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Freddy’s Kilimanjaro Diary 2005

June 23rd Day 1
Hi everybody! I’m back on the road again. It’s 4.30am and we’re all in Dublin airport ready to set off for our African expedition. Our team, led by, Pat and Joe, has members from all over Ireland. We’ve got people from Cork, Dublin, Wicklow, Carlow, Clare, Roscommon and Limerick. I’ve been training a lot for this trip and I’m eating really well (as us bears can). We travel all day: from Dublin to London, and then on to Nairobi. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. It’s dark when we come out of the airport so we don’t get to see much of the city as we travel to our hotel.



June 24th Day 2
Up early and after breakfast we’re on the road. Our bus takes us through the city, now full of everybody going to work, and then out into the countryside. Everybody’s really excited to be heading to Tanzania. I heard that there are 120 tribes there and that the country is full of friendly people.
It takes about 4 hours to reach the border. Along the way we’ve seen the Kenyan countryside, and lots of little roadside villages. Some of the houses are very simple and I’m sad to see some people who are very poor. Yet, everybody waves and smiles when they see our bus.
After another few hours we arrive at our hotel in Moshi. We end the night with a great sing song after dinner. Pat and Joe sang hundreds of songs. Killian sang a few numbers from Radiohead as well.

June 25th Day 3
Today our bus brings us to Arusha Nairobi Park where our first mountain is situated: Mt. Meru. At the gate of the park we all sign the record book and then we get our gear from the bus. The park is great! We see loads of giraffes, buffaloes, baboons, zebras and warthogs, as we trek to up to our first hut, called Miriakamba Hut. I got my picture taken with the other bear on the trip, Henry. He’s smaller than me so I keep an eye on him. Then it’s time to chill and listen to my Ipod, and have some tea and popcorn that the porters prepare for us.



Our team of guides and porters are great. Thaddeus is our guide leader, along with Joseph, Moses and Douglas. Philbert is a Park Ranger and he has to carry a rifle, just in case we get into any danger. Pam does a bit of singing after dinner along with Joe and Pat again.

June 26th Day 4
After getting a cup of tea in our bunk beds we all rise and grab an early breakfast. Today we’re going to make our way up through the rain forest. It rains all the way so I only peeked out of Padraig’s rucksack for a minute to see where we are. It’s warm and dry in here! After about 4 hours we arrive at our next camp: the Saddle Hut.



We’re now at 3,500 meters and we all need to get a bit used to the altitude. You haven’t got as much energy up this high so it takes me a bit of time to get used to it. After a break we climb little Meru. On the Summit we all have a laugh and raise the Irish flag to celebrate our first summit. From here we can also see Meru very clearly and even Kilimanjaro, which are miles away. It’d great to be so high up above all the clouds in the beautiful sunshine; I had a great time getting my photo taken with some of the team: Kevin, Damien, Joanne and Tony.
We got down from Little Meru at about 5pm. Just in time for our dinner and a chat with Pat explaining about our attempt on Meru. Then off to bed because we have to get up at 1am to be ready for our summit attempt at 2am. Everybody’s a bit nervous but excited as well.

June 27th Day 5
This is our first big day so far. At 2am we all gather outside our hut ready to go – head torches lighting up the darkness. We all set off in a long line into the night and the unknown. What lies ahead we don’t know. All we know is that Meru will be a special place. As Joe told us, it was where our ancient ancestors could have come from. Slowly, step after step, we keep going. Thaddeus, our guide told me that it’s important to go really slowly. In his language, Swahili, the local language, he taught me the phrase “Pole, Pole” which means “Slowly, Slowly, and he promised to teach me a new word each day.
Mt. Meru is an extinct volcano so there’s loads of volcanic rocks and ash. Walking on the ash up hill is like walking up a big sand dune on a beach back home. You’re feet keep sliding back the hill. We head first to Rhino Point across the crater rim all the way to the summit.
It took us 6 hours of hard climbing to get there and some people found the altitude hard. I tried to help some of the members along, and I’m busy giving everyone a bit of encouragement. Lar, Irene, and Seamus were great. They flew up the mountain and encouraged the other team members to get there. As we climbed the sun began to rise and shine over Kilimanjaro some miles away. It’s a great sight and we all took some photos of the red and orange sky. The porters gave all of us a cup of tea on the summit and then we turned for home. All the team summated, which was great, at 4562, meters high.
It took us another 4 hours to get down, in really warm sunshine. I’m really warm as bears have a lot of fur. We took a break at the Saddle Hut and then we trekked down to the Miriakamba Hut, arriving at about 5.30pm. My Swahili word today is: Jambo ( Good Morning)



