A Safari to the Moon
Mt. Meru – Arusha, Tanzania
As I finished my lunch of sliced potatoes and shredded cabbage, my guide, Emanuel brought in a plate of mangoes. He asked, “Are you okay with going to the peak today?”
“Yeah, no problem. When do we leave?”
“Let’s go in 30 minutes.”
The next seven hours tested me much more than I anticipated.
Climbing to the peak of Mt. Meru (4,566m/14,980ft) was more preparation than a goal. The journey had started the day before. I joined Raymond, a ranger, and Emanuel, my guide, at Momella Gate (1,580m/5,184ft). We spent the early afternoon hiking through grassy plains and forests. Around 4 p.m. we arrived at Miriakamba Hut (2,500m/8,202ft), a beautiful camp with pine cabins and a fog-covered glimpse of Mt. Meru. That evening, I feasted on slightly salty vegetable soups, along with potatoes, bread, and an avocado. I went to bed early to prepare for the next 1,000m/3,281ft climb in elevation the coming morning.
Day two met us with a light but continuous drizzle. After a hearty breakfast, we continued our journey through the forest until we reached the alpine desert. The fog was very thick for most of the hike. Besides the water drops building up on my glasses and misting my pants, the fog made it more difficult to enjoy the scenery. The alpine desert provided a nice break, the rain let up and the scenery became spattered with vibrant flowers and low shrubs. Shortly before 11 a.m., we arrived at Saddle Hut (3,560m/11,680ft).
While waiting for lunch, I talked with a lady at a nearby table. She had just come down from the peak, wet from the rain, shivering as she sipped a cup of hot Milo. She had set out at 1 a.m., to reach the peak by sunrise, only she never saw the sunrise. Around 4 a.m. her group got caught in heavy rain, and at the peak, they were only greeted with a thick blanket of fog. The rain continued for most of their hike down.
I was hoping for a better story, well maybe just a better view. I packed a few things in my small backpack, a headlamp, raincoat, sweatshirt, two water bottles, along with a few snacks in case I needed the energy. The ranger didn’t come along as no dangerous animals roamed near the peak. The guide and I continued from the somewhat steep trek up to Rhino Point. I was feeling great, I gazed at the jagged rocks forming the many peaks leading up to the Meru peak, it looked a little bit like the moon. Kilimanjaro could be seen distantly, the sky was clear as the sun shined down on the bare rock. I was taking photos of everything, my guide had to encourage me to keep moving so that we could get to the peak before sunset.
Halfway into the nearly four-hour trip, my legs began to feel extreme fatigue. Emanuel could tell that I was not doing so well and asked, “How are you feeling? Do you have a headache?”
“My legs are very tired, but otherwise I feel fine.”
Each time he asked, I tried to reassure him that I was feeling okay.
This was not exactly true. I did have a headache, a small one, but I was afraid he would have us turn back if I told him. He continued asking me the same question every few minutes. He had good reason, getting to the peak of Mount Meru is not complicated, but we were walking along the ridge with steep slopes on each side. As I neared the last half hour of the hike to the peak, I decided it better to just focus on getting there, deciding against taking any more photos or videos as walking was enough of a task already. I looked to the left, seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro off in the distance. I began to worry about whether I could succeed in my next challenge, given my current struggles here. After a few clumsy steps around a few boulders, Emanuel told me to eat some snacks; he then offered to carry my bag the rest of the day, which I quickly accepted.
I took the last few steps and found a seat next to the sign, trying to smile and look alive for the photos. The sun was approaching the horizon as I scanned the mountain ranges in every direction. I was very glad about my choice while also humbled that all my hiking had not prepared me for this. I thought about how Tanzania had begun its rainy season and how lucky I was to see the panoramic views and the golden glow of the coming sunset. The 2 ½ hour trip back was somewhat tiresome as we navigated with the light of our headlamps. All I thought about was getting back to camp, eating anything, and going to bed. The next morning, around 5 a.m., I woke to heavy rain and thick morning fog, I truly am glad that I went the day before.
The rest of the trip was largely uneventful until we neared the end of the hike. As we exited the forest, we walked through a flat plain. A herd of water buffalo lounged in a nearby mud pool, some bushbuck, a variety of small deer, ran into the underbrush. Further away, giraffes munched on the upper branches of nearby trees. We navigated the swampy ground to get a closer look at the giraffes, a few of them looked my way to see what I was up to. A few shots later, I placed the cap on my lens and we returned to Momella Gate.
