Kilimanjaro Day 1 on the way to the mountain...

Morning came with sunshine flooding our rooms and Khabo and Rachel's voices excitedly called everyone to their bedroom. They had been blessed with the first sighting of the monster through their bedroom window. The monster looked majestic in all her snow capped crowned glory. A moments silence prevails each of us deep in our own terrified thoughts. 

I looked at the time and then tore down to the reception to get the scale. This time I was going nowhere until I had the evil scale in my hands.  After much waiting  I now had the antiquated scale in my hands and with my prized possession I raced up the old stair case in record time. Celeste met me on the stairs and said maybe we should break this thing.  No sooner had she said that I accidentally dropped the scale. We quickly retrieved it and raced down the passage letting everyone know that   I was now in possession of the monster and weighting can begin in earnest. We did not have time on our side and the cursing and screeching began at break neck speed.  I had to get rid of 1kg, Celeste had to get rid of 4 kg, Khabo and Rachel had to off load 3kg and 4kg respectively.  Now the boys turn and our attention turned to the weighing in of Sean and Clinton's bags.  The old boys Roy and Greg were always underweight. This brought much laughter they were both horribly overweight by 7kg and 8kg respectively.  The two of them had earned the nicknames of Mr Gadget.  The look of disbelief on Sean's broad smiling face was priceless.  It took another hour before we had all scaled down to the correct weight, the evil scale got dropped several more times and jammed on 80Kg. We then used maths and science to sort out the rest.  Apart form Roy and Greg the off loading of gear meant we added to our back packs. Our back packs weighed in at a hefty 12kg add to that the 4 liters of water and all the excess bits and pieces attached to our belts we were a recipe for disaster. We felt confident none the less as we had been practicing with weighs of well in excess of that back home. Very cocky I know as the recommended weight is a maximum of 6kg.

 

 

 

This meant we started off late and we dragged our excess luggage and dumped it at reception, very pleased with ourselves. Mission accomplished as we looked back at the impressive pile we had left behind.  All our gear was now loaded on our bus and we were finally on our way. We all looked like British tourists with all our shinny sunscreen faces and white clown lips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way the Diamox (diuretic used to help fight against mountain sickness) was kicking in.  We all had badass bladders that needed to be relieved and relieved now.  I informed the driver and our three guides that we needed to empty our bladders. We were at this stage diving through a banana plantation and I had mentioned we can stop here and hide behind the banana trees. Our guides were not having any of this we were VIP guests and we would be using the bathroom facilities.  We came to a grinding halt to find ourselves in the middle of a small settlement within the plantation. We had stopped right next to a roadside butchery, with all sorts of animal body parts hanging up on wires and string. This was not good, nor did it smell particularly pleasant either. So much for fresh mountain air.  I was led past the informal butchery where  our guides had informed the locals that we were VIPs and could we use their toilet facilities.  I was the first soul to use the famous Tanzanian Kilimanjaro long drops.  Whilst I squatted strategically over the small rectangle hole, I tried so hard not to breath, but between trying to use the same muscles to balance on my narrow perch and the using the very same muscles to pee (you boys have it so lucky!!) I took in a fatal breath. Now I was dry retching and trying to balance and pee all at once.  I was so embarrassed, here we had come to a grinding halt in this little roadside village, asked them if we could use their private loo's and the VIP quest was puking her lungs out. I really did not want to seem ungrateful, but this was awful. I retreated very unceremoniously to the bright sunlight clutching my unzipped pants in one hand and my toilet roll across my nose and mouth with the other much to the confusion and amusement of my spectators.  The rest of the team gingerly made their way to the long drop with balaclavas in hand and in silence and not a soul mentioned the incident again.  I decided at that moment that the Tanzanian name for the long drop loosely translated must mean “badass pit”.

 

 

Around most of the mountain's lower slopes small villages abound. We came across live stock, mostly goats and a fair amount of cultivation. Our guide Frank informed us that this has totally changed the natural vegetation patterns and what used to be scrub, bush and lowland forest is now grassland or cropland. On the northern and eastern sides which are too dry for cultivation,  we were told you can still see some of the former lowland vegetation. The lower slopes of Kilimanjaro receives water that falls as rain in the forest zone, and then percolated through underground channels. This water and the fertile volcanic soil that supports the densely populated village settlements we encountered along the way to the Umbwe gate.  At the lower slopes we started off with an altitude of 800m and would end at 1800m as we entered the forest zone. Here at the lower slopes rainfall was about 500mm/yr on the plains right up to 1800mm/yr at the forest boundary.

