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MT KILIMANJARO CLIMB 1981 April 5, 1981 Sunday

After an amazing three weeks on safari with Special Expeditions in Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and the Serengeti. I was now in Arusha and on my own for the next three months to explore East Africa. I met an American US state Department Agricultural advisor at Gibbs Farm, a coffee plantation turned into a bed and breakfast. Charlie was helping local Tanzanians learn new agricultural methods with the goal to develop local innovation and technology for subsistence conservation, instead of yielding to the farmer’s demand for status: owning American farm equipment and tractors that break down and cannot be repaired. Mike also worked for the US State Department with Charlie, and his brother Bob was visiting from Washington DC wanting to see Tanzania. I was also introduced to Dave and Thad Peterson who worked for Charlie, and whose father was a Lutheran pastor in Arusha. As a missionary family, they have had a tremendous

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outreach in Tanzania. Amazing providence as the Lord placed them in my journey to see remote areas of East Africa on a more intimate basis. I was encouraged to see the Meerschaum pipe manufacturing company and in Arusha and bought my father and I a good pipe. They had a very interesting way of refining their Sepiolite clays into pipes and ashtrays. It rained heavily for the next two days but we explored with Charlie's driver Mosha Arusha Park and Mt. Meru to view wildlife. It rained heavily off and on and the extended rainy season made walking somewhat miserable. Saw Colobus monkeys in the montane forests below the crater, and in the grasslands and lowland forest and viewed giraffe, elephant, and water buffalo at the base of Mt. Meru. We also observed warthog, and at a small lake hippo, particularly a female with a newborn calf whose skin was layered with heavy folds. I watched the unstable calf in shallow water at lakes edge attempt to come up a bank to follow its mother, but she was unsuccessful as she tried to encourage it nose to nose. The calf finally made it. The surrounding lush forests consisted of mahogany, olivewood, strangler fig, and acacia with epidendric mosses, a peaceful place that was verdant green. Many chameleons found here. I observed bushbuck and

Mt Meru, Arusha National Park Tanzania

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Giraffe and cape buffalo, Colobus monkeys Arusha national Park at base of Mt Meru

waterbuck, and more cape buffalo. Had lunch at a rustic lodge built 50 years ago. People using banana leaves for umbrellas in the heavy rains, at least they are biodegradable. The business of Arusha seems to be mostly East Indian merchants, many I had observed mistreated their Tanzanian local workers harshly, like a lower caste of people to be despised. I saw one man beating his cobbler with a stick in front of his store and I was grieved for the merchant’s demeaning abuse. Lots of beggars. The people's real wage has dropped 75% in 3 years with president Julius Nyerere’s Socialism socialistic Tanzanian government inefficiency. Five hundred thousand out of 7 million people are working to support 300,000 army and government officials. But Tanzania was at war with Uganda. In 1981 Idi Amin, who had massacred Ugandans and was on the run was replaced by Obete who established military rule that was also brutal. I felt like I was sitting in a political time bomb. It is 10:00PM and the crickets are chirping, and I know that I would just begin to be worshipping at church at home. I had wanted to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, and Bob wanted to join me. Charlie loaned us his land rover and driver Mosha to take us to Moshi, and Marangu Gate, the beginning of the older traditional Marangu Route. It was a clear morning and we left Arusha early. Mike who worked with Charlie, with his wife Anita and their baby joined us, and brought along a packed picnic lunch to take up the trail to send us off. Once at the base of Kilimanjaro at the headquarters gate we registered for the climb and paid for our permit to take the Marangu Route. We were required to hire a guide so selected out of a group of men an older man named Christopher who was a believer. He then pointed out two porters that would help carry our gear. Bob and I paid them 2800 shillings or $380.00 for

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Mt Kilimanjaro from Marangu above Moshi, Kilasiya Falls, Marangu everyone’s services and then gathered all our gear to be stuffed into duffel bags. Michael and Anita with their baby joined us for the first part of our ascent, and together we hiked up a muddy trail for 3 hours. We began at Park Headquarters at 1860 meters (6100 feet) elevation and followed an easy trail. We walked through a beautiful rainforest of large trunked Hagenia trees (Rosewood family) heavy with epiphytes, and an understory of ferns that in some ways reminded me of the Olympic rainforest at home. The rainforest between 2000 -2700 meters (6562 -8858 feet) elevation is known at the montane forest, the wettest zone on Kilimanjaro with over 90% of water falling as rain in this zone. Common trees here are the conifer Podocarpus milanjianus - a soft wood related to the pines. Its green berries have a red edible fleshy part much favored by monkeys, turacos and hornbills. Other trees include a Juniper, Holly (Ilex sp), Otea usambarinsis – a massive tree often 40 m (131 ft) tall which has dark red fluted bark, Olea kilimandscharica or olive tree, and Hagenia abyssinica a large rosewood tree is huge and has dark red-brown hanging clusters of flowers. Heard many different bird calls that included the common bulbul, Hautlaub's turacos, silvery-cheeked hornbills and the tropical boubou. Rarely seen are the

