I Believe, I Can, I Will...: June 2013

Mt. Kilimanjaro

We woke up to a bright sunshiny day on the third day of our epic trek up the tallest mountain on the African continent, which is also the world’s highest free-standing mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro. The heavy clouds that had gathered over Horombo Hut upon our arrival at the rest and acclimatization camp late afternoon the previous day had cleared to reveal the majestic beauty of the snowcapped Kibo crater rim. At 5,895 meters above sea level, Uhuru Peak on Kibo is the highest summit of the three volcanic cones that form Mt. Kilimanjaro. The other two cones are Mawenzi and Shira which are extinct while Kibo remains dormant and could erupt again at any time.

Mesh had called me to take pictures of the imposing snow covered equatorial mountain. As I went about capturing the magnificent view on camera for posterity, Mesh described the spiritual aura of mountains and narrated how the scriptures tell us that God had always called his prophets to the mountains whenever he had an important message he wanted to impart to them. He mentions Moses and Muhammad as some of the prophets God had called to mountains to convey his message to the world.

As he speaks, I reflect on our own expedition and how a group of ten professional sport and health enthusiasts had come together to form Tshwaragano Adventure Club which had embarked on this quest to conquer Africa’s highest peak. Beyond the conquest, the group also sought to raise funds for the Cancer Association of Botswana and complement the associations existing awareness campaigns, programmes and activities. Mesh’s sermon leaves a smile on my face and I am feeling blessed and filled with pride and inspiration that I’m part of a group that will shout the cancer gospel from Africa’s rooftop.

Tshwaragamo Adventure Club comprises of Tawana Gaolathe as the Chairperson, Dr. Roselyn Mosha is the Vice Chairperson, Nelson Nareetsile is the Treasurer, Marilyn Mosha the Secretary and Bakang Tsheboagae, Moraki Mokgosana, Mahube Mpugwa, Charles Mmelesi, Mesh Moeti and I. Although none of the members possess any previous experience of scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro’s heights, all ten of us eagerly attempt the feat.

There are several routes that lead up to Mt Kilimanjaro’s summit. These vary in the complexities of their challenges and the benefits they offer climbers. Our group had chosen the Marangu Route which is nicknamed the Coca-Cola route because it is perceived to be easy and its rest huts which serve the popular American drink. With its gentle climbing incline, the mountains accessibility of its peak to climbers with no mountain climbing equipment or previous experience is remarkable. The Kilimanjaro National Park however states that of the 20,000 people who attempt to summit the mountain each year only 40% of them actually reach the Uhuru summit.

Nesto Njangaba, our head guide warns that the mountain is often underestimated because it is not a technical climb and can be walked. However, this perception is deceptive as even the Marangu Route is very physically demanding requiring stamina and a realistic awareness of the potentially damaging effects of high altitudes. Thinning oxygen at high altitudes provides less fuel for the muscles causing altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness (AMS).

Altitude sickness strikes randomly and indiscriminately and youth, fitness and previous experience are no safeguard. Most climbers suffer mild symptoms, but in its most severe forms, high-altitude cerebral oedema or high-altitude pulmonary oedema, is life-threatening. Officially there are, on average, two or three deaths annually as a result of altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro. Other fatalities on the mountain are put at between 10 and 15 annually. These are due to a variety of causes such as hypothermia, rock slides and climbers falling on steep portions of the mountain.

Our hike had begun at the Kilimanjaro National Parks gate that stands at 2,700 meters above sea level. The three hour climb through forest and moorland had been awfully slow with the constant, “Pole, pole,” (Slowly, slowly) refrain from our tour guide. Properacclimatization demands that delays are built into any high climb and moving slowly is vital to acclimatization, states Nesto. We had made an overnight stop at Mandara Huts situated at 3,720 meters and proceeded with the six hours trek to Horombo Hut which sits at an altitude of 3,720 meters above sea level, the following day.

Temperatures at Horombo had plummeted and the team pulled out their thermal underwear and sleeping bag liners to keep the nights frost at bay. Bathing in the morning posed a challenge as hot water was delivered in small bowls to our cabins but this was only sufficient to wash ones face. Wet wipes completed the crucial body hygiene ritual. After breakfast we embarked on the mandatory acclimatization exercise, our itinerary for the day included a brief excursion to Zebra Rocks and possibly a push to Mawenzi Hut to break the 4000 meter mark. Nesto had emphasized that part of the acclimatization process entails moving slowing on the ascend, going to higher ground and returning to sleep at lower levels.

