Day 5

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

My strategy today is to break up the hike to Kibo Camp in 2-hour increments. Teacher says that it’s a five-hour hike for most people, but at my pace it will be more like 7-8 hours.
Lisa surprises us all by announcing she isn’t going any further. She has had cerebral edema before and is starting to feel similar symptoms. I am worried about her. I know how much she wanted to get to the summit and she doesn’t like to leave a task unfinished. She says she is going to rest a little longer and then in a few hours begin the trip back down the mountain to Mandara Camp. Laura and I feel uncomfortable leaving her, but she assures us she will be fine once she gets to a lower altitude.

Joan McLoud, Ada Abalo, and Laura Garcia prepare to ascend to Kibo Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

The clouds roll in as we prepare to ascend to Kibo Camp from Horombo Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Teacher directs one assistant guide to stay with her, two assistant guides to go on ahead with Laura, Ada and Joan, and Teacher stays with me. .
At about the two-hour mark, I see one of the porters coming up the mountain with my bright yellow duffle bag. All of a sudden it hits me. My magical moment on the mountain arrives with the porter. I have gone as far as I need to go. I stop dead in my tracks. I ask Teacher how long it will take me to reach Kibo Camp. He says about 6 hours. I ask how long to go to Mandara with Lisa. He says it will take us 5 hours. Although to get to Kibo Camp will only take me an hour longer, I feel like it would completely wrong of me to go any further. I firmly believe in not leaving a team member behind, much less my stepsister. Although I can’t fault the other women in my group for continuing on to the once in a lifetime opportunity to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, I can’t leave her behind. It makes perfect sense that I should be the one to turn around and stay with her. The chances of me making the summit were less than the others and someone else needs me more than the summit does. I tell Teacher to turn the porter around. I am done.
As I descend to Horombo camp, the revelations keep coming. I realize, some people are summit people and some people are journey people. Summit people see a mountain top and say, “That’s where I want to be” and they make every effort to achieve their goal. Journey people see a mountain top and say, “I wonder what is on the way to that summit” and they savor the experience along the way. I am definitely a journey person.
Also, I realize that we create our own stress filled lives. Our culture so values the pursuit of material things, accolades, and competition that we sometimes lose sight of the important things in life. Family, health, sharing, and connecting with other people are important to me. And I also realize that where one may be weakest in one area, they can be the strongest in another. For example, I am physically the weakest in my group, but I have other strengths to offer in support. I realize that each and every team member has immense value in one or another area. I realize how important teamwork is whether it’s within a family, an office, or on the mountain. That everyone has strengths that they can bring to the whole unit and that their talents should be used accordingly.
I do not regret my decision to discontinue my climb up the mountain. I revel in it. It is likely the best decision I have ever made. I walk down the mountain feeling whole, complete, and strong. I found my summit halfway between Horombo Camp and Kibo Camp.
When I arrive at Horombo Camp, Lisa is sitting on the steps of the hut writing in her journal. She is ready to begin the descent to Mandara Camp. I take one last look at the peak from Horombo Camp and begin the hike down.
The trip down the mountain was good. I finally get an opportunity to see all the sights I missed while staring at my feet on the way up the mountain.

A red-hot poker rises from the landscape near Horombo Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)
A protea flower grows near the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)
A butterfly lights on a plant near the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)
Flowers grow near the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

About the time we leave the moorlands the rain and hail starts up, this time with thunder. We are walking along the trail in the heather fields and the thunder and lighting are driving us faster to seek shelter. I think it’s the only time in the trip I walk as fast as everyone else. I ask Teacher if we should find shelter from the lightening. He says not to worry because the thunder is a friend to the people there. I tell him it may be a friend to the people of Kilimanjaro, but in America people are hit by lightening all the time. And here we are with metal walking sticks digging into the ground. We are walking lightening rods. But like most storms on Kilimanjaro, this one passes quickly and we make it safely to the tree line.

A storm moves in as Lisa Hepinstall walks the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Oddly enough, as we approach the tropical rain forest and the rain begins to let up, Lisa notices a white-necked raven hopping down the trail in front of us. It seems to be leading us back to the safety and comfort of the Mandara Camp.

The jungle closes in on the trail near Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)


As we walk back into the jungle, I can’t help but think about Teacher. I can tell he is disappointed that we didn’t summit. But his smile never wavers. “Hukana Matada”, he says. He is daunted by nothing. I know us giving up has lowered his success rate in the eyes of the expedition company we hired, but he never once mentions this. His only concern is to continue making sure we are strong, healthy and having a great time. I am amazed by his undying loyalty to us. He could have easily sent one of the assistant guides back down the mountain with us. But he followed us himself. He clearly understands that it is the role of the strongest to help the weakest. His strength and positive attitude has given Lisa and I the ability to continue when we think we are too broken to go any further. And his acceptance of our weaknesses is filled with compassion and good humor. He has certainly gone way above the call of duty for us. He has checked everyone’s vitals every night, including his own team. He briefs us twice a day as to what to expect, what to pack, where we will be going. He tells us the history of the mountain and about it’s geography. He knows the names of all the flora and fauna we ask about. He knows first aid and all the symptoms of the health dangers of climbing in high altitude. He has carried our daypacks, loaned us walking sticks and made sure everyone on the team is cared for. This man is deserves to admired and respected. He is a born leader.

