Kilimanjaro and Safari Journal July 25 – August 9, 2008

Tanzania:
A Combination of Geology, Culture, Nature

By
Theresa Daus-Weber

From the thin air of 19, 340-foot Uhuru Peak on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro through the crater of the Great Rift Valley, the Serengeti’s exotic wildlife, and the shelter for Moshi street children, visiting Tanzania was as enlightening as it was memorable.  Sunrise on the Roof of Africa on August 1, 2008 was definitely the trip’s highlight.

Since participating in the2006 Mexican volcanoes climb that included the summit of Orizaba (18,700 feet), the third highest point in North America, I wanted to participate in another mountain trip offered by Marshall Ulrich, a Seven Summitter and an ultrarunning friend for the last 20 years.

With the motivation to find the elevation where I am affected by altitude and the desire to see exotic Africa, I was the first to sign up for Marshall’s next Team Stray Dogs Kilimanjaro climb that included a five-day safari to three of Tanzania’s stunning wildlife parks.

Team Stray Dog at the summit of Kilimanjaro

Going to Africa

Arriving in Tanzania at the Kilimanjaro Airport in Moshi, a small international city with a population of about 150,000 and it seemed about an equivalent number of cell phone company bill boards, I was surprised at the developed aspects of the airport.  I erroneously expected chaos, broken infrastructure, a cacophony of languages all framed in sweltering humidity.  Baggage claim was streamlined since I had no baggage to claim.  I learned that missing climbers’ luggage at the Kilimanjaro airport is routine and arrives in a day or two just in time to pack mountaineering gear for the trek.

An efficient European manufactured van drove us from the airport through the quite dark night to the tour company’s hotel.  The low-pressure shower and mosquito netting over the bed was welcomed and the equatorial landscaping was lovely.  Mt Kilimanjaro information, maps, paintings, climbing and safari tourist guests throughout the hotel telling stories of their Tanzanian adventures and safari jeeps packed in the hotel’s small parking lot raised the excitement for the mountain that allowed only a brief view through the clouds.

The tour company liaison, Phillip, Anderson our guide, and Seni the assistant guide, conducted a professional, informative, efficient meeting explaining what we needed to know about the trip and set our departure time for the next morning.

The Roof of Africa

After an hour drive in the van crammed with the six Stray Dogs 35-pound “porter bag” packed with our sleeping bag, pad, and mountain clothing that porters would carry on their heads throughout the trek, we arrived at the Machame Gate (6,000’) of the Kilimanjaro National Park.  The paved drive out of Moshi to the gate turned to a dirt road surrounded by lush coffee and banana plantations edged with brilliant equatorial decorative plants and flowers.  Many of these robust plants I recognized on a small-scale as the houseplants in our American homes.

The permitting process to enter the park was long due to the large number of tourists and their touring companies who were also obtaining permits that day. In all there were 350 tourists and supporting porters, cooks, and guides surrounding us on the trails daily and at each of the camps through our week on the mountain.  Trekking Kilimanjaro during high season is not a private experience and while the government has made strides in managing tourism on the mountain, the impact of the high number of trekkers and their supporting touring companies is sadly evident.

When permitting was completed Team Stray Dogs started the 13,340-foot ascent of Mt Kilimanjaro from the rain forest filled with blue monkeys and lush vegetation that covered the trail with a living canopy.  Surprisingly the rain forest was not muddy and we encountered no rain on our way to the first night’s camp at 10,200 feet.

For the 5 days of the trek to Barafu Camp at 15,100 feet we hiked short distances averaging 7 miles at a very slow pace intended to acclimate trekkers.  At midnight of summit day, we woke fully rested since each of the day’s short hikes preceding summit day provided us 9 to 10 hours of rest.  We hoisted our packs full of gear we would need to summit that we packed the evening before began climbing in temperate, no wind conditions under a clear starlit sky.

