The alarm went off on our phones at 2:30AM which meant it was time to make our way to the summit. It was freezing when we woke up and went outside of our tents. Today would be the day that I wear all of my layers and snow gear as we make our way towards the shrinking glacier on top. The night before as we were walking around the campgrounds we talked with a few other groups to ask them were they planning to summit with us at the same time. They mentioned they were not doing the Western Breach and were actually going around. We didn't understand why all these groups would stay at this camp but opt to go around the mountain and summit from the other side. If we had the internet at our disposal on our phones we would have checked and did more research but at this point, ignorance was BLISS. Here is a photo of the Western Breach (BEAST) taken the day before.
As we finished layering up and tried to force as many calories into our bodies before we departed. Appetites at this point were pretty low all the way around, food that tasted good a few days ago started to become repetitive and bland. At this altitude that's pretty common, but the thought of Sushi or some spicy chicken wings brought joy to my mind. Our guides came in to take the final vital measurements, we were ALL considerably low but I especially was at 67% oxygen level. 67%!!! I physically and mentally felt okay at this point (maybe it was adrenaline). The guide said it was acceptable at this level, but after thinking about it, 67% is scary low. Think about it...our brains are use to 98% to 99% oxygen...and at that moment I was at 67%. The team had one emergency oxygen tank in case anything happens on the way up. IF the oxygen tank is used though, the person who took it has to head back down and can not continue. C'est la vie, time to Pole Pole our way to the top, nothing will stop us now including oxygen levels!
Before I go any farther, I want to apologize for the lack of photos during the beginning portion of this post. 1.) It was extremely dark and 2.) I was fearing for my life at certain points so photos were not happening.
As we set off, we couldn't see farther than our head lamps would allow. That means there were only 8 headlamps going up the Western Breach on this day. This hike was totally different than our previous hikes. The darkness, the steepness and the altitude started affecting everyone from the start. Within the first 40 minutes or so our Australian companion ended up throwing up due to the altitude. Afterwards the strongest hiker in our group (Friend who lived in Kenya) ended up throwing up as well. This was pretty shocking but our guides kept us calm and told us these are all common for humans at this type of altitude. Every step at these altitudes felt like we weighed an extra hundred pounds. The weight of our day packs were immensely heavier than before. Our guides had to carry some of our bags to just let us focus and pole pole up what ended up being a sheer wall. One of the guides actually had 3 day packs on at one time!
At about 18,000 ft I had my scariest moment of the whole trip. I started feeling lightheaded and things were starting to spin slowly. The sun started to rise so I as I looked out the light was causing stars in my eyes. Everyone took a break for me while I tried to regain my bearings. I sat down and one of the guides took the bag off my back and started carrying mine. I had to use the bathroom and so I walked to the side to use it, and everyone freaked out cause they thought I was walking off the side. I assured them (maybe denial) that I was fine. Someone held my back as I peed off the mountain. That was by far the roughest moment on my way up, the light headed feel walking up the side of a mountain on loose rocks. Many moments we had to scramble over loose rocks and lay flat while crawling up, being in that state was not the best. Thankfully I had headphones in (I'm a huge EDM fan) and listening to the beat of the music gave me a pace to keep and focus while "pole pole"ing our way up. After my personal scare my body must have equalized or got use to that altitude because I started feeling like myself again and could keep going. Many frequent stops were being made and the path was not a defined path like we had previously. The guides were scouting out the best footing locations for us before we made our next move. Every time we got over a certain milestone we thought we were there, but looked up and there was just another gigantic wall to scale. "Just keep moving, step by step, we will get there".
Finally, we made it...to the PLATEAU. We did it, we conquered the Western Breach. What the hell did we just do and why did we only see 2 other experienced hikers pass us (very quickly) on that trail. Google would then tell us that less than 1% of all hikers who hike Mount Kilimanjaro do the Western Breach due to the dangers of falling rocks, a few people have died doing the Western Breach and the park has actually shut down access to the Breach multiple times. Oh. Ignorance truly is BLISS. Good thing we didn't reach any of that beforehand and went in blindly. We felt accomplished regardless. We finally had lunch on top of the plateau and we were EXHAUSTED. Not at the summit yet...
After a short rest and food to give a little jolt. We were at our final Mount Kilimanjaro climate zone, "The Summit". We were rewarded by seeing a shrinking glacier on the plateau. This glacier is shrinking quickly and will be gone in about 10 years. As sad as it that is, I'm glad I had the opportunity to see something that's been there for thousands of years before it was gone forever. It was my first glacier I've ever seen, and now I hope to see many more in the future. Only one more short climb up gravelly rocks to the top. Although this was supposed to be a short hike, our group was so exhausted and moving at a snails pace it look longer than expected. Once we got over this peak though we would be at the roof of Africa, Uhuru Peak!
As we made the finally step from this area, we were there. We could see the sign that indicates the highest point in Africa. So many emotions were running over me and our whole group. I absolutely got teary eyed as this was the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life physically and mentally. I can't believe we finally made it, and made it the way we did, through the Western Breach. We were all ecstatic to have done this and took our celebratory drinks and pictures. Sadly we could not spend a lot of time up top cause at that altitude the oxygen levels were encroaching on our brains and it was not good to linger too long. The longer we stayed the worse we would feel. Damn can you believe it? We made it to 19,341ft!!!! I still can't believe it as I'm typing this post at 115ft. What an experience of a lifetime.
On the way down we saw the hordes of people coming up a steep gravelly slope. These people actually had to leave at midnight to reach the summit, but their way was steadier and calmer. It was longer, but there were no dangers involved. The slope was like skiing on rocks, it was that loose as we made our way down. It happened again, at 18,000ft I started feeling light headed and like garbage. I couldn't hold my footing! Getting back to our final camp of the trip took another 6 hours. This was definitely the longest day worth of hiking, but was totally worth it. When we got to the camp it was a celebratory feeling. The thought of a shower sounds like an absolute dream. We will never forget this experience though. Thanks to all of our guides, friends and support to reach the summit.
