Happy Valentine’s Day

Mount Kilimanjaro, Machame Route, Tanzania

Thursday, February 14^th, 2013

Day #1 – Machame Gate to Machame Hut
Time Started: 1149
Time Ended:  not Sure (I'll keep track tomorrow)
Maximum elevation Reached: 3000 metres (9,842 feet)
Total Distance Hiked: Approx: 10 kilometres (6 miles)

Today, Lola and I were up at the crack of dawn and off to enjoy breakfast at 0700. Another great meal. I’m liking the food so far. The rest of our morning consisted of us finishing packing, paying our bill, locking our valuables in a safe deposit box, checking my extra luggage in checked baggage and mentally preparing for day one. We quickly learnt that Lola’s bag had not arrived overnight. No one was quite sure where it was at this point in time but we were assured when it arrived it would be brought up the mountain to meet us (the porters have short cuts). This meant a quick trip to the rental room so she could get a sleeping bag (I also rented some walking poles) and then it was sit around and wait time. We were officially introduced to “Africa Time” as our 0830 departure actually happened at 0920.

All dressed and ready to head to the mountain. A nice warm morning.

The little shop we stopped at to buy a few things.....one chance left before we hit the mountain. Let's hope we didn't forget anything. 

It was about a 45 minute ride from the hotel to the park gate. There were 11 of us in an 8 passenger van for the ride so it was tight and cozy.....but a good and efficient use of the vehicle. Once we arrived at the gate we were “checked in” and then waited around a bit more while all the paperwork was sorted out.

Kilimanjaro is one of those mountains that you can't just climb. You  have to be with a trained guide and of course there is a fee to enter the park (like most national parks).

A look at the gate.

Just outside the gate you will find lots of people trying to sell all kinds of things....hats, rain covers, bracelets and even flags from most countries. They are not really suppose to come inside the gate (well there was one who tried to sell us the same things over and over again) but if you get close they will certainly yell to get your attention.

All the porters were already there and they quickly packed up and headed up the mountain with all our gear. The nice part about the Kilimanjaro climb is that all our gear is carried for us by porters. We only carry a day pack with extra coats and snacks and water etc. The porters carry everything else, including all the food, the tents, tables, chairs, etc. They only restriction is they are only allowed to carry up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) each. It is pretty amazing to see them all loaded up and still bouncing up the hill like it’s nothing. There are no permanent camps on the hill so everything gets packed up and moved every day.

A quick glimpse of a couple of the porters.  The bags on their heads will be weighed before they are allowed to head up the mountain. The packs on their back however are their personal gear and not included in the weight restriction so most porters are carrying way more than 20 kilos.

While waiting for the climb to start we spotted our first African monkeys….some little Blue Monkeys.

Super cute little blue monkey. There was a baby monkey amongst the group as well which qualified as the first baby animal of the trip as well.

After a few pictures of the monkeys it was finally time to head up the mountain. At 1149 on February 14^th 2013, I officially started my climb up Mount Kilimanjaro.

A look at part of today's trail. It wasn't a bad day at all. 

The route we will be following is the Machame Route, also known as the Whiskey Route (so called that because it is a much tougher climb than the Coca Cola or Marangu route). Planned duration was 7 days. It didn’t take long into the climb to know that this was not going to be just a hike though the woods (not that that’s what I was expecting) but that this would be the most physically challenging thing I’d ever done.  I’m in pretty good shape right now but day one already makes me feel like I’m not, but I guess that is to be expected. We ran into some pretty torrential rain on the way up today (it was rain forest though so it probably should not have been a surprise). Hopefully it will be the last rain we see. The sun came back out and warmed us up pretty quick though so no complaining.

Those are ants in case you can't tell......way too many of them. A good thing about heading up a mountain.....the bugs would soon be disappearing.

The trail got a little bit more steep. That's Lola, Axel and Greg ahead of me. Our guide, Arshad is somewhere behind us. He was not moving very fast on this day but we can't blame him considering he had just gotten back down the mountain yesterday.

Look closely and you can spot a water fall through the trees. I'm told the water from Kilimanjaro Spring is pretty fantastic. Tomorrow we'll find out.

Eventually we made it to camp where we were introduced to a man who I’m sure will become our favourite, Frankie. I’m told he is our waiter (that's right waiter on the mountain). He greeted us at our tents with “You’re welcome with warm water for washing” which lead to bowls of warm water being left for us to freshen up with.  Shortly after we were greeted with “you’re welcome for tea” where we were met in our mess tent with tea, coffee, popcorn and cookies. The biggest surprise at the camp was the port-a-pottie for the soul use of the 4 of us. I had been warned that the toilet facilities on the mountain were pretty gross (and were mostly holes in the ground that you squat over) so our little toilet tent was very welcome. It consisted of a bucket with a lid but you could sit on it and it got cleaned out several times in the evening and night so was really nice.

Still smiling after Day One. Let's hope the smiles last.

The view from Machame Hut.

It's not the Ritz Carlton but for the mountain this little tent is pretty 5 Star. Not to worry, there was more than enough room for the 2 of us.

After a bit of a rest Frankie met us with “you’re welcome for dinner” and what a dinner it was. Fresh potato soup, fried fish, fried potatoes and vegetables in sauce…..and way more than the 4 of us could eat. Making sure you are consuming enough food during the day and evening is very, very important. Loss of appetite is a symptom of altitude sickness plus we burn a lot of calories during the day. And before you ask, any leftovers are happily consumed by the legion of men who carry all the gear up the mountains so nothing goes to waste. As of today, no worries about a loss of appetite……I could eat a boat load of this great food.

A little look at our camp. You can see our mess tent on the left and our 2 little sleeping tents. Hidden in the trees is our toilet.

Oh there it is.

A look at the local camping area. That's our mess tent on the right and a few tents belonging to other climbers on the left.

Mostly everything is done for us once we arrive in camp which is nice. The evening is basically our own. All we really need to worry about is recovering from the day’s hike and preparing for tomorrow's. Even on the mountain, I get room service......just the way I like it.

Lola and I headed to bed pretty early. I was exhausted from the day.  My new sleeping bag is super warm and comfortable. Day One complete. I’m still here.

6 more to go.

Julie