As our preparations continue, we are hearing some great stories from colleagues who have conquered Kilimanjaro in the past. In addition to Jeff, Justine and Reena, we have also heard from Claire.Here is her account:
“Two years ago I climbed Kilimanjaro by the Western Breach approach. It was the most amazing eight day experience of my life. But we were well prepared, and here are some of my tips (I’m on the right of the photo).
The attitude sickness kicks in at around 3000m. This is essentially the evening of your first day. From there your health will deteriorate. How you cope with the deterioration is down to your personal genetic make-up and is not necessarily improved by fitness. Of the ten of us who did the climb, and we all made it, every person was taking Diamox by the end. To my mind it is essential to the trip whether you use it preventatively or medicinally. The one person I know who made it to the top without taking Diamox, can’t remember ‘summiting’, and one of my walking companions was hallucinating, even with the aid of Diamox. Settle for the altitude prevention aids and enjoy the journey.
The walk is not tough in itself. Don’t get me wrong, your boots need to be fully broken in and I thoroughly recommend the two-pair-sock approach (polyethylene fabric next to your skin) to avoid blisters. As for clothing, be prepared with layers, as the temperatures can vary quite dramatically, and by your summit night, you will be wearing everything you have with you (the last camp on the western breach approach is called ‘glacier camp’ for a reason). You can only ‘carry’ 10kg, so this essentially means two changes of clothes, and summit coat/gloves/hat, and your sleeping bag. Don’t bother with an alternate pair of shoes; you won’t need them. Keeping things ‘clean and tidy’ in your large bag/rucksack can be tricky. I found packing my clothes, and other items in zip lock bags was helpful in keeping some order, generally not losing things and separating clean from dirty.
On the equipment side, my best advice is a head torch and spare batteries and a good rucksack with waist and chest straps. Although porters carry most of your stuff, you will still carry up to 10KG yourself; 3kg of which will be water (use a camelback or similar), which is recognised advice against altitude sickness! Other good equipment included walking poles. For some they are essential, if you have dodgy knees, but they also help improve your balance when tired and give you rhythm which helps the continuous walking. If you don’t like the taste of chemically treated water (you will be adding purification tablets to your water), some people brought along powdered drink concentrate to mask the flavour.
Summit night, because you leave at around 1am and walk all night, is different. It’s tough; the walk is harder, but more importantly the air is even thinner, and breathing is difficult. But keep your head down and just keep going. Any other ascent, other than the western breach goes by the way of the Barafu camp, and although the assent is shallower, the terrain is shale or sand. The only advice I have to give, having watched people struggle up, is to prepare yourself mentally for that kind of terrain; it is slow climb terrain.
Getting and staying clean are nigh on impossible; so don’t worry too much about it. Best advice, is to take dry shampoo, anti-perspirant, baby wipes, panty liners, avoid anything with an aerosol and don’t forget your toothbrush and paste. It’s amazing how fresh you feel having just cleaned your teeth.
As you climb, the conditions change, as I’m sure you know. During the day it can still be warm and pleasant, but at night the temperature plummets when the sun sets. You will have clothes to deal with it, but other tips include; bringing your boots inside the sleeping area of your tent at night or they will freeze, and keep batteries and other electronics warm, so keep them close to you in the sleeping part of the tent as well.
My last “wonder tip” is to get yourself a metallic water bottle (like a Sigg bottle). Not only will that carry your water, but with boiled water, you can create a handy and very effective hot water bottle!!”
Good luck everyone, Claire Goodier
Neil Jones
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