LISTEN: A new point of view for Rynfield residents

When you hear the name Kilimanjaro, the first word that usually pops into someone’s mind is ‘high’, but to Rynfield residents Linda and Chanelle Birch and Jerome Klopper, the word meant challenge.

“Climbing Kilimanjaro had always been a somewhat unattainable goal for my mom, Linda (62),” said Chanelle.

“One night in August, my mom and I chatted casually about attempting to summit the highest free-standing mountain in the world.”

Finally, on Christmas morning, the three set out to spend their holiday on the mountain.

“Anxiously we paced around Machame Gate (1 500m) contemplating what this day would demand of us,” Chanelle said.

“The heavens opened up and welcomed us with a typical rainstorm while we heatedly debated how the Machame Route could possibly take five-and-a-half days to walk 40km (32 hours) to Uhuru Peak, and then only a day and a half back down.

“It was absurd to think that we would be back at the Key’s Hotel in Moshi to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”

Chanelle said they were amused at seeing how the porters who accompanied them sped past them on the mountain path while carrying duffel bags, tents, chairs and so on.

Over the next three days, the Birch’s (mother and daughter) and Klopper (Chanelle’s nephew) walked from Machame Camp to Shira Cave Camp for lunch and travelled to Baranco Camp for the night.

“On the fourth day we were faced with the sheer rock face of the Baranco Wall, but after the “kissing rock” and Linda deciding to have a little fall in the Karanga Valley, we settled in for a well-deserved fried chicken and chips lunch at Karanga Camp,” Chanelle said.

“Moving onto Barafu Camp is when the reality set in; our next “casual” walk would be seven hours to Uhuru Peak.”

On the fourth night, the three were awoken by 11pm to continue on their journey.

“The next few hours remain a blur of rock and brown sand, stars, wind, walking next to the moon (possibly a hallucination), the oxygen tank carried by our guide, an inexplicable cold and severe fatigue,” she said.

“It is the demons in your own head that consume all your thoughts – so by the time we reached Stella Point in the dark, we were almost ready to give it all up and not walk for another hour.

“This entire night and early morning was without a doubt, the most challenging part for all three of us.”

But the turmoil became worth it as the three saw the sunrise.

“How do you explain the feeling of seeing the sunrise, above the clouds, while standing on the roof of Africa?” Chanelle asked.

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“Even now, as we reflect on our family triumph of having three generations proudly summiting Africa’s highest mountain together.

“The immensity of the experience is still awe-inspiring because we know, that any other challenge will pale in comparison!”