Day 4

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

I wake up at the crack of dawn today. I feel a lot better than last night. Today is acclimatization day. We take a short hike up to Zebra Rocks. Ada goes so far ahead we lose sight of her. The assistant guide can barely keep up with her. We have dubbed her the mountain goat mama. Joan, Laura, Lisa and I take our time. Joan stays behind with Teacher and me. Between the two of them, I am feeling really motivated. We pass by several rock mounds along the way. Teacher explains that people add small rocks to the mounds to show that they were here. I add a small stone to one of the mounds. The mounds become taller and more numerous as we climb and the clouds move in to surround us. At one point we are literally walking through the lower mists of the clouds. But the mist moves on with only a little rain and a slight drop in temperature.

Clouds move in near the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

We reach the base of Zebra Rock and I see how steep the climb is. I ask Teacher if we are going to climb straight up. He says, “ Sure, whyyyy nooooot?” That will forever be Teacher’s quote, “Whyyy noooot?”. We begin the ascent to the top. Although it isn’t supposed to be technical, it certainly is tricky. The gravel is slippery and the way is steep with lots of switchbacks. The path is very narrow and almost imperceptible. I have to step and secure each foot before making the next step up. This part of the climb I don’t mind so much because going slowly is unavoidable. But it is a little dangerous. One misstep can send a climber sliding hundreds of feet over rocky terrain to the base of the hill.

Zebra Rocks is landmark on the way to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Once we reach the top we are at slightly over 14, 000 feet, which is about as high as Pike’s Peak in Colorado and only 5,000 feet to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We can almost see the next camp from our location. We are all feeling strong and confident. Joan says she can already see herself at the summit.

Lisa Hepinstall, Joan McLoud, and Laura Garcia take pictures after climbing Zebra Rocks near the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

The clouds clear briefly to reveal the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro near Horombo Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley

On the way back down Zebra Rock, I take the lead for the first time on our trip. Down I can do. Although, it is harder on the feet and toes.
Teacher assures me that yesterday was my hardest day until the summit and that today’s climb is very similar in steepness to the climb to the peak. This renews my hope of getting to the summit.

Lisa Hepinstall,(right), Laura Garcia, Joan McLoud and Teacher descend after climbing Zebra Rocks near the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

On the way back to Horombo Camp, we see a woman being carried from the higher elevations back down the mountain. Teacher says she has altitude sickness and must descend to a lower elevation quickly before she experiences cerebral or pulmonary edema, as those are fatal. I remember reading on the Internet that only 40 percent of the people that attempt Kilimanjaro actually summit and that the route we are taking has the highest casualty rate due to the inexperience of the climbers. I have no climbing experience.
Back at camp the winds move in. Our private toilet tent is blown down. The porters struggle to get it back up. Once it is back in place, the wind beats against the sides of the tent. Each of us has horrible visions of sitting on the pot with our pants around our knees and the wind blowing the tent away, leaving us exposed to the elements, the porters and other climbers.
I spend the rest of the afternoon taking photos near camp. I notice a White Necked Raven sitting on a sign that says, “Please do not go further than this point” written in English and Swahili. It’s to prevent campers and porters from contaminating the small stream coming down from the mountain that is our water supply. But to me, it seems more ominous.
Teacher records our vitals again at dinner. He gives us the ok for the hike to Kibo hut tomorrow.

A white necked raven sits on a sign on the slopes near Horombo Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Day 3

We are up at dawn for washing and breakfast. We head out of the camp by 8:00 am. We are all feeling strong and refreshed. Surprisingly, none of us are sore from the previous day’s hike. It doesn’t take long for Ada, Joan and Laura to pull ahead of the pack. Lisa and I lag behind, taking pictures and basking in the sunny morning. We walk for about an hour and a half until the jungle begins to thin into tall grasses and heather.

Heather blows in the wind near the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Four hours into the hike, I begin to show signs of exhaustion. The afternoon rains start up and then the hail. It’s on and off, but it takes its toll on my energy level. I start focusing on my feet. The idea is just to put one foot in front of the other. The landscape starts changing from prairie to moorland and the temperature drops.

