# A walk through the clouds #2



## Trithor (Mar 15, 2014)

At mid afternoon on the next day we set up camp and prepare for the summit attempt tonight. Not too much to do today other than rest in anticipation. The prospect of moving for the first time in just under a week without a 15kg pack on my back is cheering me up immensely. This is the first time I have done this trip on my own and carried all my own gear, each of the previous trips we climbed as a group and used porters for our gear.
(Yes the old fat bald guy in the bright red body warmer is me)




Up just after midnight and a hard ascent to the summit. In good time to relax, and prepare to toast the rising sun with a glass of V Cliquot champagne (only to discover that it had frozen to a solid block in my small pack! Damn, I dragged the thing all the way up this big lump of rock and ice, all for nothing) At least I can enjoy the best view of 'the Morning Star' in the moments before the sun rises,




As the sun rises, Uhuru Peak and the surroundings are unveiled in all their stark beauty. Definitely worth all the discomfort! Penitentes develop as a result of the sublimation of the ice, with a distinct and peculiar orientation (not as marked or dramatic as those on some of the peaks of Bolivia which we climbed a couple of years ago)




I cant help rejoice that the way down is so much easier than the ascent a few hours earlier. At least now I can take the time to look around and enjoy the contrasting colours and textures of gravel and ice. Wow and what a view!




The snout of Kilis last main glacier. There has been significant changes at the top over the years that I have been coming here. Not too many years and I suspect there will be little ice left.




I spend my last night above the clouds. I don't bother to pitch my tent, no real need to stay dry anymore, by lunch tomorrow I will be down off the mountain. Boy was this a surprise, traversing the mud trail the following morning was not easy with a pack on my back. I spent a lot of the morning on my butt cursing!




At least the colours in the canopy served to cheer me up and take my mind off the momentary discomfort.




Then at last, off the mountain! A quick helter skelter drive to the nearest village to visit The Most Important store imaginable,.......




The man that sells cold beer! (not much colder than ambient temperature, but still incredibly delicious! Next time I need to be a bit fitter so I can carry a few up the mountain with me?)




Then back at the guest house, a decadent hot shower, clean dry clothes and then sit at a table to enjoy a cooked meal and a gin and tonic, all the time with the mountain in the background. Unimaginable luxury a day ago!




The SAA 737 takes a slow turn around Kilimanjaro, a great view of what truly is a massive ancient volcano. A place that draws me back every few years. In a few hours I will be back in Johannesburg and except for a pile of dirty gear it will be as if it never were.


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## Wendy (Mar 15, 2014)

Wow, amazing! Thank you so much for the story and photos. Very enjoyable!


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## TDT (Mar 15, 2014)

Spectacular! Thanks for posting the photos and writing your entertaining commentary! Growing up in the Canadian Rockies I certainly appreciate the efforts of such a trip. And that welcoming smile from the Tanzanian child is why I'm so looking forward to my return visit to central Africa!


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## Dido (Mar 15, 2014)

Great thanks for sharing
but where can you see a big fat old guy in that pic.....
Only missing some hairs I would say.....


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## Migrant13 (Mar 15, 2014)

Really appreciate the photo journey you shared with us. Looks spectacular. Hope to get there one day but I think I would opt for the day pack and porters! The photo of you on top was excellent.


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## John M (Mar 15, 2014)

What an adventure! A difficult trek; but, fun and rewarding too. That photo of you standing above the clouds is very cool! You were staning on top of the world!


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## SlipperFan (Mar 15, 2014)

Hardly old or fat, but you make excellent photos.


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## Ruth (Mar 15, 2014)

Wonderful trip and journey!!! Thanks for taking me along!!!


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## abax (Mar 15, 2014)

I didn't see an old fat man. I saw a daring adventurer in a glorious place.
I hear you about the damn pack. I hiked the Appalachian Trail with a
40 lb. pack and hated that pack after a day or two of trudging along cussin'
up a storm.


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## laurel (Mar 15, 2014)

Thanks for the shot of Mt Maru. My husband spends a couple mths a year at the Mt Maru hospital doing pediatric medicine, but I never thought of what the real Mt. Maru looks like. Bigger than I imagined.

Laurel


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## Trithor (Mar 16, 2014)

I am glad you all enjoyed my trip. I am sure it was more comfortable for you than it was for me! The picture of me was not at the top, but at the camp waiting for the attempt on the summit (I looked a lot rougher at the top, bit like a 'raped owl'), not a very flattering sight, so opted to post the pre-summit version. That night time haul for the top is not a doddle, and each time I swear I will never do it again, amazing how time dulls the memory of discomfort and the warm fuzzy sense of accomplishment remains, which tempts yet another trip.


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## JeanLux (Mar 16, 2014)

Looks like a fit young man  !!!! Thanks again for this great show!!!! Jean


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## cnycharles (Mar 16, 2014)

Thanks for sharing a great trip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TDT (Mar 16, 2014)

Trithor said:


> , amazing how time dulls the memory of discomfort and the warm fuzzy sense of accomplishment remains.



Haha, sounds like childbirth!!!


