Do you remember Kiran Coetzee who climbed Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and funds for Cansa backed by Hisense? Please take time to read his incredible story below... Date: 25th September 2014 Sitting on the aeroplane just before descent into central Africa, Nairobi. My grandfather’s birthday and almost two years since he passed away. As inspiration for the trip I am envisioning an older version of myself speaking to the myself the current version. Talking about the challenges we will face on Kilimanjaro and recollecting how sheer determination got us through it. It feels comforting and makes me wonder if this is the feeling younger siblings are so familiar with. I was woken by the pilot’s announcement calling for the passengers to look out of the right window. There it was; only the peak piecing through the sea of clouds. Although only the peak; the size of the mountain startled me. I gazed at the snow-capped tips with the feeling that they were a dramatic foreshadow of the difficulties to come. This is Africa for sure! Once in the hotel room I felt a sense of looming alienation as I was so foreign in this environment. Day 1 With my alarm set for 7:15; I strangely woke before the alarm and just lay in bed, thinking. I then collected my equipment that I had so easily scattered across my hotel room. I was informed of a briefing to follow. As I took very small and nervous steps to meet my group mates, I wondered about their English speaking capabilities. I was received by a familiar Howzit. My group consisted of “the Bear” - a South African, a man of large stature in his early 30s; “Boris” - an Australian, Russian born, Jewish man who was the Bear’s high school friend. Then there was Dennis an Italian female tourist, who had spent weeks in Tanzania prior to the climb. Lastly, there was Terry, who was a Canadian Occupational Therapist who had a thirst for adventure and had spent the past 4 months in Asia backpacking. Five of us all together. Given all the time in the world, which we so happily took, we moved to the bus and departed. Apart from a stop at a gear shop and a local butchery, we arrived at the base of the mountain shortly after. Images of the butchery come to mind which was a shack with pigs hanging from the ceiling and no refrigeration. There was a log which was used as a cutting table. The porters bought their meat for the journey and we continued. At Machame gate the sheer number of tour groups and porters was astonishing. For every climber there was an equivalent of 4 porters. Finally, after a delay while the paper work was handled we set out to tackle this enormous challenge. The majority of the hike here consisted of dense rainforest with an almost consuming fog that the higher we climbed we could not escape. It was extremely difficult to combat the impulse to run. After a while the urge seemed to fade away as I was plagued by fatigue. As the porters raced past us it appeared that westernisation had even reached the most remote part of Tanzania as Miley Cyrus’s song – “wrecking ball” blared on. After an altitude gain of 1200m the first sight of tents at camp was a relieving one! Today was a day of excitement as constant change was everywhere. Everything was new and I was adapting. Day 2 Upon waking I confused my environment with that of the North Pole due to the temperature and hence layered up. Our porters of the expedition treated us to a traditional Tanzanian welcome of song and expected us to join in. Initially very content with my warmth as the walk started the sun broke free from the clouds grip and beat down on me resulting in me changing into a t-shirt. Obviously as I did not start the day in a t-shirt I did not apply sunblock, and needless to say my arms and neck resembled a tomato after a bout with the sun. Luckily due to my so called, hipster hat my face was protected from such wrath. The rapid altitude accent, which consisted of rocky surfaces and small tress, left the Bear at the back of our group. He settled into a relaxed pace at the back. My spirits lifted exponentially today, not that they were low before but I felt more at home with the mountain and my group. In retrospect, I assumed I would think about a lot more as I climbed. Unfortunately I have only motivational thoughts of one foot after the other. The most beautiful site of the day was that of the sun setting over kingdom of clouds. We played cards all night and the Bear and I spoke in Afrikaans to avoid other members of the group understanding our card strategy. It brought a sense that even so far away from home a pocket existed of South African spirit. Today was a day of energy and happiness. Day 3 The group started the day with a general positive attitude and were determined to reach Lava Rock a famous site on the kili-climb. The incline was gradual and consistent which lead to similar terrain and a very repetitive walk. As we took our lunch break I noticed huge black cumulonimbus clouds, which I thought meant a storm. Nelson, our head guide, then informed us they would bring snow. I was very excited about this as coming from South Africa snow isnt a common occurrence. We unfortunately walked directly into the snow storm as it covered over the path. This resulted in amazing snow fall. However breaks were no longer something we could look forward