Final Steps:
Lauren stands
at Stella Point,
anxious to
finish the climb.
Lauren stands
at Stella Point,
anxious to
finish the climb.
Day Five -- Summit Day!
15-hour,3,924-foot climb
15-hour,3,924-foot climb
The climb starts at about midnight. Our guides sing
Swahili lullabies and love songs as the trail is lit by
our headlamps. Perhaps it's better that we don't see
the path. The series of switchbacks take us up slopes
steeper than any of our four previous days of climbing.
Most of us feel spent by about 6 a.m., the Jamaica
Rocks section of the trail -- about 20 minutes from
Gillman's Point. Then, the sun begins to rise and we
are re-energized. Indeed, it is darkest before the dawn.
We continue on to Gillman's Point, and two more
hours to the summit, Uhuru Peak.
Swahili lullabies and love songs as the trail is lit by
our headlamps. Perhaps it's better that we don't see
the path. The series of switchbacks take us up slopes
steeper than any of our four previous days of climbing.
Most of us feel spent by about 6 a.m., the Jamaica
Rocks section of the trail -- about 20 minutes from
Gillman's Point. Then, the sun begins to rise and we
are re-energized. Indeed, it is darkest before the dawn.
We continue on to Gillman's Point, and two more
hours to the summit, Uhuru Peak.
Uhuru (Freedom) Peak, 19,340'
We can only hang out at the summit for a few
minutes -- enough to snap a few photos. I start to cry
in gratitude for all of the support from friends and
family that it took to get to the summit. I am grateful
that I had the courage and strength to complete this
journey. I am forever changed.
We can only hang out at the summit for a few
minutes -- enough to snap a few photos. I start to cry
in gratitude for all of the support from friends and
family that it took to get to the summit. I am grateful
that I had the courage and strength to complete this
journey. I am forever changed.
Copyright 2008 Fat Woman on the Mountain
Habitat: stone scree and ice-caped summit
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Kilimanjaro Photo Diary
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