The morning of March 6 was very peaceful. We were having breakfast at the Kibosho Lodge, only 200 metres from the Umbwe gate, the start point of our climb.
It certainly hadn’t been that way the previous 24 hours. Lau Mufuru, owner of Boma Africa, Kidori and I had left Arusha at noon the previous day. I had given my wife Sue a big hug and told her not to worry.
The drive to Moshi was another bone cruncher. Along the way, we picked up porters Frank and Lala and some trekking gear — gas stove, pots and pans and hiking poles. In Moshi, Lau went into a climbing shop and came out with a critical piece of gear: an oxygen bottle.
Time was ticking and we had to get to the Machame Gate by 4:30 p.m. We got there at 4:40 p.m. and Lau said not to worry, we’re on Tanzanian time.
Lau needed to purchase a permit for the climb, so he headed into the office to talk to the warden. He came out 15 minutes later looking very worried. He said, “They told me the one day permits have been banned, I don’t think we can go up. I’ll see what I can do.”
He then turned around and headed back into the office. The next 30 minutes were hell. Was this the end of the quest? What the heck was I going to do now?
Lau came out of the office smiling. The warden had contacted the No. 1 warden of the park and had explained about the quest and the raising of funds for the children’s charity Right To Play. After more phone calls and discussion he decided to give us special dispensation for our attempt. Also, the No. 1 warden is a relative of Lau’s, which probably didn’t do any harm.
We piled back into the van relieved that the Quest was still on.
We reached the Kibosho Lodge at 7 p.m., just in time for supper. Over a meal of barbecue fish and rice, we chatted about the route.
A couple of days before, Lau had dropped a bit of a bombshell on me. I thought we were taking the Marangu Route also known as the “Coca-Cola” route; it is the oldest and most establish route on the mountain. Lau said I was mistaken (must have missed that memo) and we were in fact taking the Umbwe Route. It really didn’t bother me, as I thought each route would be very much like the other. However, I found a guide book on a table at the lodge and I checked out what it said about the route: “This short, steep route, possibly the most scenic of the lot, is not recommended as an ascent route, as it is very steep in parts and involves one short stretch of genuine rock climbing.” Excellent.
So here I am at 8 a.m. on March 6, sitting with Lau and Kidori, having my last breakfast before the climb. The permit is bought and the route is selected. By 9 a.m. we’re at the hut, next to the starting gate, signing climbing forms and waivers. At 9:14 a.m. we start the count down. 3…2…1 and we’re off like a heard of turtles. Kilimanjaro here we come.
To be continued...
