Britten and Chris return from the mountain
Jonathan and Carrie,
We are home safe and sound (even with all the London Terror that held us up). Thanks for your info on the hiking poles. We found some that we rented and were very thankful for them (especially on the way down, my knees were killing me and we were sliding everywhere in the mud in the rainforest). We were sooo sore for a few days afterwards too! We did make it to the summit just at sunrise and it was absolutely breathtaking. We took about 600 photos and video too. Actually we took more photos but somehow managed to lose one of our digital cameras on the mountain 
We had pretty good weather although we did see rain, snow and hail. We both loved to see the clouds roll into camp! It all just seemed like a whole different world (besides the coca cola that was everywhere!) We took the Rongai route (known as the Coca Cola route) up and came down the Marangu route. Thanks again for all your help! We were very prepared and thankful for your packing tips!
Britten and Chris =)
Britten and Chris,
Congratulations on making it safely down the mountain and more importantly, on reaching the summit! VERY sorry to hear about your camera. There must be a bunch of cameras somewhere on that mountain… Someone in our group lost one too. Do you have a picture of you both at the summit that we could post here?
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Hi !
I have been reading all your comments in preporation for my climb in Dec 06. I would appreciate some comments:
1. Anyone done the 6 day Marangu route? How beneficial is the acclimatisation day?
2. Jonathan, you mentioned the determination to reach the summit, however from what i have read AMS is serious if not treated. What I think is my concern is at what point do you need to realise the danger of continueing? Could pushing yourself be bad?
3. How much does one need to take as snacks along the climb?
Thanks for your helpful postings about Kilimanjaro
Hi Gavin!
Thanks for reading and for your questions!
We haven’t done the Marangu Route, but you might check some of the sites we list as resources here to find help.
Altitude sickness can be very serious, but (in my limited experience opinion) the things that keep most people from reaching the summit are not drinking anough water, not giving themselves time to acclimate, and simply lacking the determination. Drinking enough water and having solid determination can help people work through the challenges of Altitude sickness. Could pushing yourself be bad? I’m not really in a position to offer medical advice, so this isn’t medical advice, but I think reaching the summit requires a certain degree of “pushing” yourself.
Also understand that Carrie and I live almost 6,000 feet above sea level, and we have lived above 4,000 feet for most of our lives, so it’s possible that helped with acclimating.
Snacks along the climb… we took a lot of snacks… the best thing to take is powdered drink mix for the water. It’s an absolute must in our book. That said, we ended up not needing most of our snacks because we were so well fed along the trip. So it’s really up to you, and depends on how well your porters and travel group are planning on feeding you. You can always take extra snacks to share with the porters. They appreciate it.
Hope this is helpful!