Kilimanjaro Day 1 – Lemosho Gate to Mti Mkubwa Camp

Kilimanjaro Day 1
Lemosho Gate (6,890′) to Mti Mkubwa Camp (9,071′)
Zone: Rain Forest
Quoted Distance: 7km/4.5 miles
Guide Service: Everlasting Tanzania

I can’t say I slept amazing last night but thanks to my edible + temazepam cocktail I at least got some sleep. With an 8am departure time I think I had my alarm set for 6:30 but I was wide awake by 5. As the call for prayer at the nearby mosque sounded at 5:30, I was in bed eating a cheese sandwich with the leftover bread and cheese from yesterday’s picnic and pouring over the mountain guide, feeling calmer than I expected.

Our Kili Crew of Katie, Shane, Kyra, and I met for breakfast, trying to fuel up heftily for our first day on the mountain but my eyes were bigger than my stomach and my scrambled eggs weren’t going down too easy. Yup, yup, there are the nerves. I’m sure my early morning cheese sandwich had nothing to do with it.

By quarter to eight, lodge staff was waiting outside of our row of rooms to carry our bags to the front. We each had our daypack, our mountain gear duffel, and our safari/travel luggage. Plus Kyra and I had an extra mountain gear duffel we are sharing since our sleeping bags were bulky and trying to make all of our gear fit in one 90L duffel each wasn’t going to happen. It also gave us some extra leeway on weight since each duffel is limited to 15kg/33lbs. Saidi and Solomon were waiting for us in the lodge sitting area and we piled our day packs and mountain gear in front while we handed off the rest of our luggage for storage at the lodge while we’re on the mountain.

It felt very oddly surreal to realize that I was leaving civilization for EIGHT days to spend the next seven nights camping on the tallest mountain in Africa. I’ve never even camped at sea level for crying out loud. Yah, the fact that I had never camped before was a factoid that gave Saidi a nervous laugh yesterday evening, a fact that Rob had also found quite amusing. Kyra and Shane helped Solomon pack all our gear into the back of the land rover while Katie and I kibitzed over how I couldn’t believe I had actually agreed to do this!

At 9:01am were pulling out of the lodge and officially on our 3 hour drive to the Lemosho Gate where Chaz and our porters would be meeting us. I remember when the countdown to this day was well over 100 days and now it is here. The skies were clear, the clearest and bluest skies I’ve seen since landing in Tanzania, and I took that as a good sign that we’d have mild weather on the mountain.

About halfway to the gate, Solomon stopped at a large gas station, that is clearly the main stopping point before heading up Kilimanjaro, so they could buy us waters and we could use the restroom. Vendors swarmed our land rover trying to sell us Kilimanjaro trinkets. We rang out choruses of “No thank you” as we walked by everyone to get to the restroom. Katie told Kyra and I that Shane can never say no to vendors and would end up giving at least one money. Sure enough, we got back to the land rover and Shane had just paid a pushy vendor $10 for two cheap sheer bandanas of the Tanzania flag. Kyra and I were amused in the back as he was frustrated by his own giving in.

Driving through the fertile land of the cultivation zone, the first climate zone of Kilimanjaro, we admired the landscape full of corn and potato crops while we worked on our items for Kilimanjaro bingo. Our five by five bingo board includes milestones such as first to publicly fart, trip and fall, bleed, poop on the trail, cry, snap, pee on themselves, vomit, need help, and so on.

Passing the 6,000′ mark, the terrain changed and became more lush and denser as we entered the rain forest zone. It wouldn’t be long now until we were at the gate. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later we were at the Kilimanjaro National Park gate and I wanted to shit myself.

It was raining as we parked at the Lemosho Gate ranger station and picnic area at 12:30pm. Porters immediately showed up and began whisking our bags off to their preparation area, it was all happening so fast! Saidi led us to a sheltered area with picnic bunches and told us that we should get our gators and rain gear ready while he went down to finalize preparation with Chaz and our team of porters.

A gentleman beckoned us over to a book and had us sign-in with our names, route, passport numbers, group size, and guide information. Shane went to use the restroom and reported back that apparently this isn’t a baby making mountain; there are condom machines in the mens bathroom!

