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SATURDAY
BARAFU CAMP TO SUMMIT TO MWEKA CAMP
Hiking Time: 6.32hrs to summit, 7-8hrs descent
Total Distance: 7km to summit, 23km descent
Starting Altitude: 4550m, Summit Altitude: 5895m - Uhuru Peak
Final Altitude: 3100m
Habitat: Stone Scree, ice capped summit, Alpine desert
Today we were woken at 11pm and after a warm drink and a light snack, we began the most difficult though most rewarding day of my life...the hike up to the top of Africa!!
We walked/scrambled up lava rock, before walking on a relatively flat terrain for an hour and I remember thinking this will be ok!...I spoke too soon. The weather came in and reached -20 with winds in excess if 50mph. I was warm in my Canadian goose but people were starting to be affected not only by cold but also the altitude sickness. Lisa was the 1st to fall sick and he was vomiting and couldn't stop. She turned to me at one point and said "sorry mate I can't do this" while bent over being sick. I walked 2 metres down to her and felt like 2 miles. I don't think she would ever really have gone down but she was so sick.
We continued into the night and to be honest the main thing keeping me going was that I was ahead of Lisa and I knew she wouldn't stop if I kept going but every step hurt and although in my head I didn't want to stop my body was struggling.
About 3 hours into the night and I started to be sick and it was Lisa's turn to look after me. I remember sitting behind a rock for a deserved break, shaking and turning to lisa crying, and said "this is so hard!!"
Everyone was really poorly by now and groups had formed. Because of how sick we were Lisa and I was in the middle of the pack but to be honest we didn't care, it was just a mental challenge to get through.
Lisa and I summited at 6.32am and spent 10 mins to take in the beautiful sunrise and glaciers and spare a thought for the loved ones we had climbed for.
We then started back down the same trail, and descend back to Barafu camp. Because Lisa and I were so ill with altitude sickness they wanted to get us down quickly. The next 2 hours were probably the most painful of my life. My knees were in buts and the decent was steep. I was being physically sick from the pain. After an hour the guide took my arm and literally dragged me down the mountain..the pain brought tears to my eyes for the next 1 1/2 hrs but Lisa was there to help me through the pain. She was still being sick from the altitude but was doing really well!!
When we arrived at camp it was lovely as our new friends greeted and celebrated with us before we all went to bed for a few hours and collected the rest of your gear.
Still feeling exhausted and in pain we then headed down the rock and scree path into the moorland zone, reaching the forest, and eventually arriving at Mweka hut in the late afternoon.
Today was the longest, and the most mentally and physically challenging day of our lives but a day that will stay with us forever.
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