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Fear And Loathing On The Roof Of Africa

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Everett Holum With apologies to Hunter Thompson for this travelogue's title, the following is an account of my summer's vacation on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the African continent. Like Hunter Thompson's various trips this one includes the abuse of drugs - in this case insulin - and survival in a hostile environment.

Mount Kilimangaro is 19,340 feet high, a dormant volcano in Tanzania in Central East Africa. It is three degrees south of the equator. It is fifty miles wide at its base and because it is a dormant volcano, it is not part of a mountain range, but rises out of scrubby plains. As one climbs, various climate zones are encountered from farmland to jungle, moorland, high dessert tundra and finally an artic environment at the summit.

In the summer of 2000, three friends (Don, Lyle and Bill) and I decided it was time for a new adventure. We had climbed Mount Rainier in 1996 and boredom was creeping into our lives. Although we had kept in shape by running, hiking, and snowshoeing, we had not engaged in any other major expedition. Along came our Mount Rainier Guide who was leading a two-week expedition to climb Mount Kilimangaro and a photo safari of Tanzania in Central eastern Africa. We signed up.

None of the four of us is an experienced climber, so conditioning was important. For approximately six months before leaving for Africa, we trained four to five days per week for one-half hour to one hour per day. In addition, we trekked up Mount Si, Granite Mountain, and to Camp Muir. We were all in sufficient shape to make the climb when the time came to leave for Africa on August 3, 2001. Unfortunately, one of my friends, Bill, developed gout on a trek across the Cascades one week before departure time. Although he made the trip and partook in the photo safari, the condition prevented him from the ascent of the mountain.

Just getting to Africa was a long and grueling effort. Our flight consisted of 18 hours of flying in a 30-hour time period. We flew across the arctic to London, toured London, hung out and then flew to Nairobi, Kenya. From the Nairobi airport, we bussed to Moshi, Tanzania, at the base of Mount Kilimangaro. We met the other five climbers in our group at the Nairobi airport.

The next morning with our two American guides, we assembled at the park entrance, an elevation of 6,400 feet. With nine climbers plus two American guides, we were introduced to our African guides. The Tanzanian government requires local guides. Per capita income in Tanzania is approximately $250.00 per year and the tourist dollars going to the African guides is extremely important. Our head guide's name was Arnold. His knowledge of the mountain as well as human nature and abilities were extremely important to the success of our adventure. Arnold would say, "pole', pole'", which means slowly, slowly. Not being acclimatized to high altitudes, climbing quickly might be a disaster. We took the much less traveled Machame Route. The much more traveled Mweka Route (aka "tourist route") has the advantage of having huts. The Machame Route requires camping in tents, but is much more pleasant as a result of substantially fewer climbers. In addition, the Machame Route is a seven-day climb, which gives one a better opportunity to acclimatize.

On the first day we hiked to Camp One at 10,200 feet. For reference this is the approximate elevation of Camp Muir on Mount Rainier and 3,000 feet higher than the upper chairlift at Crystal Mountain. We soon fell into a routine where we would wake up about 6:30 AM, have breakfast, and be on the trail by 8:00. We would usually climb until 3:30 or 4:00, have dinner around 6:00 PM and be in bed shortly thereafter.

Climbing the mountain can present a technical challenge requiring mountaineering skills and specialized equipment depending on the route selected. Also one should remember that any activity at 19,000 feet is no picnic. My friends feel that many of my fellow bar association friends would suffer greatly even if they could access the summit by escalator. It is reported that an average of ten people die a year on the mountain.

By the end of the fourth day we had climbed to about 13,000 feet. At this point we lightened our packs retaining sufficient equipment and food to ascend to 16,200 feet on the fifth day, overnight and summit on day six. It is important to get to the summit in the early morning as the mountain makes its own weather and is usually covered with clouds and blizzard conditions by noon each day.

We started for the summit shortly after midnight on day six and by 3:00 AM had made it to 17,500 feet. There's no air at this elevation so we took it easy - multiple breaths (gasps) to each step. By 18,500 feet I started having blood sugar problems. I have an electronic insulin pump as well as electronic blood sugar testing equipment to assist in controlling my diabetes. The equipment ceased working. I guess my mind stopped working as well since I thought my weakened condition was a result of low blood sugar. I therefore began carbing-up on candy bars and glucose tablets. Fortunately, I only had 1,000 feet to go in elevation gain and one of the African guides carried my pack. It wasn't until after we had all reached the summit and returned to the 18,100 foot level that my equipment began working and found my blood sugar was elevated over 600 rather than being low (normal is 100). At the summit, I drank Gatorade, took pictures, and started back down. By then the weather had turned cold and windy - so cold that the water in our packs froze. We returned to a lower base camp at 13,000 feet where my blood sugar level came back to normal. The next day we descended to the hotel, breathable air, and what passes for civilization.

The next morning we rejoined the other members of our group, and I received a message from my wife that her credit card and checkbook had been stolen and not to spend any money. We departed on our wildlife safari where we visited three game parks in Tanzania, saw a lion stalking and killing a zebra, elephants within a few feet of our small bus, a lion sleeping in a branch of a tree that extended over the road where we had to pass, as well as many other animals that I would never have had the opportunity to see in their natural habitat.

I have been asked to disclose the real reason for my adventure. Frankly it seemed like a good idea at the time my friends and I committed to this trip, and in hindsight was certainly worth the effort. However, I will never again attempt any trip at a height in excess of 18,000 feet except in the friendly confines of an airliner. And, although the view from the Roof of Africa was absent as a result of weather conditions, the experience of getting there was unforgettable.