With the exception of wind burned faces and this small blister, we both have managed to avoid any serious injuries. I am still not feeling 100% and am beginning to wonder if my ataxia (loss of balance) at the top was due to an allergic reaction to a Diamox pill I had taken twenty minutes earlier. It was my first dose ever of this drug which is supposed to improve the bloods ability to carry oxygen at high altitude. In the end it does not matter, Charles made the correct decision to send me down as continuing to ascend would have been life threatening in either scenario (AMS or Diamox reaction).

Nico started the climb with a brand new set of crutches donated to him by the Walk Easy Company. By the end of day six they looked like they had been through a war zone. The new shock absorbing tips he used made a big difference because they reduced the wear and tear on his hands and they articulated very well giving him much better purchase on uneven rocks.

When we wake up this morning we will have both slept for over 12 hours which is a good thing as we still have 19 kilometers between us and the Marangu gate which will take us 9 hours to reach.

Nicolai returns to our Kibo base camp after a rapid two hour descent expecting to find me there. Because I have descended via the Barafu route (designated for emergency use because it is the fastest way off the top) I am on a different side of the mountain. Each of us will have to descend for another three hours before we are reunited at the Horombo Huts camp at about 6PM.

Nico pauses for a rest before another round of scree running as he descends. Click on the photo for a good look at the small volcanic rocks that constitute scree. The trick, while sliding down the slope on the equivalent of a field of marbles, is to avoiding collisions with the larger rocks like the one on which Nico is sitting.

At 11:18AM Nicolai stands at the summit of Kilimanjaro having achieved his dream and demonstrated the passion, determination, and grit that define his character. It will be several hours before I learn of his success, at which time I nearly burst with pride and admiration for my son who went up the mountain a boy and came down a man.

Fotunately, before descending I have the where with all to pass my camera to Charles who continues to document Nicolai’s ascent.

This photo, taken shortly after 10AM, is the last one I will take while on top of Kilimanjaro. After this rest stop we will continue past Stella Point (5739m) at which time I develop symptoms of severe AMS (acute mountain sickness). I become disoriented and lose the ability to balance while standing up. After climbing for almost six days and ascending 3800m I am ordered to immediately descend with 140m remaining to Uhuru Peak. Charles gives Nico ten seconds to decide if he will descend with me or continue to the summit. Nico is torn, not wanting to be seperated from his father. I tell him that I want him to continue and that he will have to summit for the both of us. At about 10:30AM, with the assistance of Lasti, I begin an emergency descent down the Barafu trail. Using tandem scree running (with Lasti keeping us upright and steering us around the boulders) we descend 1100m in less than one hour literally running down the steepest part of the mountain. Each stride would carry as 10-15 feet as we used gravity to ski down the loose rocks. Despite fearing for my life, it was the most thrilling thing I have ever experienced.

Because we have taken longer to ascend than normal the clouds are now starting to roll in. Nothing, however, diminishes the feeling of being on top of the world.

Here is a picture of the summit as we make our approach. If you click on the photo you can actually see the sign for Uhuru Peak in the upper right hand corner.

Here we are looking down into the crater of the volcano and across to the northern ice fields.

Shortly after 9AM we are passing by the glacier fields which according to most estimates will have vanished by the year 2015 robbing Kilimanjaro of its very distinctive white cap.

Finally, at just after 8AM we reach Gilman’s Point. The top of this dormant volcano is a rim and we have reached it. At this point we will receive credit for climbing the mountain but Nico decides he wants to continue around the rim to the highest point at Uhuru Peak.

We climbed for another 2 hours before pausing to watch the sun rise at 6AM. Here we are looking down onto Mawenzi and the clouds below. For Nicolai this was the turning point. Once the sun came up he found new energy to continue. Unfortuantely, with the sun came a thawing of the scree on which we were walking. For the next two hours every step we would take would have us sliding backwards almost an equal distance on what is the steepest and most difficult part of the climb.

We got a wake up call at 11:30PM last night and had breakfast at midnight this morning. We started our summit bid at 1AM. Nico says that he knew it was going to be gruelling 2 minutes after we started. I reached the same conclusion about three minutes later.  At this altitude it was possible to take 5 or 6 steps before needing to rest for several minutes. I could either choose to walk or talk, I could not do both at the same time. Until we paused at Hans Meyer Cave (pictured here) at 4AM for a snack, I did not have the energy to get my camera out. The picture is blurry because it was everything I could do to stand still without shaking. The wind chill was in the twenty below range. Nico was totally exhausted and we still had the most difficult part of the climb ahead of us.

We arrive at the Kibo Huts by noon and for the first time encounter other climbers. Those on the decent warn of treatcherous switchback and ice covered paths on the rim. One seems hell bent on convincing me that the ascent is too dangerous for Nicolai and that we should turn back. For the first time Nico has lost his appetite and it takes some coaxing to get him to eat enough carbs for the gruelling climb ahead. After lunch/dinner we spend several hours getting our clothing and gear in order for the summit attempt. Nico has now learned the importance of having exactly the right gear for the conditions we will face and is fully engaged in the 2 hour process of preparing for the climb. We will sleep as much as we can before our wake-up call at 11:30PM. This amounts to little more than three hours for each of us. The outside air temperature is now below zero and we must bring our water bladders and bottles into our sleeping bags to keep them from freezing.