mt kilimanjaro
Summer Solstice is active: {it’s|it’s} about {performing|doing} and expanding, living the dream envisioned in the dreamtime of Winter”(Ruth Barrett, 2004). Our trip around the world, visiting and practicing with sacred mountains, is entering {it’s|it’s} second half, its third phase, as the cycle of earth enters summer. The shoots and cotyledons of spring have grown into muscular stems, ready to {develop|build} and support the fruit of our practice. We feel {powerful|strong} and able to nurture and sustain our focus as we travel into the second half of our circumnavigation. We spent the winter solstice on Mt Shasta, California, the spring equinox on the slopes of Mt Illampu, Bolivia, and the summer solstice summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania the other side of the globe.
mt kilimanjaro
We {had been|were} {powerful|strong} on this mountain. “You are {powerful|strong}, like Bu-FAllo”, a porter said to us as we arrived at the high camp. Still acclimatized from our time in South America, the elevation of Kilimanjaro (5895m, 19340 ft) had {small|little} {impact|affect} on us. But somehow, the physical act of hiking had {small|little} {impact|affect} as {nicely|well}. We summited in record time, and amazingly, weren’t even tired. It was no {issue|problem}, no suffering, not even memorably any {function|work}. {Extremely|Very} odd… it was the power of the Solstice. The prediction received at the Rock of the Jaguar (Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca) was {correct|right} on.
mt kilimanjaro
{Following|After} we returned from Mt Kenya, Josiah hooked us up with bus transport over the Tanzania border and to the town of Moshi. He also hired his cousin, Jerald, to be our guide for the mountain. Kilimanjaro is {extremely|highly} regulated by the Tanzania government (and milked for all the profit {feasible|possible}). All climbers are {needed|required} to have a guide, {regardless of|despite} the {reality|fact} that the route is just a walk up trail, and camping locations are all {nicely|well} marked and obvious. And, it is {essentially|basically} impossible to just hire a guide… they come with porters and a cook… the full shebang. Rod was calling it the Full Employment act of Tanzania.
Anyway, the morning we are to head to the mountain, a reggae blaring, red-yellow-green painted, “{1|one} love” stickered van pulls up to our hotel… packed with a bunch deadlocked Rastafarians. We pile all our stuff in the Van and get in. Crammed full with us, the {three|3} porters, our cook, Josiah, bags of fresh vegetables and loaves of bread, our driver circled the van around town a {couple of|few} times {searching|looking} for Jerald, the guide. {As soon as|Once} {everybody|everyone} was stuffed inside, “Team Rasta” headed to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate, at Umbwe Village.
We decided to hike the Umbwe route up to the Barranco Camp (3950 m), instead the {much more|more} {well-liked|popular} and {much less|less} steep/direct Marangu route. Glad we did, {simply because|because} it was a {stunning|beautiful} trail {via|through} the jungle and then along the {leading|top} of a steeply sided ridge. It even had some rock scramble sections to {maintain|keep} it {fascinating|interesting}.
At the Umbwe trail head, the porters packed up their bags to be weighed by park personnel. We {had been|were} supprized to see that they {had been|were} not packing the stuff into backpacks… it was packed into baskets and duffel bags. Why? These crazy guys carried 50 lb bags on the {leading|top} of their heads! Up trails that {had been|were} rocky and steep and {occasionally|sometimes} 3rd class scrambles!! Wow!
Some {kids|children} at the gate {had been|were} {extremely|very} interested in us. They stared and stared, and wanted to touch my skin and my hair… it was all the wrong color… was it {actual|real}? At the trail head also was a father and daughter from Poland. They {had been|were} {extremely|very} nice, and {because|since} we are leaving at the {exact same|same} time, we will {most likely|probably} be seeing them our {entire|whole} trip. Worried about altitude sickness, they {had been|were} carrying {four|4} L of water {every|each}! That is heavy. We named them “Team Poland”.
mt kilimanjaro
{Following|After} weighting and signing papers and such, we {began|started} up the mountain. We camped that night at the Cave Camp, just a clearing and flat spot in the thick forest. We {had been|were} pleasantly surprised at dinner time {simply because|because} {1|one} of the porters, Stanley, will also be our server! He was {extremely|very} careful and sweet, saying “Welcome” {each and every|every} time he did anything. {Envision|Imagine}… hiking up and camping on a mountain, and {becoming|being} served tea and dinner on a table cloth!
