Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route Day 1 - to Big Tree Camp
Getting started on the journey - by Land Rover
The drive to Lemosho
Lunchtime in the Lemosho Glades
The climb through the Lemosho Glades forest
At the Big Tree camp site
Getting started on the journey - by Land Rover
The treks co-ordinator from the African Walking Company met us at our hotel the evening before we set out, to give us an outline of what would be involved in the walk (this will be covered on a separate page). Next morning we had enough time for a good breakfast, then to put into storage the gear we wouldn't need on the trek, before meeting up with him again around 8.20.
He handed out the various items that we had ordered for hire in advance - most of us had reserved 4-seasons sleeping bags and thick camping mats to give us the best chance of a good night's sleep. I'd also hired a pair of walking poles to save carrying them from the UK, whilst duvet jackets were another option for hire.
All the gear from our group, and the 5 from Manchester, was then loaded up onto our two vehicles - a Land Rover and a Toyota Land Cruiser. Most of it was strapped onto the roof rack by the guides and drivers. However there wasn't room up there for our day packs, which we had to cram inside next to us. We also had packed lunch boxes to add at the last minute, and these ended up on our knees and between bags inside the vehicles.
We had 4 hours of driving ahead of us to get to the start of the Lemosho Trail. The first hour and a half was on surfaced roads, past settlements clustered around junctions on the main road, then on a road which turned north (right) towards the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. The mountain was completely hidden from view by cloud, unfortunately, and we never did see it from the plains below.
Then the road became a bumpy unsurfaced track, and something fell off the roof, so we had to stop briefly close by what looked like a stack of bricks being made out of clay on one side, and a view across the savannah past a typical acacia tree in the other direction.
After that the track continued across the plain, past the occasional herd of cattle with a Masai herdsman and the occasional cultivated area. There was a village which seemed to be built entirely of wood, near a sawmill, and then we entered a large belt of conifer woodland not unlike some you might find in Scotland! Finally around 11.00 we went through the Londorossi Gate and parked next to the other group's Land Cruiser.
We had half an hour to stretch our legs as the guides and co-ordinator unloaded everything to weigh it. Park regulations now restrict the amount that each porter can carry, and we heard later that our team had to be increased by two extra porters to carry all our gear! That meant that the 5 of us were supported by one guide, two assistant guides, a cook, and 19 porters - 23 in total! So, if you do a bit of a calculation with over 20,000 people climbing Kili every year, there must be a few thousand jobs created in the local economy as a result. But there were still plenty of young men looking for work - at least 20 of whom were hanging around the gate in the hope of being hired.
We also had to register at the National Park office, and we had time to check the big green noticeboards for the guidance and regulations which we were supposed to follow - everything from the importance of drinking enough water to avoiding starting fires.
Then we set off again, back out of the gate, then taking another unsurfaced road off through the forest, past clearings under cultivation, then higher up into denser woodland. The vehicles were pretty good at coping with the conditions, as we bounced around in the back, but there were various slippery slopes and dips filled with water which they struggled through. There hadn't been much rain recently, but in wet weather the road would be difficult to negotiate even in a 4x4.
The Land Cruiser ahead of us at last got totally stuck, but then a crowd of helpers appeared to try and push it out (rather difficult when it was standing in a deep pool of muddy water). We were held up behind them, and got out to lighten the load. Then we realised we had in fact reached the end of the road, and the start of the trail. The helpers were the porters waiting for us! After much effort (and further deepening of the flooded troughs) the Landcruiser skidded and swayed out onto dry land. The Land Rover was pulled to the side, up onto the bank, with the help of a rope, and was able to avoid the worst of the mud.
Lunchtime in the Lemosho Glades
Crisis over, we were shown to a row of picnic chairs set out in the forest clearing, to sit and eat our packed lunches. We were advised to wear long trousers because of rough grass along the route. This was a bit annoying because we'd been told the evening before that shorts would be fine, but we changed, and at least this helped to reduce the area of skin that the African midges could nibble! The air felt cool and damp, but it seemed just right for the insects.
This was our first experience of the Standard Picnic - bread (this time with jam in it), a hard boiled egg, a banana (sometimes two small ones on other days), an orange (or an apple elsewhere) a piece of cake, a couple of chocolate bars, and a carton of fruit juice.
As we munched, the porters were sorting out our gear into big dark green waterproof bags, but there were lots of other items that wouldn't fit - from tent poles to kettles, and even a loo seat for the Manchester group (they had a tent to put it in as well, for the comfort of the ladies in the party).
We were introduced to our guides and cook by the co-ordinator - the cook got a particularly enthusiastic hug given his importance! Then around 1.15 pm we set off after about half an hour in the clearing. The porters will still there, finishing packing stuff up, but it didn't take them long to catch us up!
