- Date: June 2021.
- Location: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
- Route: Mweka.
- Start & Finish Point: Mweka Gate.
- Objective: To hike from Mweka Gate to Uhuru Peak and back within 24 hrs.
- Difficulty: Extremely Hard.
- Outcome: Finished a few hours late.
- Start Time: 4:40 am.
- Summit: 9:56 pm.
- Finish: 10:29 am. (next day)
- Total Time: 29 hr 49 min.
- Total Distance: 40 km.
- Calories Burned: 9,419.
- Mweka Gate Elevation: 1,640 m.
- Uhuru Peak Elevation: 5,895 m.
- Elevation Gain: 4,215 m.
Super super hard hike! Toughest hike yet! Mweka route is short but very steep! To attempt this challenge, you have to be very well prepped. (Doing many high altitude hikes with high elevation gain)
I had a support team of three: 2 guides and 1 chef who was stationed at Millennium High Camp.
I had a good time up until near the summit at Stella Point, less than an hour away to Uhuru Peak. I became very exhausted, cold, sleepy and started having thoughts of turning around. Summiting didn’t seem important then. Credit to my guide Joseph for pushing me to continue and summit. 🙏🏾
Descending was also a challenge. I stopped many times to take a nap. I felt much better when I reached Millennium High Camp at 3am and had some soup and another nap. At dawn, I descended nicely to the Gate.
Didn’t manage to do it under 24hrs but I’m glad to have finished the hike 🙂