mt kilimanjaro
The next day we slept in a bit, then continued up the steep trail toward the Barranco Camp. The excitement came when the trail stopped at a rock wall. A short 4th class scramble up the wall and we {had been|were} off. The porters with {massive|huge} bags on their heads carefully scaled the rockiness. We stopped for lunch a short way from the camp, and followed it with an hour nap in the warm sun. Liking Kilimanjaro so far! We had arrived at camp {a lot|much} earlier than most {individuals|people}, and spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in the tent. “Mambo VP, Dada” said Stanley as he served us our hot morning tea in the tent vestibule. “Ready for breakfast, Caca?” (Team Rasta had begun calling {every|each} other Dada and Caca, which means sister and brother respectively). We had a leisurely breakfast and {had been|were} last of the groups to leave camp. We {had been|were} the {initial|first} group to arrive at the next camp, Karanga Valley camp, 4000m. To get there we had to walk up “the wall”, which was a steep lava rock ridge. Along the way we met a group of Italians, Team Italy, and I {really|truly} enjoyed talking with Gretchen, the woman of the group (have not had a lot of contact with other {ladies|women} on this trip 
. At Karanga Valley camp, we watched a {really|truly} Kilimanjaro sight… a group of porters arrive and set up a {massive|huge}, heavy tent, tall {sufficient|enough} to stand in. Then set up a table and chairs inside. {Fairly|Pretty} soon a group of about {five|5} hikers show up, eat lunch in the tent, then continue on up the trail. The porters clean up, collapse the table and chairs, take the tent down, and put it all on their heads and walk on up the trail. All that just for the group to have lunch!! Crazy!
The next day we continued at lightning speed to Barafu Camp (4600 m). This is the high camp. We enjoyed the {fantastic|great} views of Mt Meru (4566 m) along the way, and drank water until we could take no {much more|more} at the last creek {prior to|before} the camp, as there is no {much more|more} water {obtainable|available} above it. At Barafu camp, we had most of the day to kill, so all of Team Rasta took naps. Some of the other porters when arriving at the camp, {had been|were} jealous that their colleagues got to rest so {a lot|much}, so walked around our tents yelling “Wake up Rasta!”. We had an early dinner so that we could get a full night’s sleep in {prior to|before} the summit attempt the next morning.
mt kilimanjaro
Stanly brought us hot tea and peanut butter and hunny sandwiches at 1:45 am, the night of Solstice. We left camp at 2:30 with Jerald and {1|one} of the porters. We {had been|were} the last group to leave the camp, and enjoyed seeing the ribbon of headlamps bobbing up the mountain in front of us. About half way to the Stella point, the porter with us turned around, our pace was killing him. We passed {everybody|everyone} on the way up, hung out at Stella point (5680 m) until we {had been|were} just too cold to {remain|stay}, and {had been|were} on the summit {prior to|before} sunrise at 6:00. We stood at the summit to watch the sun rise. What an {incredible|amazing} view. The crater’s rings and glacier ice of Kilimanjaro with a Solstice sunrise raying gold and orange. It was cold {although|though}, otherwise i would have wanted to {remain|stay} there all day! But, we headed down… Got in some {great|good} gravel foot glissade above Barafu, packed up our stuff, had second breakfast, and continued down toward Mweka Camp at 3100 m. This was a 10,000 ft decent! With knees aching, we stopped about 2 hours {prior to|before} Mweka at a hut where they {had been|were} selling beer. We rested, imbibed, then continued “pole, pole” (“slowly, slowly”) downward.
When we {lastly|finally} arrived at Mweka, {had been|were} {had been|were} beat. {Whilst|While} {consuming|eating} dinner, we saw Team Poland arrive at the camp. They summitted, but they looked exhausted and not {extremely|very} {pleased|happy}. The following day, we walked the last decent {via|through} the forest to the Mweka Gate/Village. We talked with a father and his two sons from Reno (Team Reno) on the way down they ski at Squaw. {Little|Small} world.
At the gate, we received our certificates saying we climbed Kilimanjaro, and {had been|were} picked up by Joshia. Team Rasta drove into town and ate {1|one} last meal together (ugali (corn meal mush), goat meat, greens, and beer), {prior to|before} they dropped us off at our hotel in Arusha.
mt kilimanjaro
“Summer Solstice is active: {it’s|it’s} about {performing|doing} and expanding, living the dream envisioned in the dreamtime of Winter”… Thank you Kilimanjaro!