Adventure Awaits - Anna's Kilimanjaro Trek

Day One

So today, my adventure began! My trek to Kilimanjaro. After realising on the plane that the mountain was actually higher than the plane we were in, I felt a mixture of emotions, but mainly excited for the journey ahead.

We travelled as a group of 16 in a minibus through the streets of Arusha and through many little villages. The locals were cooking street food at the roadside and waved as we went by. It took about an hour before we reached the last shop before the mountain. We bought snacks including banana chips which tasted like Pringles! 

It took another hour before we arrived at Kilimanjaro National Park, where we all had to officially sign in. We were given a packed lunch, which consisted of a chicken leg, a boiled egg, a chapati wrapped in clingfilm, cold chips, an apple, bags of nuts and a bun. It’s here I experienced my very first 'squat toilet'!

We then started our trek, taking the Lemosho route up to Mti Mkubwa Camp. This hike was around 17k through the jungle, where we saw colobus monkeys really close up. Their features were really human-like, and they didn’t seem phased by us at all! We also saw blue monkeys, although they are black in colour. The route was mainly uphill, but didn’t seem difficult at all.

What impressed me most was the strength and attitude of the porters. We are joined on our adventure by a number of locals, who perform the role of porters and tour guides. The porters carry ALL the camping equipment, kitchen equipment, tables, chairs, food – everything - on their backs. They go ahead of us each day to set up camp for our arrival. Their physical strength and attitude is admirable, and despite their strenuous work, they are so happy, friendly and positive. The guides keep our spirits high, saying 'pole, pole', which means 'slowly, slowly', and 'hakuna matata', which if you’ve ever watched the Lion King, you will know means 'no worries'! It’s so obvious already that they play such a big part in helping us reach the summit.

We arrived at the first camp and were allocated tents. The porters had set up a dining tent for our arrival, with a long table and 16 chairs (how did they do that!?). They gave us tea, coffee, powdered milk and a big plate of popcorn to share. We were told that the chef was preparing us a meal, and to return to the tent in an hour. So far, I have really enjoyed the quiet. My usual day-to-day life is so fast-paced and scheduled, and everything here is really unknown but strangely peaceful. The jungle is really green and lush, and the monkeys were amazing. I have no phone signal, which feels really strange but also quite liberating. I am constantly thinking about my kids Henry & Scarlett, my boyfriend Dan, and my Mum and Dad. I can't wait to tell them about what I’ve seen. 

Dinner this evening was mushroom soup, followed by fish, spaghetti and vegetables. Our stats were taken to keep an eye on our overall health before bed, then it was off to the tent with our alarms set for 6am.

Day Two

Okay, so I’m not sure that three months at Brownies aged 10 quite prepared the me for a night in the jungle. The animal noises during the night were something I definitely hadn’t prepared for, and I was awake for hours wondering if I was going to be eaten alive! However, I was obviously not eaten alive, and was told by the guides that the noise was actually a monkey looking to mate, which doesn’t seem as scary as it sounded during the darkness!We packed up our belongings and went for breakfast at 7am.

We left the jungle and climbed through dusty moorland to Shira One Camp. The trek was hot and very dusty. We are now above the jungle, where it's much more dry and there is a lot less vegetation. We walked for about six hours before we arrived at the camp for lunch, which was pasta salad. When we arrived, we were met by a group of around 40 porters, who performed a song and dance to welcome us to camp and lift our spirits after a hot, uphill slog. It worked, and the hard work was forgotten about in seconds. The main guide today was called Jackson, he’s 27 and told me that he went to a local college to become a guide. His girlfriend lives in Tanzania and is called Lightness, and she’s training to become a doctor.  The guides are all very friendly and positive, and continue to impress me with their attitude and work ethic. I’m currently sat in the sun writing this journal and we can see Kilimanjaro in the distance. The top is covered by clouds, which I think hides the magnitude of the challenge ahead. We are now around 3,600 metres above sea level.  

Tonight we had vegetable curry and rice. A couple of people are struggling and feeling sick. I have a mild headache, but feel okay in general. 

The stars are incredible, but it was too cold to spend much time admiring them. I jumped into my sleeping bag and had a broken, but uneventful, night's sleep.

Day Three

It feels like we are getting into a routine - woken up by a 6am alarm, one of the guides brings a coffee to the tent, then we have to pack everything up by 7am for breakfast.

Today was hot again, the path was dusty and we walked across the planes which had lots of rubble and exposed stone. For the first time since we started, I felt tired. I had underestimated the gradient of the hills, which sounds stupid as I'm not sure what I expected when I signed up to climb the tallest mountain in Africa? We walked for around five hours before we arrived at Moir Camp. We were again greeted by all the porters singing to us, which is the cutest thing. They all seem genuinely happy in their work and in making sure we reach each milestone. Today, the lyrics of the song were 'I miss my make-up, I miss my shower, I miss my coffee, I miss my beer', obviously relating to their perception of the luxuries we are missing. It was actually quite catchy and made us laugh. The song made me think of the things I actually do miss: Dan, the kids, my family and friends. I miss being able to send a message to everyone, but in other ways am really enjoying the quiet and not being contactable 24/7. I don’t miss the materialistic things, just the people, a cuddle, a hot bath and a toilet! 