Montane forest

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black and white colobus, and blue monkeys, olive baboons cape buffalo, elephants and eland. The elusive leopard also lives throughout the forest but usually only their fur-filled droppings are occasionally found. We reached the 2700-meter (8886 feet) level at Mandara hut at the base of the mountain and settled by a small stream where we enjoyed a fabulous lunch prepared by Anita. Their baby Malaika loved the hard-boiled eggs. We had carrots, cucumbers, tuna fish sandwiches with tomatoes, and Charlie's famous nutmeat sandwiches with flour, eggs, peanuts, cashews, salt, and fried onions. So good.

Blue monkey Certhopithecus mitis, Hagenia forest Mt Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro has a large variety of forest types over an altitudinal range of 3000 m (9940 feet range) containing over 1200 vascular plant species. Montane Ocotea (Laural family) forests occur on the wet southern slope. Juniperus forests grow on the dry northern slope favored by elephants. Interestingly the forests of Kilimanjaro does not have a bamboo zone, which occurs on all other tall mountains in East Africa with a similarly high

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rainfall. Subalpine Erica or heath forests up to 4100 meters (13583 feet) represent the highest elevation cloud forests in Africa. But they are disappearing due to climate change induced fires (2018). The forest above was unbelievably lush and green, everything dripping with moss and flowers. Many small waterfalls with punchbowls. I was praising God for this time. So nice to be amidst good people. Witnessed to Anita about the Lord up the trail. I pray for their hearts. Finally reached the camp where we saw monkeys in open grassland and podocarp (conifers), juniper trees that reminded

me of Papua New Guinea. We finally reached Mandara camp and set up our gear in a nice group of cedar A frames. A leopard was seen here four days ago. Hope we make it to the summit. Bid farewell to our friends, who headed back down to the trail, and rested. Mandara is at an elevation of 2700 meters (8945 feet) elevation.

April 8, 1981. Wednesday Our route took us from Mandara at 2700-meter (8886 feet) to Horombo hut at 3682 meters (12200 feet) almost a 1000 meter (3313 feet) elevation gain. Before I left I read Psalm 139 by a tree as the sun rose over the sea of clouds at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro displaying an incredible array of colors. Then Psalm 65:8 'Thou dost make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.' Anvils were forming as the soft, warm light of early morning touched the grass and the trees. We left in the warm sunshine. The mystical forest I passed through the night before was now enshrouded in fog and mist. It was a fairy-tale setting, like out of the Tolkien’s’ book The Hobbit, with large limbed trees with twisted and bizarre form. The sun would partially break through, creating a golden hue, with one piercing ray of light that was surreal, highlighting the large limbs of trees covered with orchids, ferns and lichens in front of me. I was thrilled to see the variety of flowers that I didn’t know the names of, except impatiens, and the numerous small waterfalls that

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created punchbowls of cool, clear water. I heard blue monkeys calling, and the deep throated croaking of metallic blue turacos as they foraged after fruit. Broke out into the grasslands that gave me a commanding view of the montane forest below. The wind was picking up at our elevation moving clouds in and out of ridges. I would be hiking today through the heather zone from 2700-3600 m (8858 – 11,811 ft), Couldn’t believe the color and flowers interspersed with lichen-covered juniper and Hypericum or St. Johns Wart, and a violet flowered

Self portrait heading up the slopes to Horombo Hut

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Mawanze peak behind me leading up to Horombo Hut buttercup or Ranunculaceae. It began to rain heavily, accentuating even more the colors of flowers. There are the giant heather trees Erica orborea that give this zone its name. Other shrubs included Hyericum revolutum that can grow up to 5 m (16 ft) tall and has large yellow, open cup-shaped flowers, related to St John's Wort, a well known English garden plant. And there is Adenocarpus manni a member of the pea family that thrives in high altitudes, and Protea kilimanscharica , a very distinctive plant with a large ball-shaped cream or yellow flowers and stiff leather evergreen leaves. Many types of proteas grow in South Africa where it is their National emblem. There are sunbirds in this zone and that include the Eastern Double-Collared and Malachite Sunbirds.

Lightening and thunder rolled back and forth over the ridge as it continued to pour heavily. I kept reflecting on the many hikes in the Washington Cascades and Canadian Rockies, or Alaska on such a day like this. Thankyou Lord for being with me in thought and word. Reached Hut 2 and by evening the clouds began to break with grand views below of Moshi below. Didn’t feel the affects of altitude yet at at 4700 meters and am thankful. Will see what happens tomorrow.

