Day 6, The Summit Summons (by Dave)
This was written by Dave, describing his ascent toward the summit on the last day. Make sure to look at the other “summit” blogs by Kelly, James and Ryan.
February 22, 2010
Dave Solomon:
We had just climbed and hiked 6 1/2 hours, mostly in the rain, after scaling the great Barranco wall. My legs were weary of going up and down seemingly neverending ridgelines and valleys, but after 5 days of doing the same, it really didn’t matter at this point.
After arriving at Barrafu Camp, eating a quick dinner, we were able to get about 3 1/2 hours of sleep before being awakened to the familiar voice of “Good morning, hello. Tea?”. Our final leg to the summit was at hand.
I was pleased I had not encountered altitude sickness up to this point, and felt like the training I had done in preparation for the climb had paid off so far. I was able to keep pace with the seasoned Kelly and James mountaineering duo, although they seemed to be breathing with less effort than me. As we started up the summit from 4600 meters, as I looked up into darkness, I could see a long line of headlamps weaving their way up the mountain from groups that had departed before us. They seemed to go on forever and ever like an ant trail. The stars sparkled brighter than I had ever seen, I’m sure due to the high altitude and being on the equator. The heavens seemed closer.
Emmanuel would lead us from the start. About 2 hours in we encountered snow. At 3 hours, my feet began to get cold. The terrain was like walking up endless steep flights of stairs, with switchbacks every 20 feet or so. I thank God for climbing poles. Just using my legs I believe would have been impossible, and more than likely would have added 2 hours to the climb.
I kept on thinking I’ve never done anything close to this type of physical endurance and mental stamina over a 7 day period, even recalling the past training I had in the Army.
My calves were burning and my heart was racing, and all I could think about was not quitting, and not letting the guys down. The verse “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” came to life on this morning.. Two years ago I had gone through major bladder cancer surgery, followed by 4 months of chemo, and was not sure what my physical limitations would be. But after 5 days into our climb, it became apparent that I wouldn’t be held back by the cancer battle.
It was rough when Ryan had to stay back with Emmanuel, as Elias, James, Kelly and I pushed ahead. I wanted to stay back with him, but had to rely on the advice of our guides, and their experience.
As the horizon began to lighten behind us, I would take a few steps forward, and then look behind me not wanting to miss a single frame of the approaching sunrise. It was an amazing sight. Periodically, Elias would say, “Short rest right here”, and then after a minute or two, “Ok guys, Pole Pole, Hakuna Matata, let’s go”.
As we reached Stella Point, I was thrilled to hear Elias say, “Conrats gents, the hard part is over.” We all hugged with excitement and relief. After 5 hours, we still had 1 more hour to reach Uhuru Peak.
The sun was now illuminating the mountain and glaciers around us. I snapped picture after picture. I could hardly tell where heaven and earth met. It really can’t be put into words. It must been seen and experienced with your own eyes, and the physical exhaustion made it even more gratifying. God’s full majesty in creation was on display.
As we approached the sign wearing our World Vision shirts, displayed proudly, the thought occurred to me that only downhill steps would happen from here. After taking some quick photos, we headed back down, surprisingly to encounter Ryan coming up with Emmanuel, and did the only right thing, we all four headed back to the sign as a team. Again we took photos of all 4 of us, which delighted us all.
Heading back down to the camp again, would take longer than I anticipated. Kelly and James had gone ahead with Elias, and Ryan and I took our time and got to know each other and share some common food vices (Snickers!) and cravings that we looked forward to upon returning to the civilized world.
It was sobering to see some porters splinting the broken leg of a climber just off the trail on the way down. We weren’t safe yet. After we made it back to Barrafu Camp, all I could think about was victory and my sleeping bag.
What an experience!
