Kilimanjaro

There’s something spiritual about mountains and it’s easy for me to understand why ancient people associated the peaks with their gods. Having spent five days on this massive mountain, it’s hard for me to visualise the sheer force that it would have taken to lay down such a vast amount of rock. Nature has a way of making me feel so small.

Today we’re camped at Mawenzi turn, a little camp in the shadow of the majestic Mawenzi peak. The camp lies in what was once the heart of the volcano before it was blown apart by an eruption from nearby Kibu, the youngest of the triad of volcanos that have formed Kilimanjaro. It’s a special place and I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather spend my 50th birthday.

Tomorrow we hike through to Kibu camp and then at midnight we set out for the summit. There are two caves that overlook the camp we’re in, with a rock shelf above. In a few hours we will climb up there, build a cairn and say a prayer. Mine will be for safe passage on the journey ahead and for a better world for my children and my children’s children.