Jack Wambugu

Mt.Kilimanjaro Day Dash - Mweka Route (43.31Km & 4431M Elevation Gain) [20-03-26] There was a bit of discomfort going into this hike due to the heavy Rains. However, the mountain and I got a love story going on, and yesterday she went over and above for me, (can’t say the same for the others) 😅, controlling the rains and keeping me warm. I had one of the warmest climbs to the summit and the pictures are testament to this. Imagine summiting Kilimanjaro without a jacket and gloves on! While I was having a good time up there, it was pouring like crazy below, and vice versa as I descended. After a 2 hour delay, we started our climb at 5:22am and I tried to push as much as possible. Due to the heavy rains, the trail was muddy and wet and the stairs on this route made it a tough exercise. By day break, I had covered a good section of the forested part, and the views on the way up were giving making for a good climb. The trail was very busy with hikers coming down after summiting. As I went up, the porters cheered me on and wished me well on my crazy attempt! It was a different and wholesome experience! I had sort of underestimated the summit push. Perhaps, due to the mountain not looking overbearing. Things got really tough from Barafu Camp probably because at this point, you are almost at 5000M ASL. I was moving, but I was not making much progress. Step after step, it was a struggle to get to Stella Point, and thereafter, the 1Km to the summit felt as if the summit had been moved further, a reminder never to underestimate any summit push! You should have seen the way my face and my whole body lit up when I saw the summit point. I ran to it like a lover coming back home from a long trip, to the hands of his lover who had been anxiously waiting for him. After 7 hours, I had made it to the summit and it was only fair that the mountain and I, have a moment, one that lasted over 20 minutes. Hiking down, the weather switched up a bit from Stella Point, but that was okay because the most important thing had been achieved! Things got slower than I had expected and the stairs were not friendly to my knees, which meant I had to take it easy since I had a half marathon coming up on Sunday! After 5 hours, I was back at the Mweka Gate, happy and satisfied with the day! What a hike!

I defied the rain and proceeded to Oldonyosambu 30 km later a high point that drains your energy whichever direction you approach it from. Here it started to rain seriously again and I was forced to shelter for a while.