The latest member of the Kilimanjaro Club is Wilhelm Gidabuday

The Kilimanjaro Club lists people I know who have scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, including those who join me every year on the annual Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb and those who join me for my non-charity climbs.

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In 2011 I was asked by the Tanzania Tourist Board to lead the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb to mark Tanzania Mainland's 50th independence anniversary in December. Wilhelm Gidabuday was one of several climbers who joined the climb, reaching the summit on the morning of 9th December, the day of the anniversary.

Wilhelm Gidabuday at the summit on 9th December 2011.

He was the first from our group to reach the summit. It wasn't a surprise; he is a marathon coach and a former distance runner.

He becomes the 17th member of the Kilimanjaro Club. Here's the updated list:

No.	Name	Nationality	Age	Point Reached*	Summit Date
1.	Madaraka Nyerere	Tanzanian	48	Uhuru Peak	24th August 2008
2.	Le Huyhn	Vietnamese	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	25th August 2008
3.	Markus Geiger	Swiss	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	2009
4.	Gerald Hando	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	6 October 2009
5.	Notburga Maskini	Tanzanian	49	Stella Point	6 October 2009
6.	Dmitry	Russian(?)	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
7.	Jaffar Amin	Ugandan	44	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
8.	William Rutta	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
9.	Mary Kalikawe	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
	Steve Kamau	Kenyan	25	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Becket	American	74	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Andrea Wobmann	Swiss	39	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Zulfa Fadhili	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Whitney	American	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	August Whitney	American	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Lusajo Mwaisaka	Tanzanian	31	Uhuru Peak	9 December 2011
	Wilhelm Gidabuday	Tanzanian	38	Uhuru Peak	9 December 2011

*A climber is awarded a certificate for reaching one of three elevations: Uhuru Peak (5,895 AMSL), Stella Point (5,745 AMSL), or Gillman's Point (5,685 AMSL).

rerererere

Lusajo Mwaisaka joins the prestigious Kilimanjaro Club

The Kilimanjaro Club lists people I know who have scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, including those who join me every year on the annual Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb and those who join me for my non-charity climbs.

*********************************************************

In 2011 I was asked by the Tanzania Tourist Board to lead the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb to mark Tanzania's 50th independence anniversary in December of that year. Lusajo Mwaisaka was one of several climbers who joined the climb, reaching the summit on the morning of 9th December, the day of the anniversary.

At the summit, Lusajo Mwaisaka takes a self-portrait.

That was one of the most challenging climbs I had embarked on and I have written about it here.

Lusajo becomes the 16th member of the prestigious Kilimanjaro Club. The new list is:

No.	Name	Nationality	Age	Point Reached*	Summit Date
1.	Madaraka Nyerere	Tanzanian	48	Uhuru Peak	24th August 2008
2.	Le Huyhn	Vietnamese	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	25th August 2008
3.	Markus Geiger	Swiss	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	2009
4.	Gerald Hando	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	6 October 2009
5.	Notburga Maskini	Tanzanian	49	Stella Point	6 October 2009
6.	Dmitry	Russian(?)	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
7.	Jaffar Amin	Ugandan	44	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
8.	William Rutta	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
9.	Mary Kalikawe	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
	Steve Kamau	Kenyan	25	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Becket	American	74	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Andrea Wobmann	Swiss	39	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Zulfa Fadhili	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Whitney	American	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	August Whitney	American	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Lusajo Mwaisaka	Tanzanian	31	Uhuru Peak	9 December 2011

*A climber is awarded a certificate for reaching one of three elevations: Uhuru Peak (5,895 AMSL), Stella Point (5,745 AMSL), or Gillman's Point (5,685 AMSL).

Valuable lessons from the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb of 2011 (post 3 of 3)

6 December 2011
It is a lazy day spent on drying our wet clothes. We also followed suggestions from our guides and did an acclimatization hike, heading uphill for a few hundred metres.

The fast pace maintained yesterday by some of the climbers came with a price. I learnt this morning that one of the climbers was suffering from fatigue and the effects of high altitude. I also heard that one of the only two female climbers in our group was unwell throughout the day. I attribute both their predicaments to maintaining a fast pace, although the blame should fall on a young energetic guide who had more energy than experience and who felt short term gains (rushing to the next camp) was more important than the longer term goal of reaching the summit. I set and maintained my normal slow pace.

