Day by day diary

Day 6 - 3rd July 2000 - Barafu Hut (4610m) to Mweka Hut (3100m) via Uhuru Peak (5896m)

SUMMIT DAY

We appear to be the first group to leave Barafu at midnight. There seems to be about 12 other climbers attempting the summit from this camp tonight. Our group is made up of Ben (our guide) followed by Jon and Paul with our cook (acting as assistant guide) bringing up the rear. We stay in this formation throughout the climb.

We set off under clear starlit skies staring down at the circle of light from our Petzel head torches. The world becomes condensed into the beams of our torches picking a path between the larger rocks on the loose scree. An occasional glance up confirms the hugh bulk of the mountain is still looming high above us. The first half an hour of the climb is steep, but a short respite is gained as the trail then levels out for a while. This however is short lived as the path soon steepening considerably for the remainder of the climb. The path seems indistinct and we are glad Ben seems to know the way. The scree is unfrozen and therefore a struggle to climb. For every two steps up we slide one back down.

We stop for the first time after about an hour and thereafter at about 1 hour intervals. Shortly after starting we can feel the extreme cold through our many layers although the clothing keeps us sufficiently warm. The stops are kept to no more than 5 minutes to prevent the cold taking hold. Fingers are the first to freeze up, even through two pairs of gloves, and they seem to take a long time to warm again once we resume the climb. We both carry a flask with warm water and an insulated water bottle (one wrapped in a spare pair of socks!) with a total of about 2.5 litres each. The temperature is estimated to be about -15 C with only an occasional light breeze as we get higher up.

The climbing is hard work and the knowledge that we are climbing ever higher keeps us primed for the first sign of an AMS headache. The climb from Barafu to Stella is suppose to take about 6 hours but we try not to watch the clock. Trying to think about other things; home or anything away from the mountain seems to help, and time passes. Looking up and to the left we think we can make out the lighter colour of the Rebmann Glacier. If it is then we are getting near the top but it is impossible to judge distance in the darkness. A hopefully directed torch beam does not reflect off the ice confirming the distance is further than we had hoped.

After about 3 hours Jon's head torch fades quickly and dies. It is too cold to replace the batteries so the backup torch comes out and we continue. Shortly afterwards the sky begins to lighten in the east and soon we will no longer need the torches to climb anyway. This is just as well as Paul's torch begins to fade soon afterwards.

After a little under 4.5 hours Ben announces that we have climbed quickly and we should make Stella Point in about 40minutes. The news that we will not have the extra hour of climb to Stella Point is a huge relief. A glance behind us confirms that we are now above the top of Mawenzi and are therefore well over 5000m. Suddenly we can make out that we are level with the glacier to our left and we are getting very close. Throughout the climb we have looked up to the 'horizon' above us knowing it is our target and now it seems much closer. The distance is still hard to judge as we trudge upwards through the steepening scree. Looking up again we try to decide if the horizon is 50 metres or 500 metres away. In a joyous moment it suddenly is obvious that the lip of the crater, our 'horizon', is only 20 paces. After 4hours 57 mins, with a broad grin under our balaclava's, we steep up to Stella Point at 5795m. After months of preparation and anticipation words cannot explain the feeling of exhilaration. Our unmentioned fears that one of us would not make the summit have thankfully not been realised. As we look over into the crater for the first time we are surprised by the extent of it. Although it is still in darkness our eyes are sufficiently accustomed to make out the huge crater with the ash pit rising up in the centre. It is an awesome sight that we feel privileged to witness.

To this point we are doing reasonably well with only Jon having a headache for the last hour or so. Paul has no problems at all and we are again thankful for our thorough aclimatisation. Jon takes a couple of paracetamol on our first stop around the crater rim. By this time our insulated water containers contains about 50% ice.

We both feel strong and well able to manage this last hour, on easier slopes, to Uhuru Peak. We have almost done it. Remembering some words of advice we had in the Hotel we do not stop at Stella, but continue straight away up towards Uhuru around the crater rim. Keen to keep our impetus going and eager to make the summit we get the feeling that Ben is trying to slow us down as we make a couple of unnecessary stops around the rim. We then realise that he is trying to time our arrival with the sunrise.

Eventually we climb onto the highest section of the rim. It is difficult to tell which part is higher as the summit area is almost flat. We approach each slight rise eagerly and then we see it, up ahead through the gloom, a sign perched on a slight rise on the lip of the crater. With the best feeling in the world, feeling on top of the world, we step up to the sign and smile.