Feeling at ease and strong on the dark, high trail but anxiously wondering the outcome of the attempt, I resigned to the group’s pace that would cause us to miss sunrise on the summit.  I filled the time by assisting the guides with the hikers affected by altitude and being grateful that the climb continued to be easy for me and that the weather continued to e so pleasant.  Slightly before 6:00 am we reached Stella Point on the crater at 18,600 feet to view the gorgeous sunrise.  Shortly after the spectacular sunrise I joyfully summitted Uhuru Peak surveying the world from the Roof of Africa and was thankful for the circumstance of a successful summit.

Descending from the summit we stopped at Barafu Camp to pack gear that we left 10 hours before and descended to the muddy rain forest camp.  While it was good to leave the muddy camp and head to the shower in our Moshi hotel I was sad to leave magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro.  After breakfast on our last day we presented gifts to porters that we brought from home and mountaineering gear that we used during our trek. In gratitude the porters danced to their soulful and simultaneously proud and enthusiastic a cappella Kilimanjaro and Mawenzi Song.

Good-bye, Kilimanjaro, and thank you—very much.

After the Summit: Orphanages and Safari

Before leaving for Africa I received donations from my employer, TeleTech, for the two orphanages that are sponsored by our travel company’s charity, Charities Within Reach.  After climbing Kilimanjaro, we visited the TunaHAKI orphanage in Moshi that houses orphans and street children.  At TunaHAKI the kids are taught acrobatics as a skill to make money when they are older. While Swahili is the first language of the orphanage’s school age residents, they readily understood and spoke English as they accepted school supplies and candy that we distributed.

Guide Laurie Bagley (left) and Theresa Daus-Weber distribute school supplies at TunaHAKI orphanage in Moshi.

The Stray Dogs Kilimanjaro trip included a fantastic 5-day safari.  The itinerary efficiently included a comprehensive tour of three locations combining rare geological features, authentic Maasai culture and villages, and rich animal life.  From Lake Manyara’s rare tree lions lounging in a stately African Acacia tree within 20 feet of the open top Land Cruiser, to being surrounded by the herds of grazing zebra, giraffes, elephants, and wildebeest we catch glimpses of lion cubs hidden in the grass and the cheetah mother and cub within 20 yards of the Land Cruiser.  The lone lion whose full mane and head looked more enormous moving past our vehicle than it appears on National Geographic TV broadcasts.  Our safari included a visit to Olduvai Gorge where Drs. Louise and Mary Leakey conducted their pioneering anthropological studies of human origins. Our last safari day took us to Ngorongoro Crater with the hope of seeing one of only 18 remaining black rhinoceros living in the crater. These rare creatures are highly protected by law enforcement watching the 26-mile wide crater from the rim through telescopes.

Observations of Tanzania

The 2-week trip offered an opportunity to observe aspects of Tanzania.  Here are some observations that linger with me.

• In the 7 days on the Machame Route surrounded by many tour groups we encountered one local woman guide and one woman porter.  Clearly these roles require intense strength, but the minuscule number of women in these roles may reflect cultural more than physical requirements.

• The cell towers that interrupt the otherwise undeveloped landscape of the Serengeti offer cell service to keep safari guides and otherwise the native Maasai connectivity.  I was curious how the Maasai charge their cell phones?

• The traditional nomadic Maasai seemed to migrate through cities with their herds of goats and cows as quietly as they move among the vast open wilderness of the Serengeti endless plain. For as small and as camouflaged as they appear in the natural landscape of the Serengeti, their brilliant colored tunics strike me as incongruous.

• Within the Tanzania economy where the average annual income is approximately $350, porter positions are competitive and they are paid well by trekker tips, but I was uneasy with the large number of porters and their effort to support what was me.  I was uneasy with my “footprint” on Mount Kilimanjaro.

About the Author

A resident of the mountains in Colorado, Theresa is a Leadville Trail 100 champion and has completed that high-altitude ultra 11 times among the 130 ultras she finished throughout the world.  Theresa has summitted many of Colorado’s 54 14,000-foot peaks.

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