“The way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the mountain will arrive when what seems so near is still very far.”
(Paulo Coelho)
July 13, 2017
Day four was rough. Our goal was to hike up rocky terrain for several hours until we arrived at Lava Tower (15,213 feet). I remember this day very well because it was a long and hard day. It took us over five hours to get to the next camp. Most of the trek consisted of hiking through the alpine desert. At times it was hard to hike up the trail because there were loose rocks that caused me to stumble on several occasions.
After only a few hours of hiking, I was ready to be done for the day. I was worn out. My entire body was severely aching, and to make matters worse I started suffering from a severe headache. My left ankle that I sprained badly in April began to throb. However, I still had hours to go before I made it to Lava Tower.
The trail seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. We would climb for an hour or so to get over one mountain ridge, and then we would have to climb down into a valley where the other side seemed miles away. It was at this moment that I began to feel discouraged. As I grew weary, I started doubting myself. I started thinking: If I feel this tired in the middle of day four, I might not make it to the summit on day seven. I grew frustrated with myself. I knew that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was going to be tough, but I was not prepared for the emotional roller-coaster that hit me on this day.
Many people who have heard of Mount Kilimanjaro, but have never climbed it may think that the journey is just a hike. It’s not. It’s much harder than just a hike. It is very challenging, and it can also be very dangerous. Many people have lost their lives trying to climb this majestic mountain. While we were climbing, we came upon a memorial in honor of a climber who unfortunately died trying to reach the summit of the mountain. The picture below is just one of the memorials we passed on our way to Lava Tower at 15,000 feet.
After letting my emotions get the best of me, I knew I had to refocus fast. If I wanted to successfully make it to Lava Tower, let alone the summit, I had to block out any and all doubt or negative thinking. So, after a short break, I snapped out of my negative mindset and got back on the trail. After several hours of hiking on my tired legs, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
I will never forget the moment when I saw Lava Tower from afar. When I saw it in the distance I thought I was almost there, but our guide, Edward, rained on my parade. He informed me that even though I could see Lava Tower, it was still about forty-five minutes away. At this point, my legs were barely moving. My energy was depleted. So I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other until I arrived at camp.
In the picture below, you can see Lava Tower far in the distance. Even though it looks close it was actually a good twenty to thirty more minutes away. Not only was I tired from the hike, I could tell the altitude was affecting my breathing a little because I was gasping for air. I felt like I was being smothered by a pillow. It was rough. Also, this was the first day where I noticed the weather was getting colder. I also noticed the wind grew stronger the closer I hiked toward the mountain. The wind smashed into my face like a heavy wave.
The sun was right on top of me once I arrived at camp. Although the weather was still cold, the sun revealed the beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro. The only way I was able to find relief from the strong winds was to retreat to my tent.
Immediately after I posed for the picture above I crawled right into my tent, ready for a nap. Many of the other hikers in my group used the downtime to relax, but I was exhausted. Once my head hit my pillow, I fell to sleep. It was one of the best naps I can remember ever having. And once I woke up, I decided to record the following video summarizing my thoughts and feelings about my experience of the day.
Soon after I recorded the video above, I had another excellent dinner and a wonderful evening spent with my trekking family.
The following paragraphs reflect what I wrote in my travel journal after I finished day four:
(10:45 p.m.) Today was one of our toughest days so far. We hiked for 5.5 hours and climbed from 11,200 feet (wrong, I was confused) in elevation to 15,200 (more accurate) in elevation. 5 of those hours was hiking and climbing up hill. And it started to get very cold. The surroundings were very boring until we could see that we were getting closer to the mountain. The mountain is huge. It’s beautiful. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before. During the hike I got very tired. My legs and body were exhausted. The last hour I felt like a walking zombie. Finally when we got to camp at Lava Tower, we had a big lunch and then I took a 3 hour nap. I needed it. I was so tired. I felt a lot better for dinner, but I came right back into my tent and laid down at 8 p.m. It is now freezing outside. I’m wearing two full layers and a ski mask to keep my head and face warm. I better get some rest because we are hiking for 8 hours tomorrow.
You can tell by the video above that I was extremely tired. But I was still in good spirits, and I was enjoying the challenge. Immediately after recording the video above, I went back to sleep in order to be rested for the eight-hour journey ahead on day five.
Climbing To The Roof Of Africa 