Summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, One step at a time. Pole Pole

The team’s thoughts, put together by Meera Chari

Vivek Jain of Desi Outdoors – he started it all. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a few interested hikers and I were tricked by his smile, his unwavering belief in us and his patience to answer our never ending questions – sometimes silly and trivial. I for sure, foolishly believed that as long as  Vivek was able to answer every question thrown at him by the team satisfactorily, summiting Mt Kili should be a cake walk. When he recommended practicing Cushetunk White trail 5x, it was misunderstood to be a sufficient requirement to scale Mt Kili, the realization that it was a necessary condition dawned on us few days into the Kili hike.

Some of us committed to the trip, though motivations differed, our goal was the same. Little did we know that we were about to fall in love with the journey, rather than the goal, the motivations but a blur in the background. 

Thanksgiving and holiday shopping deals helped us to gear up quickly, saved dollars. 

While some of us hit Cushetunk and other mountains every weekend, others prepared by practicing Pranayama and Sudharshan Kriya. None of the team members knew each other personally, Vivek insisted on the team meeting in person, to warm up to each other. We did so in true desi style by showing up at Dr. Srinivas’ place with trays of food. 

Weeks leading up to the flight were spent on taking care of several procedures such as travel insurance, reading through travel requirements for Kenya/Tanzania, COVID tests  and travel documentations. Ramesh provided a much needed eye for detail when undertaking such an important expedition during COVID times by combing through airlines and Kenyan/Tanzanian websites for fine print. The team put together excellent documentations, checklists, and a plan to keep us on track. As the excitement coupled with anxiety set in, packing was daunting and time-consuming.

Getting to Tanzania

We all showed up at JFK airport in different batches. The Qatar airways group had a smooth flight, while the drama for the Kenya airways group had just begun. The Nairobi to JRO flight cancellation and subsequent delay for the connecting flight ended up as a blessing in disguise; An opportunity to party at the Nairobi’s Pride business class lounge – money well-spent. 

The topic of who snored the most, how and at what times during the sleep came up several times, lightened the mood and brought in chuckles and squeals. This was an icebreaker that led to several deeper conversations.

We arrived at Chanya Lodge in Moshi, well past midnight to find that hot dinner was waiting for us. Next morning, the entire team was reunited, and were introduced to three local Tanzanian teens, Eliyah, Abigail and Grace, who were to accompany us. The beauty of Chanya Lodge, the lush greenery of Moshi and the wonderful hospitality of the lodge assistants gave us the boost to shower, pack, and weigh our duffel bags. We were also introduced to the head guide Naftael and his assistant Focus. We were finally on our way to the Machame Gate.

Day 1 – Hike to Machame Camp

We captured several clicks of Mt Kilimanjaro on the drive to the gate, awed at its size, its peaks towering above the clouds, the mountain dictating its own weather system and that of the surrounding regions. It was clear to us that the mountain would decide whether we reached the summit or not.  

While an unexpected delay in permits caused restlessness among us, we eventually crossed the Machame gate. 

The team diligently popped in Diamox, the high altitude tablets which made us pee frequently. 

Few hours into the hike, it was clear that the team had varying levels of fitness and skills among the hikers, so quickly but organically, we split into two groups. There were enough guides to support the slow and fast hikers and none of us felt rushed. The porters were a treasure house of knowledge, sharing details of plantation and animals, weather and their lives as we walked through the rain forests. The rumbles of thundering clouds lead to a huge downpour, the setting sun plunged us into cave-like darkness, the team quickly covered ourselves in rain gear, head lamps and continued on the seemingly never ending path to the Machame Camp. We were wet, tired, hungry, aching, exhausted but of all the things, relieved. The hot soup waiting for us at the dinner tent calmed us. We settled into our crawl tents to rest.

Day 2 – Hike to Shira Camp

The smell of  warm breakfast woke us up. The teenagers slowly started mingling with the foreign adults in the group. We joked, smiled, and were getting to understand their background. One of them had hiked Kili earlier. It was helpful that at least one of us knew what was ahead.What followed was hours of hiking through steep ascent, which was challenging, eyes weary searching for flat ground. Thankfully, it was right in the morning and we had the energy and the will to carry on. The meaning and impact of pole pole (pronounced “poh-leh poh-leh”, Swahili words for  “slowly”) started to sink in.  Thanks to Usha who demonstrated how to be a partner in success by sticking around with Krishna. We reached the Shira camp in groups, several minutes apart. At the dinner table, the mood was high, even though the energy reserves had depleted considerably.

Day 3 – Hike to Lava Tower for Lunch, and to Barranco Camp for dinner

This was going to be a very long day with 8 hours or more on our feet. The gradual ascent helped during the morning, however the team’s pace had slowed considerably. We took numerous breaks, and the music cheered us up. Pizza served at lunch did not work for some of us, but giving up was not an option. We needed food, we needed energy.  Post lunch, we began a treacherous, steep descent down to Barranco Camp. Hours of going down had its impact, the rocky terrain shocked our joints, it felt like we were descending into an abyss. It got worse and worse when 10 mins before the Barranco camp, the porters helped by carrying our daypacks. Various effects of altitude sickness, like loss of appetite, sleeplessness, headache, constipation, bloating, nausea, diarrhea  settled in. Sharing our symptoms and emotions at the dinner table brought in comfort and togetherness. The soothing grace of the full moon and the city lights from the Moshi town, far far away, kept us company all night. The snoring from neighboring tents was not disruptive anymore.

Day 4 – Barranco Wall

The day began with the 1,000 feet Barranco wall (aka the death wall) staring at us, there was no escape. Several other hiking groups had an early start, we were the last group to leave the camp that morning. Our guides stood by us, held us, helped us navigate through some steep, narrow, rock climbing. We had to crawl on all fours, had no grooves for foot/hand holding at various turns, and at times we were jumping in the air to get to the next rock. Kissing and hugging the rocks, we managed to reach the top. Scaling the Barranco wall was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. We reached Karanga Camp by night. 

That night, Manjeet asked us what we were missing the most. After days of physical exhaustion, some of us were missing our children, pets, family and comfort of our home in general. Eliyah, Abigail, and Grace filled that gap. Eliyah’s deeper understanding of life and Abigail’s smiling attitude captured our hearts, comforted our souls. We longed to communicate better with Grace, in spite of the language barrier.

Day 5 – Karanga to Barafu(base) Camp

This was a shorter hike, however, it was very steep. We passed through the last source of running water on the mountain. Our aches and pains faded when we saw our porters coming down from Barafu camp to the stream to fetch water for us. The sight of Barafu camp from the peak across the valley was beautiful and welcoming. 

Dr. Srinivas recollected his thoughts on the Barafu Camp. 

“At 15,000 feet above sea level,  the camp is living up to the expectations of low Oxygen levels. Every small task at that elevation is becoming physically challenging making you short winded. Somehow my thoughts go back to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when many of my patients experienced these symptoms due to lack of Oxygen caused by the infection. Now I feel the panic that they may have gone through not understanding what was happening to them.” A tear was shed in remembrance of all those who lost their lives to this virus.

The stark reality that this day was the pre-summit day weighed on us. Our pace on this day would decide how much rest we would get before starting the midnight summit climb. We spoke about summit porters, early dinner, rest needed before the night. Whether it was the altitude or the exhaustion, it’s hard to tell, but  for the first time, several disagreements were voiced.  We talked over each other, there was sudden confusion over the dosage and timings of Diamox, indicating our worsening health – both mental and physical. We probably felt that we had to fend for ourselves. Perhaps imagining that some of us would reach the summit much ahead of others and the question of what if we couldn’t have access to the summit porters’ played in our heads. Eliyah, Abigail and Grace’s presence and smiles helped us maintain sanity. Thankfully, our team leader Manjeet reminded us- One Team, One Summit.

That evening, we had a chance to have a snack, grab early dinner, rest for 2-3 hours and change into our summit gear to report at 11pm. The sheer scale of getting things ready for the summit created a grim mood . What we packed included,  IV hydration packs, Nunn tablets, caffeine, cereal bars, trail mixes, hot water filled Nalgene bottles, several layers of clothing, rain/wind gear, balaclavas, hands/toe liners, hand/toe warmers, mittens, head lamps, first aid, essential medicines, and sunscreen.

THE FINAL PUSH

We started hiking at 11pm, together, in single file with Guru Nanak’s bhajans filling our racing hearts. We climbed the dangerous Barafu wall at midnight, and at times, a bunch of us were vertically hanging off  steep rocks, as the line ahead had slowed down. The pace was set by our slowest hikers, ahead of the pack. Pole, Pole. Our pace was extremely slow and Manjeet made a strategic decision to change the lead. We then began marching at a slightly faster pace. 

The air here was lighter, at 50% or less oxygen, every step needed a heavy breath. 

Getting into a meditative state to help conserve oxygen used by the brain, and give it instead to the much needed muscles was an approach that worked for Dr. Srinivas. For the next few hours, our mantra was to keep calm, talk less, and focus on deep nose breathing.

Day 6 – Summit Day

The breathtaking Sunrise over Meru brought in cheers, and made us forget that we were supposed to be at Stella Point by sunrise. The slow pace did not bother us. Other hiking groups were descending, we congratulated them and gained confidence that  we could do it too. The fine grains of lava soil on the slopes made it very difficult to get a firm footing, so we relied on our hiking poles for support. As we climbed up the last few steps, the glimpse of Stella Point brought in hope, energy and cheers. There were hundreds of other hikers taking pictures, smiling and lots of happy faces. All of a sudden, we were not individuals anymore, we were among them.

The 45 minute walk from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak is theoretically straightforward. However at 19,000 feet, with extremely low oxygen, we drifted apart, like zombies. Some of us exhibited severe nausea, palpitation, inability to walk, slurred speech. Our team lead, Manjeet, kept a close eye on us,  intervened in a timely manner and was able to help by forcing us to rest. One by one, we reached the Uhuru Peak. The heavens were closer. It was a surreal feeling, an exhilarating moment. What followed was a sudden outburst of emotions, joyful hugs, and sharing our happiness with our support system.  Each one of us were reminded of our motivations to summit. We spent a moment connecting with our higher self. We were the last group to hit Uhuru peak that morning, and had the peak all for ourselves to click pictures to our heart’s content, showing off our Desi Outdoors banner and t-shirts, where it all started. The views of stunning, pristine glaciers and the Kibo crater were beyond our imaginations. 

Some of us had to be rushed to lower altitude quickly, while others had realized that the trek downhill to Barafu camp along the same steep slopes we climbed up wasn’t going to be easy just because we scaled Uhuru Peak. We kept falling, slipping, our knees gave up, we stopped for food breaks, took off layers of clothing as the sun began shining brightly. Hail storms and rains gave us company as we climbed down the Barafu wall to our camps for lunch. Some of us skipped lunch as our bodies had taken a toll and rested. The few hours of rest helped us feel slightly normal even as  we cheerfully packed, bid goodbye to the basecamp, and continued our joyful descent to the Millenium camp for the night. Popcorn and roasted peanuts welcomed us. Feeling accomplished and relieved, the dinner table was filled with laughter, banter and was relaxing.

Day 7 – Trek to Mweka gate

The excitement and adrenaline from the previous day’s achievement wore off. The climb down from Millenium camp to Mweka gate was the most underrated. Our already weakened knees and ankles felt more tested than ever. The rainy conditions across the rain forests added to the misery. The quick trek down from high to low  altitude created imbalances, toe nails cracked/ached, blisters popped up. Suddenly, we missed our families, longed for a hot shower and a warm bed. 

