Day 2: Elevation gain and snowy slopes

A gentle knocking on my door with the sound of Ramaa's voice woke me up. I'd been reminded the previous evening that "There's no alarms in Africa, we need you to wake up peacefully and happily - Ramaa will come with tea" It was 6am as he began the morning ritual of questions to assess my wellbeing; "How did you sleep Amy?" and "How are you feeling?" He gave me a bowl of warm water and soap for washing and a cup of tea, telling me to come for breakfast whenever I was ready. Today the plan was to ascend for 4 hours to the saddle hut camp, rest a little and then complete an acclimatisation hike to Little Meru in order to prepare for the summit in the early hours of the next morning. Nasibu prepared omelettes which he cut into bitesize strips, pancakes and avocado along with a platter of mango, pineapple and bananas. We ate together before meeting with our ranger and beginning the steady climb to the Saddle Hut.

The route was similar to the first day, a gradual climb, although it was steeper in places, through a forested trail. Today we were not so lucky with the weather, it had been raining heavily since around 2am and showed no signs of relenting. We trudged through the muddy slopes adopting a slow and purposeful pace as the altitude increased to just above 3000m as we arrived to camp. On my arrival Nasibu handed me a cup of tea, a carton of juice and an apple.

Saidi sat on an upside down bucket next to me asking how I was doing. I was feeling strong, my body was acclimatised well to the altitude having recently climbed Mount Kenya and the incline of the morning's slopes did not challenge me. "Me and Anthony have noticed you are looking very strong and fit, the altitude is not affecting your breathing and your pace is quick for this height" Saidi spoke in a calm tone as we sipped our tea. "So I'm thinking.." he paused to cheekily giggle, "We keep with this strength and we go for the summit now, like after our tea and snacks" he continued. This would mean skipping the acclimatisation hike to Little Meru and would extend our day to around 11-12 hours of uphill climbing with a total of 2000m elevation gain. Saidi began to list his reasoning: the recent snow on the summit would make a night time ascent dangerous or sometimes not possible, if it rained over night the combination of rain and darkness on slippy exposed rocks is lethal. He layered on further justifications; I was already acclimatised so the extra elevation gain was not a concern, he believed I had the strength in my legs and endurance to keep climbing and my stomach is typically less sensitive in the daytime so we may avoid the nausea and sleep deprivation I usually experience on a summit night. He explained that the predominant reason for ascending in the dark on Meru is so you can't see the summit for the whole ascent. If you have good visibility the summit is clear the whole way and looks very far away, causing many clients to give up or lose motivation as they become overwhelmed with the distance and elevation. Saidi laughed saying, "This is not an issue for our stubborn girl, you see the summit looks far and it makes you chase it more!" It made me smile seeing how well he knew me. He followed up by saying, "Also if we get you the summit today, then we have 2 relaxed days of descent for maximum happiness and maximum smiles!" I'd been convinced by his plan and was actually relieved to be ascending in the daytime.

Saidi looked at Nasibu and gave him a firm nod which prompted him to begin preparing summit snacks. Saidi explained, "We have a plan to tackle this altitude nausea, we are going for small carbohydrate snacks that are easy to digest and you will eat little and often, focusing mostly on fluids." I couldn't believe the thought that was going into the preparation. Nasibu prepared mini triangle jam sandwiches, wrapping each one carefully in foil. He prepared slices of fresh fruit, cartons of juice, a huge flask of ginger tea for nausea, packed chocolate bars and small cakes. Ramaa gently punched my arms with a brotherly conviction, motivating me and telling me "You've got this Amy!" Once we were packed and Saidi was happy I had all the correct layers and equipment, we began the push to the summit. I would be accompanied by Saidi and Anthony, both qualified head guides on Kili and Meru while Ramaa and Nasibu would take a well earned rest at camp. A ranger was no longer needed at this height as the dangerous animals don't live at the higher altitudes.

The initial route gently wound up a slope through a series of switch backs, making the incline manageable. Luckily the rain had stopped but the cloud was thick and dense up ahead so the summit was not visible. After around an hour of climbing we reached Rhino Point at 3800m where Saidi and Anthony encouraged me to drink and eat a small snack. "Give us exercises" Anthony requested, which was supported by Saidi's excitement, "Yeah exercise classes at 3800m Amy, let's go duck!" I requested some press ups and squats, as they competed with each other asking me questions like "Who's doing better?" and "Who is stronger?" I laughed and rolled my eyes saying "Please save some energy to get me to the summit", deep down knowing their energy is relentless.

We continued past Rhino Point where the route become significantly more challenging. Rocky sections that required the use of chains to ascend and steep slippy scree slopes. Completely unfazed by the terrain and lack of oxygen, bounding over the rocks with no sign of elevated breathing Anthony and Saidi kept me motivated. Constantly offering assistance on challenging sections of terrain or dramatically delivering some motivational words. “You are strong like a simba”, “You are the queen of the jungle”, “Remember no pain no gain boss.” "One dream, one team, non-stop to the top" I had tears from laughter as the alternation between delivering motivational quotes and being extremely attentive on every potential challenge the route presented was really entertaining me. My laughter only encouraged them further. Their energy was relentless and invaluable on a long summit climb, their aim is to ensure you never feel alone with your thoughts and are consistently distracted from any potential doubts or negativity.