Panoramic view of part of Shira 2 camp

[Lesson 4: You don't improve your chances of reaching the summit by rushing up towards the summit. Most climbers increase their chances of reaching the summit by maintaining a slow and measured pace throughout the ascent. Guides that rush climbers towards the summit are rare, but they exist. If you are unfortunate to be led by one, demand that he/she slows down to a pace that you find comfortable.]

7 - 10 December 2011
I did not maintain a diary of the daily events after 6 December - which could be instructive of the challenge I experienced as we continued the ascent. Matters were made worse because I came to this climb without adequate training and while on past climbs I managed to reach the summit with inadequate training those climbs lacked the challenges that the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru climb threw at us.

Kibo peak from Shira 2 camp, the morning of 7th December.

We continued our trek to Barranco camp on 7th December and, although I suggested a slower pace to those in a hurry to get to the next camp, my advice bounced off a rejuvenated group that had recouped lost energy from the two nights we spent at Shira 2 camp.

On 8th December we trekked from Barranco to Barafu, Mt. Kilimanjaro's base camp, having stopped at Karanga camp for lunch. We had a relatively short period of rest at Barafu before we began our midnight trek towards the summit.

All high altitude climbing is unforgiving to those who do not take precautions. In this regard, Kilimanjaro maintained that reputation. Some of those who had spent the past few days rushing from one camp to the next had exhausted their energies on reaching Barafu and chose to remain sleeping in their tents while the rest of us confronted the freezing temperatures above 4,800 metres.

I recall summoning all my physical and mental resources as I trekked through the night towards Stella Point. located at the edge of the crater rim. After resting for a while at Stella Point I had decided to turn back, but Benjamin and Maurice, the filmmakers who were filming the documentary The Teachers' Country in which I was featured, urged me to continue towards the summit. It was important I reach the summit because the script was based on my arriving at the summit.

I went only half way from Stella Point and then felt I did not have the energy to reach the summit and also trek down to Mweka Camp. I was the only one in the group who knew that reaching the summit was less than half the distance we would cover before we slipped into our sleeping bags that evening.

I had another disincentive (call it an excuse): before this climb I already had reached the summit four times. If I could pick an excuse, I would say that it was the first year I was attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro twice and within less than three months of the previous climb.

[Lesson 5: Unless you maintain an uninterrupted training program or are on the Seven Summits Challenge, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro twice in a year should probably be attempted after at least six months of a previous climb]

On the final day, at Mweka camp, it is all smiles for those who reached the summit and those who did not. I, on the left, thought that Deo, on the right, and her colleague would not reach the summit. They did.

But I am also aware that this last lesson cannot be valid for everyone. One lasting lesson that I have learnt from my multiple Kilimanjaro climbs is that you cannot make accurate predictions on who within a group will reach the summit.

Related post:
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2014/07/valuable-lessons-from-mt-kilimanjaro.html

Valuable lessons from the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb of 2011 (post 2 of 3)

5 December 2011
Yesterday Yahoo told me we are on a 7-day hike, not the 8-day hike that I normally take. That is not good news as it meant we would hike past Shira 1 camp today and would proceed to camp at Shira 2. The news would get worse in the evening.

I trekked between Mti Mkubwa and Shira 2 camps during my first climb in 2008 and recall that section being extremely challenging. Today, it lived up to its reputation. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that when I showed up for breakfast some of the other climbers had eaten more than their share and, consequently, I and a few other climbers hiked throughout the day on half-empty stomachs.

[Lesson 3: If you hike with a large group of first-time climbers it is extremely important to observe that taking a second portion before each has had enough could endanger someone else's well-being. Hiking on Mt. Kilimanjaro on half rations is dangerous.]

I felt most of the climbers were in relatively good shape because they have maintained a fast pace that, at times, I could not keep up with. some of them even walked ahead of the guides.

The climbers included Maurice Houcni and Benjamin Leers from Germany.

Like yesterday, there were light rains through most of the day.

As usual, I was one of the last trekkers walking behind the group with Innocent from Arusha and Eugene Gassana. We reached the camp at 2100hrs where we learnt the rest of today's bad news. A ranger told us that, because of the extreme weather conditions, 15 porters had either become ill or had dropped what they were carrying and absconded, returning to Moshi. Consequently, most of the supplies arrived late and some of the climbers' bags were missing.

Because of these delays, a guide said "We will have to spend an extra night at Shira 2 to allow the outfitter time to replace the 15 porters that had left."

[Lesson 4: When selecting an outfitter it is important to select one that has the capacity to resolve unexpected problems that may arise. Normally, an unusually cheap quotation should be an indicator that the outfitter has limited resources to resolve problems that may arise.]

