Day 9 - Hiking From Crater Camp to Stella Point and Then Down to Millenium Camp - 30 Sep 2014

Nearly all the climbers in the group on the night of 29 September, i.e. our summit day, really felt the cold more than usual that night in Crater Camp .  It got down to about 10 degrees and there were occasional gusts of strong wind that sometimes carried pellets of snow.  Most of us were quite tired from the very early start earlier that day which began in the dark and from the long ascent to the summit.  Some of us arrived in Crater Camp after dark.  A few of the Mufindi Mountaineers were even feeling a bit ill by the time they got into Crater Camp, and at least one climber was nursing a very sore knee.  It was close to being a disabling injury.

In the middle of the night, one of the porters became desperately ill and the guides and porters organized his evacuation while the rest of us slept.  It seems that this porter had started the trip with some chest congestion.  It never cleared up and eventually compromised his ability to breathe at high altitude.  The remaining guides and porters would have to take his place and carry the things that he and the rescue party had to leave behind in camp.  We learned later that the evacuation was successful and the porter was recovering well.

The morning of 30 September dawned bright and clear.  We ate a good breakfast and we tried to get an early start so that we could reach Millennium Camp in the early afternoon. 

We started at 18,800 ft. in Crater Camp and finished at Millennium Camp which is situated at an elevation of 12,500 ft.  The toll on toenails and knees was noticeable given this 6,300 ft. drop in a single day.

In the afternoon, once we were settled into Millennium Camp, the head guide organized the "Tipping Ceremony" and the climbers presented their tips and thanks to the assembled guides, cooks, and porters.  It would be a time for recognition.  The crew also saluted the climbers with a rousing song. Unfortunately, I have been unable to download this video.

We started the day under blue skies with the sun shining, but by the time we got to Stella Point, we could see lots of clouds below us which were starting to billow up toward us.  During the last half of our descent that day, we were often in a heavy fog. 

Along the way, we passed one of the largest campsites on Kilimanjaro called Barafu Camp.  It is located at 15,325 ft. near the intersection of many climbing routes on the mountain.  One of these is called the Coca-Cola Route because of its popularity and relatively short length.  Many trekkers on this route don't make it to the summit because they are not properly acclimatized and mountain sickness gets to them before they reach the summit.




The morning of 30 September in our Crater Camp was cold, but we were cheered by very blue skies and the rising sun.  Not everyone had a good night's sleep given our elevation, just 550 ft. below the Uhuru Summit.

 

There was a little bit of time to explore features of the crater that were near
Crater Camp.  This is Furtwangler Glacier which sits entirely inside the
crater, unlike almost all of the other glaciers on Kibo which sit just outside
the crater rim.

 

Another shot of the Furtwangler Glacier.  The previous day, some members of our team had tried to reach Reusch Crater and the Ash Pit inside the main crater after summiting, but they had to turn back due to poor visibility.

 

Some fresh windblown snow had accumulated near us during the night.  More would be visible on Mawenzi Peak and below Stella Point as we descended the mountain.

 

 

A good view of Crater Camp from Furtwangler Glacier.  The camp sits just below the summit. We came down this slope, some of us in the dark, after reaching Uhuru Summit the previous day. 

Furtwangler Glacier near Crater Camp.  This may have been the site of the world's highest ever cricket game played on the 26th of January, just 3 days before our arrival.

It is time to head down the mountain.  We are now moving away from Crater Camp and headed east toward Stella Point.  This is a view looking back toward the Furtwangler Glacier.

L-R Rich Wortley, Robert DeWolf, David Still, & Jennifer Lindwall.

The top of the rise in the distance is the rim of Reusch Crater and the Ash Pit, both inside the main Kibo Crater.  That high spot on this ridge is nearly as high as the Uhuru Summit.

We are moving toward Stella Point which is located on the eastern edge of Kibo Crater.

Compared to the previous day, we have much better visibility in Kibo Crater as we start down so everyone eventually gets a good look at the crater and some of its features like these glaciers on the north rim. 

Group photo at Stella Point just before we start the descent.  L-R Anthony Welcher, Rich Wortley, Tom Miller, Robert DeWolf, Jennifer Lindwall, David Still, Gary Drobnack, Rick Billingham, Alexandra Branch, Chris Branch, Alicia Chapman, and Tom Reveley.