 

 

 

 We passed many schools along the way and what struck us was that all the children wore the same uniforms in particular was the jersey, in the Tanzanian flag. Rachel was snapping away with her camera, catching many of the children racing along side our bus and some of the children were leaping into the air.  Rachel squealed with delight on discovering that she had captured  one little chap midflight.

 

 

 

Frank continued to inform us of the many wild flowers we had spotted from the moving bus.  The local grass named Pennisetum clandestinum, which has an odd white filament-like flower and forms thick, short lawns. We spotted a clover plant with pretty pinkish-white flower (Trifolium semipilosum) and another clover (Trifolium usambarensis) with a much darker purplish flowers that grows close to the water.  In the shady and damp places grew many blue-flowered pea Parochaetus communis.

We needed to stop again to use the loo and this time we could use the bush. Many scruffy-looking plants growing in tall clumps surrounds us, their huge faded heads of many small purplish flowers. I found out from Frank that they were mostly likely a Vernonia. Tangled vines with pinkish flowers (Clematis hirsuta) hung about dancing in the sunlight   as we ventured deeper into the lower slopes the trees seem to be getting taller and hanging from their tree tops another vine seemed to be displaying its showy red seed pods (Pterolobium stellatum). The other plant that we  spotted was the pretty blue (purple) morning glory (Ipomea sp.) climbing up the tall trees and the higher bushes.

 

 

Our guide Frank was a mountain of information. He proudly told us that he knew more than two hundred difference species of plants and many of the animals. During off season at Kilimanjaro he was a safari guide.  Frank told us proudly than many plants on Kilimanjaro have not common English names, so their scientific name, which is derived from Latin or Greek, is given. Frank was able during the entire trip roll of the Latin or Greek names of all the plants we had discovered.  The names usually consists of two words, the first being that of the genus (which may include several different kinds, or species of plants), and the second name is that of the particular species.  Many plants have the species name “kilmandscharica” or “kilimanjari: meaning that the plant was named after the mountain. Many other plants bear the name “usambarensis”, referring to the Usambara Mountains to the south-east. Some of the rich and ancient flora have spread from those mountains to Kilimanjaro.

IN the lower slopes and cultivated zone we were told we would not find any of the the larger wild animals but would be able to hear many of the smaller ones, especially a night we would encounter the small Galogos, a   type of bush baby. These little creatures of the night would let us know of their presence with their loud screams. Also Genet and the tree hyrax which apparently makes a weird "cr" with a series of clicks and creaks followed by several high screeches. Frank told us that sadly this little soft-furred creatures are often trapped in their holes and killed by the locals in order to make fur blankets or robes. The guides encourage the climbers not to buy them for obvious reasons.

The birdlife here is plentiful especially as the trees and scrubs became more dense. There were several birds that we came across and we encountered to my surprise the common bulbul. The White-browned robin chat who would only come out at dusk or dawn, the Tropical boubou, the speckled mousebird a noisey and scruffy looking bird similar to our own back home and the bronze sunbird which we spotted in the many flower beds.  We came across many coffee plantations with their rust coloured coffee beans adding contrast colour to the thousands of green shrub type small coffee trees.  The folk picking the bean eagerly waved at us as we sped past. Many of the locals wished us luck in our attempted to summit their mountain looming up in their back garden.

As we went closer to the forest Frank pointed out within the thickets and hedgerows grew ferns, clovers, peas and balsams. Also we would find a relative of the original African violet (Streptocarpus glandulossinus) and the long violet coloured blooms of Coleus kilimandscharica.

Mr Kilimanjaro has five very distinct zones (1) Lower slopes (2) forest (3) Heath and Moorland (4) Highland desert (5) Summit.  This amazing mountain is like none other on this planet.  You cannot help but stare with absolute awe at God's beauty and work.  Many times no-one spoke each of us just absorbing and taking in and basking in the infinite beauty and sounds that surrounded us. Within each zone you will find a very definite association between altitude, rainfall, temperature, plants and animals.  When climbing between these zones you can actually draw a line where the dramatic changes in environment occur. It is  a spectacular site and never failed to fascinate me no matter how tired I was.  I found out that the zones occupy belts of approximately 1000m of altitude each. In general it is accepted that the temperatures falls about 1 degree C for every 200m increase in altitude and rainfall also decreases steadily with altitude from the forest upwards. The plant life is abundant in areas of high temperature and high rainfall. As we climbed we could see the distinct change in plant life as it decreased as the conditions became colder and drier.  Obviously in these colder and drier areas we found fewer plants and this would ultimately lead to fewer animal life.