I made it.
Just.
The first four days were wonderful. Walking through rainforest and rocky landscapes. Nights like you are on Mars. The moon rising above the mountain and more stars than I'd ever seen.
On the ascent we had a blizzard and our guide said it was 'very, very bad'. It was -15 degrees and our water froze after 5 hours. After 3 more hours we made it to the top and I was comletely exhausted. I nearly past out a couple of times.
But all four of us made it. Sarah (throwing up every day), Felicity (with icicles for hair) and Adam (one step at a time). And me, falling over and stumbling with delirium. Nuts. But worth it.
Awesome.
Pics
Just getting started. Sorry to cut you off Adam, tripods in trees don't work very well. So clean and eager.....
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The mountain at sunrise on Day 2.
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Us in front of Mount Meru on the start of Day 3. No rain until 2pm as usual, but a great view in the morning.
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The trail before us on Day 4. Eight hours trekking across amazing hills. This valley was like a unused quarry. Some stones gave off a iron ring when clinked with our walking sticks
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No pics of the eight hour journey up. My jacket was so frozen that I didn't think my camera would work, but it did. Here is the crew on the top. L to R - Felicity, Paul, Sarah, Frank, Adam and M.D. (Jeremy, our amazing guide) in front of the Ahuru sign ontop of Kilimanjaro. Yeah!!!
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Me too. This is me and the guys on the summit. I'm smiling on the outside and frozen on the inside 5895 metres high.
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Safely down at Mweka camp, us and the whole crew pose for a pic. Yep, this is the amount of people it took to get us to the top and six days camping. 1 guide (Jeremy the legend), 1 cook (Moses the chef), 1 tent boy who runs ahead of us and sets up the tents (Godwin the dude), 1 assistant guide and summit porter (Frank who apparently is quite cute!!!), another summit porter (Paul who has been subjected to descent dating...) and 5 more porters carrying food, packs, chairs, everything. It's nuts, but they are all needed... Thanks guys.
Thanks to Victoria Expeditions - highly recommended, especially the free nights before and after at Meru House where you get hot showers that actually come out of a spout!.
Thanks to Felicity, Sarah and Adam for making up a fine crew.
Big thanks to Jeremy for getting us to the top.
Some great quotes from the trip;
"Have you heard of Super Furry Animals" - Felicity to Adam as he buttonned up his fly.
"What's going on?" - Adam upon waking from his usual deep sleep at 11pm when we are about to climb.
"That's fine. Just fine." - a shadow puppet of a dog doing an impression of someone's great aunt......
"Country roads.... take me home....." - Mick and Felicity duet.
"Hangover cure??" - Jeremy.
"How many layers do you have on" - everyone.
"Sarah.... have you eaten?" - Jeremy.
"Can we play euchre?" - Adam.
"No!!! No food...." - Sarah.
"Small? No, small size will not fit you." - t-shirt'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;" href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=t%20shirt">t-shirt salesman to Felicity who then slams the window shut.
"Pole pole" - Jeremy
"Pole sana" - the crew when we fell over regularly.
"Brrrrddddd" - the crews secret sound.
Awesome. Do it.
WHOO HOOO
thats awsome Mick, I hope you took some photos of that view, I mean at 5895m up you must be able to see the ocean and I expect photos, if the clouds were to much then I will forgive you... lol
I wanted to ask if you got given a basil/herb to smell, it would have smelt like Vicks (Cold and Flu rub), really helps those head colds you would have had.
Glad to see your living your life dreams, but I want more and more everytime I see a new entry so keep them coming, Love you.
Posted by: Ryan | December 10, 2004 at 01:48 PM
What an awesome adventure Mick!! Wow.
I bet the facilities in that African villiage now feel five star!
Posted by: Rowan | December 15, 2004 at 07:14 PM
As they say in Eire - Jaysus fair play to ya! It sounds amazing. Excrutiating but amazing! Don't know how I'd cope with the cold tho, I'm still getting used to the aircon in the office :)
Have a brilliant Christmas mate, No doubt it will be one to remember.
Posted by: Kathryn | December 17, 2004 at 12:09 PM
Our son is a marvel - there was a good old gospel song that the Seekers once did called "let My People Go" and it goes something like "go tell it on a mountain - to let my people go!!!!!" good on you michael you did tell it on a mountain.
love mum and dad
Posted by: Bob Liubinskas | December 20, 2004 at 05:48 PM