Clwb Dringo De Cymru
www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk
Newsletter, December 2002
Notes from the Editor
Amongst
other changes wrought at the AGM in November were the transmogrification of the
Newsletter Editor into the new Chair and the Ordinary Member (
In
common with all past editors I will also be appealing for contributions, I
don’t want to write the whole thing myself (and I’m sure you don’t want that
either). Future Newsletters will be published on 15th March, 15th June and 15th
September. Copy I receive by the first day of the month of publication is (almost)
guaranteed to appear in that edition.
Just
at the moment I’ve got plenty of time to play around in Microsoft Word being
off work following a long awaited operation on the cartilage of my left knee.
By March, fingers crossed, I’ll be skiing again and will have less time on my
hands. So, I’d prefer contributions by e mail though, if you’ve not yet joined
the 21st Century, these would be equally welcome by post, carrier pigeon or
whatever – contact details below!
John Goodwin
Annual General Meeting 2003
The AGM was notable chiefly for the ending of an era when Gwyn Evans stood down as Chair and Nigel Lewis was elected in his place. A vote of thanks officially recorded the gratitude of the club for the work that Gwyn has put in over recent years. Gwyn has not yet completely retired as far as committee work goes, having agreed to continue the role he has assumed in relation to the next edition of the guide book, liaising with the authors, printers etc. (The new committee awaits his account of developments with anticipation.)
The usual reports were given regarding the affairs of the club, with the notable exception of any accounts. The position regarding the latter will be rectified in due course, we hope, by our new Treasurer, Gareth Smitham. If anyone wants further details of the business of the AGM they get these from the Club Secretary, who is still Peter Bennett.
A number of changes were made to the committee, so
here’s the full line up.
|
Nigel Lewis |
Chair |
|
|
Pete Bennett |
Secretary |
12, Heol Ynys Ddu, |
|
Gareth Smitham |
Treasurer |
8, Brynrock, Morriston, SA6 7QE 01792 426757 |
|
Kim Collis |
Barn Warden |
18, SA1 6HT |
|
John Goodwin |
Newsletter Editor |
37, CF23 5QR 029 2030 9056 |
|
Stuart Lloyd |
Membership Secretary, |
30, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, CF61 1TE. |
|
Benedicte Cordier |
Ordinary Member, |
|
|
Dave Griffiths |
Membership Secretary, |
dave@dingo.uklinux.net |
|
Chris Wyatt |
Ordinary Member, |
christopher.wyatt@majotech.com 19, Cwmdonkin Terrace, SA1 0RQ 01792 521228 (mobile) 07890828031 |
Reports
from the committee
There’s
nothing to report from the committee since there’s been no meeting since the
AGM.
The
first meeting of the new committee will be in the week commencing
Letter
from the Barn Warden
We’ve just had the AGM and it's time to take stock of the last year at the barn. Not much has been spent on the barn this year since the septic tank was repaired last December. A new water tank has recently been purchased, jointly with Lincoln MC, which will remove the need for those with more delicate stomachs to boil the water from the tap before drinking it. If you want to be put off drinking the water from the tap, have a look in the tank when you are at the top of the track! We are also sorting out the rubbish collection, or rather non-collection from the hut. Unfortunately, this means we will have to pay for our rubbish to be collected, since the Council has decided we are a business.
Most
of the money and time spent on the barn was spent at a work weekend in early
November when Nigel, Pete, John, Mike, Gwyn, Tim and I achieved a lot in the
time we were there. Both toilet doors now close and lock and you have exactly 5
minutes of light to do the necessary. The fluorescent strip light in the living
room has been replaced by more subtle lighting, which wasn't difficult to
achieve. We are now surrounded by stock proof fencing, to keep out the
marauding cattle who pooh outside the front door. Thanks to all the boys who
volunteered to give up the weekend. Perhaps next year some of the girls will
participate (always plenty of ironing and sewing to do)?
On
a positive note, the barn has been much more heavily used over the last year
and should, when figures are available, show a healthy profit.
Kim Collis
Hut keys are available from Kim or, for members
living at the
Membership
Matters!
Please remember that subscriptions for club membership are due on January 1st.
These can be paid to membership secretaries by sending a cheque made out to the
SWMC, handing over cash to membership secretaries, or the preferred option
which is to set up a standing order. You can find the contact details for the
Membership Secretaries in the committee details above.
It should be noted that BMC insurance is dependent on being a member of the BMC
and that if you haven't paid your subs and are not a member of
the BMC by any other means, then you're not a member of the BMC. It is the
responsibility of members to ensure that subscriptions are paid up to date. In
other words, if you haven’t paid your subscription on 1st of January then
you’re not covered by the insurance.
The preferred communication method for the club is via e-mail (saves a lot of
time and expense not having to send stuff through the post). Can any member who
has recently got an e-mail address or changed their address please send an
e-mail to their membership secretary so they can be added to the club’s
distribution list.