The climb through the Lemosho Glades forest
Assistant guide David led the way, along a narrow track through the thick forest. It wasn't a particularly eventful walk, at a gentle pace. I was able to hop off the track to the right or left to take a few photos, or some video, as the party climbed slowly among the trees. Above the forest it was a cloudy afternoon, so there were no shafts of sunlight to brighten up the surroundings. Really it could have been a forest pretty much anywhere, to an untrained eye.
We stepped aside as the porters came up behind us, and this was our first chance to see the kind of loads they were carrying on their heads or shoulders: some with big heavy bags, others with bundles of tent poles or sacks of equipment, often with extra bits and pieces hanging off on the side. Most of them exchanged greetings of "jambo" (hello) before moving ahead of us. The Manchester group had left just after us, so their porters were coming past as well, adding up to about 38 young men with heavy loads. At one point a couple of them started calling out to each other in high-pitched voices, interspersed with laughter.
There was one break for us to catch our breaths, but really we weren't going quickly. It was quite a relaxing but steady climb, with a few downs and ups across small valleys.
Although the Lemosho Glades are reputed to harbour elephants and buffalo, and some trekking groups are accompanied by national park rangers with rifles, we didn't see any wildlife at all. The only sign of some large mammals was a pile of dung beside the track. David identified it as elephant droppings, but we suspected that elephants would produce something more substantial and probably this had been left by buffalo. Cedric had a close look to check!
David was carrying a large pack on his back - as well as a box tied up with string in one hand. We didn't find out until a couple of days later that this precious package was a box of eggs! There must have been a few more of them being carried by others, as we had fresh omelettes every morning!
The head guide, Naiman, caught up with us, and took a position as back marker, chatting to whoever was at the back of the group. He was interested to find out about each of us, what sort of work we did, and what kind of walking we had done. This first afternoon's walk was clearly an opportunity to size up the members of the group and assess our fitness.
Further up the hillside there seemed to be more dead trees, still propped up by live ones. Whilst the occasional dead tree is to be expected, if I was managing the forest I'd be getting a bit worred about the number of fatalities.
Then we had a final steady climb up to a small hilltop - where the porters were already pitching the large green ridge tents which they had taken down in the clearling at lunchtime. Our kitbags were laid out on a large plastic sheet, for us to identify which was which, and then they were taken to whichever of the three smaller blue ridge tents we said we would be sleeping in.
We had climbed the 700m (about 2300 ft) in only 2 and a half hours, stretching our legs for the longer days' climbing to come, and the camp site was situated at 2700m - just under 9000 ft.
It wasn't long before we were ushered to the green mess tent, where a large plate of popcorn was set on the table, and flasks were provided with tea and hot water for coffee or hot chocolate. This was just a refreshment - later we would get supper. Outside, a large black bird with a white collar - a crow or raven - was hopping around, hoping to pick up some scraps. We were to see more of these at other campsites, and only one or two other birds.
The campsite was just a small clearing in the forest, on the top of the hill, with a light green cylindrical metal hut in the middle. It looked rather like a space rocket re-entry vehicle, but we found out over the course of the week that this was the standard design for the National Park warden's hut. The Yorkshire group were camped across to the other side, and there wasn't much room in between - it was a good job no other groups turned up hoping for a space! Not far behind our line of tents was the small wooden toilet cubicle, surrounded by an unpleasant smell.
Once we'd sorted out our sleeping mats and sleeping bags, and shoved our kitbags to the far end of the tents, bowls of warm water were delivered to each tent for us to get washed. Then we had to call in to the warden's hut to sign the visitors' book, but just after I'd filled in my name I was called over to the other side of the clearing by Pete. He'd been surprised by a sound overhead and looked up to see various black and white shapes among the branches - it was a family of Colobus monkeys. We looked up at them, and they looked back down at us as they picked out things to eat from the leaves. The sun was coming through the trees now, and it made a fine way to end the day.
We did hear an unsettling report that a National Park warden had been seen with a gun coming up to the campsite - not for protection against large animals, but because there might be bandits in the vicinity. That was something we hadn't considered - the National Park was closed except for organised groups, and the forest was pretty thick and dark, and we were a long way from the road, so we weren't too concerned.
There was still supper to come, and it turned out to be a three-course meal that would do credit to a decent restaurant: delicious soup, followed by fried chicken and veg, and then fresh fruit. By then the sun was setting, and it very quickly became cold and dark. We fetched down jackets and torches so we could finish the meal. Then an early night, trying to get to sleep despite the cold, and having to slip out of the tent a couple of times during the night for a pee. This (the meal, the cold, and the difficulty sleeping) became the pattern for the rest of the week.
Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne
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