After ascending to the ridge on which Barafu is situated, we received our first good look at Mawenzi, the eastern volcanic cone of Kilimanjaro.
- Mawenzi I
- Mawenzi II
Back to the west, Kibo, the largest cone that people usually associate with Kilimanjaro, loomed over the sunset.
We had dinner and then headed to bed for a few hours before summit morning.
Day 5: Summit day
We rose at 11 p.m., had tea and cookies, and left for the summit at midnight under an outrageously bright full moon. No flying friends were waiting for us this time.
In the quiet dark, and in the absence of many other stimuli, the cold was especially poignant. During the moments when the wind was biting at my gloved hands and balaclava'd face, I thought only of how pleasant the next lull would be, and in the moments when the wind wasn't blowing, I felt myself dreading the next gust. Somewhere around 17,500' it started getting to me and I could see the negative emotions beginning to circle and cloud my mind's eye. I cast my attention up to Uhuru Peak. Uhuru in Swahili means "Freedom." ... Freedom? Freedom from what?
Chains. Big, cold links of chain.
Sometimes, prime introspection strikes when least expected.
I entered the cathedral of my mind and began lighting torches. Chains everywhere--mostly quiet, but some clinking as they heaved to and fro off into the shadows, attached to all manner of unworthy things. I saw an approaching opportunity and forgot the cold while spending the next 2,000' exploring just what lay in all those shadows.
When we reached Stella point, our guides sat our cold selves down and gave us a cup of ginger tea--I'll never have a better cup of tea. The full moon sat beautifully just above the peak as we rounded the final portion of the crater rim.
We reached Uhuru Peak well before sunrise. I savored the moment by consciously thrusting an entire constellation of the unwanted into the cold rock at the base of the sign--a fitting tomb. Then, I knowingly stood on it during our celebratory pictures (see image 01). It was a memorable sunrise.
The sky was clear, the air was cold, and a few fingers went numb during the ensuing photobombing, but the sun came up to fix that as we descended back to Stella point (the peak is in the center left of the image).
It is advisable to get to Uhuru Peak early to avoid the crowds.
Here is Mawenzi (see images 59/60) from above, just before we started our descent.
After descending back to 15,000' and resting for an hour, we made for 10,000', back in the clouds.
When people have severe troubles and don't get a helicopter, this is how they are brought off the mountain.
Parting shot from the forest...
In which we encountered one of few species endemic to Kilimanjaro.
Day 6: Descend another 4,000' and shuttle out.
We descended the remaining 4,000' through the forest
and then congratulated ourselves on having made it back to civilization.
On the way back into town, we came across this comical spectacle. Even our guide agreed that this was strange enough to warrant a laugh.
The hotel beds were the same, but they felt infinitely more comfortable after sleeping in tents for so long.
We didn't fly out until the evening on our final day, so we walked around Moshi with a guide for several hours.
