Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route: Day 1

I woke up at 2 a.m., relieved it was still too early to get up. At 4:45, I jolted awake screaming “NOOOO!” thanks to a dream about someone smashing a toilet full of poop next to my head. (Honestly, kind of an omen for how this trip would go—or at least how much I’d be thinking about digestive systems.)

By 6 a.m., Mom and I were at breakfast with the other member of our group, Sue. We did our final pack shuffle and met who I eventually realized was our guide. He was quiet and a little shy, and I struggled to catch his name—not exactly who I was expecting as a guide.

Before heading out, we counted our money, logged what we were leaving in the hotel safe, and paid for our rental gear. Then came the bus ride—a bus I naively thought would just be for us. Nope. It was packed with our crew for the week as the bags stacked higher and higher on top. We were starting in Arusha, and had a 3-hour drive to the trailhead.

We made a pit stop at a convenience store where I encountered my first squat toilet of the trip. A friendly man with excellent English struck up a conversation, and for a moment I hoped he was our guide. Turns out he was just a crafty salesman who convinced Mom to buy Tanzania bracelets. We forgot to negotiate. Rookie mistake.

Back on the bus, more crew members piled in. Then it happened—we caught our first glimpse of Kilimanjaro in all her glory. My heart jumped. This was really happening.

Londorosi Gate to Big Tree Camp

The dirt road to Londorosi Gate was long and winding, and at one point something fell off the bus. It was a tent pole. Reassuring. At the gate, we signed into the official logbook of the national park, ate our packed lunches—bread, fruit, bananas, fruit juice, and a samosa—and waited for our start.

There was no grand sendoff. No “Welcome to Kilimanjaro, brave climbers.” Just a point and “That way.” And just like that, we were on the trail. After days of only what felt like, “Hurry up and wait,” it felt good to be moving.

Within minutes, we stopped again at the Lemosho gate, where we snapped photos under the flags. Then the trek really began. The pace was pole pole (slow and steady), except on the flat or downhill sections. The trail was more up and down than I expected; I had pictured going straight up 24/7.

After a quick break for a pee behind a tree and a piece of candy, an afternoon shower we scrambled into our rain gear, which quickly became too hot, but breathing was easy. And we saw a monkey!

Before long we heard the sounds of camp. That last climb into Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree) Camp was steep, but hearing the voices ahead gave me a burst of energy. At camp, we signed the registration book, got shown to our tents, “the office” (toilet), and the mess tent.

I immediately checked out the sleeping bag situation—turns out the rental came with a liner, which made me regret hauling my own. Could’ve saved some weight there, but oh well. We’d walked four miles in about three hours—an hour faster than the trail sign suggested. A hopeful sign for what was to come. Or so I thought.

Camp Life

Tea time came first: popcorn, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee in the dining tent. After organizing our tent (Mom was a little chaotic), I laid down, only to be startled when someone popped in to say it was dinnertime.

Dinner was hearty: cilantro soup and bread to start, followed by broccoli, potatoes, beef, bell peppers, and avocado. When we set down our forks, the crew encouraged us to eat more, but we didn’t think we could possibly fit much more.

Our guide gave the briefing for tomorrow and checked our oxygen levels. Mine was 97—no change, but Mom’s was 84—low enough to make me nervous.

As I crawled into my sleeping bag, I couldn’t shake the feeling that all I’d remember from today was peeing. On the bus, behind trees, at camp, again before bed. Day 1 on Kilimanjaro: walking, rain, monkeys, food, nerves, and SO. MUCH. PEEING.*

*Hydration is one key to keeping your body acclimmitized, plus we were taking Diamox, a medication that relieves altitude symptoms—but it’s a diuretic. So we had to take in so much more water due to altitude and even more to compensate for Diamox. Hence, many bathroom breaks.