Rongai Route up Kili - Day 5

I was exhausted, felt drained out but at least not sick with altitude. It was as if I was sleep walking my way down. And probably was, cause at one point I lost it and skidded badly on the melting ice. I have no idea what really happened all I can remember was banging my hip against rock, legs dangling in mid-air, hands holding tight to dear life. I was actually clinging at the edge of a an ice crevice! I know I screamed but I kept calm at the same time as I let Frankie pull me back from my trousers until I was sitting upright on my own, trying to gain control of my breath and checking myself for any fractures. Luckily, I only felt which was about to be a massive bruise pain on my hip. So, resolute I gathered myself, picked up my poles and continued.

The journey back to Gillman's point was never ending. We finally, got there and having had some respite changed gear to lighter wear. I felt myself nearly dozing off the minute I said down. Frankie, allowed a few more minutes and forced me to start the next descent, all the way to Kibo campsite; my worst ever nightmare, the scree slope. Now thinking back those ice slopes were much more dangerous. Infact, our guides pointed that out to us later. As time ticked away the sun starts melting the ice making it very hard and eventually impossible to walk on. If we had not got to Uhuru by 8.30 they would have seriously asked us to stop and turn back, which unfortunately had happened with the other team, or at least most of them.

With Frankie, taking me by one arm, holding and balancing with a walking pole in the other hand, I managed to scree-run my way down. Wasn't that bad actually, despite the heat of the sun and well, excruciating knee-pain after about at least an hour of it. Oh, how I didn't feel like anything and anymore of all this, I thought.... I staggered my way to the camp to find Tosha and Ibrahim who congratulated me for having it made to Uhuru and being the first. Tosha ordered me to have a rest until the others arrived. At that point I looked at my watch and it was 11.10am; eleven hours of an arduous work-out. WOW!!!!

Obviously, being me, I couldn't close an eyelid. I was over-excited, over-tired, everything but most of all so so so so HAPPY I HAD DONE IT! All emotions came rushing at once, there as I felt safe again in my nice blue tent.

I met my teamates for a late lunch and we hugged and cheered together as 10 out of 12 of us made it to Uhuru! We ate our brunch our stomachs still knotted with excitement and heads heavy with sleep. The guides came in to brief us with a jolly good 2 to 3 hour walk to the next camp once we rested a while after lunch!!!! OH MY GOD!!! now that surely put the cherry on top of the cake!!!!

We finally, got to Horombo Huts (well, we still got to sleep in our tents!) after about 3 to 4 hour walk across the arid desert again, then downwards until we got to the great senecios greenery. We were welcomed with a water basin to wash wash and another well-earned dinner. By that time we barely had energy to eat.