Kilimanjaro Update – 10/3/09
It’s been a while since I’ve posted as we spent more time on the upper mountain than we’d anticipated. After a great day on the 28th, I had probably my most challenging day on the 29th. On the scree field below Gillman’s Point, I spent the whole day on the winch. Each turn of the cranks seem to take all of my strength. First I started counting pedal strokes to give myself a goal of anywhere between 20 and 100. Then I started to pick out individual rocks that were about 10-12 feet away. It was all I could to keep going. Climbing the 200+ foot rope took hours, but eventually we reached the boulder field below Gillman’s. It proved impassable. My team and the porters assisted me and I was soon back on my way, rolling down into the crater.
With all the times that I’ve likened the vehicle to a Mars Rover, the crater might well have been the most appropriate place. The landscape looked the surface of Mars, or a desert, or the bottom of a dried lake, with the finest silt on the mountain. We camped at the base of the ridge that led to Uhuru Peak. As the sun set, we could see the peak sign at the end of the ridge.
At 18,000 feet sleep was surprisingly easy. No one on the team suffered anything more than a headache. The tent was covered in frozen condensation in the morning. In our fatigue and with the effects of altitude we’d neglected to open a vent, but the sun warmed us quickly and we started up the run-off trail to the ridge. Seki, our lead African guide, projected four hours to the summit.
The glaciers, which had looked like skullcaps from the bottom, towered stories in the air. With glimpses and light changes I thought I saw the Parthenon at one time, and a Navajo Village another. Looking at the glaciers was like looking for figures in changing clouds.
On the day, I alternated between the boards and riding freely. The boards that the porters laid made traction possible, but they also made the going slower. I tried at every chance to ride myself, though fully aware of the strains of altitude. There was much to look at with the crater to my right and the glacier to my left. As I marveled at the glacier, Seki said that many people hire airplanes to marvel at the ice. It was nice to know that I’d earned the view under my own effort.
As we approached a ridge, where the film crew setup, I asked Seki if we’d be able to see the summit from there. He assured me that we would, though he didn’t prepare me for the surprise that it was so close. The trail dipped down slightly, I shifted out of first gear for the first time in three days, and pedaled easily the few hundred yards to the summit. After such a difficult journey, it seemed strange that the last little bit might well have been the easiest. We’d earned the view over years of preparation. It took two hours from camp to the summit.
I felt like I’d made a statement that we as people could do whatever we wanted, but more profoundly, I saw the benefits of giving someone an opportunity. Last June we met Tajiri, a former porter on Kilimanjaro, who lost his leg in a landslide on the mountain that also took a few lives. Though I wasn’t sure until this trip how Tajiri fit with our project—we’ve been about wheels—we bought him prosthesis. When we summited on the 30th, Tajiri summited for the second time in two days. Seki told us that he will become famous in Tanzania for being the country’s first amputee to reach Uhuru Peak. In addition to climbing the mountain, Tajiri resumed a rhythm with the porters, his friends and former co-workers. He teased them as he walked. “I bet you never expected to see me back here. I’m back.” Tajiri seemed far more confident than I’d seen him before. Seki speculated that he’d been 80% recovered prior to the climb. He said that the climb returned him to 100%. I suspect that it might be more than that. I suspect that Tajiri might get a chance to do far more than he would have in his previous life. I might not have clearly seen the connection between Tajiri and our project prior to our climb, but now I see that he has the ability to change lives. He already has.
Photos © Mike Stoner
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Chris,
Way to go! Just fantastic! Ginger
We’ve been waiting for the summit photos……fantastic!!
Congratulations to you and your team!!
Hope to see you stateside soon,
Ellen, Ethan, Asher, Zane and Wayne
Awesome, Awesome photos! Beautiful glaciers in the background. Not everyone will experience that. Congratulations!
Roni Sue, Brian, Matthew and Halia
We are so proud you made the climb but more importantly is that your foundation has helped Tajiri. Individual accomplishments are fine, but assisting others to better themselves is much more important.
One-rvolution is shining a light on the adaptive community. You’re not finished, Keeping climbing.
Congratulations
Chris,
Absolutely unbelievable. Jamie and I are so happy for you.
What you have done is nothing less then amazing.
Nick
Looking at the summit pictures made my heart smile for you. You set out to do it and you did! You have accomplished to much, affected so may and it just continues, with Tajiri being the newest. You have definitely shown the worked. You have definitely shown the world that when a person sets their mind to accomplish the unbelievable! Congratulations Chris, you are definitely the best! I would want you on my team anytime..
Charity
Big congratulations. What an incredible, fantastic and moving journey. Hope you’re celebrating!
What a great post, Chris. You made the summit but that’s just the beginning; it was merely the start of the momentum that will now keep you moving toward bigger things. You showed the world that you can do whatever you want and now you’re showing others that they can too and you’re helping to give them the tools to do it. This adventure brought so much attention to what one man can do and it’s awesome that you’re taking that beyond just what you needed to prove to yourself. Turning your life into a powerful tool to help others – we should all be so motivated. You’ve certainly make me think about what good I can do for the world today. Congratulations and may everyone be inspired by your example.
Congratulations! You and your team are an inspiration to us all. I am your cousin Meg’s next door neighbor, and have followed your journey through her. What a relief to know that you were not only successful, but are also safe and from your pictures, smiling! I look forward to meeting you next time you are in Wellesley. I sent your website link to everyone in my address book-your inspiration is far and wide.
M.A. Gallerani, Wellesley, MA
Your torch ignites others to pick up theirs and carry on (Tajiri). My “name tag” for you…. humble stud. Shine on…roll on…one rev.
Congratulations!!! WTG!!! You are truly an inspiration to many. What an awesome testimony!!
I thought I’d done ok to get to the top, but after passing you just after Horombo Huts on my way back down I felt very Humbled. Well done to you and your team. Let’s hope It will inspire more people to live their dreams.
Good Luck and all the best
CONGRATULATIONS on a valiant achievement! Your physical efforts are monumental and the good work the foundation is doing is overwhelmingly inspiring. You and your team should be so proud. Take good care of yourself and God Bless.
Mary Jo
You have so much to be proud of! I don’t think there is a mountain
on the face of the earth that Chris cannot climb or any valley low enough that he can’t get himself out of ! I really look forward to your next challenge, I guess the Great Wall of China event. I look forward to that event and a sponsorship for you Chris.
Rest up and enjoy some much needed time off. (R & R).
Andrea