The time is 0603 when we reach Uhuru Peak at 5896m (19,344 feet). Ben shakes our hands and congratulates us and then it's backslapping all around as it sinks in that we have made it. Whether it is the euphoria or the paracetamol is difficult to know, but any headaches have now gone. We are the first to arrive at the summit this morning and for a wonderful few minutes we have the summit to ourselves. About five minutes later a second climber and his guide arrive at the top having started at Kibo Hut on the Marangu Route. We take several summit photos and then sit on the rim to try to take in the enormity of the view. The huge crater stretches out before us. From here we can pick out the ash pit and the eastern and northern icefields across the crater. The Furtwangler Glacier is visible within the crater below us. The summit is much higher than the rest of the top giving us a birds eye view over the great expanse. It is surprising how much lower Stella and Gilman's Point look from the summit, although they are actually about 100m and 200m lower respectively.

After about 20minutes or so Ben suggests we should leave the summit and start to head back to Stella Point. At first we are unenthusiastic, as we want to stay on the summit long enough to take it all in. We seem to be oblivious to the cold, although if we stayed much longer we would probably begin to feel it. Eventually we concede, and after signing the summit log, start to head back down. This is when we start to pass the bulk of the climbers heading for the summit, and we receive congratulations from those capable. We in turn encourage them all onwards to the summit. Quite a few seem to be suffering quite badly with either exhaustion or AMS, or both, with some being helped along by their guide.

Shortly after starting our descent Ben points out the first chink of the rising sun appearing above the horizon. The whole eastern sky is lit by a golden, fiery glow. The horizon is visible so far in either direction that the curve of the earth can be clearly seen. Another fantastic moment in a morning full of so many.

The light is now sufficient for photography without a flash, so we start to take pictures of everything. The rear edges of the summit glaciers make a good shot as they turn orange reflecting the first rays of sunlight. The sun soon noticeably increases the temperature and it is at this point that we at last remember to check the thermometer. It reads -10 C. The view as the sun rises, both across the crater and of the surrounding glaciers, are superb. Mawenzi also looks fantastic silhouetted against the sea of clouds below. We are running out of superlatives but it really is that good.

Eventually we arrive back at Stella Point at around 0710. The sun is now high and bright and we try to take in the last views of the top before beginning our descent. It is now warm enough to take some video footage while the battery lasts.

We begin to descend shortly afterwards passing the last few stragglers still heading for the summit just below the rim. The descent seems particularly exhausting. We had been focused on getting to the top without really thinking of the descent and it becomes quite a struggle. It is hard to descend slowly, as the scree is very steep and moves a lot underfoot. The best way seems to be to take large paces and foot ski down. This however takes a lot of energy at this altitude and we need to take many short breaks. With the extra exertion and the warming affect of the morning sun we soon have to stop to remove a couple of layers. We are surprised to find ice on the inside of our outer two layers (jacket and fleece) where the sweat has frozen under our rucsacks !! How much ice was there earlier this morning when it was much colder before dawn?

Jon's headache returns and we both begin to feel very tired. However the descent is at least very quick and we get back to Barafu in an amazing 1hour and 20 minutes (although it seems to take forever!!).

Our porter welcomes us back, congratulates us and offers some very welcome orange squash. We then collapse into the tent, too weary to even take all the layers off. Jon says he has never been so exhausted in his life!! After all we have had no real sleep in 24 hours and have climbed for 8.5hours, at night to great altitude. The sun on the tent soon makes it too hot to bear and the rest of the thermals have to come off. We then descend in to a restless slumber for a couple of hours. Sleep is difficult because we are on a high from the successful climb, and also as we know in an hour or two we have to descend to Mweka Hut.

At about 1100 we recover sufficiently to start packing up camp and after half an hour we are ready to start the descent. This further walking is very hard work after all the mornings exertions. Our feet soon begin to hurt due to toes pressing against the front of our boots on the steep, unremitting descent. We lose altitude quickly down the Mweka route, passing through the desert zone and into the moorland zone with the heather growing taller as we drop lower. For the final hour the descent becomes much steeper and the wet muddy path is very slippery. We need to concentrate to stay upright as a carelessly placed foot could easily result in a twisted ankle and a dirty backside.

We are extremely thankful to finally reach Mweka Hut campsite (3100m) at 1415 after 2hours 45 minutes. Our tent has been put up ready for us to collapse into, totally spent after a long day. The campsite is just about at the level with the top of the cloud and as the afternoon wears on the cloud lifts up around us to obscure the sun.

During the summit climb today we ascended and descended 1320m in 8hours 35 minutes to a high point, at Uhuru Peak, of 5896m (19,344 feet). The later descent to Mweka Hut involved 1510m of descent. To summarise therefore the totals for the day are 1320m of ascent and 2830m of descent with 11 hours 20 minutes of walking.

Later we have afternoon tea followed by dinner and then collapse in the tent early for the night. All in all it has been quite a day.