Hike Day 1: Wednesday August 3

We have a lot of adventures before and after the hike, but I've gotten more questions about the hike than anything so I'm starting with my hike report first. More on the other stuff a little later.

We spent Tuesday night before the climb getting a pre-hike talk from the guides letting us know what to take with us and what to expect over the next few days. I took some notes, but kept thinking "now what?" If I didn't have my gear, there was no last minute run to REI to pick it up. We also rearranged our bags putting all of our hiking gear into our duffels and our post-hike things into a bag we would leave at the hotel. Wednesday morning we made sure our day packs had our essential items only, ate breakfast at the hotel and nervously discussed what was coming the next few days.


We loaded up the bus and headed to the base of the mountain near Moshi on the south side, to go pick up our permits and check in. We all took pictures and signed in the official book. We could see the signs and rules and I was getting pretty excited about getting started. Unfortunately we still had to drive a few hours to the northeast side of the mountain. Considering the route we drove to get from Nairobi in Kenya to Moshi in Tanzania, we've driven nearly all the way around the base of the mountain.

At the base of the Rongai route we unloaded from the bus and headed to the tourist picnic area as our porters, 19 in all, unloaded our gear. One of them brought us our lunch boxes while we waited for the others to sort out our supplies. The food shopping had already been done and most of the supplies put into large plastic woven bags. To protect the porters, the maximum weight they are allowed to carry is something like 40 pounds. As the supplies were distributed, each porter carried his bag to the ranger hut and weighed it. We had to keep our personal duffels under 33 pounds since the porter would be adding stuff to our bags.

After finishing our lunches, checking our water, and making the last visit to a toilet we would see for a few days, we were off.

At the base of the mountain we were at about 6,500’. I felt fine, no altitude affecting me at this point at all. Our pace was incredibly slow because when climbing and staying at altitude, time is the most important factor to acclimatization. If you make too quick of an ascent you’ll feel the affects of altitude sickness which could lead to death of untreated. The only remedy is to descend as quickly as possible. We kept hearing pole pole, pronounced poh-lay, poh-lay, which means slowly, slowly. This pace is an abrupt change from all of my triathlon training. On the mountain I was praised for being slow.

The trail was dusty and not especially steep. We saw a few people pass us, even one couple on their honeymoon.(He wanted to climb, she wasn’t as excited about going. We all wondered how long the marriage would last.) Our packs were filled with clean fresh bottled water, so staying hydrated (another key to fending off altitude sickness) was no problem. We all just drank from our camelbacks as needed. Along the trail, we saw porters passing us carrying big loads of our stuff on their heads and more stuff on their backs.

We stopped to take pictures at a sign on the way up too. I don’t know why this is called the Nalemoru route as we were on the Rongai. I think the trails merged somewhere further up.

The hike went by uneventfully and it wasn’t too strenuous of a climb, but getting the day started at the hotel, the bus, checking in, more bus, checking in again, waiting, and finally hiking, all wore us down, probably more mentally than physically at this point.

We realized that at the end of the day we still hadn’t seen the summit. We didn’t know how far up we were really going. As dusk rolled in, we were ready for camp. Unfortunately we made it to camp after dark so it was a little disorienting. We had to go check in at a ranger station and then find our tents.

We learned on this first day that the porters were assigned to a specific bag, which meant they were assigned to a specific person. Each porter had taken our duffel out of the plastic woven bag and placed it on the ground in front of him. We were to go and pick out our bags. I was prepared to carry it to my tent, but the porter reached down quickly took it from me. Sally’s porter did the same and put them in our tents for us. They had already put our foam pad down. They gave us a quick lesson on the tents and then disappeared.

Dinner was being cooked for us in the main kitchen tent. There was a cook, some helpers, and even a waiter. We sat down to popcorn and hot tea. It seems like an odd combination, but the warm tea in the cooler temperatures felt good and the salt on the popcorn hit the spot.

The waiter cleared the snacks and dinner was served to us. It’s funny to think about all of the extra weight they carried. We ate on ceramic plates with metal silverware and ceramic mugs. They had full size canisters of condiments for the meals too. Dinner was set for only the 6 hikers at the table.

I have no idea where the porters went or what they ate. It weighed on me wondering what they were eating and if they had shelter. This also contradicts every campground etiquette rule I know. Campsites are social communities. People share their food, share stories, share their fires. I wanted to share my experiences and hear what the porters had to say too. Unfortunately it wouldn’t happen this night or any of the others.

The temperatures were mild during the day, but at night they dropped enough that I had to put on a jacket and pants. After dinner, we all used the toilet tent and settled into our tents for the night. I made an effort to brush my teeth and wash my face. A habit which would end up being short lived.

At this point I’ve taken a few advil to prevent any knee issues but none of my altitude medication. There are a few schools of thought on the altitude. 1) skip the meds and let the altitude affect you. In mild cases, you’ll have dizziness and nausea and no appetite. 2) skip the meds because if you’re climbing at the right pace, the altitude won’t affect you. 3) take the meds and experience some side effects like tingling face and fingers or nausea which are not unlike the altitude affects. I opted for waiting to take the meds until I really needed them. My plan was to start at the beginning of day 2, the next morning, since I was feeling fine.

I read for a little bit and then turned the lights out eager for sleep. About an hour later I bolted up in my sleeping bag gasping for air. I felt trapped in the bag and ripped the zipper open. I took deep breaths, but it wasn’t helping. I pulled the tent open, put on my boots and tried to walk around some. I don’t remember saying anything out loud, rather just thinking that I had to get off the mountain. I was nearly hyperventilating and gasping for air trying to find the trail to go back down. We’d only walked up for about four hours and I was certain I could find my way down alone and in the dark. My mind was racing through the logistics of finding a ride at the bottom of the mountain, yelling goodbye to the group and telling them I’d meet them in a week. I was not thinking clearly, my only thought was that I was trapped. (I've only experienced claustrophobia one other time in my life. It was while exploring underground caves in Budapest with a tour group and I got stuck in one tight spot nicknamed the birth canal.)

Someone obviously heard me wandering and gasping and asked if I was ok. I said that I couldn’t breathe. It was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life. I was having what I can only describe as an anxiety attack. I kept walking in circles trying to calm down and breathe. Because we had gotten into camp after dark, I was disoriented too. I couldn’t get my bearings and my own internal equilibrium was out of whack.

I’m not sure how long I was out of the tent, but I eventually got back in and laid down so I could slow my heart rate. Sally reminded me of some yoga breathing which gave me another focus. I got out a book and tried to read to keep my mind occupied. Unfortunately, it was a book about a woman who swam in Antarctica. She described in excruciating detail about how the cold water makes you gasp for breath. I threw it down and tried the yoga breathing again.

Eventually my mind came back to me and I realized that I should take one of my altitude pills, Diamox. (more info on Diamox here) I reread some of our pre-trip paperwork and think I was suffering from Cheyne-Stokes Respirations. It’s not unlike what happens to someone with sleep apnea, though at low elevations a few deep breathes will recalibrate the oxygen levels in the body. At altitude, there’s less oxygen and it’s harder to reset.

About an hour later, I felt much better and was able to doze on and off through the rest of the night, though I was scared to fall into too deep of a sleep fearing that I would wake up with the same gasping breathing or worse, just stop breathing at all and not wake up.

Day 1 Stats:
Total Hike Time: 4 hours 12 minutes
Moving Time:2 hours 55 minutes
Distance: 4.77 miles
Lowest Point:6581'
Highest Point:8621'
Elevation Gain: 2022'
Average HR:109
Max HR:150

(Day 2 Here)