 

Some of the Rabbits line up to be first in line as we drop over the edge and head toward Millennium Camp.

 

The dusting of snow on the slopes of Mawenzi Peak and the valley to our right occurred during the night that we slept in Crater Camp.

Far below us, there is a sea of low lying clouds that will soon start to rise rapidly and engulf us as the day progresses.

Close-up view of the west flank of Mawenzi Peak.



Tom Miller finally reveals the secret to his summit success.

The dusting of snow that fell overnight was quite localized.

On the windy slopes, most of the snow was gone except in sheltered places like the bottoms of these ledges.

 

 

 

Clouds from below are starting to rise rapidly as we drop in elevation.

Mawenzi Peak is also getting a new blanket of clouds as the day progresses.

While the sun is out and it is fairly warm, we pause for a drink and a snack.

Alexandra Branch enjoying her break.

Tom Miller and his personal porter are looking for the tasty snacks they have packed away somewhere.

Anthony Welcher is snacking and looking for a phone signal.



Rick Billingham is all smiles as he catches his breath.

 

The person in the red vest is a climber with another party who got turned around by her guides as she developed acute mountain sickness while trying for the summit.

The clouds continue to rise and get closer to our location.

We are getting closer to Barafu Camp.

The clouds are starting to form a fog bank in front of us.

Very soon we will lose the sun for the rest of the day.

There is no vegetation to see at this elevation, just rock, a few lichens, and patches of snow.

Mt. Mawenzi is nearly covered in clouds before midday.

Our group on the right is passing another group that has paused to take a rest.

Our first view of Barafu Camp.  The white tarp is used to collect snow and rainwater for drinking.  There are many tents at Barafu Camp and many groups have spent their last night here before summiting and heading back here the same day.  This very crowded camp is not that appealing compared to our more remote camps.

We have moved past and below Barafu Camp and will soon be in Millennium Camp.

We come across a cache of stretchers alongside the trail each having one wheel with springs attached to it.  The occupant in the stretcher lies on a mattress inside his/her sleeping bag and is securely tied down, under a poncho if necessary.  Six to eight porters surround the person in the stretcher and carefully guide it down the mountain.  Terrain permitting, they will be running.  Occasionally they will have to stop to lift the stretcher and its occupant completely off the ground to negotiate steep or otherwise tricky spots in the trail.  One member of our climbing party had to spend his last day on the mountain riding down the mountain on one of these stretchers.  It was quite a ride!

 

Close up of the wheel and the springs.

Here the entire stretcher and its undercarriage are visible, including the rails that the carriers grasp during the ascent.

As we continue to drop in elevation, we move back into the moorland and heather vegetation zones.

We are very close to Millenium Camp at this stage.

Porter Hussein Hussein has just checked in at the Ranger Station at Millennium Camp.

 The elevation here is 12,500 ft.

L-R David Still, Pendaely Lauwo, and  Gary Drobnack are ready for a good rest now that they are settled in Millennium Camp.





 

These are all our guides, porters, cooks, and other helpers assembled for the "Tipping Ceremony" which begins after they have completed a series of songs and chants to entertain us. [I will try to post the songs they sang for us on my Facebook page]

The tips having been presented, we all assemble for a group photo.

Quite a large number of these birds, which I believe to be some kind of dove, were seen in the Millennium Camp.

The white-necked ravens were also out in great numbers and snacking on anything they could find.

 

The skies started to clear only slightly on the 30th of September as we finished our dinner and went to bed, but this is what we woke up to on the morning of our 10th and final day on the mountain.

 

As one member of our Mufindi Mountaineers team had a badly compromised knee following the long descent during our 9th day, he was prevailed upon by our head guide, and others on the team, to ride out the last day on one of the stretchers we had seen earlier in the descent.  This was a good choice in terms of our group's schedule and for the safety of the climber who agreed to this rather daunting undertaking.  The stretcher evacuation did tie up more porters on the last day, leaving more for the others to carry, but they executed extremely well overall.  It was an impressive operation with a good outcome.

 

Our last day on the mountain will be covered in the next blog post.