Co-authored by Frank Parrott
Darkness brings out fears in many of us. Hiking to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro through the night brought out my fears, and made the challenge even harder. Just hiking to the highest point in Africa is not an easy feat. Add lack of sleep, cold and darkness, and I was doubtful I could make it!
Everything Frozen
As our line of hikers slowly walked up the switchbacks, our guides hiked easily beside us off the trail. The guides were watching us for signs of altitude sickness with their trained eyes. My feet had frozen long ago, along with the hose to my water bladder. My head pounded at times, and I felt I would be ill at any moment. I continued on wondering why I was doing this. There was no enjoyment at this point. My mind wrestled with me to give up. Emmanuel our head guide must have sensed my internal struggle and tiredness. He insisted on taking my backpack. While I didn't like him doing this as I wouldn't have easy access to my snacks and water, I had no energy to argue with him about it. Without the pack on my back, I became more cold and needed hand warmers in my winter mittens. I fumbled to get the warmers out and then Emanuel opened them for me with his mitten less hands. I felt reassured that our guides were taking good care of us, and somehow would get us up the mountain.
Hitting the Final Wall
After hours of hiking in the darkness, we felt like we were sleep walking. Most of us showed signs of altitude sickness. Some of us felt pretty awful, but all of us were exhausted. When I felt like the hike would never end, our guide told us we were about 20 minutes from the ridge called Stella Point! After a very steep incline, we reached Stella Point. From there the hike to the summit would be easier. It was time to dig deep and push past the physical and emotional walls we had hit! We continued on up the steepest section one foot in front of the other very slowly, but still moving forward. With each step, I hoped for sunrise to come and warm me. I told myself that the light would give me more energy and hope. I really wasn't sure it would though.
Frank's Point of View
It's funny how the mind and body work. I had pushed myself on many hikes in the past leading up to this trek. Sometimes the obstacle I was dealing with was distance and hiking farther than I had ever gone. Other times it was the steep mountain grade or challenging terrain I had never seen. Still other times it was extreme weather like sub-zero temps. Kilimanjaro had it all, but offered a special sort of challenge on summit day.
Kilimanjaro's special challenge was its reputation. Hearing or reading about past trip reports of Kilimanjaro can be a little un-nerving. I had prepared myself mentally for possibility of not being able to reach the summit. After all, any level hiker can have issues in high elevations. I focused on giving it my all and being happy that I did my best.
As we started hiking, I felt everything go into a weird auto-pilot mode. I'm sure the exhaustion we all felt prior to summit push played a factor, but there was a disconnect between my mind and body. Slowly the re-connection happened as we got into higher elevations. The cold felt at the beginning could no longer be ignored as my feet started getting numb. Fatigue made every step an effort. I had often thought about long tiring hikes as "death marches". I think most hikers have experienced that at least once in their lives, but this hike redefined what a "death march" hike is for me.
Reaching the summit of a particularly difficult peak often makes me a little emotional from the effort, but I keep those feelings in check. Hiking Kilimanjaro on the other hand was a completely different story. When we arrived at Stella Point (the ridge to the summit), I had a complete breakdown. A year's worth of planning, training, and preparing for the most difficult hike to date was coming to the climax and I was going to be standing on the "Rooftop of Africa". One of the Seven Summits of the World. All I could do is cry...for joy...for disbelief...for everything.
Stella Point
By the time we reached Stella Point, I was completely out of breath. I wanted to roar but I had no energy left. My friend Randy helped me out giving a tremendous roar for me! Completely exhausted physically and mentally, my excitement gave way to tears. Many of us were overwhelmed with the intense feelings of accomplishment. For the first time, we realized we could make it! The sun started to rise, and with it came even more hope and energy. The exciting views into the crater and walking among the impressive glaciers kept our minds from thinking about how tired we were. The path to the summit was wide and nearly flat, still we walked slowly due to the elevation. The terrain on the approach looked like a moonscape more than the summit of mountain.
We trudged along looking more like "the Walking Dead" than hikers. We stopped frequently to admire and photograph the beautiful glaciers. Glistening in the early morning ray's of the sun the glaciers looked like Superman's fortress.
Rounding a turn in the trail we finally saw the two summit signs. After almost a year of preparation for this moment, finally being at the summit felt like a dream. Arm in arm the team walked to the signs. Numerous photos were taken and more tears were shed. I knew my life had been forever changed reaching this goal. I couldn't say that there is anything I can't do. I had pushed myself more than I ever had both physically and emotionally. I would have loved to stay in that moment for hours and relish the achievement longer. Our bodies could not handle the elevation for long though and our day was far from over! Despite having hours of hiking left, the highlight of my life was the special moments at sunrise on the summit. Basking in the glow of accomplishment and the early morning sun's rays is how I will remember that day forever!