We had a rest at camp before we set off on an hour uphill walk to experience the altitudeat 4,200 metres, then we returned back to camp. Apparently, it’s a good way to get your body prepared for what’s to come. The higher you get, the less oxygen there is in the air, therefore the less oxygen gets into the body and brain. The body obviously needs oxygen to function,  and lack of oxygen can cause altitude sickness - fatigue, headaches, dizziness and breathlessness. It makes everything feel harder. It felt harder to catch your breath. I have a headache, but still feel okay. A couple of the group struggled today and were sick as we were walking. The porters have carried some of the group's rucksacks for the past couple of days to help them.

Day Four

Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t cry, or not very often. Today was the day of the ‘wobble’ - emotions are running high and it’s starting to take its toll.

Today started the same as the other days, and the first part of the journey was seven hours, all uphill to Lava Tower. This was pretty cool - it literally is made from the lava that settled following the last volcano eruption, and it was strange to think that we were walking on what was once blazing lava.

We got to the Lava Tower and had lunch. The sun was shining, morale was high and I felt surprisingly good…until we went back down the other side of the Lava Tower, which was the opposite - freezing cold, foggy and wet with strange cactus-like plants called lobellia plants. It felt like something out of Jurassic Park. Suddenly, it felt like all my energy had been zapped. I felt cold (and I hate being cold), tired, achey and sick. We trudged for another three and a half hours, but it felt neverending. I thought about the kids, looked at the bracelet that Scarlett had given me for some motivation, thought about Henry and how much I wanted to cuddle them, and just bust into tears. I actually surprised myself, as this is so out of character for me, but I think it was a sign of the physical and mental journey. I want a hot bath (with bubbles), to see the kids, and to get under the blanket with Dan with a box of Malteasers. I quickly snapped out of it when I thought about what Dan and Henry would say, and I carried on to camp.

It’s cold and miserable, I ache, I have a headache and I am not hungry (am I dying?? I'm always hungry). We’ve been told that this camp may have phone signal so I'm hoping to make contact with them all tonight. Im going to pull myself together, get a cup of tea (solves almost anything) and remind myself, I can do this. The porter said to me, 'imara kama simba', which means, 'strong like lion', but I'm not so sure right now.

Current thoughts: why did I inherit my dad's Jack Grealish calves? The popcorn at camp reminds me of my mum and being a little girl. I took a photo of a dandelion clock for my sister, Boo.

I managed to text home. Scarlette replied, 'Hi Mum', and I immediately burst into tears. They were literally streaming down my face, but it felt good to contact the kids, Dan and my parents. 

Tonight I have had some sort of allergic reaction to something on both my ankles and the bottom of my legs. My legs are swollen, rashy with massive blisters (the size of golf balls). What is it? Is it a bite? An allergic reaction? I realise at this point that any sort of medical assistance is pretty much non-existent up here, but I speak to Jeremy and decide to bathe them in clean water, take an antihistamine and then lay awake most of the night with irrational thoughts.  

Day Five

What a difference a day makes! I woke up and, although my ankles are still the same, it doesn’t seem to have spread anymore. I wonder if it was the 50% Deet insect repellent I used? I bathed them again, put some cream and big socks on, and off we go.

The first part of the day was Barranco Wall. Apparently it's famous on social media. It's also called 'Death Wall', but we are reassured that an average of 10 fatalities are recorded on Kilimanjaro each year, and there have been no recorded incidents at Barranco Wall. It was more like rock climbing than walking, which I actually really enjoyed. The worst part was 'Kissing Rock', so-called because of the narrowness of the track at this point. You need to flatten yourself against the rock to avoid falling off a steep drop. Imagine a very small ledge that you have to face and shimmy across, almost kissing the rock. I tried not to think about falling to my death, but it felt intimidating because of the weight of the rucksack on my back. Like most things in life, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed – when it was done! The view at the top of Barranco Wall was incredible - we are now above the fluffy clouds which looked like you could jump onto them.

The second part of the walk was through valleys - up, down, up, down, and a very steep UP, until we reached Karanga Camp (which apparently means 'nuts'). The final hill seemed hard, and again, even at this height we were in the blazing sun. Jackson, who is now my favourite guide, must have seen me struggling. He pointed to camp and said 'Anna, can you see your house now?'. Today I feel strong, happy and I know I can do this. This afternoon, we are going up a bit more to acclimatise and then back down again to camp. Two nights to go! 

