Everybody knows that climbing Kilimanjaro is easier than many of the big mountains out there, but it is still no walk in the park, and a lot of boomers and seniors out there are put off by the thought that they are just too old. Another reason why older people often defer is the fear of being placed in a younger group that will put them under pressure to perform at pace which might undermine the whole experience and ultimately prevent them from summiting.
The latter fear is not unjustified, and it really does make sense to avoid putting yourself in a group of 20-somethings if you are 50-something or above. At MEM Africa we are coupled with Eco Travel Africa, a company run by Bob Holdsworth and Peter Baxter who both are over 40 ( although Bob is in denial) and who specialize in over-50s and boomer travel in East Africa. Bob and Peter have both climbed Kilimanjaro many times, most recently on the Northern Circuit and Western Breach, and both lived to tell the take.
Kilimanjaro is a challenge, but it is a challenge well suited to older climbers because ethe gradient is forgiving, conditions are rarely technical, and a solid but steady pace is almost always a sure way to the summit. MEM Africa was also recently priviledge to arrange a climb for Stacy Fulton who was climbing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and succeeded in reaching the summit after a tough but rewarding climb. Stacy writes a little about her trip on this site, and it is definitely one to read for those wondering whether they should or not.
MEM Africa should be your first choice in senior and special needs groups for Kilimanjaro and East African Northern Circuit safaris. Get in touch with Bob or Peter or Mohammed of MEM Africa who would glad to set you up with an exclusive trip, but would also be happy to give you all the info you need to drag your sorry old carcasses up that mountain…!
My first encounter with Stacy was a discussion sometime early in 2009 over the Western Breach and how feasible this route might be for a fist timer thinking about tackling this great mountain. The Western Breach is not a first timers option, however, and Stacy seemed ideally suited for Lemosho Route. This is arguably the most aesthetic approach to Kilimanjaro and probably the easiest thanks to the fact that it is also the longest. Of the infield routes, however, it is definitely the quietest, and this usually counts for a lot. Stacy originally booked for a September climb, but was forced to cancel, and then rescheduled later for February 2010. The trip came a little late for the originally intended 40th birthday present to herself, but a definite indication of the determination of the woman to do this thing.
Climbing with Multiple Sclerosis
It was only later in 2009 that I discovered that Stacy was in the early stages of Multiple sclerosis. For those like me with no clear idea what this is, it is defined by Wikipedia as a disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms….
I had no idea what this ‘spectrum of signs and symptoms’ might turn out to be, but leaning a little on Stacy’s own determination and optimism, I was inclined to take the view that a slow approach, or pole-pole as the Swahili mantra goes, would overcome any physical problems that Stacy might experience. However, when the day came for Stacy to fly out and join her group in Tanzania, how she would fare in the days ahead concerned me a great deal…
In the event word filtered back to me through from the MEM office in Moshi that all had reached the defining Uhuru Peak safely, and most particularly Stacy. It always sounds easy when you hear that kind of news, but it never is on the ground, and certainly in this particular case it could not possibly have been.
Starting off at any of the Kilimanjaro gates is always accompanied by plenty of joie de vivre, and usually it is not until Lava Tower Camp on the Southern Circuit that the reality of climbing a big mountain like this starts to be felt. Lava Tower is at 4600 meters and is the point at which the camps start to smell bad and when high altitude physical and psychological adjustments begin to happen in earnest. Usually groups following Machame or Lemosho Routes ascend to Lava Tower before plunging back down to Barranco Camp at 3950 meters in order to work the ‘Climb-high-sleep-low’ principal. The descent is a tricky one, however, following a largely dry watercourse, and in dry condition usually not much more than an early challenge to the quads.
This, however, is where things turned bad for Stacy. The weather, which had been inclement from the beginning, descended into absolute mountain malice. Torrential rain was delivered as only the tropics can, which in due course turned into sizable hailstones, all under a maelstrom of roving thunder and lighting. In her own journal this is how Stacy records the moment:
This is where my nightmare began. The trek down to Barranco Camp was steep and rocky. Climbing down over boulders and then what would look like a steep river bed. Soon after we started down, it began to hail golf ball sized hail. Then it started pouring down rain with thunder and lightening. We quickly stopped and put our rain gear on as quickly as we could. The trek down to the Barranco Camp should take about 2 hours. It took me over 4 hours. The rest of my group went on ahead of me so it was just me and my guide trudging through. My MS was so bad I could hardly hold myself up my legs were so numb. That downhill walking over rocks like that kills my legs. I was in tears I was so scared with the lightening cracking over my head as I used my trekking poles to help me down the rocky terrain. I never once thought about quitting though, I just focused on getting down to camp in one piece!
