#i have too many hrs and am so mirage for me to give it up

[roaringheat]

apex legends breakout trailer having one of my fave punk songs is such a win

[zet-sway]

Spiritual Shrios Summer Fill: Godless

This is a prompt fill for @rosenkow's Spiritual Shrios Summer! Prompts | release | oasis | moan | delirium | pray | sweat | whisper | afterlife | contaminated | skin | worship | incense | godless | petals | taste | nectar | caress | mirage | ripe | sundown | hallucinate | salt | intoxicated | soul | embrace | hunger | wet | adrenaline | breathe |

PROMPT WORD: GODLESS | WORDS: ~1800

Rated: "G" - General Audiences AO3 Link: "The Frozen Sea" Pairing: Thane / FemShep Summary: The ocean licks at her knees - not to claim her, but to mark her. 'One foot in the grave,' as the human adage goes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shepard looks forward to being the first one up and awake.

Her cabin is suffocating. There are nights when she appreciates the privacy, but the silence of her isolated quarters makes her insides itch in an uncomfortable way. Just before the common area lighting begins to grow from the dim cadence of the night cycle, she leaves her room and greets the morning, intangible as only time on a starship can be. First she checks on the night crew, then starts coffee for Gardener. Finally, she makes her way down to the shuttle bay for PT. Alone.

It's unexpected when she has a visitor one quiet morning.

"Sere Krios," she says, rising from a deep stretch on the mat.

He smiles warmly, equally as surprised to see another soul at this hour. "Commander, good morning. And please, just Thane if you wouldn't mind."

Thane is the newest member of her crew and they've only spoken twice before. Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that he has his daily rituals as well, given his condition. He's dressed simply. Black pants, a sleeveless shirt, his defined, green chest exposed for all the world. Drell and humans share some attractive qualities. He's easy on the eyes.

She's staring, she realizes, and looks away. Thane takes his place on the mat and begins his own warm-up.

Day after day, he joins her, and they build a routine. Together, they begin with stiff, groggy stretches; then there's cardio, sweat, and strength training. Their conversations are light and technical. He respects her silence. She respects his discipline. On leg day, they limp back into the elevator in tandem. If she's lucky, she has time to join him and the crew for breakfast after her shower.

When she's alone, she quietly recalls how the light bends around the contours of his body.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He's there as usual when she steps off the elevator and into the shuttle bay. Fully armored, helmet under one arm, weapons holstered, but ready.

"Shepard. No training today?" He rises from his place on the mat where he's been exploring the human practice of yoga, per her suggestion. It suits him. Yoga is all about breathing.

"I was beginning to think you tired of my company."

She gives him a weary smile and shakes her head.

There's a new, abnormal tension between them and by his gaze she knows he feels it too. She likes Thane. She knows hardly a damn thing about him, but he's a comfortable presence, follows orders... doesn't ask intrusive questions. However, she's breaking their routine unexpectedly, and in the moment, his gaze is almost painful.

"Is there something I should know about Alchera?"

Okay, maybe he does ask intrusive questions.

His voice is a hot knife through her muddy thoughts. The detour to Alchera hadn't been on their flight plan, but somehow, he knows. Times like this, his eidetic memory puts her on edge. She asks herself how many other kernels of obscure knowledge are locked away in his mind.

Stepping up to prep the shuttle, she weighs the consequences of lying to his face. Only six people on the ship know where she's going and why, and she doesn't want to talk about it with any of them. The words are too hard to say out loud. This is where I died.

"Alliance HR," she says finally. A partial truth.

His brows rise and his posture straightens just a bit. "Human remains." Fuck if he isn't perceptive, but if he has questions, he keeps them to himself.

She nods once, happy to have stopped this conversation in its tracks. Then she changes the subject.

"PT tomorrow," she offers with a smile. "I can't be lifting without my spotter."

"Of course, Shepard. The pleasure is mine," he responds with an acknowledging nod. She feels bad for interrupting his training as he leaves on the elevator, but she doesn't want to face her team until her task is done.

Let's just get this over with.

