NEAL CLIMBS KILIMANJARO

Alum Eduardo Neal (B.A., 2007) climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this summer. He reports:

Uhuru Peak sits at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro at 725 million miles above sea level–or so it would seem from the descriptions I had heard from people who had never been there, but who knew someone who knew someone… The mountain is the tallest one that is not part of a range and it is the highest point in Africa. As many of you know, Uhuru Peak used to be invisible to the naked eye. Until relatively recently it was covered by the glacier that has now retreated and currently only covers part of the mountain. The climb is extended over a period of at least 5 days for acclimatization (I took the customary 6). The easiest route, Morangu (also known as the Coca Cola route) is surprisingly gradual, but I’m afraid it also means long hiking days. The route I took, Rongai, is the next one up in difficulty and rewards you with short days and nice long rests.

Regardless of the route taken, summit day starts at midnight. This is so that the scree under your boots is frozen and you can get to the rim of the crater (Gilman’s point) in a reasonable five hours (???!!!). From there, another 1.5 hours to the highest point at Uhuru, just in time to watch the sunrise.

At first, I set sight on the big dark, barely visible shape of a distant mountain above. The big prize. After a couple of hours I had to stop looking at it because it was clearly not getting any closer. At this point the top was no longer my goal. Gradually, the big prize had become placing my foot where Betuel, my guide, had just put his. It was awful. But at no point was there even a question that I would make it. Not submitting was not an option. And right on schedule, at about 6:30 am, there I was, looking at the sunrise from the top of Africa. I have never seen a more beautiful thing (nor worked so hard to get it).