The significance of loosing another day raised further critical challenges. While under the altered plan we would hike from Shira 2 to Barranco camp as I do on the 8-day hike, the hike from Barranco would take us past Karanga (where I camp on the 8-day hike) and on to Barafu where we would take a short rest for a few hours before leaving for the summit.

I had never done this before and I knew it would not be easy.

Next post: We rest

Related posts:
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/12/valuable-lessons-from-mt-kilimanjaro.html
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2014/07/valuable-lessons-from-mt-kilimanjaro_24.html

Valuable lessons from the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb of 2011 (post 1 of 3)

I have written before about my December 2011 of climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro but have not commented on why, in my opinion, I failed to reach the summit. That climb illustrated some of the donts that prevent climbers from reaching the summit and provided valuable lessons for those who intend to climb Kilimanjaro, whether for the first time or as repeat climbers.

The basic lesson I learnt is that training, and training, and more training, is a critical success factor. I cannot overstate its importance. I did not commit enough time to training and when the testing times confronted us on the climb I did not have the capacity to meet the challenge.

Many guides on Kilimanjaro will tell you that they have successfully led the most ill-trained climbers to the summit. Prior to that climb I managed to reach the summit with hardly any training and built this huge confidence in myself that the most crucial factor in reaching the summit is actually the will to continue pushing and exerting your body under immense physical strain. It is true, even with absence of training, if you summon your will power against Kilimanjaro, you will reach the top. But it is also true if you add some training to a will made of steel then the climb becomes much easier.

I normally maintain a daily log of the observations I make during each climb, but for some reason during the December 2011 climb I recorded only the first 3 days of the climb. However, by the third day, the recipe for what I consider my failure to reach the summit had already been cast.

The climb was jointly organized by the Tanzania Tourist Board and Zara Tanzania Adventures to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence. I was chosen to lead the climb by TTB.

4 December 2011

During a short ceremony to flag off the climbers, the Moshi district commissioner referred to me as the "gwiji" (expert) of the climb. He said he was pleased to hear that I was the group leader of the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb.

[Lesson 1: Mt. Kilimanjaro does not care how impressive is your record; it will decide whether or not you reach the top.]

We have an interesting mix of 24 climbers: a presenter from Clouds TV and his cameraman; two young women, one from Tanzania Association of Tour Operators' Tantravel Magazine; a long distance runner; a German film crew filming a documentary during the climb with my participation; and others who I hope to know along the way.

This would go down as the worst start I have experienced during my several climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Because of the poor road condition, after we registered at Londrossi Gate the minibus dropped us at the junction to the drop-off point at the edge of the forest. Some of the climbers hopped on a Landrover and those of us who remained began to walk in anticipation of being picked up by one of the vehicles. About 15 minutes into the walk the Zara off-road truck which we boarded during the September 2011 climb picked us.

We began our trek on a muddy road.

The current rains had damaged the road so much that even the truck took us only part of the way to the normal drop-off point. It took us well over an hour to reach the edge of the forest, at around 1800hrs.

[Lesson 2: If possible, avoid the rainy season. It can introduce the most unpleasant surprises to the climbing experience. Although weather patterns have sometimes become unpredictable, the short rains on Mt. Kilimanjaro fall between mid-November to December while the long rain period lasts between April and mid-June.]

A continuous light shower continued to fall throughout our trek to the first camp, Mti Mkubwa, and the forest floor was drenched and slippery. These conditions took their toll on the porters. When we reached Mti Mkubwa camp, well after 2200hrs, a significant number of porters were still behind. Consequently, some of the climber’s bags were missing and we ate late.

It is rare for a an experienced mountain guide to falter at any stage of the Kilimanjaro climb, but today I witnessed Yahoo regularly slipping on the trail and at one time I offered him one of my walking poles which he gladly accepted.

Next post: It gets worse

Related Post:
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2014/07/valuable-lessons-from-mt-kilimanjaro.html

The Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb: day 2

On the second day of the Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence,

Deo Semiono and Aneth Tillya.

we stopped briefly for a rest and I told John Semiono, left, of Zara Tanzania Adventures and Aneth Tillya from Leopard Tours Arusha, that they will be the most photogenic couple on this climb.

Looking good on a photograph has nothing to do with the ability to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. They had both qualities and reached the summit a few days later.

As a group of porters approached Aboubakar Malipula (with back to camera), a cameraman from Clouds TV, took some low angle video footage.

