervous about my food options when traveling abroad especially because your options become pretty limited to whatever the local cuisine is.

Your options become severely limited when you’re hiking Mount Kilimanjaro and the only option to serve is whatever food your cook provides. This terrified me. In my hiking pack I brought so much food is looked like I was stocked a bomb shelter with snacks for the next year. 

Want to know what I was munching on? My favorite snack from the hike was chocolate chip Clif Bars. The peanut butter flavored Clif bars are good as well. Disclaimer though, I will not touch Cliff bars anymore after eating two a day for a week straight. Also Jif Peanut Butter packets To-Go were a life saver. I would add the peanut butter to bread the cook gave me to make little sandwiches and I would dip crackers in it. Welch’s strawberry fruit snacks were a sweet treat with my daily serving of 100% vitamin C. 

Although I had some great snack foods as extra energy boosters, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food on Kili was. Our cook was awesome and made delicious food for every single meal.

A typical breakfast on the mountain consisted of an oatmeal porridge, sausage, eggs, toast, a banana, some melon, and hot chocolate or coffee. Lunch was usually eaten as we rested during the hike, so the cook packed us each a little lunch box with our food. The lunch box had a piece or baked chicken (usually a leg, breast or thigh), a hardboiled egg, a banana, a juice box, and a butter sandwich. No, I did not forget to type peanut, the sandwiches just had butter and bread. This is where my Jif To-Go packets were handy! For dinner, we always had some type of soup (leeks, carrot, zucchini, or squash), chicken or fish, rice, potatoes, and then a random side like peanuts or beans. There was always a banana for dessert also and instant hot chocolate or instant milk.

Something for you to look forward to are the fruit you get to eat, especially the bananas. Tanzanian bananas are much sweeter than those found in America. While I usually won’t eat bananas or melon, I loved them on my hike!

If you’re a picky eater like I used to be, I would definitely recommend packed some substantial snack foods like Cliff bars, FiberOne bars, or meal substitute bars in case your cook serves something you absolutely won’t try. That being said, this is a once in a lifetime trip and Tanzanian food is really good so even if you are a picky eater, give the food a chance because I’m sure you will love it!

Typical breakfast on Kilimanjaro

Typical breakfast on Kilimanjaro

Typical dinner on Kilimanjaro

Typical dinner on Kilimanjaro