The Lone Wanderer

(Asante Sana means thank you very much in the Swahili Language) Every mountain is different and deserves to be respected, in that reverence Mount Kilimanjaro you have got my highest respect! On top of Mount Kilimanjaro It has been told that the essence of life is to Live in the present; when we walk that mountain sometimes we curse ourselves for considering the proposition during its inception! sometimes we praise ourselves for taking up and doing the undulating task! But most of the time we did nothing but present at that time and at that moment during each passing moment in that mountain!  Asante for making us aware of the importance of the present moment! Some of us climb solo, some of us climb in groups, some of us as a stranger in a group, and some with their loved ones. Ironically, during the climb, it is just the mountain and us! And our breath is our only companion up and on the hills!  Asante for making us realise the self-love is essential to understand t...

Late post: Day 6 into Kilimanjaro trek: The day we struggled for last 6 days arrived at midnight, like India's independence (but we started 30 minutes later). Kibo peak aka Uhuru peak, Uhuru means Freedom in Swahili, our march to freedom commenced just about midnight. After a slight mix up in providing drinking water and the delay in dragging our lazy bums out of the tent, we started only around 12.30 am from Barafu camp. It is 5km trek to the summit, a combination of walk and climbs, with an elevation gain of 1200m. The initial part was steep. We were able to figure out the height from the Barafu camp lights as we move away from it. In the darkness of the night, we were able to see lights aglow in Arusha village which we passed through 6 days back. Up ahead, afar we were able to see few glowing white dots, possibly torchlight of some climber who has started earlier than us. Other than these lights are our own torches and the faint light of the waning moon doing its best to shimmer...

Late post: Day 5 into Kilimanjaro trek: This day was a welcome break from having to walk in the rain. It was unexpectedly hot and sunny; but not very pleasant for someone who tried out warm pant and fleece tee thinking it might be just another cold day! In the attempt to save the balls from freezing I almost ended up boiling them! As usual, woke up around 6.30 am and bright daylight had the top sheet of the tent illuminated in a golden orange hue. I had frequent awakenings till midnight, checking the watch at each awakening. 12 am till 4 am was solid uninterrupted sleep, followed by wakening once again around 5 am then the final awakening at 6.15. Thanks to the high altitude periodic breathing. The cold, the wind, noisy, or smelly tent companions can also disturb the sleep. If my tent mate also had disturbed sleep, it can very well be attributed to smelly companion. I felt sorry for him sometimes for being stuck with me like a tent mate. Unburying myself from the sleeping bag I felt ex...

Late post: 4th day into Kilimanjaro trek: Woke up around 6.15 am and as per usual began contemplating the turn of events over past 3 days while still being buried inside the warm sleeping bag. This is when I mentally make note of my physiological status as well as the days plan (or what I know of it) what to wear and pack for the day and where I have kept them yesterday night. Instead, I could have got up and done it but going over it in mind is kind of fulfilling and solacing. Next days wear, provided they are dry and days are expected to be cold or night before summit, normally goes inside the sleeping bag (since I'm reusing clothes, to avoid the sleeping bag from stinking I keep them inside the sleeping bag liner. Personal liner came handy for this especially because the bag is shared), so the clothes won't be cold and damp while putting them back on. Slowly unburied myself from the bag and put on the day clothes, packed the bags and started stretching the muscles. Meanwhile...

My vision was blurry as the steam escape through the eyes fogged the spectacle. As I pedal past the bruised and bleeding souls, lying on the side of the road, a fellow cyclist's words echoed in my mind 'Let us just try to complete the ride'. There is a reason why he said that. Wet roads and slick tyres are not exactly a safe combination any sane mind would say! What am I doing here? Well! to explain that I have to go back in time a little.  Ding! The outlook on my laptop notified as a new email arrived in my inbox. It was a mail from the internal cycling club about a race that will happen in a few months time. We discussed over the coffee break and it did not take us much time to convince ourselves to do the race. Registration and payment are done. Now all I need is a bicycle. I sold off my previous bike before moving to work in Singapore. It was Giant Revel 2, a basic MTB, and I was very pleased with its performance so again went for the same brand only this time it will b...

Late post: Day 3 into the kilimanjaro trek, it was from Shira 2 camp 3800m to Lava tower 7km/4600m (a 300ft tall volcanic rock formation - see the background in 2nd picture) to Barranco camp 3km/3970m, this aids in acclimatising to lower oxygen levels at the higher altitude. Landscape was primarily alpine desert and the weather was gloomy and it rained intermittently. By the time we reach lava tower we were all soaked nicely.  Lava Tower in the back drop I had mild headache while having hot lunch, just before lava tower, which is pretty much normal at high altitudes and usually due to dehydration, so indulged myself with lot of hot fluids like honey+hotwater, hot water plus milo with milk powder. Headache disappeared by the time we reach the tower, unfortunately we were not allowed to go up the tower due to risk of rock fall so after clicking few pics we started our descent to barranco, it started with steep and rocky down slope that levelled out to flats as we reach ba...