[See World Series] Kilimanjaro's Snow Climbs Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa (1)

In front of him, he can see that it is as magnificent as the whole world, majestic and towering, incredibly white in the sun, and that is the square top of Kilimanjaro.

-Hemingway's Snow of Kilimanjaro, 1936.

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro is 5895 meters above sea level, located in central Africa, on the equator. It is not only the highest peak in Africa, but also the highest independent peak in the world, and it is also one of the highest volcanoes in the world. It is also the most popular of the seven peaks in the world, with more than 25,000 climbers coming every year, about half of whom can reach the top. From the scorching equatorial heat to the top of the mountain covered with snow all year round, this is a veritable "ice and fire" journey. In order to promote local economic development and provide more job opportunities for local guides and backpackers, Kilimanjaro National Park stipulates that every climber must use the services of local mountaineering companies and hire qualified guides, and it is forbidden to climb independently.

Kilimanjaro has more than ten climbing routes, including seven main climbing routes, and the actual time spent on the mountain is one week. These seven routes are: Malangu route, Macham route, Le Moshe route, Wengbei route Umbwe, Sheila route, Northern track and Rong 'ai route, and Mwekamweka route dedicated to downhill. The route of Lemosho we chose is relatively new and there are fewer people, so it can be called the most beautiful route. The hiking distance of this route is longer, and you can enjoy more scenery in the process of adapting to the altitude. The first half of the route can reach the top of Mount Sheila, one of the three volcanoes that make up Mount Kilimanjaro, with an altitude of 3,872 meters. The second half of the route also passes through the lava tower with an altitude of 4,700 meters. The two high points on the way are very helpful for altitude adaptation, so the success rate of climbing to the top is very high. The whole route is tent camping.

The best climbing season for Kilimanjaro is from June to 10, which is cold and dry (the climate is dry in August and September, so there is no need to be disturbed by rain), or from February to March in full of green, but it has not yet reached the rainy season. Considering that Kilimanjaro is most crowded from June to 10, and summer is the best climbing season in BC province, for us living in Vancouver, the period from 12 to March of the following year is the best. The summit begins at midnight. It is suggested that on a full moon night, the light is bright and the line of sight is good to increase the success rate of summit. Astronomers can consider starry nights.

After climbing, it is necessary to have a hunting trip (that is, a beast-watching trip) in Serengeti National Park in Sang Ya and Ngorongoro Volcano Reserve. Grassland hunting activities can be participated in all the year round, but it is best to participate in the animal migration period of 65438+ 10 and February every year. If you are lucky, you can see the five famous African countries, namely elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, lion and leopard. Among them, elephants and buffaloes are tired of watching, lions are more likely to be tired of watching, and rhinos and leopards look at their personalities. Other herbivores, such as giraffes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, ostriches, monkeys, wild boar and hippos, are abundant. If you are not a photographer, 3-5 days of grassland hunting is enough. On the way to hunting in the grassland, you can also visit the Masai tribe living in the grassland and experience the unique foreign culture of the primitive tribe.

The mountaineering service fee for this trip is about $0.500 per person/kloc-0, including airport pick-up, 2 nights accommodation for Mohi, round trip between Mohi and the mountain gate, all accommodation on the mountain, with an average of 2-3 people 1 tour guide, 3 backpackers per person, 8 days camp fee, license fee and basic insurance, which is what we call the all-inclusive price. According to the number of days on the mountain, it is about $200 per person per day. Log cabin hotels and tent hotels average almost $300 a day, which is also all-inclusive

Day1Moshi–Lemosho Mountain Gate (2250m)–Mkubwa Camp in Moxi Town (2650m).

After two connecting flights in Calgary and Amsterdam, more than 20 hours later, a group of 12 outdoor people from North America finally arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport and Moxi, the nearest city to Kilimanjaro. Moxi Town has 3G network coverage, and the hotel also has free Wi-Fi. The local mobile phone SIM card is less than $ 10, containing 2GB ~ 3GB of data, and the communication fee is not expensive. But the time on the mountain is basically isolated from the world.

After meeting with the local mountaineering company, a large force of 50 people was formed, which can be described as vast. Everyone's eyes are full of expectation and excitement, and everyone is eager to try. I don't know which porter sang the song of Kilimanjaro first;

Jambo, Jambo Bwana, (hello, hello sir)

Habari Ghani, (How are you?)

Mzuri sana。 (very thin. )

Wageni, mwakaribishwa, (foreigner, you're welcome,)

Kilimanjaro, (to Kilimanjaro)

Hack Matata. (No problem. )

The simple, primitive and heartfelt dance of African brothers really makes people want to stop and don't want to leave. Their enthusiasm and good singing and dancing infected everyone who was about to go to Kilimanjaro, accompanied us on a happy journey and accepted a severe test.

