Pole, Pole

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost said it better than I can.

The human body is an amazing thing. I had never hiked a day in my life and yet there I was, walking long distances uphill in the blistering heat and, somehow, succeeding at it. During my six day trek up the Marangu Route to the summit of Kilimanjaro, my body never once failed me. Sure there was some achy muscles, sore knees, a mild headache, a sunburn, and even a bit of the dreaded altitude sickness at the top. But these were warnings, designed to help me succeed; to pace myself. To go "pole, pole", as they say in Swahili.  But your body is only part of the challenge - I truly believe it is the strength of your mind that will ultimately decide your outcome. I had no business reaching the top of that mountain. Yet I did it, when others who were younger and stronger could not.

"Pole, pole" (pronounced pole-y, pole-y), is truly the mantra of any successful climb and translates to "slowly, slowly". You will hear your guides repeat it often on the mountain, reminding you to move slowly, pace yourself and take short breaks often. For me, "pole, pole" was also a state of mind - a slow and steady pace with clarity and calm. A reminder to enjoy the journey up and down, to appreciate the views and the experience - and not only focus on reaching the top.

I have decided to split my posts about my Kilimanjaro Climb into two parts - The Climb and The Summit. Although it is indeed one mountain, the days leading up to Kibo are remarkably different than the ascent night. One like marching to war, the other a full-scale battle. Stay tuned for my Summit post.

Day one was full of excitement but the reality of the challenge ahead quickly set in. We started with an hour long drive from Moshi to Marangu with our support team. Tricia (my cousin, and fellow climber) and I would be climbing with the support of a Guide (Raymond), Assistant Guide (Shawn), 4 Porters, a Cook and a Waiter. Other teams were also traveling on our route and we were fortunate to get to know a few of them along the way, including a nice couple from Toronto. 

As soon as we arrived at the entrance gate, I realized one of the gaiters I rented was broken. Good thing I packed duct tape in my day-pack! A quick MacGuyver and it was as good as new. How smart was I for having duct tape in my pack? Actually, not very smart at all. In fact, it was a horrible decision as I quickly realized my day-pack was WAY too heavy. Our first day's walk was hard and hot - straight up hill through a meandering path of natural steps for six hours. My day-pack was at least 10 pounds and I had my SLR strapped around neck. What an idiot, I was. But it was a good, much needed, rude awakening of what was ahead of us. Fortunately, our frequent breaks allowed us to appreciate the incredible beauty of this portion of the climb, a rain forest filled with Colobus Monkeys, waterfalls, beautiful ferns and hanging moss. We made it to our first stop at Mandara Huts in time for a quick rest, wash-up and a delicious dinner of soup, steak and fried potatoes in the lodge.

 

The next day we seemed to find our groove. As the landscape started to change, so did our confidence. The rain forest became a moorland of long grasses and we walked a little taller. I suddenly felt like I could do it. Our 12.5 km walk to Horombo Huts was challenging and hot. Note to fellow climbers: do not forget to re-apply your sunscreen, like I did. You do not want to suffer a sunburn in a cabin on a below freezing night. We checked in at Horombo for a two night stay in another log-cabin-style, a-frame hut well above the clouds at 3721 metres / 12,208 feet. The following day involved a 5 hour acclimatization hike to nearby Zebra Rocks (elevation 4048 metres / 13,281 feet) where we had a beautiful view of what lay ahead of us at Kibo. Our time at Horombo was incredible with beautiful sunsets, a sky full of stars, great food from our cook and a chance to read the amazing, motivating messages we were receiving from our family and friends, as the mobile reception is very good there.

With the seemingly easy part behind us, we braced for an extraordinarily challenging day ahead that started with a wind-whipping 9.5 km trek across a seemingly endless alpine desert to Kibo huts. This walk took about 6 hours with some breaks along the way for lunch and water. We were now past the last water point where our team would have collected our water from the mountain stream to boil for us to drink. I started to experience a small but lingering headache, a reminder that at over 4714 metres / 15,466 feet, you must drink lots of water and "pole, pole" is the only way to go.

We arrived at Kibo Huts and were happy to find out that our Guide, Raymond, had secured us a private room to rest for a few short hours before our ascent that evening. But there was no rest for me with the shadow of Kibo looming above us. And though we were already beyond exhausted from our challenging day - we had no idea just how much more difficult things were about to get that very night. Please see my following post for the rest of this story...