Day Six

The terrain is now sparse, with no trees or big rocks. The day was pretty grim - nothing to see apart from rocks for miles, and it was ALL uphill. Morale was low today, with not much talking or laughing. As we get higher, it's getting colder and more sparse. To make it worse, I can feel my left ankle swelling as we walk, and it’s starting to get painful. We eventually got to Barafu Camp, which is on the side of the mountain with not much cover. We commence our trek to summit TONIGHT! I need to push on. I take painkillers, antihistamine, altitude medication, and strap my ankle up with tape. We had dinner and were told to rest until 5.30pm.

Written three days later at the hotel in Arusha

Shall we skip to the good part? I did it. I climbed the highest freestanding mountain IN THE WORLD.

I was exhausted after, so didn’t write in my journal until now. So, back to Wednesday night. We had a couple of hours rest and were told to be ready for the climb to summit at 10.30pm. The climb to the top would take us 9 hours. We got up, got all our layers and headtorches on, and tried to mentally prepare ourselves for what was ahead. We had a hot drink and a biscuit, and then it was time to go.

I felt mentally and physically strong and ready. I know that I have a strong mindset. I knew that it was going to be hard. I was never going to quit. I wanted to make everyone proud. I wanted to make myself proud and didn’t want to let the kind people who had sponsored me £5,000 down.

It was cold and pitch black. The only way I can describe the route ahead is tiny lights, going up little anthills, as far up as you could see. It was that high in the sky that you didn’t know when the headtorches stopped and when the stars started. The air felt thick and it was getting harder to breathe. It was really hard to catch your breath. The guides were AMAZING. I am 100% certain that I wouldn’t have made it to the top without their support, singing and encouragement.

We kept each other going, and were told to drink and eat sugar often with regular stops. We were about six hours in I felt really weak and my body was aching. I knew at that point that I needed to ask for help. This is not like me. I had carried my rucksack so far myself. I wanted to carry it to the top, but knew I still had a long way to go. My goal was to reach the top, so I decided to ask August to carry my bag for a bit. Looking back, I think I needed some sugar. The game changer was a bag of sweets and a carton of mango juice.

The sunrise was amazing as we got close to the top. It definitely raised morale and gave us some energy. The clouds were below us and the sun was rising behind them. The colours were beautiful. I felt so much better, and although it was hard, I powered up the mountain and reached Stella Point at 5756 metres. This the top of the mountain but NOT the highest point, which was another hour away. It was really cold, about -11 degrees. The guides told us not to stand still for long, to take a photo and carry on. The walk between Stella Point and the summit was hard, but I had it in the back of my mind that we were almost there, which made me carry on. There was never a time when I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but it was hard, and it all now seems like a bit of a blur which I think is a combination of the altitude, lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. My body felt like it had nothing else to give. We got to summit and had made it! Robbie proposed to Niamh at the top. I can just remember feeling relieved that I'd done it.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the walk back down. We asked August  how long it would take and he said three hours! The route down was mainly shale and very dusty. We almost skied down it. It was really hot and the dust was stinging my eyes. By this point, my body felt like it was on auto pilot. Eventually we got back and I collapsed in my tent. I texted my family to say I had made it, and instantly fell asleep. We had walked for over 13 hours.

A couple of hours later, I was woken by the guides. We had to pack our things and walk down to the next camp. All of my body ached, my ankles were swollen, my lips and nose were chapped and my eyes were very puffy. As soon as we got there, I went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up and my eyes were really swollen, my legs hurt and head was pounding. We had another 15k to walk to the bottom. I had a coffee and put my sunglasses on. The guides were amazing as usual. I started to feel better as we walked down the mountain and breathing became normal again. We went back through the jungle, which was beautiful, and got to the exit of the national park. It felt really strange to be back in the community and reinstated some sort of normality. From here, we went for a celebration meal with all the guides and the porters. I still didn’t feel great and I still don’t think the sense of achievement has really sunk in.

What have I learnt?

• The power of a positive mindset & team morale - I already know that this is one of my strengths. I am generally a positive, 'glass half-full' person, and this really helped. I was told by a few people that my positivity helped them on their own journeys. Kath said I was a 'beacon of positivity' in the group.
• The importance of a digital detox - due to the chaos of life, I often find myself in a whirlwind of commitments, to-do lists, responsibilities and juggling different things. This can often mean we lose track of what truly matters. During my time on the mountain, I had a lot of time to just think and reflect on what matters. Despite being a extrovert and a social person, I really enjoyed the solitude and I missed the people I love the most. I didn’t miss social media at all. I want to make sure that I am more present and fun with the people that I care about. They are what matters to me.
• Motivation to travel - if anything, this trip has fired my desire to see more of the world. I am a big believer in 'life is for living', and there is so much I want to see and do, and I want to share those experience with my favourite people.

In summary, despite the blisters, sweat and tears, I am so, so grateful for the opportunity. I will always remember the things I’ve seen, the lessons I’ve learnt, the people I’ve met and the massive achievement. It was really hard, but it was worth every second. I am adamant that the mountain is well and truly ticked off the bucket list, but I suppose the only question now is…what’s next??

Thank you to all my friends, family and sponsors for making this possible. I am truly grateful.

Anna