According to the rhythm of Africa, buy good materials and start. It's getting dark After walking in the rainforest for two hours, I arrived at Mti Mkubwa camp, and all kinds of excitement stayed up all night.

The next day, Mkubwa camp (2650 meters)-? Shira 1 camp (36 10/0m)

After getting up at six in the morning, my husband prepared warm water, hot coffee and chocolate for washing, and breakfast was also very rich. Bread, fried eggs, jam and black rice paste are all made from millet flour and other coarse cereals with unknown ingredients. Although it is difficult to swallow, it is nutritious, and it is salty and sweet with mustard tuber or brown sugar. It is a powerful weapon against high reflex in mountaineering.

It takes eight kilometers in five hours to arrive at Sheila 1 camp at two o'clock in the afternoon and officially enter the high altitude area. In the evening, the clouds gradually dispersed, and Kilimanjaro finally unveiled its mysterious veil, which was tall, beautiful and desirable. The snow-covered top of the mountain sparkled in the setting sun. Kilimanjaro snow, can I carry you to the clouds?

After waiting for dinner for a long time, maybe the high altitude made our tongues dull, or maybe the chef was afraid that there would not be enough food in the next few days and added more water to the soup. The main course came late. Looking at the food provided, the carnivore was somewhat disappointed.

After waiting for dinner for a long time, maybe the high altitude made our tongues dull, or maybe the chef was afraid that there would not be enough food in the next few days and added more water to the soup. Looking at the food provided, the carnivore was somewhat disappointed. It's not bad to think about these chefs in mountaineering cooperation: they are facing the most picky diners because of their height. Every day, they make all kinds of limited ingredients that they carry up the mountain, and they also strictly follow the professionalism of appetizers, main courses and desserts when serving. The main course is usually spaghetti with meat sauce and rice with meat sauce. The meat is not easy to keep fresh, so it will be gone in two days, and it will be replaced by English fried fish and fried chicken. It's just that fish are like submarines that have landed for several months, and chickens are sunburned too much. In the last few days, we almost ran out of ammunition and food, and the meat and vegetables disappeared collectively. French vegetables are a hodgepodge, and the main course is rice, noodles and potatoes in turn. Some teammates complained that the green pepper stew was too bad. I said to myself, you can't understand the true meaning of "stew"! The reason why there are no cucumbers and leaves in cucumber soup is because of the hot air. In the kitchen tent at the top of the mountain, two dusty local chefs set off fireworks and watched a pot of "glug" cucumber soup with glassy eyes. Outside the tent, a group of hungry villagers jumped up and down, closed their eyes or prepared instant noodles. ...

On the third day, Sheila 1 camp (36 10 m)-? Camp Sheila 2 (3,850m)

The Sila Plateau is basically a flat road, which belongs to the plateau meadow area. It is dry, cold and windy, and most of the vegetation is short. Looking around, there are clumps of dark green grass everywhere, with white and yellow flowers in between. Dark brown volcanic rocks are scattered on the ground, as if walking on the desolate moon.

Crossing the plateau plain, we did not continue along the mountainside, but directly reached the highest peak of the Sheila Plateau, the Cathedral Point. This climb is steep, climbing on black volcanic rocks. Take your staff and use your hands and feet. At noon, it reached the peak of the cathedral at an altitude of 3872 meters.

There was a mist on the top of the mountain, and it began to rain soon. It took me five hours to walk to the camp at 2 pm and ten kilometers. Maybe the road is going a little fast. After arriving at the camp, people showed symptoms of hyperreflexia, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and rapid heartbeat. Kilimanjaro's main climbing route is not technically difficult. It is a "mountain that goes straight to the sky". As long as the season is chosen properly, most people who are healthy, well-prepared and well-trained can reach the summit without encountering unexpected bad weather. The biggest difficulty in reaching the summit is not physical fitness, but adapting to high altitude. The most important thing is to control the rising speed and sleep at high altitude. And give the body enough time to adapt to the changes in altitude. Keep enough drinking water during hiking, at least 4 liters a day. The dry environment on the mountain will take away a lot of water in your body through every breath, and drink plenty of water to avoid blood from becoming sticky, thus ensuring the oxygen supply capacity of blood. People who are not allergic to drugs can also take special drugs to help relieve mountain symptoms, such as Diamox.

Rest in the camp in the afternoon, and in the evening, the clouds gradually dispersed, and Kilimanjaro was seen in the sunshine on the camp, which was closer to it.