June 28th Day 6
We completed our trip to Mt. Meru by trekking down through the rain forest and back to the National Park main gate to sign the record book and get our bus back to Moshi. We had a lovely bus drive through all the coffee plantations back to our hotel. After everybody cleaned up and took a rest we had a lovely relaxed dinner and headed to bed early. My Swahili word today is: Twende! (Let’s go).



June 29th Day 7
We have a rest day to take it easy and relax by the pool. Like all bears, I’m a great swimmer.
After lunch we went into Moshi to shop. When we got off the bus, on the main street a load of people came over to us trying to sell us little gifts. They followed us all the way down the street, which was funny. We escaped by going in to a shop for a Coke. We sat in the shade and after a while we got the bus back to the hotel. We need to take it easy tonight because we begin Kilimanjaro tomorrow.
We had a lovely evening with a barbecue and some local music to entertain us.
My Swahili word today is: Ahsante. (Thanks).

June 30th Day 8
Thursday morning bright and early we leave our hotel. Today is the big day, when we set out to begin our climb of the highest mountain in Africa. It takes us about an hour, driving through the lovely countryside, to reach the foot of the mountain. Our first hint that we are getting close to our starting point is when we drive through Machame village. Soon we spot the Machame Gate at the foot of the mountain. Outside the gate loads of people are selling gaiters and trekking poles, so there is a great buzz of activity to greet us.
Our first job when we arrive at Machame Gate is to sign in, and then make sure we have all our gear. As we are close to the rain forest the morning is damp and grey, but our spirits are high and I think we are all ready for our adventure.
It takes us four hours to make our way through the rain forest. Our path is a like a corridor through some very dense forest. Trees tower all around us. By the end of the day, as we reach our first camp, we begin to leave the forest behind. We also begin to gain a better view of the mountain way above our heads. Tonight is the firs night that we are camping, because if you can remember, when we were on Mt. Meru, we used the mountain huts.
So this is our first real night under canvas and under the stars. It’s really lovely, but takes a bit of getting used to. Our camp site (Machame Camp) was on a slope, so when we got into our sleeping bags, it was hard to stop yourself sliding down to the bottom of the tent.
My Swahili word today is: Karibu (Welcome)



July 1st Day 9
A new day and a new month! After a lovely breakfast we roll up our sleeping bags and pack our gear, ready to face a new day. Our goal today is to reach Shira Camp.
As we set out we slowly leave behind much of the trees and moss and greenery, and replace it with a more rocky and dusty trail. This part of the mountain is called the alpine meadow. We constantly gain height. As our group makes progress up the mountain, Pat goes ahead of us to get some photos of the group. After a couple of hours we break for our lunch. Sitting around on large rocks we’re suddenly surrounded by large black and white birds with big beaks. They’re here to share our lunch! After a while we press on, up the trial, climbing over rocks and boulders.
We eventually reach Shira camp and have a very relaxing afternoon just to take it easy and acclimatise. Sitting around the tent reminded me of the days I spent on McKinley, when we were sitting out the bad weather. At least here on Kili we can enjoy some lively sunshine. Once everyone had settled in and unpacked their kit, as a group we sit around in a big circle and have a chat. Everyone is in good spirit’s and nice and relaxed. Lar suggests that we play Chinese poker for while. This is a game that Colette invented in Limerick and is just like ordinary poker. The only difference is that Colette can change any of the rules if she is loosing a hand! Lar and Joanne really get the hang of the game and beat everyone in sight.
My Swahili word today is: Mambo (How’s things?) Theresponse could be: Poa (Cool)

July 2nd Day 10
After a great rest at the Shira camp, we are really ready to face a new day and some new ground. Maria and Joe set the pace and we set off in a long line upwards and across the Shira plateau. The landscape is really weird. As Kili is an extinct volcano, this part of the mountain is littered with large volcanic rocks that must have been spewed out of the crater thousands of years ago when the mountain erupted. Some of the rocks in the almost desert landscape look like large footballs that have just rolled to a halted after such a violent eruption. There are now no plants or wildlife or evidence of much nature at all. It’s almost feels like you are walking on the moon.