She did make it, and was soon in a dead sleep, and in about as much comfort as high altitude expedition equipment can offer. The following day the much feared Barranco Wall slipped behind the group with a minimum of stress and much exhilaration. The challenge continued as a combination of exhaustion, altitude and inevitable sleep deprivation, all combined with Stacy’s own individual challenges, began to reinforce the reality of this high altitude endeavor. She did not miss out, however, on one of the great treasures of this experience….the southern hemisphere starscape spread like a blanket across a cold but brilliant tropical night. An exhilarating reward for the otherwise unwelcome midnight pee expedition.
Nothing, however, can be less welcome but more exhilarating than the the customary Kilimanjaro Alpine Summit. It usually follows a thankless few hours of trying to sleep followed by an unnecessary wake up call, a breakfast hard to keep down and a large infusion of hot coffee. The typical sight greeting a summiteer is a chain of head-lights disappearing up into the inky darkness as other summiteers wearily set off into a dark and uncertain night. In Stacy’s case the weather soon tuned to blizzard which added snow and sleet to the already ferocious wind and freezing temperatures:
We reached Stella Point after 5 hours. Stella Point is a stopping point where you see the first of the sunrise. And it was gorgeous! The glow from the sun not quite peaking up was a deep reddish orange color. Just stunning. At this point I was dragging, my head wasn’t with it, and we were all getting bad headaches. The altitude was getting the best of us. The rest of the way to the Summit was grueling. Our steps were about one step every 2 or 3 seconds. Just putting your foot in front of the other was exhausting. But we persevered and made it to Uhuru Peak! The highest point in Africa at 19,343ft!! I started to cry because I just couldn’t believe I actually made it!
It was the helter-skelter back down again that brought on the MS again for Stacy. In fairness this is never easy. Once you have tipped your skis over Stella point the trail becomes a dusty, increasingly sweaty and exhausting stagger/slide downwards in what is always an urgent need to bring an to the experience now that it has been successful. The journey down to Barafu Camp was followed by a quick snack, and short break and then onwards and downwards to Mweka Camp for a more comfortable night at lower altitude. This is always a killer day, and for Stacy it was particularly so, and the descent for her took several weary hours longer than other group members…
Here in Stacy’s own words is an assessment of how her MS impacted the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro…
For those wondering how my MS held up during the hike, well I was just fine as long as I was go uphill and didn’t get too cold! Not many days when it was just an uphill climb though, we did have to go back down in elevation on some days to get our body adjusted to the altitude. It was those days that I had the most trouble with my MS. My MS acts up the most when I am using my legs muscles to hold me back when climbing downwards and having to methodically place my feet down over rocks and boulders while holding my balance. So I just went slowly and relied heavily on my trekking poles for balance and stability (and my guide’s arm every now and then!). Taking a lot of rest stops doesn’t help me. The numbness almost gets worse if I take a lot of little breaks. Plodding along slowly works best for me and then when I finally reach camp, I just collapse with my feet up. Everyone deals with their MS differently and you know your body best so you do what you need to do to tackle the task.
The weather would have had more of an impact on me at the higher elevations where the temps were much colder, but I was dressed in 3 layers on top and bottom so the cold never got to me. If I would have been more exposed to the elements and not dressed appropriately, than the climb to the Summit would have definitely been more difficult. My MS doesn’t like the cold. It does much better in the warmer temps. That’s not the same for everyone that has MS though.
I never once thought about quitting hiking up Mt. Kili. Never once, even when I was in tears going down to the next camp because I was so numb I could hardly move my legs, when I was hours behind the rest of my group, that I thought about quitting. And I sure was not going to let my MS get in my way! I have a determined spirit about me and when I am out to reach a goal, nothing stops me….
This year MEM Tours Africa hosted an unusual itinerary for Kilimanjaro which it must be said has very few untrammeled options left. Planning for the trip began around the idea of a Western Breach summit to which MEM MD Mohammed Shabay added the additional thought of approaching the summit via Rongai Route and the Northern Circuit.
The Northern Circuit is as the name suggests the northern quadrant of the series of trails that circumnavigate Kibo Crater. Ecologically and topographically the Northern Route is very different to the much more commonly used Southern Circuit. It is drier and more uniform in texture and consists mainly of undulating slopes falling slowly away from the ocher red peak of Kibo. The vegetation, as with the scenery, is much less dramatic, but is also softer on the eye and certainly easier on the body and mind.
Most interestingly though the trail once it has veered west of the main Rongai Route is narrow, little used and dotted with small campsites bereft of trash, clutter and most importantly crowds. Our group, consisting of friends from various parts of the world, spent the first five days more or less alone on a beautiful landscape moving slowly around towards the western edge of the crater. To the north the plains of Ambroseli and the Highlands of Mount Kenya were often visible, with the many shades and moods of Kibo a constant present on our left.