Late in the evening Christopher, our guide cooked a delicious meal of noodles, tomatoes, onion, and chicken, all carried up by our gracious porters. They do the hard work. I took a late evening walk at dusk up the stream tributary and admired the giant Lobelia standing like solders guarding the meadowed canyon. Could help but sing praise to the Lord. I then could see the clouds, and tops of the thunderheads shift next to the ridge. I felt so close to the Lord. Lights of Moshi glimmered in the distance. I beat Bob at a game of chess, but the guides were too good and none of us won a game with them.

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April 9, Thursday Rest day Woke up and witnessed at 6:00AM an incredible sunrise. Red colors before the sun rose above the cloudbank. Said hello to a team of Dutch medical workers who were descending the mountain and left in foggy drizzle. Spent the morning looking about the Lobelia Giant Groundsel alpine forest and other plants. After

lunch conversed with the caretaker and a guide and played them checkers. Got beat a lot. Good rest day. Tomorrow we leave for Kibo Hut. Conversed with a Dutch Doctor and biologist who both have been working 3 years in Manze, Lake Victoria. They spoke of the tremendous number of diseases here, especially Schistostomiasis haematica that infects the bladder, and S. mansoni that effects the colon. The alternate host is a snail, and fisherman get infected multiple times wading in the lake, as the larva burrow through the skin, then migrate to the bladder where they mature. Also learned more about Malaria falciparum, the type that is more resistant and can kill you. Cholorquin phosphate still works on most varieties, M.vivax, and M. ovalia. They discussed the Tanzanian form of socialism and how if has affected villages like Kigiji. It was commented that Socialism can only develop here when you concentrate and control people by moving to villages to where there are schools and water. There are 8,000 registered villages in Tanzania, and all people, except the pastoral Maasai are required to live in these villages. Fields are called shambas and become permanent locations, forcing the people to farm in the same location depleting and wearing out the soils. Their former history of shifting agriculture is now banned. Forests are also depleted and firewood runs out because of concentrated populations in permanent settlements. The East African Community once consisted of Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya and broke up because of mistrust, Idi Amin and his replacement Obote in Uganda. All assets held in common were grabbed up: Kenya took the ships, and

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Tanzania took the trains and transporting trucks, creating anger over a free for all between all three countries. The borders between Kenya and Tanzania are now closed because of this, and the Tanzanian form of socialism that isn't working according to Charlie. Does not pay the farmer market value for growing crops, and government levies heavy Rt:Malachite sunbird

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taxes on food export. The family is breaking down because of the registered villages. For example, a head village man once was respected for his authority before the Kugiji program. Now they don’t respect authority, fueling high alcoholism in youth and other problems, including high teenage pregnancy. No father around. The main problem facing Tanzania is oil. Their factories are only at 1/3 production because there is no oil, or spare parts to keep textile plants going. I was told the country needs foreign investment and transportation to help secure stability. I needed to pray for this nation and as I write my lantern is almost out of fuel, so must turn in. Thank you Lord for this beautiful rest day. April 10, Friday Another beautiful sunrise. We left the A-frames early with the sun shining at our backs to ascend the trail to Kibo Hut at 4703 meters (15,581 feet). At 3700 meters (12,260 feet) I would hike through the moorland zone between 3600 to 4200 m (11,811 to 13,780 ft). The moorland zone has grassy base from which emerge the extraordinary giant lobelias and senecios. These giant plants are unique to East Africa and they can be seen only on Mount Kenya, the Aberdares, Rwenzori and Mt. Kilimanjaro. I began to find Lobelia Lobelia deckenii with Agave-like leaf base and a tall bracket of flowers visited by sunbirds higher up along the creek drainage. It was accompanied by tall Giant Groundsel Dendrosenecio sp. in the sunflower family with a crown of large leaves and a long stem of dead growth. There were fur droppings on the trail of the four-striped mouse (striped back) and the mole rat (plain gray brown) that form the majority of the diet for leopards, civets and serval cats.

