Mt. Kilimanjaro - The cloud kingdom

" ... a vast mountain of gold and silver in the far interior, the approach to which was guarded by evil spirits."

- Johann Rebmann, after sighting Kilimanjaro on May 11, 1848

The existence of high mountains in East Africa was known to Europeans as far back as the first century A.D., when a Greek merchant sighted "a snowy range of mountains" during a journey through inland Kenya and Tanzania. Ptolemy included these peaks on his early maps of Africa, placing them near the head of the Nile River. In the sixteenth century, Spanish explorer Fernandez de Encisco wrote: " West of [Mombassa] stands the Ethiopian Mountain Olympus, which is exceedingly high, and beyond it are the Mountains of the Moon, which are the sources of the Nile."

The mysterious mountains of East Africa - and the existence of snow near the equator - were a point of curiosity and controversy for European explorers for centuries.

"There, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro."

- Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro. There are few mountains in the world whose name evokes as much passion, wonder, and awe. From Hemingway's famous short story to the classic John Wayne film Hatari!, Kilimanjaro has always held a unique place in both the Western and African psyche. This esteem is quite deserved; the equatorial spire exudes seduction like a concupiscent Circassian concubine.

The Mountain of the God of Cold ... Kilimanjaro's name has been a source of speculation for years. Most historians and anthropologists believe the first part of the word Kilimanjaro - kilima - is a corruption of the Swahili word for "mountain" - mlima. However, the prefix ki is confusing because in Swahili, the addition of ki makes a noun diminuitive, so kilima means "small mountain." It is thought the diminuitive reference is one of affection for the mountain.

The second part of the word - njaro - is open to much greater debate. Some believe njaro is derived from the Swahili word ngara, which means "to shine." Others believe it comes from the Wachagga word for caravan, since in the early days of East Africa exploration, caravans used the mountain as a landmark. Some believe njaro refers to a demon who was thought by coastal residents to cause cold. Still others believe njaro is a corruption of the Masai word for water, ngare, since Kilimanjaro is a water source for much of the Masai territory that lies north and east of it.

It is often said that Kilimanjaro is the biggest freestanding mountain in the world, in that it is not connected to other peaks in a range. The massif is 40 miles long, 30 miles wide, 200 miles south of the equator, and lies entirely within the United Republic of Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is a complex mountain. It is comprised of three separate extinct volcanoes: Kibo (5,895 meters / 19,341 feet), Mawenzi (5,149 meters / 16,893 feet), and Shira (3,962 meters / 12,999 feet).

The summit of Kibo, referred to as Uhuru Peak, is the highest point on the African continent. Due to its tremendous height and the mountain's proximity to both the equator and the Indian Ocean, Kilimanjaro boasts five major ecological zones: monkey-infested tropical rain forests to fields of glacial ice.

Switching from the objective to the subjective ... the hike into the cloud kingdom simply rocks like a lyrical, lithical, mythical shaman. Originally sheduled to walk alone, I was asked by the guide to wait an extra day so we could be joined by additional climbers from Europe: a girl from San Francisico and two female students from the University of Melbourne. Hmm, the guide's geographical acumen didn't fill me with confidence. At any rate, we made a fun, kookily quirky quartet. We selected the Marangu Route; a five-day jaunt of amazing topographical diversity, ascending stages of physical challenge, and positively stunning vistas. Views of natural beauty too lovely and transcendent for simile.

The challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro does not lie in technical skill but rather acclimatizing to the rapid change in altitude. Human physiology is amusing; when the body craves oxygen it communicates this need through powerful projectile vomiting. Inhale - exhurl. A couple members of our merry band experienced dizziness and frequent retching so we ambled along to the mountain's mantra of pole - pole (Swahili for "slowly, slowly"). Moving along at the speed of a cantering three-toed sloth seemed an unnatural pace but was certainly a wise and prudent measure ... I was quite fortunate to remain healthy and energetic for the entire ascent.

"The heights by great ones reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept
Were toiling upwards in the night."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The final stage of the climb begins at midnight so one can traverse the precipitous scree while it remains frozen. This is the only section of the entire climb that involves any semblance of fortitude. Frequent snow, steep inclination, and the darkness of night contribute to the fify-percent attrition rate. Our motley crew fared well; all but one Aussie girl reached the summit by daybreak.

I am proud to relay that I was by far the ugliest person who reached Uhuru Peak. The other climbers all resembled fashion plates from a North Face catalogue; I was the only one without a jacket or hiking boots. The REI group from the States took great delight in my unusual garb: a beanie-like stocking cap I found on a bench in London, multiple asynchronous shirts (one an aloha gem), a faded bandana veil, Morimoto-san's beat-up running shoes, bright blue socks courtesy of British Airway's care package, and the red and black plastic bags wrapped around my feet to keep them dry. Function before fashion, baby.

Standing atop Kilimanjaro when the pale crescent moon and rising tabasco dawn were divding the heavens ... gazing across the expansive African savannah with a chill on the face and a twinkle in the eye .. I realized the opinion that 'all good things must come to an end' is a confession of fatalism that this nomad's hand will never sign.

- meandering to the coast

Mfalme wa tubili wakiume (Swahili: the King of the Monkey Men)

P.S. Today, the ninth of December, is Tanzania's Independence Day.

Go W I L D ! ! !