to as you would freeze if you stopped moving for too long. Upon reaching lava tower we rested at the base briefly and then were surprised as Nelson told us we could climb it as part of his personal exclusive tour. The ascent of the tower was more technical and challenging than I expected and no longer a walk but a rock climbing experience. This was at an altitude of 4700m. We began our descent into the valley where our camp lay and I can safely say, for the first time in my life, I prefer up hills. On the downhill it was very difficult to maintain balance. Terry, due to the perpetual force on his knees, suffered an injury to his leg. He cried out in pain and had to be treated. As he lay there with his leg elevated I wondered if he would be able to summit beside me. Nelson told us prior to the injury that Terry and I would leave camp together and also later than the others on summit night, as our pace was faster than that of the rest of our group. This is why my concern was heightened. Our camp for the night was completely shrouded by fog so I did not experience the typical sight and feeling of relief when I saw the camp, as I didnt even know I had arrived. I started to consider whether only the brave and persistent are allowed by Kilimanjaro to summit at all. I wondered who this mountain accepted for summiting and how we were being evaluated. I wondered who we really all were in the eyes of this majestic and mysterious mountain. Later, I watched a man scream at a porter who had made his tea incorrectly. My porter friend Larry told me that certain countries are home to very disrespectful people who expect not to embrace Tanzania but Tanzania to change its culture to suit them. Today was a day of redefining common norms. Day 4 We had a late start to the day and in Kilimanjaro time that is 7:30 am. The first and most difficult part of the day was Barranco wall, an enormous cliff that we ascended. During this there was a place called kissing point as you had to kiss the rock because you were so close to it and it was necessary to remain like that otherwise you would fall. I very much enjoyed the climbing of the wall. We descended into a valley, which was difficult terrain as you had to be constantly sure footed. As we reached the river that divided the valley, it began to rain; at first a constant and subtle patter but then it escalated to the equivalent of a water fall. Camp was only 200m away, however, 200m up. Terry and I raced up the final cliff in order to reduce the time spent in the rain. I surprised myself at the speed we flew and soon enough we were there. It was still pouring with rain when we retreated into the mess tent and sat and spoke as a group. After such physical difficulties it was understandable that tempers were tested and the result was that the Bear and Terry began intensely arguing as Terry claimed that the Bear was being condescending about the depth of his life experience for his age. This showed me a different side of these two people. I began to see the Bear as more passive and soft than I initially thought while my image of Terry as a liberal, progressive and gentle Canadian shifted as I saw the extent of this irritation with the Bear. Everybody has their trigger. After hostilities had calmed we all played cards as usual. Today was a day where my perspectives broadened and I assumed a more developed and international perspective on common things. A huge melting pot of experiences over the last few days seemed to be integrating in my mind and shaping the way I see the world. Day 5 Today was a brief day. The goal for today was getting to base camp in order to prepare for summit. We were all expecting a tough climb but no one anticipated the intensity of the experience. Although the day was brief in distance it was long in thought. I found myself finally realising that the book I had written was a map of uncharted connections. This would therefore be the book’s title “Uncharted Connections”. My intention is to better connect teenagers and their parents. Terry and I were the first climbers to reach base camp. We arrived 45 minutes ahead of our team. As Terry was my summit partner I continually worried about his capabilities as he seemed constantly out of breath and exhausted at this stage of the climb. So we unfortunately sat and waited for the rest of the group and it and became very cold. The porters were complimenting Terry and I on our speed and strength and one even wanted to take a photo with us. We had a brief lunch and went straight to bed as all the rest was required for summit. Dennis wanted to join my summit group and this also worried me as she was a lot slower than Terry and I and this could potentially have resulted in us missing the sun rise over Africa. Today was a day of anticipation. Day 6 - the final ascent As I woke to a bustling noise of the hikers in tents around me I was infected by an almost instant nervousness. I pulled myself out of bed, in full gear, I thought of the difficulties to follow. As we started hiking in the freezing cold; I was happy, happy I could almost reach out and grab my goal of summiting. As we climbed slowly towards the summit, I witnessed many people who had given up and were on their way down the mountain. A fit young man looked into my eyes as he passed me, He had given up and in that