At the end of a very successful 2009 MEM Africa Northern Circuit/Western Breach/Crater Camp climb a few sobering points came to light.
The ugly fact of widespread litter and human refuse on Kilimanjaro, and particularly in the campsites, is probably inevitable thanks to the volume of people visiting the mountain annually, and perhaps even more so thanks to the sheer number of support crew involved.
However the situation at Crater Camp, one of the last frontiers of isolation on Kilimanjaro, was by any standards appalling.
Crater Camp
Crater Camp sits atop the legendary Western Breach and some 600ft below the summit. It is squeezed between the crater wall and the diminishing Furtwangler Glacier that sits like a giant ice-cube on the sandy floor of the Kibo Crater. It is a hostile and moon-like landscape, reasonably warm under direct sunlight, but virtually airless and bitterly cold the moment that the sun sinks below the line of the crater.
There is a great deal of misinformation in circulation about the Great Western Breach which is an ascent route to the summit which is most commonly, but not exclusively, used via the Shira or Lemosho Route. To separate fact from fiction we have addressed some of the morecommon misconceptions surrounding this phenomenon:
FICTION: The Western Breach is an easy climb
FACT: This is not so. The Western Breach is in fact the most physically challenging of all the approaches to the summit of Kibo. (Uhuru Peak) The Breach ascends a 3000ft nearly vertical rock face from Arrow Glacier Hut to the crater’s rim (from 15 700ft to about 18 600ft), and it requires heavy leg work to cope with the gradient and the scree underfoot. At the same time it is necessary to keep more than one eye open for falling or loose rocks which make up the principal danger of this route. In addition, and at certain times of the year, ice and snow is a hazard.
Tanzania is not just about Kilimanjaro and Serengeti. This is a country of rich and diverse natural landscapes, and MEM Tours Africa offers a number of different trekking options to cover as much of the country to the walking traveler as possible.
The Ngorongoro Highlands is a jewel in the Tanzanian crown, and although the vast majority of visitors to the region flock to the crater itself, and to the lodges and camps that ring that extraordinary natural feature, there is actually much more to the reserve than just this.
Under the protection of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority is the archeological site of Oduvai Gorge, and a large area of tropical highland, peppered with dormant and active volcanoes, the climax of which is the starkly beautiful Ol Doinyo Lengai Crater which has seen recent volcanic activity is 2007 and 2008.
This year we will be launching our Rongai Route/ Western Breach climb that offers a unique version of both of these iconic climbs. We have fixed a date for Sat Sept 19 to kick of this great offer, with a starting offer of US$2200 per person including airport pickup, all transfers, fees and guide/support logistics for the duration of the climb.
This will be a unique opportunity to challenge yourself on one of Kilimanjaro’s most demanding routes, while at the same time take the road less traveled by approaching the summit via the seldom used Northern Circuit, and the reaching the summit via the iconic Western Breach.
This is a climbers climb, and is not for novices and beginner. The summit will be via Arrow Glacier Camp, and the punishing Skree Climb of the Western Breach. This is not a well trodden route and expect to meet very few other climbers en route.
This year MEM Africa is introducing a few new versions of the Rongai Route trail to tempt you along the path of the favorite Kilimanjaro alternative.
The favorite alternative…
Rongai is the northernmost route, and one of the least developed of the active Kilimanjaro trails. The trail commences close to the Kenyan border and approaches the summit along the barren northern slopes.
Rongai differs from the southern and eastern routes of Kilimanjaro by being drier and more uniform in landscape, but it also features a number of deep caves that serve as sheltered accommodation for the few groups that use this trail.
MEM Rongai 2009
Our trips this year will include both the Northern and Southern Circuits, beginning after a morning drive to the border settlement of Lotokitok, and utilizing Rongai Route proper for the first few days. We will link up briefly with Marangu Route with a night at Kibo Camp, after which we continue southwards to link up with the Southern Circuit. With nights at Karanga and Barranco Camps, we will round the Southern Circuit and attack the summit from the Western Breach.
This year MEM Tours Africa hosted an unusual itinerary for Kilimanjaro which it must be said has very few untrammeled options left.
Planning for the trip began around the idea of a Western Breach summit to which MEM MD Mohammed Shabay added the additional thought of approaching the summit via Rongai Route and the Northern Circuit....
This Year MEM Tours Africa will be launching a conservation project to promote the care and protection of Kilimanjaro National Park and the responsible and sustainable use of the resources of the Kilimanjaro Forest.
For more information, and if you want to help or become involved in any way, please contact us at MEM Tours Africa...
There is a great deal of misinformation in circulation about the Great Western Breach which is an ascent route to the summit which is most commonly, but not exclusively, used via the Shira or Lemosho Route.
To separate fact from fiction we have addressed some of the more common misconceptions surrounding this phenomenon...
