Moonshine trekking to the top of Kilimanjaro - Part 4 of 4

Part 4 (the last part of this article):

Moonshine trekking to the top of Kilimanjaro

(the article continues here)

The snowball effect

I didn't need to wake up this morning. Because I probably hadn't slept, I didn't need to stand up either. I was already standing. So I was ready for the last walk down to the Marangu gate (Park Headquarter). The descending started slow after breakfast. As usual the porters passed me in high speed. So did some other climbers.

I felt my strength was coming back. I sped up and went faster and faster. I began to hang on the porters that reached us, and I managed to keep their speed. Then I started to pass other porters who earlier had passed me. I also passed climbers who looked like wrecks, and had been seen in better condition earlier on this tour. I turned completely wild. I felt stronger and stronger, and ran faster and faster. It was like a snowball effect. Climbers who had seen me in a bad condition the day before and earlier, opened their tired eyes and looked surprisingly at me. I am sure they wondered: how had this man retain his strength so quickly?

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The monkeys laughed

I didn't see any monkeys, but I heard their noises. Usually they are very shy and quiet. It was just as they laughed about us. Maybe they laughed of us because we looked so tired. Probably it was therefore the Blue and Black/White Colobus monkeys hid so well in the forest. Or was it just a call to mark their territory? When I think back on the tour I also find it pretty comic to observe so many people struggling to reach the top. What it is good for? Blood, sweet and tears or even worse.

"Normal" people's expectation to a happy holiday is to have a better time than they have on their job. So if they feel tired, restless and irritable, what could be better than a comfortable holiday? As the travel guide Lonely Planet says it: They need a fix that will purify their blood, restore their vitality and give them renewed strength and interest in life. But can people do that on Kilimanjaro?

Some people also risk their health to reach the top. Why do they change from something comfortable? My good friend Tore B. sent me a postcard from his cruise in Greece. The only physical effort he had, he wrote, was when he should wave at the waiter for ordering a drink. Think about that: Why to they pay so much for suffering? Are they machosists? Or are they just machos? An explanation to this could be: some people feel more alive the more they suffer and closer they come to death. I have heard that 5 - 10 people die each year in Kilimanjaro. I still wonder why people do tours like this. I really thought the strongest instict in people was to avoid pain. It reminded me about my motto: No pain, no gain. But how far would you go to risk your health and perhaps your life, for reaching the big goal?

Sharing a joyful moment

When I came to the Marangu gate (Park Headquarter: 2000 metres) I ran over the place and directly to the bar. A Kilimanjaro bear (the best bear in Tanzania) was immediately ordered. I can ensure you that the bear tasted really good. For the first time on the tour I was disappointed that the distance wasn't longer. My friends started a little later than me, so they came a long time afterwards. This time I kept a higher speed than them. In addition they were delayed. On the way one person in my group had collapsed, but good treatment from another climber in the group, who is a doctor, helped her quickly back on her feet again.

Symptoms of altitude sickness usually develop during the first 24 hours, but can be delayed for up to three weeks. I drank some bear in the meantime, and was happy it was all over. I have learned a lot more about myself. I look forward to use this experience on my next tour. I greeted my friends the best I could when I saw them approaching the bar. They looked really thirsty, and a cold bear was well deserved. As a tribute to us, the porters sang a song for us about Kilimanjaro. I thanked them for the tour, and told them loud and clear that they were the real heroes of the Kilimanjaro. I declared our expedition to Kilimanjaro for accomplished, and gave some extra tips to the guides, porters and chefs for their fantastic job.

 

Photo. Our three fantastic local guides: Victor (from left), Marc (expedition leader) and Beatuce (who supported me so well when I got really big problems on the top).

Our 8 days and 7 nights at the mountain were over. In the evening we celebrated. Everybody in my group made it. The person who impressed me most of all, was the 60 year old woman, also called Super grandmother, who smoked during the ascending. She was probably the person who was in best shape at the top.

Photos. Party time. Santa Claus from Norway. Me in the clothes I planned to wear on the top, but......!

We all shared a joyful moment, drinking and eating, as we never had did before.

Diplomas were issued by our local main guide Marc and the Norwegian guide Oddbjorn to the members of the group. On my diploma it said: "Mr. Stein Morten Lund has successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, right to the Summit - Uhuru Peak - 5895 metres". Our local main guide, the Park Warden, and the Director General had signed, and certified that I have walked right up to the top of Kilimanjaro. "Right" up I started to think! If they had seen me the last distance that word would probably not be appropriate. For me personally it was a great victory to make it up to the top, and it felt good. I still have that feeling! Now I know: 40 years is no age! Nor is 60!

Stein Morten Lund, 8 august 2003

Additional information

Facts about Kilimanjaro:

·         The highest peak, Uhuru Peak, is 5895 metres above sea level.

·         The highest peak is 550 metres higher than the Everest Base Camp that climbers use at least two weeks to reach.

·         Kilimanjaro stands 330 kilometres south of equator, on the northern boundary of Tanzania.

·         It's the highest mountain on the African continent.

·         It composes three extinct volcanoes: Kibo 5895 m (19340), Mawenzi 5149 m (16896 ft) and Shira 3962 m (13000 ft)

·         It's one of the world's highest free standing mountains.

·         The first man on the top was Hans Meyer from Germany in 1889.

·         The Kilimanjaro massif has an oval base about 40 metres to 60 kilometres across, and rises almost 5000 metres above the surrounding plains.

Facts about myself June 2003:

I started to train more seriously 3 - 4 weeks before the departure to Tanzania. I had just turned 40, and to many people, including myself, that feels like a heavy burden. To prove to my friends and colleges that I'm not that old yet, I challenged a robot computer in rowing at S.A.T.S (training studio). I programmed the robot with the following abilities: 28 years old (also much younger than myself), weight (5 kilo lower than my weight), high activity for rowing and speed, and high difficulty level. Believe or not: I beat the computer with small a margin. It was a real photo finish. The distance was nothing to boost about: just 500 metres. I was fully aware that Kilimanjaro would be a quite bigger challenge, but I was very much conscious about not putting artificial limitations on myself.

By reading my story you can understand that most people can do the same. Reaching the top of Kilimanjaro it's not unique in itself, but it's a great personal victory for most people. I remember Neil Armstrong's famous words when he became the first human on the moon: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". I would like to put it this way: "One small step for mankind, one giant leap for me"!

Our tour programme 2003:

·         Departure Saturday 5 July from Oslo.

·         Start climbing Sunday 6 July.

·         Reached the top Saturday 12 July early in the morning.

·         Safari: from 14 July to 18 July.

·         Departure from Tanzania to Oslo: 18 July.

Presentation of the travel company Hvitserk:

Hvitserk is an Norwegian well-known tour operator and guiding company, specialised on climbing and trekking on high mountains around the world. Over the years they have guided Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Brits, Dutch, Swiss, German, Austrians, Canadians, Americans, etc, on unique adventure tours, especially in Greenland.

Hvitserk has arranged several expeditions to the highest mountain in the entire Arctic: Gunnbjornsfjell - or HVITSERK as the Vikings named it. The Hvitserk-guides have also more than 30 successful full Icecap crossings behind them, either with dogsleds, ski sails or by man hauling pulkas.

Some other tours, which have been very popular:

·         Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

·         Himalayan (Nepal) - Everest Base camp and Island Peak

·         Elbrus (Caucasus)

·         Acouncagua (Argentina)

·         Rwenzori (Uganda)

For more information about planned tours, ongoing tours and bookings, take a look at Hvitserk`s website www.Hvitserk.no.