Tongaat trio summit Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of charity

Three Tongaat hikers braved sub-zero temperatures and altitude sickness to summit Kilimanjaro last week, all in the name of charity.

After months of training in the Drakensberg, the climbers readied themselves for one of the most difficult climbing challenges in Africa, taking off from Moshi in Tanzania on February 3.

The group hiked the Machame Route, one of seven main trails up the mountain, which is typically used for first-time climbers alongside the similar level Lemosho.

Having regularly climbed to altitudes above 3 000 metres in KwaZulu-Natal, the group found the first few days relatively easy going.

“We had decent weather and enjoyed the opportunity to slowly acclimatise as we made our way upwards. We kept spirits high with each other, telling jokes and keeping it light with the peak looming ever closer,” said Anesh Rampurtab.

It was on day four when the challenges of the hike properly presented themselves.

“Machame is so designed to climb high and sleep low, which means your body gets used to the altitude. On day four we breached 4 000 metres amid freezing weather and difficult conditions,” he said.

Although the trio were able to largely avoid altitude sickness, Rampurtab admitted the jokes started to quiet as they focused on their goal.

On day 5, the men reached base camp, from where they were just two-and-a-half hours away from the summit.

“By this point it was truly cold for us three from sunny Durban and bad weather meant it reached a low of -20 degrees Celsius overnight. Our guides made the choice to start the final climb at 2am when the weather was calmer,” he said.

After being woken just after midnight, the three reached the peak as the sun rose, successfully culminating their year-long training programme.

“We were so grateful to make it to the top because some groups who started after daylight could not do so with the weather conditions. So we all felt a strong sense of pride and gratitude after we had taken some photos and began the descent.”

The group took two days to get down, arriving back to their proud families on February 14.

Between them, they were raising funds for three charities – the Verulam Day & Frail Care Centre, Krsna Goshala Cow Sanctuary and Buffelsdale Secondary School.

They did not centralise donations, so a final figure had not been determined, but said they had great feedback from all three causes upon arriving home.

“We loved every minute – well almost – of the trip and were glad to make a small difference back home.”

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