Alone with her thoughts, she exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding and starts her pre-flight checklist.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's well past dinner when she comes to him. The doors at his back swish open and she stands quietly inside the threshold. A fistful of clinking metal dangles from her hand and he knows she's come to have the conversation she avoided earlier.

"Did I catch you at a good time?"

"You did," he says smoothly. "Was there something you wanted to discuss?"

She sits across from him and the metal spills from her fist. Dog tags. Twenty of them. Her gaze is fixed on them and she appears shrouded in a fog of thoughts.

"Did you know them?" The question is gentle, he's almost afraid to know the answer.

Shepard takes a deep breath and blinks slowly. "Yeah. They were my crew."

Thane can feel a chill, as though the icy surface of the planet is still clinging to her long after she's left it. "Your ship went down on Alchera?"

She nods.

"...and you were among them."

"Yes."

He realizes now why she brushed off his words earlier. It strikes him as odd that she would bring this to him instead of Garrus, Tali, Joker, or Chakwas. All of them served on that ship with her, although he isn't sure if they were on board during the attack. She chose him for this, maybe because he'd asked, unknowingly, down in the shuttle bay. Regardless, she's here now and he struggles to understand her needs.

Thane refocuses. There's a pile of dog tags before him and each one represents a human life, now in the arms of Kalahira.

"May I read them?"

She glances up at him then, surprised. "Won't you remember them forever?"

"I'd like to."

Her lips twitch just slightly in the most cautious of smiles, and she nods. "Knock yourself out," a quietly uttered and somehow charming human expression.

Thane picks up each tag one by one and passes his eyes over them. Every name, a life extinguished. Stories unfinished. Loved ones mourning for years without closure or a body to bury. Memories percolate in his mind and he pushes them back because now is not the time. For each name, he offers a silent prayer to the goddess for their eternal peace. When he finishes, the tags are a neat horizontal stack before them.

Hands folded, he looks at her. "I don't see your name."

It's less of a question and more of an observation, but she dips one hand into her shirt collar and produces a pair of clinking metal tags. They dangle from a new chain but the metal scorched and scuffed almost to a state of illegibility. One from the Alliance, the other from the Spectres. Her name is heavily embossed into each one.

SHEPARD DECEMBER HUMAN SYSTEMS ALLIANCE

His expression lifts and he smiles, hopeful. "You survived."

Shepard shakes her head. "I was spaced."

"But you must have-"

"No, Thane." Her tone is firm, unwavering. "I was spaced."

Her intense green eyes pierce through him. There's a twinge in her voice that makes his insides clench. "I read the data on Project Lazarus. I died."

It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room. Thane tries to control his features but her assertion shakes the very foundations of his faith. Many had said she died, but he'd always understood it as a metaphor - a near death experience.

He reaches into himself for calm and a memory rises, unbidden. "Jesus and Lazarus, from the Christian bible. '...I am the resurrection and the life.'"

"Kalahira..." he breathes. "Shepard, I didn't know."

She grunts out an ugly, short laugh and tears her eyes from his. "I can't believe you read the bible."

Her words fly past him without acknowledgement. He sees her as though through fogged glass, thoughts spinning. "Kalahira released you from the sea." When the words leave his mouth, they sound like irrefutable truth.

There's silence while she fidgets across from him, and then she asks, "Do humans go to the sea too?"

"We believe all life does."

He has a thought, then. "What do you believe, Shepard?

Her expression is mildly uncomfortable. "Before or after I died?" But then she shakes her head, reconsidering. "The universe is grand enough that maybe it is god's design. But I don't think god gives a damn about us. Agnostic, I guess." Shepard pauses and looks at him, but her eyes are distant. "Maybe I'd like to believe in your sea. Right now it feels easier to accept."

"To bring comfort in dark places is the purpose of spirituality. It does not matter what you believe as long as it brings you peace."

"Some humans would disagree with you."

Aware of the myriad of human religions and their conflicts, he brushes off her statement. "This is my truth. Their opinions don't concern me."

Shepard's gaze is searching, revealing the cracks in her armor, slivers of well-hidden vulnerability. "So I went to the sea. And now I'm back."

"If I am to accept what you say, I can offer no other conclusion." He doesn't ask what she remembers, he knows he might not like the answer.

