Kilimanjaro pt. 2

We thought an ascent of Kilimanjaro that coincided with the full harvest moon would be a good idea. That is, the clients who booked the trip thought so. So did 323 other clients who checked into Machame gate the same day. When you add porters and guides, it means about 1200 people on one trail on the same schedule. That's just one route, on one day! So, we had some bottle-necks on the trail and the campsites looked more like Bonnaroo than bush. But, it was worth the minor hassles to stand on the crater rim as the equinoctal sun broke on a clear view of the African savannah 17000 ft below. Our route was Machame again, which we like for its gradual ascent which aids acclimatization, and also its fantastic beauty. One of the best parts of climbing to altitude on the equator is the chance to go through a bunch of different climate zones on one short trip. On machame we spend the first and last days in the dank cloud forest, a lush contrast to the alpine zones. Here there are huge camphorwood trees dripping with moss and bromeliads and lichen. The forest floor is covered in giant ferns and many different flowers, including the beautiful endemic impatiens kilimanjari. Sykes monkeys and hornbills can be seen and heard cruising about the canopy. A little bit higher, around the Machame camp, you start to see giant heather trees covered in old man's beard lichen, just like we have in Alaska. Then you break out above the clouds and the heather shrinks and things start to look like the English moors. This gives way to a sub-alpine dominated by the groundsel trees and lobelia and the dessicated Helicrysum flowers. The area reminds me a lot of the southern Californian desert. Higher still only some lichens and yellow "everlasting" flowers survive. The top of the crater is stark volcanic country: a mix of rock, ash, and ice. Our clients were tough and fit and pushed on despite a variety of ailments- respiratory infections, blurred vision, numb extremities, and a host of GI problems, including two bouts of unannounced diarrhea that left one client cursing the wicking properties of synthetic underwear. It all seemed to come to a head at Barranco camp, our beautiful day three home. On this day we climb to 15000 ft. by lunch, but then drop back down to 13000 to sleep. This helps the body adjust, but often leaves people feeling pretty crappy. We shuffled into camp and found the spot the porters had carved out amongst 1000 of our closest friends. Our group was in pretty rough shape, and antibiotics were being swapped and popped like penny candy. I went next door to check on an Israeli guy from a friend's group who'd shown some signs of altitude sickness that morning. He was doing better, but a South African guy nearby asked for help with his finger. It was pointing the wrong way. There is a disturbing lack on medical training and equipment on the mountain, so my newly minted EMT certification was the best thing going. That night I woke up and marveled at the near silence. Moments later, from across camp came the sounds of the most horrendous wretching I've heard since college. The place was taking on the air of a refugee camp. The frosty morning brought renewed strength, however, and our group charged up the Barranco wall en route to Karanga camp. From there, the porters left a night earlier to stake out a spot at high camp. The porters are complete badasses and a joy to work with. They carry heavy loads and never stop smiling. Granted they are higher than a dozen gypsies in a trapeeze act, but still. We left in two groups for the summit, one at midnight and some speed demons at 1 AM. Both groups did a lot of passing and by 5 AM everyone was in a pretty good position to summit. Even though we we're spread out I got to celebrate with all 12 clients at the crater rim or on the summit. All12 summited and there were many hugs, tears, laughs and photos. The sun lit up the crater and began to warm our toes and we began our 14000 ft. descent to cold beer and warm showers.