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A beautiful walk through lobelia and rocky eskers left by past glaciers. Soon the terrain began to look exactly like Ellensburg in eastern Washington and the Columbia Gorge. Fog moving in and out of the canyon, and finally reached the saddle between kilimanjaro and Mawanze to the east. The saddle was enveloped in mist and we walked along a path through pumice terrain along the rising slope to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mists moving in and out of the moonscape scene. Stopped at the last stream with a signpost ‘Last Water Point at 4200 meters (13,780 feet) and was the last chance to collect water for cooking and drinking. Our porters filled plastic containers for us. Steam rising off the pass area, which reminded me of Katmai national Park in Alaska. Lots of wind. My head was swimming from the altitude and was light headed, almost dizzy. We kept a slow pace, yet we really bombed up to the hut. I was thankful to have reached here. I was to have a sleepless night. Bob and I went to bed at 6:00PM but couldn’t sleep because of the altitude and fighting intense headaches. April 11, Saturday What a long day. We all got up in the intense cold at 1:00AM. Christopher prepared us a quick snack and with torches (flashlights) followed him under a starry night sky as we ascended the pumice trail to the summit. We had less than 1000 meters (3060 feet) to go, and Christopher encouraged us to walk Pole Pole, Swahili for slowly slowly. My head had been aching all night, and I fought off nausea, and was tired, and it was very cold possibly -15 C. But we were determined to make this summit even though very tired. We walked up a steep ice finger for 3,000 vertical feet, and I praised God for his honoring my prayer of making the summit for His glory as a witness to the porters and to Bob. The lord honored it as my headache did not get worse, and the nausea would weakly come and go. It seemed like hours of climbing and a lot of hard breathing, especially above 5200 meters (18,000 feet). Just as the sun was moving towards the horizon of a sea of clouds below, we made the south ridge at Gilman’s Point at 5685 meters (18,834 feet), just shy of Uhuru elevation at 5895 meters 19,530, the true summit another 1.5 hours across the crater. I ran to the summit crater ridge to photograph the sunrise on Mawanze peak and vomited my guts up immediately afterward. When over that, I was fine. Only moving did I feel nauseated. I gave Christopher a big hug, and he sung Alleluia while I praised the Lord for the achievement, standing on the top of Africa. It was so cold, but the mountain was beautiful at sunrise. The sun finally came up over the bank of thunderheads to the east. The crater of Kilimanjaro was filled with ice and snow. We were so light headed. A plate was imbedded in the snow with a Psalm. I couldn’t believe that we had made it. Thank you, Jesus, for you strength when I didn’t have any left. The sunrise and mauve/golden colors of the sunrise on the glacier were inspirational. We were thankful to have made it. We descended after a half hour, and the descent eased the headache and

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nausea. I glissaded/skied on my climbing boots down the steep snow chutes. The stepping down really wore my bad knee out. Finally reached Kibo hut at 7:30 AM where we were congratulated by the Hut supervisor. Loaded up our packs and gear, then headed down to Horombo camp, another 2.5 hours away and a whopping descent. Walking through the moon-like terrain again with red rocks reminded me of one my favorite area in Alaska, the volcanic terrain of Katmai National Park. Clouds hovered over Mansangini, and it rained heavily from mawangi area of Horomba to Marango, but it was good to see trees again.

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Incredibly exhausted tonight, 48 hours of no sleep and 14 hours of straight climbing and ascent to almost 5580 meters (19,000 feet), then a descent from the summit 3000 meters (9,940 feet) back to Mandara Huts. My feet and knees really ache. But the exhilaration of God allowing me to make it was overwhelming. I had consistently experienced altitude sickness climbing Mt Rainier above the altitude of 4075 meters (13,500 feet), whether in our own cascades or in Peru, so I was thankful I made it. Going to bed early tonight. April 12, Sunday I had a good sleep after a final walk through the cloud forest last night. The trip down from Mandara Huts was inspiring hiking through heavy mists. I enjoyed walking through the dwarf forest, and the trail led by a stream and a series of waterfalls. Scared a blue monkey that gave me a start as it scrambled up a moss-covered vine to safety. More stream of ants crossing the trail, but this time I got across them without their climbing up my pant leg un-noticed and being bitten and stung. I discovered a small waterfall off the trail and walked to tree ferns to photograph it. We reached the road and Mosha was there waiting for us in the four-wheeled drive land rover. We descended down the steep track to Marangu Hotel for a great lunch. The beautiful tree-lined road was full of people dressed in colorful clothing as they returned to their homes from church. We then drove through Moshi, and miles below encountered Maasai men walking through town. My big toe was in tremendous pain from the descent, and my feet slamming into a pair of rented climbing boots that has steel toes. The blood clot under the toenail was too painful to take. Finally reached Arusha. Once at Charlie’s, had a good soaking bath, and a Bob and I shared a great meal. Thad and Dave recommended a Tanzanian doctor who lanced the toenail with a heated scalpel. What a relief.

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I was thankful for such a great experience to climb the highest peak in Africa. The following two weeks we would spend hiking from Mt Meru in Arusha National park 160 kilometers (100 miles) to Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo LenGai. I also was scheduled by the Tanzanian government to be flown in for two weeks into the remote Selous Game Reserve, then spend several weeks in Burundi and Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas. I was grateful for the opportunity to see a part of Africa few see, but the transportation was very difficult as I soon found out in Mawanze, when I couldn’t get into Burundi or Rwanda. This was to be a great challenge.

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