"Then what am I now? Besides a soggy, undead cyborg?"

Her voice is laced with sarcasm but Thane thinks over her question carefully, aware he will be turning it over in his mind for days to come. Kalahira, Irikah, Siha, the gods and their angels, his lover and confidant, memories and oaths... regrets and comforts.

A heavy veil of epiphany descends on him, awestruck, painfully aware of his mortality, and prickling with a primal, deeply buried fear. Once human and now something in between, she is Commander Shepard, avatar of the Sea, chosen of Kalahira. The ocean licks at her knees not to claim her, but to mark her. 'One foot in the grave,' as the human adage goes.

The fist of tension in his gut calls to mind the image of Irikah's eyes in his scope all those years ago. I thought she was the goddess Arashu. But it's not Arashu who sits before him now, but Kalahira. Her icy breath howls across the inhospitable surface of Alchera, her unfathomable currents gathering those courageous enough to follow her into the abyss. How appropriate that she appeared just as he sought his demise in the Dantius Towers. She will be the one to ferry him into the unknown when they finally breach the relay. He prays she will be merciful.

Placing one hand over hers, Thane squeezes reassuringly. He doesn't linger, the gesture is as much for him as it is for her; he wants to know that she is real, as he finally answers her question.

'Then what am I now?'

"A woman with a purpose so great, the goddess herself answered the galaxy's cry for your return."

[monolid-monologues]

Critical Mass - Part II.

I wrote the original Part II in a long and stormy writing session two nights ago, and then my browser crapped on me, my screen went white, and i hadn’t saved my draft. I can’t bring myself to recreate what i wrote. Moving on.....

#13. 

I. AFTER OAKLAND

 I literally spent more time in Robin’s truck than i did anywhere else this weekend..... ..Shouts out to the man for letting his sister take his car and trek across and across and ACROSS the state for business and pleasure (my car = lease = limited mileage). 

SUN >> MON recap:  behold 24 hours, 3 hours of sleep, insanity.

1:00PM Change cars with Robin

2:30PM 5 hr rehearsal

8:00PM Get home, pack

9:00PM 6 hr drive to Oakland

3:00AM Arrive and crash at Mitzi’s

6:00AM Get up & Get Ready

7:00AM Leave for Callback

8:00AM 4 hr Callbacks

12:15PM 7 hr drive to LA

9:00PM I’m home

10:00PM Write blog

12:30AM Lose my entire draft

12:35AM Lose my mind

1:00AM Go to sleep (work at 8:30am)

TL;DR I did get a callback. I didn’t get the job.

No more Oakland daydreams for now! The “what if”s dissipate just like that.

But the damned thing about life-changing opportunities is the magnifying glass it burns on your present life. Unfortunately, any discontent that emerged in all the hemming and hawing of “this or that” “pros and cons” is real and won’t disappear just like that.

Maybe instead of burying them once again, i hold it close to my heart. like oil for fire. close to my heart, burning hotter fuel. praying for its ashes. close to my heart to keep it away from my eyes that must see all the life ahead of me. away from my guts that must fight, not flight. close to my heart because the antidote is to be made in the heart, too.

II. BEFORE THE SHOW: SHIFTING GEARS

I’m in the thick of working on my show - and i love it and hate it and bemoan the little time i have to get so much done. Times like these...What motivates me counts. 

I think about the life we want, versus the life we are grateful for. 

I think about how our choice to source our energies from either pool shapes us, limits us, or frees us.

I am seeking a way for my dreams to not feel so heavy, my desires less burdensome. That might sound funny but for someone who suffers great ambitions and destructive habits, wanting can turn into longing and longing brings pain and pain makes bad habits look medicinal. Ultimately, sabotage. Like when they say “you are your own worst enemy”, i’m like “yeah, yep, me.”

I am melting my visions of the future. I’m at a point where all the things i want, but don’t have, no longer motivate me in the right way. Rather than renewing my spirits, the “Have Not” attitude now threatens my sensitivity to the beauty in my life as it is. This is a particular shift for me at a particular time. I’m sure in time, my winds will change again.

For now, i’m done feeling like following my dreams is a burden. The weight of success is slowing me down. 

