Not being much of a walker, and definitely not a camper, trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, seemed to be a challenge that most of my family and friends never envisaged me accepting! However, the inherent dare devil and thrill seeker (deep inside me) saw an adventure that would push my physical and emotional boundaries, in an attempt to reach the peak of the world’s highest free-standing mountain, and the highest point in Africa. The trek to the summit, 5895m above sea level, was to take six nights and seven days from the western side of the mountain. My dear friend Varsha (also from Newcastle) and I, didn’t get off to the best of starts when en route to the start of the trek, due to the wet conditions, our minibus veered off into the side of the mountain. We subsequently had to walk for 3 ½ hours to get to the start point, and subsequently did the rest of the trek by torch light. The second day was again a long, gruelling walk, also ending in arriving to camp by torch light! However, this was to be great practice for summit night, when after a morning of walking, followed by a couple of large meals and time to rest, we started for summit at 11pm. Wearing as many clothes as physically possible to keep out the severely freezing temperature, we trudged slowly up the rocky terrain through snow and sometime hail, only being able to see as far as the boots of the person in front of you. Altitude sickness affected all of us to some extent, ranging from headaches to nausea and vomiting. After what seemed a lifetime of walking, only stopping for a few quick toilet breaks, we were lucky enough to see the most beautiful dawn as day broke over the mountain. For the first time we could see the path before us and the top of the mountain in site. This gave us much needed renewed energy and around 6.30am, we reached Stella Point (5752m) one of the three peaks on the crater rim. Overcome with emotion, we all enjoyed a warmish cup of tea, kindly carried by one of our marvellous summit porters. There was still another hour to walk around the crater rim, over to the highest point, Uhuru Peak. As we tread wearily over to the summit, we were greeted by spectacular views of glaciers on the side of the mountain, and the vast crater itself and it was truly overwhelming to see the joy of success on the faces of our fellow trekkers. After a few minutes break to take photographs, we had to start on the arduous descent back to camp, to ensure we arrived before lunch so as to be able to walk onto the next campsite! For the first time since arriving on the mountain, needless to say, I slept like a baby that night!
I feel extremely privileged to have had this truly unforgettable experience, and at the same time raise over £3000 for ‘Vision Africa’ charity.
I would like to thank all of my sponsors, especially Village Dental Practice for being extremely generous with their sponsorship of my trip, to help make this all possible.
Email:
