By the time you read this most of you will have updated yourselves via Nigels blog. The last 48 hours without battery power and signal have been very frustrating but let's not forget this is Africa and Gods Country! Besides there is always a pause before the jury delivers it's verdict. In this case the mountain decided that four of us should reach the summit from our base camp at Kibo with a further team member peaking at Gilmans Point. that's five out of nine acheiving an altitude in excess of 5680m. A fantastic acheivement by any measure!
For my part this has proved to be an deeply personal challenge. I knew that day five of the climb would be tough but I hadn't quote envisaged just how tough. we climbed only 400 m from Mawenzi Tarn Hut to Kibo Huts, but that journey was in itself a real test for the epic challenge ahead. The fact that all nine of us made it to Kibo was testiment to both our team ethic and individual powers of acheivement.
On the night of ascent, in the end 7 of us set off on the final leg up to the summit. Within an hour that witttled itself down to six as Jackie succumbed to the effects of dehydration! By the half way point we were down to five with our fantastic support staff disagreeing on how best to proceed. In the end the journey to Gilmans Point became an attritional campaign for all 5 of us left on the mountain . At somewhere between 6.15 and 6.30 am three of us succeeded in reaching Gilmans Point! A truely inspirational moment for Mark , jane and myself was later followed in equal measure by Nigel and Dean!
The emotional intensity in acheiving a summit height of 5685m spurred myself and Mark under superb leadership from our guide Hubert, on to acheiving our ultimate goal. At 7.45 am on Friday 13th the two of us stood proudly ontop of Kilimanjaro, the worlds highest single standing mountain. An hour or so later that acheivement was repeated by Nigel and Jane who amid emotional scenes had passed us on the way round the crater summit!
Words cannot begin to describe the raw emotion felt by the whole group on learning the news of our acjeivements. A very personal comment will follow in subsequent entries but for now let me sum up by saying the following:
Kilimanjaro is like no place on earth. You are able to discover more about human nature and your own shortcomings than any other place I know. And amidst all that, is raw beauty and magnificance seldom to be found elsewhere. My first experience of Africa has been truely uplifting and one I will remember for the rest of my days.