I’ve been fixated on proving myself right.

The pressure i’m adding onto myself is, at this point, extraneous. It’s also tied to my fear, anxieties, and hubris.  I feel nervous and i scramble to control what i can.  Control is not the treatment i need. Nor is willing myself to go above and beyond what is healthy for me.

I find that being driven by the things i want often leads me to disregard my own well-being. I am just the kind of person who will crash through heaven and hell for what i want. Sometimes it makes me brilliant. Other times i’m wasting myself. an unfortunate side effect in the blending of certain character traits..

So what’s the difference between being driven by what we want, and being driven by what we have?

I’m pointing at our polymorphous existences. All the multifarious sides of our selves that come and go based on an array of environments, moods, stimuli or lack thereof.

In especially grueling times, my appetite mutates into greed. I may be exhausted with enough on my plate, but when i am feeling my smallest, my most Without, it’s like a mirage appears -- my dreams harden from beautiful mystery worth discovering to obvious images i need to “have” -- i  forsake taking care with what’s in front of me because now i’m busy, just, chasing, and drooling, and lusting. 

I might waste all my time and energy chasing the objects of my affection and collapse every other stretch of distance because there’s “Too much to do”.

There is love that shows up in the smallest and brightest ways at random hours of my day. These blessings bring me back to the joys in my life right now. And i remember front and center, the sight of my PURPOSE right the fuck now.

It’s a trippppppppp when the very thing you love doing starts to feel like a chore.

There is magic in giving thanks. 

Gratefulness fills me up timelessly.

My gratitude has no expiry date.

And counting my blessings is, actually, motivating. 

Is it as motivating as honing in on what i want want want want want? 

no. it’s totally different.

To move with thanks is to move with grace.

Graceful movements abound with attention and purpose, without the snarl of impatience, with an ease marked by a deep, disinterested serenity.  There’s no “too much” or “too little” because the paradigm here has shifted from “being the best right now” to “i’ll do my best right now”. I am marking a distinction between the psyche of someone who wishes to Be and someone who wishes to Do.

And the doing gets tough when you’re like me and images cease to move your body. Images aren’t the energy that plows me forward. 

for me, it’s always been people. my energy draws upon the people who seek me as i seek them.  I am thankful for so many people i’ve met, have known, and still know. 

that’s the beauty of my art. the real real gift theatre gave me is the people i get to care for and be cared for by. 

for me, it’s never been enough to look good, seem good, appear good.  The insides always matter. My insides always mattered.  And more than that, connecting from my insides to yours, creating the opportunities for such encounters, 

My life has been blessed with this art. and with people who believe in me.

And i can keep trying to belittle myself - so anxious to beat anyone else to it - by saying shit like nobody cares and nobody’s coming, but if i remember what i’m grateful for, i know how untrue those statements are. And the brilliant visions i have for myself are released because with only two hands and two feet, i will cup the face of my ever-volatile world with both hands, and we’ll dance. One another, back and forth, up and down, riding the beats, stepping lithe and dexterous into existence our mysterious future.

Like this, i am OCCUPADO.

i have no more feet to chase the mirage.

i have no more hands to grub for more.

Biiiiich, take care of the things that are nowwwwwww.

I dream now of dancing with my life as it is, taking it somewhere not by telling it where to go but by our natural twists and turns together befitting the beat of the moment.

This is all to say my way of focusing on what’s important. 

Presently, i find myself in GO TIME.

No more wasting time on what could be, what might be, what i wish would be.

GO TIME = crucial and fragile. Time to rise and shine. Give thanks. Feel, soakkkk, bask in the everything of everything right now. and move with grace. and FOR GODS’ SAKES,

ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY IT. 

2 WEEKS until my self-produced, self-directed, self-written and self-performed show is open to the public. Holy shit ^_^  

* * *

i’ve committed to being vulnerable in writing every week.

previous letter: #12.) Wtf is going on - Part I.

drop me a line

http://monolid-monologues.tumblr.com/ask

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Starting pitcher ranks: Robbie Ray puts it all together in latest Shuffle Up

Robbie Ray has been a right answer thus far (AP)

Here’s the big one, the starting pitcher shuffle up. It’s going to look absurd in a day or a week because that’s how pitching is. This position is erratic, fickle, humbling.