one stare I saw his defeat and sorrow. This acted as a catalyst for my fear of the summit and demoralised me. As the incline became more violent and my legs began pleading for a break, I just kept walking. Not because of fear of being inadequate but because I knew that every step closer was a step closer to victory. The hardest part of the climb was not the physical intensity but the battle of determination vs surrender inside my head. Constantly going back and forth between the two sides as a pendulum. Larry, my guide, then turned to me and gave me his phone which was playing Bob Marley’s One Love and almost whispered to me, this is for you my brother, dont think about the pain. As I listened to the music it reminded me of why I had come to Kilimanjaro and who I truly was; the strength I drew from this was immense. As the phone’s battery slowly drained the air was not left silent as all the guides joined together in a heart-warming song and we still steadfastly rose towards the summit.. At one point I looked up, from the standard patch of ground that my touch illuminated, and saw a rock with mine and my team’s shadows on it. This coincidence felt as if our victory was set in stone. At this point with only an hour left of the climb, it was the first time that all the worries of failure were no longer existent in my head. As we neared the roof of Africa with the sun creeping to its rise on my back I felt a sense of pride unlike any other. Then I was there. Stella point, 5756 m above sea level. All that remained was the summit. As I began to take my final steps towards the peak, I felt that all energy had been drained from me, all motivation evaporated and it almost seemed as if the cold would best me. The last 160m were the hardest of the trip as it required raw determination to just keep placing one foot in front of the other. When I did finally reach the peak I stood in awe as I saw an entire continent light up as the sun shined upon it. I saw potential. This acted as an inspiration for me to continue with further initiatives in order to make potential and reality one. Once on the summit I had overcome my basic need of simply surviving and I felt as if every action thereafter was imbued with meaning. As we descended the mountain the temperature seemed to increase. I was once again submitted to my flesh roasting until Nelson offered a quicker alternative. I jumped at the chance and before I knew what was happening I was running down the mountain side skiing on scree. I was surprised at how Nelson would jump over and manoeuvre around rocks in mid transit. Quite to my luck we did not fall. After all the skiing I decided I would take a quick nap at base camp while waiting for the rest of my company. I opened my tent flap and almost instantly collapsed on my mattress. During my sleep a vague sound began to distinguish itself, a patter on the rood of my tent. I rolled over and dismissed it as rain. When I drew back my tent flap in order to continue my decent down the mountain the environment was entirely foreign. This was because a layer of white snow had terraformed the rocky slope into a somewhat gentle field of snow. We began trekking down in complete ignorance of what was to follow. With every second that passed the frequency of snowfall seemed to increase and this was complimented by a ridiculous wind and fog, all combined to form a blizzard. The extremity of the blizzard was such that when I wanted to provide protection for my face I raised my hand to block the snowfall. My black gloves, within a second, had taken on a new form and were white. Regardless we continued walking. The constant jarring on our knees was overcome by the joy of having summited. We then reached camp and for the second time that day it was a challenge to perform daily tasks like brushing my teeth and washing due to sheer exhaustion. We all sat around the dinner table and enjoyed our last supper and spoke of the memories we made that would be the kind that lasted. Today was a day of character growth as well as insight into who I am as a person. Day 7 The final decent of the mountain was not what I initially thought it would be. I expected a joyful run down, full of the hopes of returning home. Instead, as we walked, we walked slower than ever before just to appreciate all our surroundings and how privileged we were to experience the journey we had undergone. We were preparing ourselves to say goodbye to our newly formed family. On the way down I noticed a woman harvesting wood on the side of the mountain. Her child was watching her cut it. It struck me that I was witnessing a cycle of poverty and that in all likelihood this child would take her mother’s place, cutting wood with her own child watching her. I thought about how many opportunities that young girl should have. The descent of the mountain was an occasion of celebration but also a time of sadness. Dennis cried while she hugged all the porters goodbye and this caused me to be dramatically sadder as well. When I saw the final check point of the mountain; I was suddenly reignited with energy. Enough to sing one final song with my team. As departed I promised Nelson I would return one day, in my later years.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 07:42:52 +0000
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