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After a just a few hours sleep at the Kibo hut
(4073m) on the upper slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, 21 of the original
party of 24 Vets and Veterinary nurses left our beds at midnight
and climbed for 6hrs by torchlight to the crater rim.
16 of us reached Gilmans point (5680m) at dawn
on a old, clear morning with the temperature at minus 10C.
I was privileged to feel fit enough to be one
of the 8 who continued to the highest point Uhuru Peak (5895m; Freedom
Peak), reaching the summit at 8.30am.
The effect of the extreme altitude was very noticeable
with a general lethargy and a marked ataxic, swaying walk. We took
a few quick photos, drunk in the crystal clear views of the massive
crater and shining, glacial ice cliffs and were then all keen to
descend quickly to reach less rarified air.
A 3,500 foot scree run took us back to the Kibo hut
but the day was not yet finished as we had to continue our descent
to the lower Homboro hut at 3700m before we could rest & have
a decent nights sleep. I must confess that after 16hrs it was the
hardest days walking I have ever done in all my years of mountain
wanderings!
