Summit Day!

Saturday, December 28, 2019
Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
          So I didn’t sleep at all during the nap time yesterday and only about an hour total after dinner.  We packed our day packs, got dressed (six top layers, four bottom layers!), had some porridge, and then started up under headlamps at 11:30pm.  It was a bit chilly but not too bad.  Then, a half hour in, it started to snow!  Pole, pole, slowly, slowly was our pace.  Soon we had to scramble over some rocks in several places.  Tough work at 16,000ft!  Up some switchbacks, steeper and steeper.  Impossible to see the terrain in the pitch black but we could make out a couple groups of headlamps above us and many more down below on the endless slope.  Definitely a steep section of the mountain.
          The snow continued on and off for most of the summit push – hey, better than rain, snow just bounces off you!  For a while, we got stuck behind a struggling climber.  She had two porters escorting her but the rest of her group was way ahead.  It was too steep and snowy to pass.  Sometimes I was glad it was dark so we couldn’t see the exposure!  Finally, they took a break by some rocks and we were able to pass, moving from an EXTREA slow pace to our comfortably slow pace.  I felt good, warm and confident.  A very slight headache and, as usual on these long hikes, my back started to feel a little achy.  I powered through and about six hours after starting we hit Stella Point on the volcanic crater rim.  From there, it was an hour hike up around the crater to Uhuru Peak.   Dawn broke with the sun popping out from behind the clouds a bit after.  The morning light revealed a wintery wonderland.  Several inches of new snow covered the entire landscape.  We passed the glacier walls and seracs as we approached the summit.  At 6:45am we reached the peak – the highest point in Africa, the world’s tallest free standing mountain! 
Through the clouds we could see Moshi 16,500 feet below.  Into the crater was a surreal, snow covered cinder cone.  In the distance we could see Mawenzi, an adjacent volcanic peak.  A few victory pics and it was time to descend.  A few members of the group were feeling the altitude – Emma, one of our strongest, especially so.  I found out later she decided against the Diamox pills and so did Steve – guess they do make a difference. 
          Back at Stella Point it was now light so we took some more photos and had a quick snack and water, then started the three hour down climb to base camp.  A slightly different route back – zigzagging down the snow covered volcanic soil which we churned into what looked like a pile of cookies and cream ice cream!  We were granted 30 minutes of rest time in our tents, had lunch and as the rain began so did our four hour hike down through the alpine desert and back into the moorlands.  The rocky trail soon turned into a flowing creek.  No point in trying to avoid the water as after a couple hours we were all soaked to the bone.  The trail seemed never-ending but we eventually made it to our final camp.  Soggy from all the rain, we never really dried out that night but we were too exhausted to care.  I think we all had the soundest sleep of the trip (I know I did!). 
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