Día 5. Barafu Hut - Cima - Mweka Hut *** KILIMANJARO (Ruta Machame)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 11.03 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,963 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Very difficult
- Elevation loss
- 9,370 ft
- Max elevation
- 19,347 ft
- TrailRank
- 37
- Min elevation
- 9,968 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 16 hours 34 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2124
- Uploaded
- March 8, 2011
- Recorded
- March 2011
near Barangata (Tanzania)
Viewed 2758 times, downloaded 41 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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03-3-2011
Fifth day of trekking to Kilimanjaro. Today the day of the "queen stage" and therefore the toughest day.
As I commented on the previous day, we went to bed at 7:00 p.m. to get up at 11:00 p.m. As expected, we could not sleep at all during those hours due to the height. The hardest thing was to get up knowing that I had not slept at all (my desire to stay in the bag was about to ruin my climb to the top). Finally Pachi encouraged me to put aside my laziness.
At that time it was freezing cold. We had to keep warm: trekking boots, double socks, leggings, thermal tights, winter pants, thermal T-shirt, crossing feathers, fine gloves, mittens, panties, etc ...
"We had breakfast" three cookies so that they would not feel bad in the ascent. And at 0:00 we started the ascent with our front as the only light. There was a new moon, with which the darkness was maximum. You could contemplate perfectly illuminated all the cities and towns around that magical mountain. It was also curious how during the climb you could see the columns of headlights from other groups that were also ascending.
The conditions were hardening as we were gaining height. It was more difficult to breathe. Each step had to be taken more slowly. The heart was revolutionized at the slightest effort. The head felt the lack of oxygen (also the lungs). But still, step by step, we were moving forward. The march must be slow to ensure the success of the climb ("climb the mountain like an old man to arrive as a young man").
To give an objective data of the climb, it is enough to say that from the camp to the top there were only four kilometers away (with a difference of 1200 meters) which took 8 hours to complete.
Arriving at Stella Point we saw sunrise. It was something spectacular. That sunrise lasted a long time. In an infinite horizon we could contemplate different tonalities of solar clarity until we see the sun peek out in a double circular figure. Awesome.
From here to the top there was little distance and little unevenness, but because of that height (almost 6000 meters) they made me hard, very hard.
And finally we top! On the one hand the joy of having achieved, and on the other hand a strange feeling to see the "circus" that is mounted to take the photo of rigor (something very contradictory).
The cold of the moment and the wind were freezing (around -20º plus the wind).
But there we were. Surrounded by imposing glaciers. On the edge of the volcanic cone. On top of the highest mountain in the African continent !.
I could not do all the pictures that I would have liked to do due to the cold, but at least I have them stored momentarily in my retina.
After fifteen minutes, we started the descent. Even Stella Point went quietly. From Stella Point to Barafu Hut camp the descent was dizzying. We went down a parallel road to which we climbed, although this time it was loose earth ... and because of that we went down "skiing on the sand". As you can imagine, we swallow a lot of dust.
We arrived at the Barafu Hut camp "broken with fatigue". We had an hour to take a nap. Then we ate. And we continue the march towards the Mweka Hut camp (3000). It is very important that the day you go up so high (almost 6000 mtrs) go down to sleep very low so that you do not hit the zambonbazo of altitude sickness.
The descent along the Mweka Route is very quiet, comfortable and progressive.
Coincidentally on that stretch was where we saw the typical stretchers with a wheel sole that porters use to evacuate those who become seriously ill.
On the way down we could enjoy all the landscapes we had known days before, but in reverse.
We arrived at the Mweka Hut camp. Like the first trekking camp (Machame Hut), this is a camp in the middle of the jungle and it is very intimate since the stores are distributed in small groups.
The cook, to say goodbye, made us a typical Tanzanian dinner.
That night we slept like babies! ... with the satisfaction of the goal fulfilled and the joy of having enjoyed the treking.
In the following link you can see the complete route:
www.translate.google.com
03-3-2011
Fifth day of trekking to Kilimanjaro. Today the day of the "queen stage" and therefore the toughest day.
As I commented on the previous day, we went to bed at 7:00 p.m. to get up at 11:00 p.m. As expected, we could not sleep at all during those hours due to the height. The hardest thing was to get up knowing that I had not slept at all (my desire to stay in the bag was about to ruin my climb to the top). Finally Pachi encouraged me to put aside my laziness.
At that time it was freezing cold. We had to keep warm: trekking boots, double socks, leggings, thermal tights, winter pants, thermal T-shirt, crossing feathers, fine gloves, mittens, panties, etc ...
"We had breakfast" three cookies so that they would not feel bad in the ascent. And at 0:00 we started the ascent with our front as the only light. There was a new moon, with which the darkness was maximum. You could contemplate perfectly illuminated all the cities and towns around that magical mountain. It was also curious how during the climb you could see the columns of headlights from other groups that were also ascending.
The conditions were hardening as we were gaining height. It was more difficult to breathe. Each step had to be taken more slowly. The heart was revolutionized at the slightest effort. The head felt the lack of oxygen (also the lungs). But still, step by step, we were moving forward. The march must be slow to ensure the success of the climb ("climb the mountain like an old man to arrive as a young man").
To give an objective data of the climb, it is enough to say that from the camp to the top there were only four kilometers away (with a difference of 1200 meters) which took 8 hours to complete.
Arriving at Stella Point we saw sunrise. It was something spectacular. That sunrise lasted a long time. In an infinite horizon we could contemplate different tonalities of solar clarity until we see the sun peek out in a double circular figure. Awesome.
From here to the top there was little distance and little unevenness, but because of that height (almost 6000 meters) they made me hard, very hard.
And finally we top! On the one hand the joy of having achieved, and on the other hand a strange feeling to see the "circus" that is mounted to take the photo of rigor (something very contradictory).
The cold of the moment and the wind were freezing (around -20º plus the wind).
But there we were. Surrounded by imposing glaciers. On the edge of the volcanic cone. On top of the highest mountain in the African continent !.
I could not do all the pictures that I would have liked to do due to the cold, but at least I have them stored momentarily in my retina.
After fifteen minutes, we started the descent. Even Stella Point went quietly. From Stella Point to Barafu Hut camp the descent was dizzying. We went down a parallel road to which we climbed, although this time it was loose earth ... and because of that we went down "skiing on the sand". As you can imagine, we swallow a lot of dust.
We arrived at the Barafu Hut camp "broken with fatigue". We had an hour to take a nap. Then we ate. And we continue the march towards the Mweka Hut camp (3000). It is very important that the day you go up so high (almost 6000 mtrs) go down to sleep very low so that you do not hit the zambonbazo of altitude sickness.
The descent along the Mweka Route is very quiet, comfortable and progressive.
Coincidentally on that stretch was where we saw the typical stretchers with a wheel sole that porters use to evacuate those who become seriously ill.
On the way down we could enjoy all the landscapes we had known days before, but in reverse.
We arrived at the Mweka Hut camp. Like the first trekking camp (Machame Hut), this is a camp in the middle of the jungle and it is very intimate since the stores are distributed in small groups.
The cook, to say goodbye, made us a typical Tanzanian dinner.
That night we slept like babies! ... with the satisfaction of the goal fulfilled and the joy of having enjoyed the treking.
In the following link you can see the complete route:
Waypoints
Summit
19,334 ft
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