Kilimanjaro 5895m


There must be few mountains in the world more alluring than Kilimanjaro. This snowy summit, floating above the plains of Africa, exudes an atmosphere of unparalleled remoteness and inaccessibility. The knowledge that it is far from inaccessible and can be climbed with no technical problems lures walkers from all over the world, many of them perhaps tackling their first mountain. It is sad that many fail in the attempt and perhaps go away with a quite unjustified hatred of mountains thereafter. The problem of course is altitude. The so called tourist route starting from Marangu climbs to the summit in four days which for many is too fast and results in mountain sickness and an ignominous retreat. This is exactly what happened to me in 1967, just above the last hut at about 5100 metres. 29 years later I decided to have another go and I hope that my experience may help some others to reach this rewarding summit, the highest point in Africa.
The trip was organized by Spencer Scott and sponsored by Trail magazine. It started with an acclimatisation climb of Mount Meru, a superb mountain in its own right and no mere stroll. The first day took us as far as the Marakamba hut where we set up camp. Sunrise brought stunning views of the big one, Kilimanjaro and of our first goal Mount Meru. On day 2 we continued through the forest to the Saddle Hut and in the afternoon made the easy ascent of Little Meru, a small summit on the eastern end of the ridge. Mount Meru itself looked imposing from here amid swirling cloud. The climb to the summit of Mount Meru commenced at 2am by the light of the nearly full moon. The ridge alternates between loose scree and chunky lava. A few rocky steps were quite intimidating in the dark although they appeared quite straightforward when seen on the way down in daylight. As we approached the rocky summit the sun rose behind Kilimanjaro above a sea of cloud. An impressive ash cone lies far below in the shattered crater. Although