Climbing Kilimanjaro X - The Summit

John, Pammie, Jules, Dr Hennie, and Johann on the way to Uhuru. Photo taken by Luiz

Pammie having her photograph taken in front of the summit sign. Photo taken by Luiz

Luiz joins us! John the patient shepherd follows behind.

Luiz, Dr Hennie, Jules, John, and Pammie at the top of Kilimanjaro, the roof of Africa. Photo taken by Jules.

I don’t recall any of our other companions on the mountain passing us on the way down but near the summit of Uhuru we pass several people I don’t know who tell us it isn’t that much further. Johann and Hennie reach the top first, then Julie and I together. At this time I have given up on Luiz, having tucked his head under a rock in the shade to go to sleep in my mind, so am happy to look back and see him stumbling up after Jules and I have taken our photos. Luiz wants nothing more than to find a soft rock and go to sleep. He fretfully stumbles from rock to rock, trying each, but none are comfortable. Finally he finds a rock at my feet and leans against my knees. I also really want a nap. When the five of us are gathered and had our photos taken, I want nothing more than to get back down and have a nap before we have to leave Kibo hut for Horombo hut.
Glaciers near the top of Kilimanjaro

I stumble on down but the others are delayed taking photographs of the next summit party. We are about the third last party to summit. Now I am descending on my own and I can’t understand why the others are taking so long to catch up with me. Now I am worried, wondering whether we are meant to descend by another route. I’m returning the way we came, and we have to go back to the hut, but my mind is tired and I’m confused. Finally the others appear. I start to get a headache for the first time and all I want to do is stop and rest, so I sit often with my head in my hands. I feel bad for delaying the others but they say later they were also grateful for the rest.

Pammie resting in front of the glaciers (photo taken on the way up the mountain)

We descend to the crater rim and Luiz and Johann and Jules set off at a great pace straight back down the mountain, disregarding the switchbacks. I see Luiz sitting one last time till he windmills back down the mountain, out of sight. I stay with John, and now Hennie is stumbling behind me. His Namibian army boots are too tight in the toes and he is suffering from his toes and now his knees. He’s swaying, nearly out of control, nearly taking me out falling one time. We stop in Hans Meyer cave for a drink (I’ve only drunk 500 ml the entire morning) and he speaks to me in Afrikaans, asking for the number of something. I tell him we are in room 3, it’s about 11 AM, it’s about an hour back down, about 3 more km, hoping I’ve covered all the options. Now Hennie is stopping at every switchback and I want to leave him but feel bad, and stay. Finally I catch sight of the huts and I bolt, leaving them behind.

Pammie in red hat, on the descent. John and Johann in the lead and Jules and Luiz resting below them.

I finally reach the edge of the camp at around noon and Dave is there to take my photograph and to give me a hug. I continue on to the dorm and I am crying again (reached that finish line, where’s the podium, the band with the American national anthem!?!). Suzette greets me at the door, hands me a drink of orange energy liquid, leads me to bed, takes off my gaiters and my shoes, and puts me in my open sleeping bag. I am hot, and don’t want the covers, she says I will be cold soon. I’m sweaty and smell like a drowned lamb in my woolen sweater. I’m afraid to ask her how she’s done because I am under the impression that she turned back at Hans Meyer cave.

I rest for a while but now the others are talking of their adventures. I hear Brett tell Suzette that she needs to get back into bed, that she has done just as much work as everyone else. Then I learn that both Tracy and Suzette made it to Gilman’s peak, each separately with their own guide. Brett & Dave had turned back at the cave. Now we are chirping away excited, learning about the other’s experiences, Johann is on the upper bunk asleep I think and Luiz is finally dead to the world in his. We wait more than an hour and a half at least and finally Hennie arrives. I feel bad because he should have only been 15 minutes at the most behind me, but I learn that he completely stopped after I bolted and John had to go down the mountain to fetch two guides to help drag him down. The guides give us soup and fruit but we are still not able to eat much. Luiz won’t wake up for his meal, and here I was worrying we were talking too loudly.

Johann and Jules descending Kilimanjaro