We pulled on our rain pants and sat down to put on our gators. Ummmmm, I’ve never worn a gator, I have no idea how to put one on. I wasn’t even sure if the little strap went under my toe or my heel. I sheepishly admitted that I had no idea what to do with them and Shane knelt down and taught me how to step into them, hook them on, and strap them up. Kyra then helped Shane tighten and adjust his. Mountain teamwork was already going full force.

A gentleman, a porter who was still a stranger to us at that point, came up and started laying out a tablescape complete with various teas, condiments, fanned napkin decorative place settings, and Cadbury hot chocolate. Cadbury hot chocolate! Maybe this whole camping thing won’t be so bad!

We chatted with two Aussies who were also getting ready with their guide. They are going to be on track with us for the first three or four days but then they are taking the summit route up the Western Breach, meaning they will summit a day after us and their trek will total nine days. Their lunch table setting wasn’t nearly as ornate as ours and their meal seemed pretty basic.

Our lunch was ready and we were introduced to two of our porters, including the gentleman who had set the table, Essau and Kasimu. They were two of the “special” porters that would also serve as our camp waiters. Platters of food and terrines were brought up from wherever the prep area was below and we were served our first camp feast of leek soup, rice, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, beets, chicken, fritters, avocado, mango, bananas, and oranges. As Essau served us he grinned and added more food than we wanted to each of our plates saying, “for first day” each time. The meal was delicious though I wasn’t sure how my stomach would do with the saucy chicken.

When we were done eating, someone spotted a colobus monkey in the trees near the ranger station. As we oohed and awed from the picnic area, the ranger beckoned to us. Katie and I followed and he led us across a grassy patch and lowered some ropes so we could cross into the closed off area to get close to them. They were right overhead in all their silky skunk gloriousness. I moved out of the way as they hopped directly overhead to make sure I didn’t get peed on.

In packing for this trip, I made sure to include items that I wasn’t going to use that I wanted to donate to the porters at the beginning of the trek. Honestly, as soon as I got to Tanzania I was extremely disappointed in myself as I had more that I meant to bring but in the last minute stress of packing I forgot so much of it. Kyra had also brought some items to donate as well. Saidi laid all of the items we brought to donate out and counted them, there was enough for every one of our support team to get something. Our cook and 19 porters joined us in the picnic area and Saidi introduced each one. As they were introduced, each got to pick an item from the table. Everyone was grateful and it was obvious that warmth was a priority. It was immediately clear that our donations were impactful and I felt even worse for not bringing more.

About 20 minutes later, it was go time. I went to use the restroom, my last chance to use a real bathroom for the next 7 nights, and was slightly disappointed that they only had squat toilets; those are not my specialty. When I got back to the picnic area, Katie and Kyra were losing their shit laughing so hard. I could not figure out what was going on but these ladies could not contain themselves and were hysterical with their amusement. I finally figured out that their immense enjoyment was stemming from Kyra’s blue poncho which read “human blueberry” when Kyra put it on. With those two still unable to contain themselves, Chaz led the way and at 2:49pm we were officially trekking.

Ten minutes later we came to the official “Lemosho Gate” sign, I’d been disappointed there wasn’t one until we saw it, and we were all giddy because now it FELT real. We hopped up for all sorts of iterations of pictures and I did a little jig, which would be the first of many times (spoiler alert) that one of us would think we were recording something only to realize we hadn’t actually hit record. The back side of the sign read, “Wishing you a nice climb” and it hit me that I am really doing this. Like for real, for real. Like right NOW.

As we took our time following the slow pace set by Chaz for the trail, porters passed us up. They had all still been down in their prep area when we left and this was the first of our porter passings which would be a daily routine of our porters running past us on the trails, ridiculously impressive carrying bags on their heads and backs, practically sprinting across the wet uneven terrain.