When we resumed the trek towards Shira 2 camp, his colleague from Clouds TV and host of Kambi Popote, Anthony Nugaz, edged his way up the Seven Hills section, the most testing part of the day's trek.

On my way to Kilimanjaro

Once again, I am ready for Kilimanjaro. The mountain, not the lager.

This morning I packed my climbing gear and some clothes in two bags and waited for the bodaboda (motorcycle taxi) to take me to the Musoma - Mwanza road for a bus trip to Mwanza and an onward connection to Moshi. It is amazing to see how much can be loaded on a motorcycle.

Post related to this one:

http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-there-is-one-thing-that-tanzanians_25.html

The Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb: day 7

The exotic flowers of Mt. Kilimanjaro appear in various shapes and colours.

At Mweka Camp I added this specimen to my collection of photos of Kilimanjaro's flowers although I am yet to identify its name.

This was the last day of the climb and before we left Mweka Camp for Mweka Gate I thought it was a good time to take a few mementos of the climb. Before the photo was taken I asked: "Can I hold her?" And I think Deo said: "Yes, but don't get too comfortable!"

Before leaving Mweka Camp, from left to right: the author of this blog, Aneth Tillya, and Deogratias Semiono. They both reached the summit. I managed to reach Stella Point.

So just to be on the safe side, I held Aneth as high as possible.

At Mweka Gate we were received by the District Commissioner and officials from Zara Tanzania Adventures, including Zara's proprietor, Zainab Ansell.

After a few speeches and the award of climbers' certificates, the entire group of climbers, dubbed the Kiboko Team by Cloud TV's Anthony Nugaz (in black jacket), posed for a group photo.

The Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb: day 3

When climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro through the Lemosho route the views of Mt. Kilimanjaro change by the day.

At Barranco camp the image of Kibo would be unrecognizable to the familiar view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from Moshi where, weather permitting, both Kibo and Mawenzi peaks are visible.

One of the expedition members, who everyone called Mpemba (native of Pemba), flashed a thumbs-up sign in the comfort of his tent. The national flag was a reminder that we were climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence.

Post related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/06/weather-on-mt-kilimanjaro.html

The start of the Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb 2011

Early in the morning we assembled for a photo session at Springlands Hotel before embarking on our first day of the Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb organized jointly by the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and Zara Tanzania Adventures.

Zainab Ansell, third from left, Zara's proprietor, and her sister Remmy Adam, fourth from left, joined staff and some of the climbers to see off the group of twenty-plus climbers that I was leading on this historic climb to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence.

When we stopped briefly in downtown Moshi, the German film crew of Benjamin Leers, right, and Maurice Hüsni, second from right, joined Aneth Tillya, second from left, and another unidentified climber for a photograph.

The four made a photogenic quartet and attracted the attention of others who took several additional photos.

After we registered our names at the Londrossi Gate of the Kilimanjaro National Park we began the 25 minute drive to the edge of the rain forest where the 4-5 hour trek to the first camp, Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree), begins.

Because of the wet road condition, the minibus dropped us some distance before we reached the drop-off point and we were asked to wait to be picked up by an off road truck described by one American climber as "a truck with attitude", a menacing truck that can tackle the worst road conditions. Others decided to begin the walk before the truck's arrival.

The road conditions were so bad that even "the truck with attitude" had to stop some distance before reaching the end of the road and the beginning of the foot path. It would be at least an entire hour of walking before we reached the normal drop-off point.

Some of the porters began to walk ahead of us. My fourth Mt. Kilimanjaro climb, the first time I had attempted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro twice in a year, was underway.

The Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb

We have just completed registration at Londrossi Gate for the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb, 4 - 10 December.

The temperature at Londrossi is 27° Celcius.

Londrossi Gate is used by climbers using the Lemosho route.

The Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb kicks off

A reporter from Star TV, below right, interviews Majira newspaper's managing editor, Imma Mbuguni, minutes before the commencement of the Mt. Kilimanjaro UhuruClimb.

The climb has been organized jointly by Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and Zara Tanzania Adventures.

I have been honoured by TTB as the leader of this climb to mark 50 years of the independence of Tanzania mainland.

We plan to be at the summit on the anniversary, 9th December.

Related post:
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2012/05/the-weather-today_29.html

An interview prior to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

In the afternoon Benjamin Leers and co-filmmaker Maurice Housni decided they should begin to interview me for the documentary, The Teacher's Country.

They join me to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, beginning tomorrow, to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence.

They chose a scenic spot among the rice fields close to Springlands Hotel. As they set up their equipment and carried out a sound check, a noisy bird attracted their attention.