[Fantasy Football is open! Sign up now]

What’s happened to this point is merely an audition. We’re trying to calibrate 5×5 value from here on out.

Players at the same price are considered even. The prices are used as a tool to compare the players, but they are not scientifically derived. I study the numbers as much as I can, but I am not a formula guy. I never will be.

I will not debate the injured pitchers. They’re ranked as a courtesy. If you know exactly when Syndergaard and Bumgarner are coming back and exactly how they’ll do, wonderful. Please share it with the rest of the class.

I retain the right to tweak this list in the 24 hours. Game on.

$36 Clayton Kershaw $33 Max Scherzer $32 Chris Sale $28 Zack Greinke $25 Stephen Strasburg $24 Corey Kluber $24 Carlos Martinez $23 Dallas Keuchel $22 Yu Darvish $22 Carlos Carrasco $21 Michael Fulmer $20 Chris Archer $20 Lance McCullers $19 Marco Estrada $19 Johnny Cueto

With Archer’s stuff, you wonder how he loses as much as he does. A 3.94 ERA since the beginning of 2016 is criminal, given how talented he is (he’s also fallen short of his FIP for three straight years, which makes you wonder what we’re not measuring). That said, Archer’s struck out double-digits in four of his last six starts, maybe he’s starting to get in a groove. His career shows a 3.19 ERA and 1.15 WHIP at home, 3.88 and 1.25 on the road . . . Estrada used to be a smoke-and-mirrors guy, a lesson about sneaky-soft contact and how fly-ball pitchers are misunderstood. But this year, he’s actually starting to dominate in other areas. He’s pushed the strikeout clip over 10, dropped the walks by a third. This is a high-end SP2 now.

$18 Jon Lester $18 Justin Verlander $18 Jacob deGrom $18 James Paxton $17 Robbie Ray $17 Gerrit Cole $17 Jake Arrieta $17 David Price

I don’t think we had enough fun with Ray’s 2016 season, let’s start with that. A 218-strikeout campaign tied to a 4.90 ERA? A bloated 1.47 WHIP? An 8-15 record? You couldn’t really trust him, though you knew he could strike out 10-plus in any turn.

Ray’s ERA has dropped to 3.00 this year, despite a K/BB that’s actually an eyelash worse. He’s added a dazzling curve to the arsenal, pushed the swinging-strike rate forward, improved with first-pitch strikes. A lot of the so-called luck stats (hit rate, homer rate, strand rate) were against him last year; this year, they’re for him. But with peripheral-suggested ERAs in the mid-to-low 3s, this is a breakout we can feel good about.

Mind you, some home success would be nice. Arizona is a tricky place to pitch, and Ray knows all about it: note the 6.75 ERA at home, 0.64 ERA in the road. Obviously we expect a significant merging of those two stats, and I’d never pitch Ray at Colorado, unless it was a very format-friendly concept. But when you mix shake and pour Ray’s component profile, I like what’s in the glass.

$16 Luis Severino $15 Sean Manaea $15 Jose Quintana $15 Jake Arrieta $14 Michael Pineda $14 *Alex Wood $14 Eduardo Rodriguez $14 Jose Berrios $13 Kyle Hendricks $13 Lance Lynn $13 Jeff Samardzija

Is it possible to throw too many strikes? With Shark Sandwich, you have to wonder. Look at that strikeout rate, 10.5/9. Walks have never been a problem, and this year his BB/9 is down to 1.38. These are Cy Young-contending numbers on their own; we know BB/K tells so much of the story.

Alas, it’s not the entire story. Samardzija has a bloated 16.1 HR/FB, his strand rate blows, his hit rate stinks too. So you have to decide what you want to pay for going forward — the front door ERA or the hocus-pocus one (3.14 FIP, 2.81 xFIP). He’s allowing line drives on 27.7 percent of his batted balls, which explains away a lot of the problems. I’ll expect a high-3s ERA the rest of the way, maybe low 4s, with good strikeout numbers. Alas, that’s a very startable pitcher in the Mound Wreckage of 2017.