It was raining from the time we arrived at the picnic area and that rain never let up. I guess we are in the rain forest after all. Technically we are in the Rain Forest climate zone now. Shane had the first monkey sighting, more colobus monkeys flowing from the trees, damn he’s good. He and Kyra are pro spotters. We made the best of the rainy hike laughing, joking, discussing the beautiful terrain. When we hit the 8,560′ elevation range, Shane pointed out that we still had over 11,000′ to climb. We’d climbed about 1,100′ by then!

Katie got warm, damn this girl runs hot, in the muggy rain; zipping her pant legs off into shorts and pulling her gators up as high as they could go; she was rocking the “sexy open knee” look. We stopped for our first trail pee and after the other girls had squatted, I demonstrated for them how to use the pee funnels I had decided on. SheWee be damned, these disposable cardboard funnels perfectly packed, with each in its own trash sleeve with two squares of toilet paper, are the way to go!

The trail undulated a bit with some gentle descents and some steep ascents; wet the entire time. At 6:15pm we arrived at Mti Mkubwa Camp. It was wet and muddy. Very muddy. One of our guides had said that camp wouldn’t be as muddy as the trail, but it was.

Saidi and Chaz had us sign in to the camp registration book and then led us to our corner of this universe. Our camp was quite a production containing four tents (one for me, one for Kyra, one for Katie and Shane, and one for Saidi and Chaz), our toilet tent, our dining tent, the kitchen tent, and the porters’ tent. Saidi and GodBless, our toilet porter, showed us how to flush our portable camp toilet. Just pump the little plunger on top and voila. Just like ones I’ve used on boats.

With the sun setting and the ground muddy, I crab crawled into my tent for the first time. My duffel and Kyra and my’s shared duffel were in there waiting for me, along with a mattress pad. I was quickly losing light as the sun continued to sink and pulled out my simplest camp light, realizing it was lightweight enough that I could hang it from the top of the tent. My priority, as directed to us all by Saidi, was changing into dry clothes. But first, Essau brought us each a bowl of warm water and little bar of soap for “washy washy.” I used the warm water to wash my hands and face and tried to dip my feet in for a treat for the toes but it wasn’t really wide enough. The rest of my body I washed with wipes. It felt so good to get into warmer drier clothes.

And then I pretty much just sat there. I’ve never done this camping thing before. Never. I have never slept in a tent in my life. And I didn’t know what to do with myself so I just sat there. Unsure how I feel about this camping thing, unsure how I’m going to do this, unsure what I’m supposed to do to be efficient in here, unsure if I’m terrified or ok with this. I just sat with my uncertainty and didn’t get shit done.

Our dining tent was ready for us and it was about time to do our health checks so I grabbed my awesome mini Ledlenser keychain light. Its better than most flashlights and I hadn’t yet adjusted my headlamp to fit. I was so excited when I walked into the dining tent and a giant silver platter of popcorn was waiting on the table! I LOVE popcorn! It was warm and fresh and perfectly lightly buttered. Just writing this I want to be eating popcorn right now.

Saidi came in and passed around the pulse oxometer to get our pulse and oxygen readings and quiz us on any symptoms. I was pleased with my 92 oxygen reading – we are at 9,071′ and anything above 90 is good at this altitude!

Waiting for dinner, I needed to pee. My maiden voyage with our portable camp potty. I tracked through the mud and zipped myself into the “bathroom.” It was fine. It was dark though so I had been relying on the light of my flashlight. I tucked it into my sweater pocket so I could lean and over and pump to flush. Before I knew what was happening, in slow motion, the flashlight fell out of my pocket and right down the hole INTO THE BASIN OF THE TOILET. It shut off as soon as it hit the basin full of all our pee.

I froze, what the hell do I do?! I’m NOT reaching in there to get in, I don’t even have a sink to wash off in if I had been wiling to. It was pitch black out and muddy so I couldn’t even get back to the dining tent. I was stuck in the dark in the toilet tent. “Katie!!” “Katie!!!!” I started yelling. “Katie! I need light! Damnit! Katie!” Finally she yelled back, I could hear that they were in there talking about my camping trepidation and how I’m out of my element so they probably thought I was being annoyingly dramatic about something. “Katie just come here!”