The moorlands near Horombo Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

The trail begins get rocky with long climbs uphill punctuated by short drops with more rocks and gravel to maneuver around. Some of the steps are too much for my short legs and low energy level. I ask Teacher to give me push up from behind. “Push Teacher”, I say. I will never live that down. A porter with a wooden wheelbarrow-like contraption passes us going up the mountain. Teacher explains that it is the stretcher they use to help people down from the mountain that are sick or injured. Lisa jokingly offers to pay the porter to carry her up to the next camp. I think he considers it for a moment before continuing on his way.
I have to stop seven minutes from the lunch site for a break. I am feeling very nauseous and winded. The altitude is starting to get to me. Lisa is starting to feel tired, too. Every hour or so she says, “We camp here, Teacher?”

Tammy McKInley takes a short break from the seven hour hike from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Lisa Hepinstall)

Mt. Mawenzie is shrouded in the clouds slopes near Horombo Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Tuesday, February 27, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)
Monday, February 26, 2007

By the time I arrive at the lunch site, Lisa has already eaten. The rain begins in earnest. Then the hailstorm moves in. I pack up my lunch and Lisa and I hunker down in the stinky latrine for protection from the storm. Teacher and the assistant guide, Abdi put rain gear over their heads and packs to wait out the storm between a couple of rocks. The storm lasts for a half an hour. As stinky and miserable as it is, it feels good to take a break from walking.
Once the weather lets up, we are off again to finish the hike. Abdi heads off to camp. Lisa takes the lead, I am in the middle, and Teacher brings up the rear. I am feeling cold and wet and exhausted. The trek is wearing on me. Every time we ask Teacher how much further, he responds “two hours, maybe two and a half”. He says this every two hours. We have dubbed it “Teacher Time”. It takes us a while, but we figure out the metric to standard conversion. Actual time is double “Teacher Time”.

A storm moves in as Lisa Hepinstall walks the trail from Horombo Camp to Mandara Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa Wednesday, February 28, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

By the time I arrive at Horombo camp, I am broken. I am the very last to arrive. Not just the last in my group, but the last of all the groups that left today. As I sign in the register book, my hands are shaking, my focus is gone, and my senses are dulled. I think I may even be a bit delirious. I have spent the last nine hours hiking through rain, hail, heat, up and down and back around again. Joan and Ada greet me at the registration hut. They congratulate me on getting to the camp. I break down in tears. I’m not really sure why. They help me into the hut where my sleeping bag is already laid out. I sit on the bottom bunk across from Lisa and we both start crying. First, she cries and then I cry and then she cries and on and on it goes for an hour. The porters bring in fresh water for washing, but it’s all I can do to sit up.
Laura is a huge help to both Lisa and me. She mothers both us of the best she can.
By 6:00pm I am crashed out asleep. The waiters try to wake me up to eat some soup, but I can’t eat. I choke down two swallows of soup and a few slices of orange. Teacher comes in to record my vitals to make sure I don’t have altitude sickness. Although, my oxygen level is a little low, I am still within the normal range. Teacher says I am just experiencing exhaustion. I sleep until dawn the next day.
I have never known that kind of fatigue in my life. I have heard Mt. Kilimanjaro is a blessed and magical place, but that it will break a person before it reveals a personal truth to them. I am expecting a BIG TRUTH.

Day 2

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Today we discover “Africa time”. Africa time is measured as a sequence of events, not necessarily by the hands of a clock. We don’t leave the hotel for Mt. Kilimanjaro until well after 9:30 am. The trip, which is only supposed to take 45 minutes to the mountain, takes an hour and a half. But the sights are amazing.
Along the way, I notice lots of homes built from sticks and mud. Some of the roofs are thatch and some are a tin secured with tires or rocks I also notice a lot of the buildings don’t have glass in the windows and have sheets covering the open doorways. I see lots of brick or concrete buildings that are merely the shell of a structure with no roofs or floors. I can see right into the buildings. There aren’t any internal framing, drywall, studs, plumbing, or electrical components. There are several building that look like someone started building the external frame and then just stopped for no apparent reason. Further out of town, we see small villages and markets that are little more than a collection of mud huts or woven stick structures. We watch as Maasai men and boys herd their cattle in the fields on the edge of the highway. There are no fences and they seem to be walking from nowhere to nowhere.

