The Elephant Diaries: Day Six a - Schoot Hut to Uhuru Peak

As planned, we were woken up at 11pm for the summit attempt. There was a different routine though. No tea from the chirpy Laurent, no washing water either. Wake up and get up. We were already dressed and ready to go having slept in everything but hat, gloves and coat. The bags were packed ready too, the water had already been prepared and put in to our bottles. Head torches had been loaded with new batteries and bulbs, nothing had been left to chance.

We did have time for breakfast though - porridge at 11pm!

Two porters were also joining us on the climb this morning, something that put us a little on edge - not that we had an issue with it, it just became apparent how different the summit climb was going to be compared to other days - two extra guides, that meant a guide per trekker. It was comforting to know that the company we were climbing with were doing everything in their power to ensure we had a successful summit climb....but it did make it feel a little scary that we needed a personal guide each!! What on earth was ahead of us?!?!?!

The eight of us got in a circle, linked arms and Deo gave us all a team talk. Again this was a ritual we hadn't seen on any other day. The mood was very different - I wouldn't say excitement. We were all clearly slightly petrified about what was coming. Although we had already pledged to stick together and tackle the summit as a team, today also felt quite personal. We stuck together, but didn't chat, didn't compare notes. We all very much kept ourselves to ourselves.

Sun rise over Mawenzi - the second volcanic cone on Kilimanjaro and the backdrop for our climb

We got in to our usual formation to start the walk. Deo leading, followed by me, Susie, Bob, David and Jacob. Joseph and Faustin walked either side of the pack. New to the group of six that had so far got into a rhythm and understanding, but welcome never the less - it wasn't long at all before they were making an impact and totally justifying their presence.

What followed was the hardest seven to eight hours of my life. It was truly awful. I had the age old mantra going over and over in my head "just put one foot in front of the other and keep going". I kept going, somehow. I was switching between counting my steps, chanting "left, right, left, right". Singing songs...anything to keep my brain from focusing too much on the task at hand. Occasionally I remember thinking "this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life", quickly managing to change my mindset before I thought too much about it. After all what choice did I have. What would I do if I wasn't doing this? It was pitch black, I was somewhere in Africa....I needed to stick with the team so just had to keep going.

This part of the climb was as much about mental strength than physical strength. It would be too easy just to give up. That said, with the altitude getting ever higher we were starting to see first hand just how dangerous it could be. It was pitch black, with nothing but our head torches guiding us. This in itself was challenging as you couldn't see where you were going, or how far you had come. So you had no idea how far you had left to climb. No points of reference to see progress.

At one point we heard what sounded like an avalanche. Deo just said "stop". We all stopped and waited, expecting to see a pile of rocks come rolling past us, but instead two guides from another trekking company dashed past us. They were literally dragging a girl in her twenties back down. She was unconscious, they had attached her to oxygen but still she had clearly fallen victim to the altitude. Her bag had just been abandoned as they dashed to get her to lower ground. We all looked at each other, saying nothing. Encouraging nods were passed around and we did what we had been doing for hours - we just kept going.

The altitude did get to Susie, who was split from the team and taken up by Jacob. He rushed to get her to Gilman's Point where she could rest and recover. She wasn't struggling as badly as the girl we had seen and was able to continue. She was sick and felt like she was having an outer body experience...but the guides were with her every step of the way ensuring she was fine. Her symptoms were mild and she wasn't showing signs of developing anything nasty so all good. No oxygen needed.

The team (minus Susie & Jacob) nearing Gilmans Point

Before the climb, everything I had read talked of how awful the climb to Gilman's Point was. How a quarter of all climbers throw up when they reach it. How, if you are lucky enough to make it there, you would want to give up. How you weren't allowed to lay down as you just won't get up again. I now understood. I experienced first hand just how awful this part of the climb was. In an effort to "just keep going" I didn't even notice when we got there. I just kept walking until I was told to stop. I looked up and to my delight the Gilman's Point sign was looking back at me. This had been my personal challenge. I was going to be a happy girl if I made it to Gilman's Points. It didn't matter if I didn't make it to the peak - if I made it to Gilman's Point I knew I had done what seemed so unachievable just one year ago. I was feeling fine. The excitement of making it to this point cancelled out the last seven hours of hell. I totally forgot how horrible it was and was already looking forward to the walk to the peak - I could see that the rest of the walk was much flatter. I had this. I was going to do it.

Reaching Gilman's Point. Seven hours walking up a very steep hill in the pitch black with no oxygen.

Snacks at Gilman's Point - Red Bull and Pringles

After a break and a few photos we were off again. Deo was keen that we kept moving for Susie's sake. We had now seen the most spectacular sunrise I've ever seen. It was daylight. We could see the peak in the distance, we could see each other....the head torches were replaced with sun glasses - the views were too good to miss for squinting!

In another break from tradition, Susie was promoted up the line to follow Deo. He wanted to keep an eye on her and it meant I was directly behind her to catch her when she swayed too close to the edge!

A much more pleasant walk in the snow from Gilman's Point to Uhuru Peak

Still smiling to have made it this far

Views from the top of the mountain

Walking above the clouds

Blue sky, clouds, snow, ice and horrible gravel stuff that I was SO OVER by this point!

The final hour or so to the peak was just outstanding. I had given my phone to Jacob to take a photo for me and then totally forgotten about it! How pleased was I when he passed it back to me an hour later full of beautiful shots of the surroundings. We were all focused on walking, taking in the views but with our hands full of walking poles and water bottles (our camel bladders had frozen!) we didn't have any free hands for our cameras. I have included some below so you can see what its like on the top of Kilimanjaro.

Once we made it to the peak we all walked around in a bit of a daze. A combination of a VERY long night, a VERY steep climb, lack of oxygen, ore of the surroundings, shock and joy at reaching the top.