The Zebra Rocks excursion had passed without a glitch and after careful examination for symptoms of altitude sickness, the Nesto and his assistants had declared that the group had passed the test and was ready for the summit attempt. We’d returned to Horombo Hut for rest before proceeding to the last camp ahead of the final ascend to the peak. The five hour trek to Kibo Hut progressed without incident until our Chairman, Tawana Gaolathe began to get a nose bleed a few meters into the Saddle to the Summit. The saddle is an alpine desert with sandy loose earth, sparse vegetation and intense weather conditions and temperature fluctuations that lies between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Tawana’s situation in the desolate desert brought home the reality of the altitude sickness threat and the difficult decision the group would have to make in the event of acute mountain sickness. Tawana was quickly attended to by Dr. Roselyn Mosha assisted by the guides and we were soon back on our way. The guides constantly urged us to drink water to avoid dehydration and reduce the risk of altitude sickness.

We arrived at Kibo in the early afternoon and rested. Supper was served early and was followed by a briefing on the summit attempt by the Nesto. He explains that the final push to Uhuru Peak will commence at midnight to enable us to be at the rim of the crater at daybreak. Walking overnight has the added advantage of an easier ascend because of the frozen gravel which is normally loose during the heat of the day. Nesto reiterates the difficulties and dangers of the ascend to Gilmans Point. He emphasizes adherence to the safety first rule and goes on to state the importance of this expedition to him. He mentions that in his fifteen year career, this would be his first all black team and that our successful ascend would be a huge boost to his career record. He volunteers that some of his expeditions with especially South African hikers often include one or two blacks and that it would be and honour and absolute pleasure for him to take a team of ten black people all the way to the summit.

We are all fired up by Nesto’s pep talk and to cap it all Mesh takes out his Bible and asks Charles to read out two verses for inspiration and divine intervention in the mammoth task that lies ahead. Charles reads from Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” He then proceeds to read from Psalm 30:5 “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” After the readings, Mesh shares his testimony of the verses with the team, recounting how the verse from Isaiah had inspired him when the going was excruciatingly tough during his first marathon. After this, Mahube had led the group in a prayer that thanked God for his mercy and grace and called upon the Lord for guidance, strength and team cohesion in the final and most difficult push up to the mountains peak. We had immediately retired to bed, inspired and ready to meet the five hours Gilmans Point challenge head on and tell the cancer message from Africa’s rooftop.

The push to the peak began an hour before midnight and it was the toughest and most gruelling part of the hike. It was an altogether humbling experience that demanded courage and perseverance. At many points one or the other member of the team wanted to quit but the camaraderie and team spirit prevailed to urge them on. The entire team reached the mountain's third highest point Giliman's Point standing 5681m high on the outer crest of the mountain. Five members of this expedition - Tawana, Moraki, Charles, Mesh and Tigele - went on to reach the partially ice capped Uhuru Peak.

Nesto relates how in the late 1880s the summit of Kibo was completely covered by an ice cap with outlet glaciers cascading down the western and southern slopes, and, except for the inner cone, the entire caldera was buried in glacier ice. He mentions that an examination of ice cores taken from the North Ice Field Glacier indicates that the "snows of Kilimanjaro" have a basal age of 11,700 years and refers us to studies that indicate that, “a continuous ice cap covering approximately 400 square kilometers covered the mountain during the period of maximum glaciation, extending across the summits of Kibo and Mawenzi. The glacial ice survived drought conditions during a three century period beginning ~2200 BC.”

Nesto goes on to say the period from 1912 to present has witnessed the disappearance of more than 80% of the ice cover on Kilimanjaro. “From 1912 to 1953 there was ~1% annual loss, while 1989–2007 saw ~2.5% annual loss. Of the ice cover still present in 2000, 26% had disappeared by 2007. While the current shrinking and thinning of Kilimanjaro's ice fields appears to be unique within its almost twelve millennium history, it is contemporaneous with widespread glacier retreat in mid-to-low latitudes across the globe,” he said. At the current rate, Kilimanjaro is expected to become ice-free sometime between 2022 and 2033.

Tshwaragano Adventure Trust was able to raise a quarter of a million pula (P250, 000.00) for the CAB and shout the cancer awareness message from Africa’s rooftop thus aching the noble goals the group had set itself. Tshwaragano hopes this feat will inspire others to form health clubs that will encourage members to take a serious look at lifestyles that adversely affect health and make the necessary adjustment.