A woman does household chores near her home in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, Africa, Friday March 2, 2007. Many homes in the area do not have doors, glass in their windows, electricity, or running water. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

A woman does household chores near her home in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, Africa, Friday March 2, 2007. Many homes in the area do not have doors, glass in their windows, electricity, or running water. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Families gather to do chores near thier home in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, Africa, Friday March 2, 2007. Many homes in the area do not have doors, glass in their windows, electricity, or running water. This home is constructed of sticks from the jungle, held together with mud and a corrugated tin roof. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

A trio of Masai men herd their cattle on the open plain in Tanzania, Africa, Saturday, March 3, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)


We finally arrive at the Kilimanjaro National Park to register for the climb. We are taking the six-day Marangu route, also known as the coke a cola route, to the 19, 340 ft peak. We start our journey in the tropical rain forest. The assistant guide, Abdi Mdoe follows behind carrying supplies on top of his head. He doesn’t speak much English, but smiles all of the time. Teacher, the head guide, stays behind to clear up some registration paperwork. On the way we meet a few local children holding some of the native lizards and frogs on long sticks. We cross several wooden bridges over creeks and small waterfalls. The path is well marked and lined by giant ferns and tall trees.



The Margangu route to Mandara Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Sunday, Febraury 25, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

A chameleon clings to a stick on the Margangu route to Mandara Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Sunday, Febraury 25, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)


We meet lots of trekkers on the way down from the climb. They are still wearing their winter clothes from the trek down the mountain.
Several porters pass us carrying huge loads of supplies on their heads and backs. Our own porters have gone on ahead. We have 10 porters, 3 cooks, 2 waiters, a potty porter, 3 assistant guides and one head guide. It is quite a large group of people to assist five women up the mountain. But most reputable climbing companies require the high number of porters and guides. We are torn about hiring so many porters, but also realize that hiring these men, we are contributing greatly to their families and to the local economy, which depends on the eco-tourism trade. And it really does make the climb a lot safer and more enjoyable.
After several hours of walking along the trail, we arrive at our lunch site. Teacher is already there, having come up a back route. We are tired and beginning to feel the altitude. I am starting to drag behind. I quit smoking about 6 months ago and the effects of twenty-five years of poor health and diet choices are taking their toll on my body. I’m a little nervous because today is supposed to be the easy day of hiking and I am having trouble catching my breath. But Teacher assures me that this is normal. Laura is concerned that we aren’t keeping up with the time. The hike to the Mandara hut is estimated at 3 hours and it has taken us 2 1/2 hours just to get to lunch. Teacher tells us not to worry about the time and just go “pole pole” which means slowly in Swahili. The slower we go, the better we will acclimate to the altitude.
At the lunch site, we have our first encounter with a long drop. A long drop is an outhouse with a hole in the ground instead of a toilet. It’s all about the squat in Tanzania.
We see a Ratel, or honey badger scavenging for leftovers at the site. It looks like a cross between a ferret and a raccoon.
After lunch, we continue our walk to Mandara Camp. The rest of the girls go on ahead and Teacher stays behind with me. The jungle charms me. I want to know what each plant is. I see Colobus monkeys jumping from tree to tree. And then it begins to rain. The trees provide a lot of cover for the rain so we don’t get too wet. But the sprinkles that do land on me feel refreshing after such a long uphill hike.

Our group begins the second day of hiking in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Monday, February 26, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)


I arrive at Mandara Camp about fifteen minutes behind the other girls. Mandara Hut is at 1980 meters. The porters that arrived hours ago, cheer me on as I walk into the camp. The last one, but I made it. I am in good spirits despite the arduous 5-hour ascent.

Hikers make their way to thier huts at Mandara Camp in the Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania Sunday, Febraury 25, 2007. (photo by Tammy McKinley)

Our room is above the dining hall. When we climb the ladder to the room, all of our bags are there. We proceed to hang our wet clothing in the aisle between our bunks. Only one overhead light works in the long room. The camp is solar powered. The porters bring up a large bowl of boiled water for washing. The order is always washing first, then tea, and then dinner.
After washing we go down the ladder to join the other groups for tea. They bring us boiled water, tea bags, hot chocolate, coffee, popcorn and peanuts. Soggy popcorn never tasted so good.
After tea, I return up the ladder to bandage my blisters and pack for the following day before the light gives out. Lisa and Ada take a nature hike to Maundi Crater.
For dinner, we are served soup, fresh fruit and vegetables, spaghetti noodles, and beef stew. We meet with other climbers heading up the mountain. We meet groups from South African, Germany, America, and Romania. There are people from all over the world. Group sizes range from 1 person to 20 people and cross all age groups over age 16. There are more people over 50 than I would have imagined.
After dinner, we all retire to our bunks, exhausted and full. It’s dark and raining. We each take turns going out into the night to use the toilet. We have a private toilet tent set up for our group just behind the dining hall. Ada goes outside and sees a monkey wandering through camp. Lisa gets lost on the way back and finds the porters’ quarters instead. She walks in and all the men turn around and say hello. Eventually, she finds the dining hall where we are staying and the door has been locked. She bangs on it until someone comes to open the door. It’s late and she is tired and scared and starts to cry. As she relates this to us, we can’t stop laughing. What a day of adventure. We are tired but ready to start our climb to Horumbo Hut.