Stephen was doing pretty good and was always in good humour and kept us laughing with his funny comments. Martin was turning into a really funny guy! Just 26-years old, he is in terrific shape and regularly climbs Mt. Washington (6,288 feet in New Hampshire) just for fun! He was quickly grasping English but, from out of nowhere, every English swear word known to mankind would accompany his new-found vocabulary. Strangely, we were soon emulating this new method of English communication. Our Tanzanian guides were soon joining in and we all were sounding like a bunch of sailors who were too long at sea! It was all very strange as none of us would ever normally use this type of language and yet, here we were! His English improved daily, as did my ‘joual’. Amélie initially complained about a few sore muscles but, being so young, she had already adjusted and was doing well. She had a great outlook on life and split her time conversing in French with Martin and verbally jousting with the rest of us. Her wisdom frequently belied her young years. Ramona was a real trooper: the personal trainer coming out of her all the time. Knowing just when to push, how to encourage. I was really impressed at how she was so supportive of Jo Ann when we were walking together.
Kevin, my tent mate, was having a ball. This was not his first trip to Kilimanjaro. Five years previously, whilst living in Kenya with his wife, they decided to try and climb Kili as it seemed like “the thing to do”. Together they hired a local guide outfit and set off on “The Coca-Cola” trail. This route is the quickest way up Kilimanjaro and you can get up and down in less than 5-days. It is also a very easy, gradual, steady trail that takes you directly to the top from the eastern side of the mountain. However, climbers have but a 25% success rate on this trail. Kevin found out why when he reached the 15,000 foot Kibo Hut and felt like his head was going to explode. He stayed behind trying to sleep in the hut while his wife continued on and successfully summited. When they returned, perhaps 8-hours later, he felt much better and was ready to continue on. However, it was now too late and they had to return down the mountain. Our climb was Kevin’s revenge on Lady Kilimanjaro! He was in excellent condition, maintained by playing hockey several times per week, and knew better than us all what to expect. On this trip, Kevin was very aware of the “climb high, sleep low” axiom we were following under Tusker’s tutelage.
Breakfast was more jovial than most. I think all of the singing and dancing served its purpose to boost our collective morale and lend the encouragement required. I noticed a particularly relaxed attitude on Jo Ann that morning. After breakfast we all dispersed to pack our gear and make ready for the day when the shocker was delivered to me. Eliakim came over to me and pulled me aside. “Jo Ann has decided to go down.”
I was indeed shocked. Jo Ann had looked so happy and serene at breakfast. I guess this was because she had made up her mind and was comfortable with the decision – and the knowledge that she’d be sleeping in a warm, cozy hotel room that night? Eliakim had come to me first as he was aware of my hiking relationship with Jo Ann and he asked if I might talk to her. I went over to Jo Ann’s tent and crawled into the entrance. She was busily packing her bag and had a content look upon her face. Jo Ann is a very determined woman. When she makes her mind up – it’s made up! I could see that look upon her face and knew right away this wouldn’t be easy. We chatted for about 15-minutes and I became emotional as I attempted to tug at her heart strings. (That backfired!) Eventually Ramona appeared behind me to take a crack at changing Jo Ann’s mind. Jo Ann later told me that each and every one of us took an individual try to convince her to go on. That illustrated how we were all each so devoted to each other and the success of the climb.
We all hugged Jo Ann and exchanged farewells. Shabani and one of the porters were to accompany her back to Moshi. I told him to take good care of her and he, of course, promised he would. We took a last (complete) group photograph (day 3) and hiked off in different directions: we were headed up and Jo Ann and Shabani headed down.
We were a much quieter group that morning. Me, more than the others, as I sulked along, feeling as though I’d let Jo Ann down - that I could have done more with our training hikes. I knew this was ridiculous, but I still felt that way. Our moods brightened slightly as we climbed ever higher and actually came upon a direction sign! It was made up of several stones cemented together, giving directions to Shira Hut, Lava Tower, Moir Hut, Arrow Glacier and Barranco. I posed for a silly photograph atop the marker and after a water/biological break, we pressed on.