I can’t even explain the feeling of the sight of Mweka gate and our hiking team of porters, guides and cooks who were waiting to welcome us and celebrate our accomplishment. 

As Krishna summed it up, the adventure ended successfully for all 10 of us! In all it took us seven days and nearly 40 miles of trekking to conquer the summit of the at 19341 feet tall Mt. Kilimanjaro! An experience we’ll proudly carry with us! Thank you Mt Kili for allowing us to reach your peak. 

Ashok had messaged the lodge in advance, and  thanks to him, steaming hot Panner curry, Spicy Chole and Naan bread was waiting for us at Chanya Lodge that evening.

Our success and team dynamics

After our 100% success with all team members summiting, accolades poured in. It was noted that such a success rate was not common. We were a team of 10 adults from New Jersey, regular hikers in good health and attitude, with three super energetic Tanzanian teenagers. 

The team composition and diversity was a primary differentiator in our case. 

We had age diversity (adults 45-61 years, 3 teenagers), gender diversity(among adults 4 females, 6 males, teens: 2 females, 1 male), occupational diversity(Doctor, technologists, businessman, product leaders, high school students), physical diversity (5feet – 6feet in height), health diversity (among adults: diabetic, arthritis to varying levels of heart rate, and energetic teenagers) 

What pulled us together? Radhika had spent the precious 11th hour making sesame laddus for all of us before boarding the flight, while Manjeet carried first aid medicines for all of us. Ramesh and Eliyah filled in as professional photographers. We celebrated Usha’s birthday together, shared fun facts about us. Stories of Ashok’s numerous adventures, Vineet’s last minute decision to join us, Doc Srinivas listening to us attentively, depth and breadth of conversations with Krishna, fearless Nilima, chirpy Radhika, Manjeet prompting us to share our feelings at the dinner table everyday were all the glue to keeping the team together. 

In Radhika’s words, 

1. We all felt  that we were in this together from day 1 and we could summit the mountain together. This was our strong belief and no one doubted this
2. All of us had openly acknowledged the fatigue and challenges of multi-day hike. This sharing inspired and motivated each other to keep moving and looking forward
3. We focussed on each day’s hike and did not worry about the next day or summit day. All of us were just ready to finish that given day’s hike successfully
4. We all laughed and joked with each other like silly kids
5. No one ever complained or made a big deal of small inconveniences
6. We considered the guides of Shah Tours as part of our team, we trusted them
7. Lastly all stars were aligned and the weather Gods were with us rooting for our 100% success

We were not a team of equals, competing with each other, racing to the summit. We were a cohesive family, mostly supporting and sometimes tolerating each other. 

Having all the right gears helped us cope with the changing weather at a moment’s notice. The most used among them was the rain gears, which needed to be on and off several times during the day. Not so surprisingly, Manjeet’s bluetooth speaker,  Spotify songs,  and   backup chargers ended up being part of the essential gears as well, that lifted our moods.The team’s gear list can be accessed here.

The Swahili Song that kept us going

Jambo, Jambo Bwana (Hello, Hello Sir)
Habari gani (How are you?)
Mzuri sana (Very fine)
Wageni, mwakaribishwa (Foreigners, you’re welcome)
Kilimanjaro yetu (to Kilimanjaro)
Hakuna Matata (There is no problem)

Listen to it here on Youtube

Conclusion

This trip helped each one of us rediscover ourselves. We overcame the fear of getting out of our comfort zone, visiting faraway lands, traveling with strangers as a team, fully dependent on the local team of guides, porters, cooks & drivers. In the end, talking, listening, and spending time with strangers and knowing and sharing their lives, was not so strange after all. 

“Yes Ashok, Africa is indeed home.”

Our Support Team

Thanks to the guides, porters and cooks of Shah Tours and Roheel Shah for customizing this trip for our team.

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