Bedfordview woman shares her experience of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro
|Published
Johannesburg - When Alison Smith set a goal to summit Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, she had no idea of the humbling experience that lay ahead.
Kili is Africa’s highest mountain and is located in Tanzania. It reaches the highest summit at 5 895m. After an eight-hour flight to Ethiopia and another three hours to Tanzania, Smith found herself face to face with the mountain that would humble her in ways she had never been before.
The 42-year-old Bedfordview resident started planning her expedition a year in advance, which included joining a gym, getting a personal trainer and a meal plan to get her in peak physical condition for what was surely going to be an arduous journey.
“I have never been on a hike. I even bought the wrong clothing and equipment. But I figured that I was bound to make mistakes. Almost daily, I asked myself, ‘Alison, what did you get yourself into?’” she giggled, reflecting on the enormity of what she was able to achieve and just how difficult it was.
But she had the support of her partner, Neha Patel, her son, Cole, and the prayers of family and friends back home which would prove to be the final fire as the summit came into sight.
“Nobody knew that I paid for the expedition. In fact, they could not believe that I was tackling Kili. I didn’t even know anyone who had done it. I know that on a spiritual level, it came from somewhere,” she said.
Smith said while there are many groups that climb, the journey is for you and you alone. After an hour’s drive from the resort she had been staying in before her trek, Smith was now on the verge of facing her most difficult challenge ever. After being introduced to her guide and porters, who would later prove to be her guardian angels, she quickly struck up a friendship with a woman from Durban, who became her friend and support on the mountain but ultimately had to turn back. More about that later.
“Your guide tells you whether you are adequately equipped for the journey. The porters can only carry 25kg of your belongings and things that you need. The porters are skinny but very fit. I wondered how they would manage,” she reflected.
There is a phrase the porters use on the climb, “Pole Pole”, which means “slowly, slowly” or “careful” and it’s this phrase that helped Smith navigate the merciless terrain that is Kili.
“The night before the climb I was instructed to go to sleep as we were leaving at 6am the next morning. That was the last proper bath and sleep I had for seven days. At this stage, you also don’t interact with the other climbers. Everyone is in their own heads for what lies ahead. You also have to ask the mountain for permission. You cannot go there with arrogance. The mountain will let you or it won’t,” Smith said.
With good weather and high spirits, the climbers set off.
“I kept telling myself that I am going on an adventure. This was also the last contact with my family. You have to at this stage tell them that if they don’t hear from you within seven days, this is the number to call. I was very emotional. I didn’t know if I would come back. I believed I would. I also had something to prove to my partner, my son, family and friends. And I promised them that I would be back,” she added.
Smith’s son was turning 11 while she was on the mountain and she promised to wish him happy birthday from the summit.
Day one went well and after a five-hour climb they reached their first camp.
“At this stage we were just climbing through tropical forests to get above the clouds. This is also not like climbing the Drakensberg or any other mountain. You are constantly going uphill,” she said.
By day three, climbers reach 3 750m elevation. You have to perform your ablutions out in the open and this part of the journey is not for the faint-hearted or the shy. You are fed pasta, potatoes and porridge to keep the energy reserves up. The guide makes sure that you eat enough and that you stay hydrated.
Day three proved very challenging for Smith.
“Just like in life, you are faced with obstacles. On the mountain, I told myself to just get the day done. Once I regained my confidence I was able to soldier on. My friend from Durban was not so lucky though. This is also where the guides have serious conversations with the climbers about the dangers of pushing ahead. Death being the ultimate price a climber could pay. I looked at my friend and knew she wasn’t going to make it. I too felt scared at this stage,” Smith recalled.
Fast-forward to day four. At this stage, Smith admitted she had nothing left in the tank.
“I swear I heard the prayers from my loved ones and friends. I rested and carried on. That’s how I made it,” she said.
But the worst was yet to come. One kilometre from the summit, delirium set in. She was no longer able to walk. She was shuffling and falling around. It was dark and cold. Her guide kept catching her to avoid injury. She did hurt her knee. She also needed to relieve herself.
“I remember my guide helping me unfasten the four bottom layers I was wearing. He pulled my pants down. I peed but I saw no wet spot. I suspect I may have peed on his hands,” she said.
Smith said the guides and porters have seen the joys and agonies of the climbers so a little pee was nothing.
“Then Godson, yes, that’s his name, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to turn around. I saw the sun rising and I knew I had just a few hundred metres to reach the summit. He literally carried me so that I could reach my dream. And I did. The feeling of standing on that peak is indescribable. It wasn’t just for me. It was for everyone. For my son. I wanted to show him that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. The sheer joy and adrenalin made me forget about the searing pain in my legs and my entire body. My numb brain. All I knew was that I did it.”