After we'd cleared the chains and scree slopes, we reached the snow. There was a significant amount of it which Saidi said was rare for Meru and that it's here as an extra challenge for me. It was beautifully calm, no other teams had opted for a daytime summit due to the excessive ascent in one day and instead would follow the original plan. But this meant we had the mountain entirely to ourselves, which was perfect. Saidi briefed me on the coming section, as he pulled my hood up and my zip closer to my chin. "Get ready to use your hands, follow where I place my feet and hands, we go polepole (slowly slowly) and Anthony will be close behind." The snow really added to the challenge as my feet and hands sunk into the fluffy white carpet. We scrambled slowly up the rocks, taking our time to be sure we were following the correct route and taking care with our foot and hand placements. We reached a flat section, where Anthony encouraged me to sit on a rock and poured me a mug of sugary ginger tea. I suddenly realised I had no nausea and hadn't completed my summit vomiting ritual. I expressed my excitement and relief to Saidi as he laughed saying "We've got that under control duck, hakuna matata!" Saidi split a banana in two, directly feeding half to me and half to Anthony. After tea Anthony hung back to "Mark his territory" as Saidi encouraged me to keep moving as to not get cold, laughing saying "Anthony will turn the snow yellow!"

We continued in a similar fashion, scrambling carefully up a steep, rocky, snow coated slope. Saidi would offer his hand on tough sections and slapped my shoulders saying "We don't stop when we are tired, we stop when we are done!" Anthony was still a little behind and I noticed our pace slowed significantly. Things then took a turn. Saidi suddenly collapsed onto a rock with an expression on his face I’d never seen before. “Are you okay, what’s wrong?” I said in a panic, crouching down next to him. “I’m so sorry Amy, I don’t think I can keep going I have a headache and feel sick and I can’t feel my hands. I should go down, it’s still 30 minutes to the summit” I instantly started fumbling around in my pack for everything I could use to medicate him. I pushed my bottle into his chest saying “drink this” as it contained electrolytes, handed him my warmer gloves while saying “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Don’t worry it will be okay.” Saidi suggested we rested on the next ledge, "It's flatter ground up there, let's rest and wait for Anthony and decide what to do, I'm so sorry" he said as I pulled him up from the rock. We clambered over some steep rocks and once I got stable in the snow I looked for a place to find my medications to help him while we waited for Anthony. As I scanned my surroundings a large sign read “Congratulations, you are now at the summit of Mount Meru” as I looked over at Saidi stunned and confused. He burst into hysterical laughter making a miraculous recovery, dancing around in the thick carpet of pristine snow. It was clear to me now the whole act was a joke and I’m clearly even more gullible in my tired state. “I’ve never been stronger boss” he called out excitedly “We got you another African mountain!” I simultaneously laughed and whacked him on the arm as punishment as he apologised while still howling with laugher. I felt a wave of relief as he pulled me into a huge hug slapping my back saying, “Wow you are as prepared, what a response that was – thank you!”.

Anthony climbed over the rocks onto the summit platform and ran over to hug me, slapping my back saying “Congratulations Amy, another one!” Saidi explained his little joke act to Anthony who found it equally hilarious. “Let’s take fun pictures” Saidi said as he pulled my phone from my pocket and started to take the role of creative director as Anthony and I rolled our eyes. I gave Saidi a piggy back to the summit post, telling him this is what would have happened if he was truly not well as I staggered slowly struggling to walk due to laughter and the 70kg on my back! Saidi pointed over to the direction of Kilimanjaro even though the clouds obstructed our view. “Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and now Mount Meru boss – you are the queen of the African mountains” he said dramatically. “You are a simba” his voice cut through the wild silence. I shook my head and laughed. “Simbaaaa” Saidi and Anthony chanted in unison as I smiled and gazed wistfully ahead. My mind flooded with memories of my experiences on the 3 mountains. Saidi took note of my quiet reflection and strategically transioned his chanting into a calm whisper, “Take it in simba” he patted my head gently as I processed my achievement, “We’ll be here waiting to take you down when you are ready, all your brothers are proud of you”.

After our extensive summit celebrations, we began the descent. We had an hour of daylight remaining and Saidi was keen to clear the technical sections in the light to maximise our safety. The descent was easier as the summit achievement had boosted my confidence on the terrain. He moved quickly and accurately, ensuring a safe route down. Saidi held my hand tightly on the chain section as the snow melt made the section pretty treacherous, "I've got you" he said confidently. We returned to Rhino point and darkness had fallen so we strapped on our head torches and began completing the final section back to camp. We moved at pace bouncing along the trail, keen to get back for dinner and our warm sleeping bags. In his eagerness, Anthony slipped on a scree patch falling down. His knee and finger were cut so Saidi held his head torch close while I cleaned the cuts and placed plasters over them. Eventually we staggered into camp, it was quiet with the remaining teams in bed already awaiting their 1am summit night wake up call. I was so relieved I'd completed the summit in the light and now fully understood the decision, the combination of the snow, the technical route and the dark would be pretty brutal. Saidi and Anthony each held an arm of mine above my head as a sign of victory as we entered the kitchen. Ramaa and Nasibu ran over to hug me before lining up several drinks they'd prepared; mango juice, tea and warm milk. Other team porters and guides congratulated me, saying "Wow she did it all in one day" as Saidi replied "She's our simba!" My team encouraged me to eat, "Get your energy back duck, you can sleep soon." After a dinner of spaghetti with beans and vegetables I headed straight to bed, exhausted but satisfied by the day. I can easily say that the summit push was simultaneously enjoyable and rewarding. Days like this remind me why I love adventures; the thrill, the adrenaline, the achievement is a beautiful combination. I was looking forward to the relaxed descent in the coming days, as I drifted to sleep feeling a wave of relief and glow of content wash over my body.