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## Secundino (Mar 16, 2014)

Thanks for sharing - that is one of my remaining dreams, going there one day. (btw, have done the same stupid thing with a bottle of catalonian cava, some fifteen - ah - twenty years ago, didn't work for me either, still wonder why)


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## Jaljala (Mar 17, 2014)

Thanks a lot for sharing your trek! Great pictures...
Remember for your next trip that only liquids with more than 40% alcohol won't freeze at these temperatures...oke: rum is fine :rollhappy:


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## NYEric (Mar 17, 2014)

Thanks for sharing. You making the summit shows you are not fat nor old!  You could have warmed the champagne in the warmth of your crotch! oke:


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## Trithor (Mar 17, 2014)

NYEric said:


> Thanks for sharing. You making the summit shows you are not fat nor old!  You could have warmed the champagne in the warmth of your crotch! oke:



There is no chance in hell that I would consider applying a frozen bottle of champagne to the nether regions of my anatomy. A few years ago I managed to freeze the zipper of my jacket to my bottom lip and managed to tear off a chunk of skin which bled furiously and caused much pain for the rest of the climb. The thought of a similar accident affecting my crotch, brings tears to my eyes!


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## NYEric (Mar 17, 2014)

:evil:


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## emydura (Mar 17, 2014)

Just read both threads Gary and I really enjoyed your trip. Sorry, I'm a bit slow on the uptake. So this is Kilimanjaro you just climbed? I loved the first photo of you with the clouds in the background. It looks incredible. It is amazing to see all that sow/ice in Africa. 

I'll bet many people wished they were as old and fat as you. You are in better condition than most of us. I would have hired the 2nd porter for sure and had a more leasurily climb up. When trekking in Nepal I'm happy to hire porters to carry my gear. Not a lot of money for me but 6 months wages for them. 




Trithor said:


> and each time I swear I will never do it again, amazing how time dulls the memory of discomfort and the warm fuzzy sense of accomplishment remains, which tempts yet another trip.



It is amazing. The last time I trekked in Nepal, I said I'm too old for this. The climbs killed me. But I'm hoping to trek in Bhutan later this year. It has always been a dream of mine to go to Bhutan and it looks like the opportunity has unexpectedly arrived so there is no way I can turn it down. Apparently the treks in Bhutan make the Nepalese ones look like a stroll, so I'm going to be a world of pain.

Do you trek elsewhere Gary?


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## Trithor (Mar 18, 2014)

emydura said:


> Do you trek elsewhere Gary?



David, I try and plan one climb/high altitude trek and one scuba trip per year. Obviously some years don't quite plan out (usually due to the rest of the people falling out, so now I generally plan trips on my own)
Prior to 2000 most trips were orchid related and involved trips to where ever paphs grew, with a bunch of collecting trips to remote areas to collect in the mid 80's. I spent 6 months in Brazil in the early 80's, starting with the Inca trail in Peru and then canoeing down the Amazon. Although it was my intention to do a source to mouth trip, I failed because of a fiasco at the border which involved me spending a week in hospital with malaria. I sort of lost the plot a bit and went to Iguazu to recover and missed about 300km of the river when I went back to complete what I had started.
After 2000 my focus shifted to peaks and diving. I started with the highest 5 peaks in Africa in 2003, and did Killimanjaro in 2006.
My first major peak was Kilimanjaro in 2006 (prior to that I had done quite a few, but this was the first near 6000m peak)
2007 = Ecuador (Guagua Pinchincha, Iliniza Norte, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo 6310m) and scuba diving Galapagos
2008 = Borneo (Kinabalu 4095m) and diving Lankayan Island
2009 = Russia (Elbrus 5642m) diving Malta
2010 = World cup soccer in South Africa, so spent all my money on soccer tickets
2011 = Second trip to Kilimanjaro, Diving trip to N Red sea
2012 = Bolivia (Alpamayo, Cabeza del Condor. Illampu 6342m), diving Mozambique
2013 = No climb, diving Madagascar and second trip diving Zanzibar
2014 = 3rd Kili trip, plan a double trip to Red Sea, first to North for wrecks and a few reefs, then South to the Sudan for another 7 days of wall diving

Guess I get the itchy feet from my father who started a Johannesburg to Amsterdam and back trip in the early 50s for a 25 Dutch Guilder bet. (don't think I will ever be able to match that, but I can at least keep trying?)

So guess to answer your question, I have trekked, climbed and dived quite a bit, but by no means experienced. Never had the good fortune to go to the Himalayas. I wanted to climb Spantik in 2010, but soccer shot that plan!


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## Trithor (Mar 18, 2014)

View off the shoulder of Cotopaxi (Ecuador) on the predawn approach to the summit





Preparing for the final pitch on Chimbarazo. Not much of a hike at this point anymore


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## gonewild (Mar 18, 2014)

Did your Dad win the bet?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 18, 2014)

That is an impressive list. Sounds like a hell of a lot of fun too!


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## emydura (Mar 18, 2014)

WOW. You have seen some amazing places. You will have to put the Snowman trek (Bhutan) on the to do list. Considered the best and most difficult trek in the world, more people have climbed Everest than successfully completed it. I believe it has a 50% fail rate. That will test you.


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## Trithor (Mar 19, 2014)

gonewild said:


> Did your Dad win the bet?


Yes, he did. I have my dad's scrap book, a lot of magazine and newspaper clippings. Makes a good read. On days when I am feeling a bit lost, I page through it.



emydura said:


> WOW. You have seen some amazing places. You will have to put the Snowman trek (Bhutan) on the to do list. Considered the best and most difficult trek in the world, more people have climbed Everest than successfully completed it. I believe it has a 50% fail rate. That will test you.


I would love to try it. I will certainly research it an put it on my list. I am looking forward to your report and pictures.


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## abax (Mar 20, 2014)

May I suggest a lovely, relaxed sailing trip around the small islands in the
Caymans? Used to be the clearest water I've ever seen for diving. Heaven
only knows how its been treated in recent years. Some really nice cave
diving too. Need more excitement? Lots and lots of sharks!

Gutsy man, your dad.


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