I don’t have any strong answers on The Q. I just won’t go any lower on him based on back class. I also think he’s on a better team in a month or two.

$12 Ivan Nova $12 *Aaron Sanchez $12 Mike Leake $12 Sonny Gray $12 Trevor Bauer $11 *Madison Bumgarner $11 Rick Porcello $11 Marcus Stroman $11 Kenta Maeda $11 Alex Cobb $11 Brandon McCarthy $10 Julio Teheran $10 Jason Vargas $10 Dylan Bundy $10 Jake Odorizzi $10 J.C. Ramirez $10 Ervin Santana

If you want a smoke-and-mirror show, Santana checks most of the boxes. Despite his walk and strikeout rates both going in the wrong direction, he somehow has a 1.75 ERA — spitting in the face of a 4.10 FIP and 4.69 xFIP. His home-run rate is in line with his recent levels, but somehow he’s managed a .143 BABIP and a strand rate over 90 percent. Byron Buxton is great, but he’s not that great.

We can’t yell “regression!” and walk out of the room, you know that. But Santana’s ultimate give-back might be jagged to the point that he’s not even worth rostering. I don’t know how sophisticated the owners are in your league, but I’d be trying to sell. Maybe you can’t get something that makes sense. But you need to make an attempt.

Gray looked terrific before one awful inning at Cleveland, so I’m trying to keep my balance here . . .  Bauer still has lapses in command and concentration, but there’s probably signature-significance to a 14-strikeout start and his secondary ERAs are all much better than the front-door number  . . . McCarthy remains the most interesting athlete on Twitter, and he’s a pretty damn good pitcher when the health cooperates. He’s also well-versed in metrics and secondary thinking, a step ahead of many of his contemporaries . . . Nova is another winner of the Ray Searage lottery; you can live with those strikeout numbers when walks are eliminated . . . Lots of good fortune flashing for Bundy; a silly-high strand rate, a suspiciously-low BABIP. His strikeout rate is down to 6.2/9, which makes him very risky to me, especially in the AL East. Remember, that division has the best cumulative record and the best cumulative run differential. It’s still full of landmines and alligators . . . I really don’t know where Teheran went wrong, but we should at least note that he’s been a lot worse at home.

$9 *Noah Syndergaard $9 *Jameson Taillon $9 John Lackey $9 Dan Straily $9 Masahiro Tanaka $8 Derek Holland $8 Tanner Roark $8 Rich Hill $8 *Taijuan Walker $7 Michael Wacha $6 *Steven Matz $6 Matt Shoemaker $6 J.A. Happ $6 Jimmy Nelson $6 Adam Wainwright $6 Zack Wheeler $5 *Trevor Cahill $5 *Cole Hamels $5 Andrew Triggs $5 Matt Harvey $5 *Charlie Morton $5 *Matt Andriese $5 Joe Ross $5 Dinelson Lamet $4 *Felix Hernandez $4 Aaron Nola

My goal for this year is for everyone to see the truth with Aaron Nola.

I know pitching is a minefield right now, but I want to play in leagues where people think Aaron Nola is a Top 20 starter.

— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) May 3, 2017

Last calendar year for Aaron Nola: 6.55 ERA, 1.69 WHIP. I know it’s injury-related, but I don’t get the bandwagon. Let the narrative go.

— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) June 1, 2017

$4 Gio Gonzalez $4 Zack Godley $4 Brad Peacock $4 Drew Pomeranz $4 Mike Clevinger $4 *Nathan Karns $3 *Danny Duffy $3 Danny Salazar $3 Jaime Garcia $3 Antonio Senzatela $3 Kevin Gausman $3 Ian Kennedy $3 Ty Blach $3 *Jon Gray $3 Luis Perdomo $3 Patrick Corbin $3 Junior Guerra $3 Jharel Cotton $3 *Francisco Liriano $3 Jordan Montgomery $3 Josh Tomlin $3 Hyun-Jin Ryu $3 Ariel Miranda $3 Ricky Nolasco $2 *Julio Urias $2 German Marquez $2 Jerad Eickhoff $2 *Carlos Rodon $2 Kyle Freeland $2 Zach Davies $2 Jeff Hoffman $2 Eric Skoglund $1 *Vincent Velasquez $1 *Wei-Yin Chen $1 *Kendall Graveman $1 Matt Moore $1 Tyler Glasnow $1 *Hisashi Iwakuma $1 Jesse Hahn $1 Mike Foltynewicz $1 Daniel Norris $1 Jose Urena $0 Jason Hammel $0 Clayton Richard $0 Robert Gsellman $0 Andrew Cashner $0 Jeremy Hellickson $0 Phil Hughes $0 Matt Boyd $0 AJ Griffin $0 Jesse Chavez $0 R.A. Dickey $0 Chris Tillman $0 Wade Miley $0 Jhoulys Chacin $0 Mike Fiers $0 Hector Santiago $0 *Joe Musgrove $0 Amir Garrett $0 Jordan Zimmermann $0 Alex Meyer $0 Chad Kuhl $0 Matt Garza $0 Eddie Butler $0 Tyler Anderson $0 C.C. Sabathia $0 Matt Cain $0 Scott Feldman $0 Tyler Chatwood $0 Bartolo Colon $0 Ubaldo Jimenez $0 Jered Weaver $0 Mike Pelfrey

I could have differentiate the zero-dollar guys, but basically they’re all “unownable” and let’s leave it at that. Cashner is the funky name here, because he has a solid ERA that’s complete mirage. You can’t make it in today’s game when you walk more batters than you strike out. That is completely unsustainable.

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7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

The usual suspects were taken into confidence, my teammates Meera and Justin from the last trek, my mom to babysit and hubby to agree to the plot. The planning started months in advance and soon it was time to set off to climbing Kilimanjaro.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

 Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

 Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

 Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep  We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

You would think now that the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro is done we will get to rest a bit but no, the last day was another 6 hours of walk to Marangu gate. Meera, Justin and I trodded on peacefully, chatting as the goal was done and now we were just walking to leave the National Park. With our feets already swollen and this being a downhill rocky path, we soon developed blisters which made the rest of the walk a little painful but the excitement and the endorphins kept us going.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://parentcenternetwork.tumblr.com/

[evodex]

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

The usual suspects were taken into confidence, my teammates Meera and Justin from the last trek, my mom to babysit and hubby to agree to the plot. The planning started months in advance and soon it was time to set off to climbing Kilimanjaro.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

 Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

 Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

 Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep  We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

You would think now that the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro is done we will get to rest a bit but no, the last day was another 6 hours of walk to Marangu gate. Meera, Justin and I trodded on peacefully, chatting as the goal was done and now we were just walking to leave the National Park. With our feets already swollen and this being a downhill rocky path, we soon developed blisters which made the rest of the walk a little painful but the excitement and the endorphins kept us going.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://bestbabyinc.tumblr.com

[ashafriesen]

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

The usual suspects were taken into confidence, my teammates Meera and Justin from the last trek, my mom to babysit and hubby to agree to the plot. The planning started months in advance and soon it was time to set off to climbing Kilimanjaro.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

 Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

 Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

 Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep  We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

You would think now that the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro is done we will get to rest a bit but no, the last day was another 6 hours of walk to Marangu gate. Meera, Justin and I trodded on peacefully, chatting as the goal was done and now we were just walking to leave the National Park. With our feets already swollen and this being a downhill rocky path, we soon developed blisters which made the rest of the walk a little painful but the excitement and the endorphins kept us going.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://parentcenternetwork.tumblr.com/

[ashafriesen]

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

The usual suspects were taken into confidence, my teammates Meera and Justin from the last trek, my mom to babysit and hubby to agree to the plot. The planning started months in advance and soon it was time to set off to climbing Kilimanjaro.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

 Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

 Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

 Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep  We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak.  Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

You would think now that the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro is done we will get to rest a bit but no, the last day was another 6 hours of walk to Marangu gate. Meera, Justin and I trodded on peacefully, chatting as the goal was done and now we were just walking to leave the National Park. With our feets already swollen and this being a downhill rocky path, we soon developed blisters which made the rest of the walk a little painful but the excitement and the endorphins kept us going.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://parentcenternetwork.tumblr.com/