We head for a place called Lava tower. After arriving we take a bit of a rest. The effects of altitude can now be felt a small bit so it’s important to be aware of this. After a bit to eat Joe takes a few of us a bit higher up the mountain and then we return to camp. This helps with our acclimatisation and is called “Climb high, sleep low.” As we are returning to our camp we see Killian and Pat at the top of the Lava Tower. Even though they are a long way off they shout and wave. I think they’re saying “Up Cork!” or something like that. This was the first cold night in the tents. Even with all my fur I was still felt a bit cold.
My Swahili word today is: Ni baridi (its cold)



July 3rd Day 11
We had a short climb today to reach Arrow Camp. It only took us about an hour and a half. Everyone is feeling really well.
Weare now situated just below the Arrow Glacier. I got my picture taken with Padraig, Colette, Mary and Tony. (By the way, Tony is a big fan of Roy Keane) The cliff face is in the background and on it is our first sight of snow and ice. After lunch we climb part of the head wall just to aid our acclimatisation once more and then we return to camp. As the Summit day will begin at midnight, it’s important that we get a bit of sleep and prepare for the long day tomorrow. Pat and Joe check up on everyone to make sure we are all OK.



My Swahili word today is: Habari (How are you?) The response could be: Nzuri (Good)

July 4th Day 12
This is our Summit day. It’s the 4th of July, so best wishes to all our friends in America! It’s just turned midnight and some of our porters come to ou r tents and offer us some tea and coffee to warm us up. It is cold and dark, but through the darkness you can hear all the talk, and people getting ready in the other tents. We gather in a circle outside our tents ready to go. After a short little prayer and some words of encouragement for Pat and Joe our team is ready! We have bonded like a family since we came together nearly two weeks ago, and so there is eagerness amongst everyone to look out for each other and make sure no one falls or gets hurt. Our ascent for the Summit will be via the Arrow Glacier and the Western Breach. We’re the only team attempting this route. Up to the Lava Tower we meet other groups from Denmark, Sweden and America but they all chose the Barafu Route. Climbing up the Arrow Glacier requires some scrambling and Damien comes into his own at this stage. Some spots are exposed and perilous so I try to keep an eye out for the less experienced members of the group. After all I’ve been on a lot of these mountains in such conditions before and anyway, bears aren’t afraid of heights.



It takes us 6 hours of climbing to reach the crater rim. All the time it is bitterly cold. We can only stop briefly for a rest as we begin to freeze if we stay stationary for too long. The water that we are carrying in our rucksacks begins to freeze with the cold of the night. Once we reached the crater rim we trek towards Uhuru Peak. On our left stands a huge glacier. It begins to glisten and shine as the first rays of sun appear.
As we make our way towards Uhuru Peak the sun begins to warm us up that bit more. It now becomes very pleasant and we all begin to feel that we are going to make it. As a group we hit the Summit at about 8am. There are hugs and kisses all around! Everyone feels great that we made it. It’s a proud moment for our entire group.



We pose by the summit with the Irish flag, and after taking loads of photo’s we decide that it’s time to make our descent. It is a long trek down which takes hours in the early morning sunshine. We descend down the scree and ash hills, jinking form side to side to halt our speed and keep our balance. We are like down hill skiers! We all eventually make it down to a lower camp where we rest after a very long day. We are exhausted but really proud. After this successful climb, Lar begins his plans to climb his next mountain: Aconcagua. Tony uses up his last bit of credit on his mobile phone to ring his family and say hello.
My Swahili word today is: Moja kwa moja (Straight ahead)

July 5th Day 13
Early next morning I’m up early. I decide to help the porters make some pancakes so I head for tent which has become the mobile kitchen. We have great fun because the porters are a real laugh.
Images Porters with breakfast After breakfast we begin our trek down hill through the rain forest and back to the Mweka exit gate. After saying good bye to all our guides and porters we get aboard our bus and head for our hotel in Moshi. First things first, it’s time for a long shower and an opportunity to clean up and relax.