Ramona had with her a guide book that spoke of things to watch out for along the trail. One of these was to look for a cairn of rocks that was placed as a marker for a Canadian hiker who had died on Kilimanjaro in 2007. It was extremely rare to have any such marker as the Tanzanian government discouraged them. We asked Malya and Eliakim about this cairn and they asked to see the guide book and discussed it between themselves for several minutes in Swahili. Eventually, Malya told me that he would let me know when we reached this spot. As we hiked along, each of us started to become aware of the beginnings of a head ache. It started slowly, but we all knew that this was the beginnings of altitude sickness. Several were fed Panadol tablets by Eliakim. As we quietly approached a small, outcropping that almost formed a cave, Malya stopped and turned to me: “Bob, this is where your friend died.” What? I stopped in my tracks. “My friend?” I enquired. “Yes. Marcel Bujold died here”. I almost fell over. Our group went instantly quiet. Marcel Bujold was part of the Climb for CARE 2007 and died while he was being evacuated from the mountain. He was the only death on the mountain that had occurred with Tusker in their 30-years in Kilimanjaro. We had no idea that “the Canadian” referred to in Ramona’s book was Marcel - whose story we were all well aware of when we started the climb. Malya explained to me that he was in charge of the evacuation and this was the spot where he succumbed to a high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) caused by altitude sickness. It was Stephen Malya who had later returned and built the cairn. Marcel was a 65-year old retired physical education instructor from Carleton, Quebec. We all silently paid our respects to Marcel Bujold and then quietly continued up the mountain.
Not a word was spoken until we saw Lava Tower looming in the distance. Our mess tent had been erected nearby. My altimeter read over 15,000 feet. We had a very quiet lunch. Eliakim questioned us about the lack of normal banter, “Why are you all so quiet?” Our response ranged from headache to my still feeling bummed out about Jo Ann to the remorse regarding Marcel Bujold. None of us felt like walking over and exploring Lava Tower. It was already explained to us that climbing the tower was now forbidden as the structure had developed several cracks and it was deemed a dangerous proposition. I took my first pair of Panadol in an effort to subdue the headache I was feeling.
That afternoon, I stayed at the back of the pack with Ramona and we slowly descended the Barranco Valley amidst the strangest vegetation I had ever encountered. I felt like I was on a Star Trek set! With lower altitudes my headache diminished but my knees were feeling the pain of continual jumps down higher rocks. I was very grateful to have the assistance provided by my hiking poles to lessen the impact. Still, my knees were screaming at me to stop. Ramona was suffering a similar headache but she still managed to crack a few jokes and keep my spirits high. The weather had turned quite chilly and the clouds stayed with us allowing the cold to penetrate our bodies.
Karanga Camp sits high overlooking the town of Moshi. It was odd, as dusk fell, to look so far below us at the twinkling lights and think about life going along as normal in the town. Our thoughts were also with Jo Ann, snug in her hotel bed after a long, hot shower. Considering the rough day we had, with the headaches, colder weather, steep and rocky descent into the Barranco Valley, we all agreed that perhaps Jo Ann had indeed made the correct decision. We were all extremely exhausted that evening. Just before heading into my tent, I took a walk around the camp. There were many more hiking groups here. One of the other groups’ guides were having a party! I walked down to the cliff edge. The clouds had moved down below us and obscured my view of Moshi. Occasionally, they would part and I’d catch a twinkle of a streetlight. To my left, in the moonlight, was our next major obstacle: the Barranco Wall. I had heard so many stories of the difficulties of clambering up this near vertical wall of over 1000 feet. No doubt about it, it certainly is steep and imposing. Tonight, it was just a beautiful cliff basking in the moonlight. As I was considering the day events and the suitability of Jo Ann’s decision I turned and looked up behind me at the snow capped monster that watched over everything. Oddly, within the craggy features of Kibo, was a cut of rocks that had been filled in with the snow that had fallen on the top during the day. It was in the perfect formation of a Holy cross standing guard over the entire camp. I went to sleep that night with a myriad of thoughts swirling in my head.
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