Finally she acquiesced and came to see what I was freaking out about. “I just needed you to bring me light so I can get back to the tent.” “Where’s your light?” “Its in the toilet.” “What???” “Just escort me back to the tent.” Katie led me back to the dining tent by the beam of her headlamp and everyone was looking with anticipation of what the hell was going on when we walked in. “I dropped my flashlight in the toilet.” I think everyone had the same expression and asked, “What??” “I leaned over to flush and accidentally dropped my flashlight in the toilet.” Everyone started laughing, even Saidi was laughing hysterically as he immediately yelled out for porter GodBless, “Godddy! Goddddy!” between laughing sobs. Saidi got up to meet GodBless and explain my snafu while Katie declared that she had to get a picture of this. I sat there laughing and feeling like a dumbass as Katie and Saidi’s laughs both grew even louder from the toilet tent. Apparently, whereas the flashlight had immediately turned off when hitting the bowl of piss it was now shorting out and putting on quite a spectacular light show in the bowl, cycling through the various brightness and red light options. Katie came back to show us all the light show she captured on video. I had tears in my eyes, laughing so hard I could barely breathe, trying to explain what happened with the image of the rave toilet flashing through my mind.

Essau and Kasimu entered the tent and served us dinner; a vegetable soup followed by an entree of some chopped saucy meat over potatoes and fresh vegetables. As Essau served us he heaped a little more than each of us asked for on our plates, grinning as he said, “For summit.” with each extra ladle. The meal was delicious and left me feeling fat and happy. So far it seems that they are understanding of, and able to accommodate, Kyra’s celiac dietary restrictions which is a great relief as we were uncertain how well they would be able to and I think it has been a stressor for her. While we were eating, the toilet flashlight was returned to me, with a promise that GodBless had cleaned it. Oh. My. God. I did not expect I’d get it back. I don’t even know if it’s going to work anymore.

After dinner we hung out in the tent chatting, all of us feeling like our tummies had urges. Katie was the first to head to the toilet tent to drop a deuce. She came back into the dining tent with a “sorry, ladies” as she sat back down. Apparently, it had been a good one. Kyra was anxious to go and left to head that way herself. “OH MY GOD!” we heard her yell, “I CAN’T do this!” and she appeared back in the tent, telling us that whatever Katie had done in there was fierce. I also had to go and figured Kyra was being dramatic, how bad could it be? Borrowing Katie’s headlamp I made the voyage. I didn’t even get my head through the tent door when I started gagging, “What the hell?! Holy shit that is terrible!” I yelled out as I gagged fiercely. Kyra was NOT being dramatic. As a concession, Katie, who was quite amused, went out and propped the toilet tent open so it could air out.

Kyra gave it ten minutes and then went to try again. She reported back a successful mission but that it was still tough to be in there. We were getting wrapped up for bed and I still had to go. Since I didn’t have a working light, Katie had to escort me. We got to the toilet tent and it was sooooo bad. Not as bad as before but now TWO people had just freshly crapped in it. I seriously didn’t think I could close myself in there and not gag. Maybe feeling guilty for her role in this situation (maybe?), Katie volunteered to stand there and block me so I could go without having to close the tent. While an odd scenario, I did need to go and figured this was the only way I’d be able to. So, sure enough, with the tent doors flung wide open, Katie stood 18″ in front of me playing bodyguard while I did what I had to do. Wow, it’s only day one on the mountain and shit has already gotten really real, literally.

Since I had been essentially useless in my tent when we first got to camp I still had to make up my “bed”, including pumping up my sleeping pad, and figure out how one organizes themselves efficiently in a tent. I’m glad that I practiced once with the pad’s air bag inflator at home because I managed to get it inflated in less than five minutes and without frustration. I could hear a weird sound while I was setting up, like two parts of the tent outside were rubbing together funny and making an odd noise. I thought about crab crawling back out to see if I could figure out what needed adjusting but that thought dropped away in a second when I was realistic about the fact that I have no idea what I am doing and am not qualified to fix anything on a tent. Tomorrow we hike out of the rain forest zone so hopefully the trail and the day is drier.