After a lovely meal we have a disco and all the other guests and staff of the hotel join us in celebrating our successful climb. We have a really great night!
My Swahili word today is: Hakuna matata (No problem)



July 6th Day 14
Today is a sad day! It’s time to say goodbye to some of our group. We exchange mobile numbers and email addresses and have one last laugh together, then it’s into the bus and off on our safari. The rest of the trip hopefully will be relaxing and time to unwind after the mountain.



After a long drive of about 5 hours, driving across Tanzania, we reach Lake Manyara Lodge. We end the day with a nice relaxing meal and a chat.
My Swahili word today is: Kwa heri (Goodbye)

July 7th Day 15
We begin our day today with a short drive to Lake Manyara Safari Park. This is our first taste of seeing wild animals in their natural habitat. We take a small bus which has a large opening in the roof so that we can stand up and have a better view. I’m hoping to have a chat with all the different animals and maybe make friends with a few of them.



Today we see monkeys and giraffes and elephants on our travels. After lunch we begin a very long drive through the complete Serengeti. On our journey we stopped off at a Masai village. The Masai are a tall and elegant tribe that are found farming small herds of cattle on these vast plains. Most of them wear a simple read blanket called a Shuka. The members of the tribe are split into four categories: the farmers, the elders, the home makers and the warriors. In the little village we visited there was also a tiny little school made out of wood. All the students sang a song for us when we called to say hello and I got my picture taken with them.



It is dark when we arrive at our lodge. After our evening meal we meet some people from America and we have a sing song.

July 8th Day 16
Today we travel back in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater. Along the way we see hundreds of wildebeests and zebras migrating across the plains in search of water and fresh pastures for grazing.



We stop at some shops along the way and buy some souvenirs. You have to haggle the price with the shop owner so it takes a while to buy stuff. Irene was our official shopper. She was brilliant at getting the best prices. Sometimes we would only go into a shop just to see her in action.
In our lodge we are treated to an acrobatic display by some local performers, which was great. They were amazing!



July 9th Day 17
Today we enter into the Ngorongoro Crater itself. As we drive around we see lions sleeping in the sun, hippopotamuses in the middle of a lake, some elephants a long way off, and a cheetah that walked straight by our bus.



Mary had a pair of binoculars so she became our official spotter. If a tiny animal moved miles away, Mary would spot it! After spending a very enjoyable few hours there we then went back to Lake Manyara. Tonight’s entertainment came in the form of some local musicians.

July 10th Day 18
Today we headed back in the direction of a town called Arusha. It is a large town with some lovely shops. We stopped to buy more presents to bring home to Ireland. After taking a bit of a rest we went out for the evening to a lovely Chinese restaurant.

July 11th Day 19
Today we had a really early start. We got a bus from Arusha and drove all the way to the Tanzanian border and then back into Kenya. Our destination today is Nairobi to get our homeward bound flight for Ireland tomorrow. It is a pleasant day spent mostly travelling and ends with a nice meal. Colette had some friends in Nairobi, so we all went out with them for the evening to a nice restaurant.

July 12th Day 20
Our final day in Africa is spent touring the city of Nairobi. We go to a snake house and see all the reptiles. It was like a little zoo, and there w ere loads of school tours the day we were there. After that we went to the Karen Blixen house.



She was a famous author who wrote “Out of Africa”. After lunch we visited some giraffes. They were really tame and we got the chance to feed them all which was a bit of a laugh. Our last stop was to buy some jewellery and then it was off to the airport. When we got there we were glad to sit down and have a rest. Soon we were on a flight and heading for home.
All in all it was a really great trip. Not only have I got great memories of Kili and Africa, but I also made some great friends along the way.
I’m going to take it easy in Baltinglass for a few days because Pat has some work to do when we get home. Then we’re all off to Russia and what promises to be another great adventure. Thanks everyone for reading my diary and stay tuned for all the tales of snow and ice with Clare and Pat in Russia.


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