Marc Lurie wrote:
Hi Tom,

I did the climb with 5 friends. None of us has any altitude training,
and only straightforward mountain hiking experience. Three of us were
extremely fit (one is a fitness nutcase), the other three (including
my girlfriend and me) range from reasonably fit to "could run a mile
if I had to, but I wouldn't want to"

We did the Shira route which starts at the base of the mountain at
1800m, and you walk through the rain forest to the higher altitudes.
It's all very pretty. The first day we realised that it was going to
be a difficult trip. I'm from Johannesburg (about 1700m) so I
struggled slightly less than my friends from sea level even though
they are significantly fitter than me.

The first night was spent at 3840m and we were exhausted. Every step
was a challenge, and sleeping was difficult. Those of us who started
taking Diamox the day before had an easier time than those who didn't
take it. It was very cold at night, and very damp. The next morning
was miserable before the sun rose, after which it started to warm up a
bit.

Our guides took us for a long walk up to about 4600m and then back
down to Shira camp at 3840m. The higher we got, the more difficult it
was to keep moving. The guides understand this, and they keep telling
you "Pole Pole" ("Slowly slowly"). It is so tempting to walk faster,
because your mind tells you that you should be able to, but walking
really slowly is actually the only way to do it. During this day I
thought that I was seriously in over my head. I even vaguely considred
giving up, but stuck it out.

As it turned out, we all had bad patches over the next few days where
we all considered throwing in the towel.

We spent a total of 6 days (5 days up, one day down) on the mountain.
I think that an extra day on the mountain is a good idea, but not if
the weather is lousy. One of the most difficult things to cope with is
being exhausted AND cold and wet. An extra day of being cold and wet
will do more to kill your morale than it will help with
aclimitization.

At altitudes above 5000 things are very different from just a few
hundred meters below. Our final ascent was from Barafu camp 4600m at
about midnight. My worst memory about the entire ascent and descent
was that my hands sweated and the sweat froze inside my gloves. I was
in absolute agony for about 6 hours. The climb is gruelling even for
fit people, and it's a pure test of determination. Most of it is done
in the dark, and you can't see the top until you're virtually there.
All the while there are people comming past you on the way down. These
are the ones who can't make it, and there's a deathly quiet as they
pass you.

Above 5500m you literally walk a few steps, take a rest, then a few
steps, then another rest. I really struggled from then on. You MUST
keep hydrated, but our water had frozen (it was in insulated camel
pouches in our packs but still froze) so we were feeling lousy. We had
raging headaches, and all suffered from nausea. The only way I could
keep going was to get angry and focus my anger on the mountain. The
summit was a bitter disapointment. The blizzard was so bad that we
couldn't even get a photograph, and we spent literally 30 seconds
there and turned back.

The descent to Barafu is, in some ways, more difficult than the
ascent. The route is covered with volcanic scree and you slip and
slide downwards, really punishing your feet and your knees. My
girlfriend reacted very badly at the summit, and collapsed (mostly due
to dehydration I think). We had a very horrible experience getting her
down, and I still get the shivvers when I think about ascent to
Barafu. By the time we reached our tents at Barafu I was absolutely
shattered. I climbed into the tent and wept like a baby. She had to be
carried down to Mweka camp very urgently to avoid complications at
altitude.

Was it a good experience? Definitely not. It was tough, uncomfortable,
and exhausting. And, if I'm perfectly honest about it, the achievement
of actually doing it only starts to sink in a year or two later. We
had no feeling of elation, no feelings of achievement at the time.

Am I glad I did it? Yes I am. I learned a lot about myself and my
abilities, and more importantly, I learned a lot about trust and
loyalty. My relationship with my girlfriend was immesurably
strengthened by the climb in a kind of kinship that can only be borne
out of hardship and real danger. We have also become close friends
with two of the four who climbed with us. With the other two people,
we walked onto the mountain as close friends, and left the mountain as
strangers. I have vowed never to consider them as friends again, and
will NEVER, EVER, trust them again. (I don't want to go into it, but
suffice it to say that I felt bitterly betrayed by them during the
final ascent where they were completely self-absorbed and selfish)

Now the cruncher... Would I do it again? Strangely, Yes I would. I
desperately want to try it in good weather, and with better
preparation.

With hindsight, what would I have done differently?
1) I wouldn't have gone with Chris and Natalie
2) I would have made sure my hands could be warm and dry on the ascent
(better gloves, with wicking effect)
3) I wouldn't have used leather boots. Although my boots were
comfortable, they were very cold in the snow for 8 hours. I think that
lighter waterproof Goretex boots would be better.
4) I'd have been far more careful of my water intake during the ascent

I've just looked over my post, and I see I've rambled a bit... so I'll
keep quiet now :-)

Regards,
Marc

Wow, thanks for writing such a detailed and evocative post. I really
appreciate it.

The biggest question I now have, one that will only be answered once
the trip begins, is how the altitude will affect me and the others in
our party. It's pretty shocking to read about how difficult it can be.


I sometimes feel like I have "proven" myself at altitude with 4
separate trips to 4200m over the past 7-8 years, but I try to remain
cautious and not take anything for granted. All of my trips were day
trips, twice by bicycle and twice by hiking trail, very high exertion
levels each time.

But, the important distinction between these and a true high altitude
trip like Kili is that I won't get to recover and sleep back down at
2500m or so. Or at least that is my understanding. I live at 100m
elevation, so I won't have any advantage there.

Thanks in particular for the advice about water on summit day, and
about gloves. I will take that to heart. I also have leather boots,
but I have treated them with waterproofing sealant, and they have a
Goretex liner anyway -- so they should be OK.

-Tom