Club
Meetings
During the Winter months, as usual, there will be slide
show evenings in both
In
People who have been on the climbing scene in
Unfortunately, I have
not been given details of
|
Date |
Meeting |
Venue |
|
January 8th (start c. |
Slide show “Ice Climbing in Gary Lewis and John Goodwin and “Members Slides” - If you have slides you think others might be
interested to see let John Goodwin know (see above for contact details) |
Channel View Leisure Centre, |
|
February 12th (start c. |
Slide show Andy Sharp and Martin Richards “ |
Channel View Leisure Centre, |
|
March 12th (start c. |
Slide show Wayne Gladwin “New Routing in - Rock climbing and ascent of three peaks |
Channel View Leisure Centre, |
|
April 9th (start c. |
Slide show Paul O’Neill “2001 |
Channel View Leisure Centre, |
BMC Dates and Information
Following
their recent AGM a new Committee for
|
Date |
Event |
Venue |
|
|
Area Committee for - these meetings are open to all |
To be confirmed |
African
Love Trek. Nigel
Lewis.
On
DAY
ONE After a couple of nights in swanky hotels we were
collected from the Nakara Hotel, which is situated near the Marangu gate of the
Our
Land Rover took us on the long drive to the North side of the mountain, through
small and obviously poor villages on an unmade road. It hadn’t rained over here
as the dust rose in huge billowing clouds behind anything that moved. We
stopped for lunch at the exotically named “Kanakarla Resort Inn” which proudly
proclaimed itself a “VIP member of the Coca Cola Club” and had a sign to prove
it. This was more like the sort of East African eatery I was used to on
previous trips.
We
carried on over dustier and dustier roads until we started to climb toward the
Rongai gate. There we met Deus our guide who introduced us to Moses, Good Luck,
Juffrei and Loucerre, our various members of staff. Walter and Wilson were to
join us later. We were staggered to find we had seven people to carry and cook
for us, but others had even more.
About
One
side of the track was thick dusty forest whilst the other had been recently
cleared. Some of the bigger tree stumps had been set alight to burn them out
and often the view resembled a Vietnam War film after a B52 strike.
Small
huts made of rough planks were sparsely dotted around and sometimes abutted the
road. The chickens, sometimes a pig or a goat, would be foraging outside. The
children looked healthy but poor, with ill-fitting and ragged clothes.
Sometimes they looked at us with obvious interest, sometimes they politely
called out “Jambo” and sometimes they just plain came out with it and asked us
for chocolate. They were out of luck with us as I had given my spare fruit to
the children at the park gate.
The
second hour saw us leave the loggers and subsistence farmers behind and enter
the forest. A narrow path wound through the trees, slowly but surely climbing
upwards. A slight misty rain began to fall as we got higher. The forest didn’t
look particularly African and could quite easily have been in
Eventually
we reached the giant heather zone and our campsite. The Rongai route is billed
as the scenic and little used way up the mountain. Everybody else must have
liked the sound of that solitude because with the two other couples and two
large groups, together with their numerous porters, cooks and guides, there
must have been about a hundred people within 200 meters. The camp was laid out
in numerous small clearings separated by huge clumps of giant heather, so even
though we could occasionally hear other people we didn’t often see many of
them.
The
porters pitched our tents and laid out a small (but heavy looking) steel table
in one of them with hot drinks and snacks for us. Later, a large bowl of hot
water was put out for us to wash, and later still a three-course meal that
would have fed five was served up.
By
DAY
TWO We awoke at
As
we prepared for the day’s walk ahead of us, the clouds rolled back revealing
the high glacier capped dome of Kibo, followed by the craggy peaks of Mawenzi,
a climber’s goal similar to the central peaks of Mount Kenya.
Just
after
Our first stop was at “
The
path was often very dusty and crossed a number of rock steps and dried
watercourses. Not once did I see any running water. A quick stop for lunch at mid-day preceded
our arrival at our campsite just before
A
set of caves formed the head of a large col. Volcanic moraines flanked either side
of the large bowl forming a natural amphitheatre. Banks of cloud beneath us
prevented us looking down onto the plain which was now far below us.
Almost
immediately we were ushered through the washing routine into our tea tent for
freshly roasted nuts, still hot to the touch and a mound of popcorn. Compared
to previous mountain trips I was in serious danger of putting on a lot of
weight!
This
campsite was a lot quieter with only one couple and one of the large groups
near us. This night has been dubbed “Night of the winds” (Barely a breeze
outside).
DAY
THREE
Both Lisa and I had a poor
nights sleep. We breakfasted as usual and then had an uneventful three hour
walk to the next campsite. We climbed steadily up a further 700 metres, winding
through Alpine desert and rock steps. A sea of clouds surrounded us, hanging
below our last campsite, and fantastic views of Mawenzi opened up, with nothing
between the peak and us.
We
could make out the small specks of people descending from Gilman’s point, high
above us on the slopes of Kibo.
As
we neared Kibo hut we could see parties approaching from all directions. Dozens
of porters and guides lounged over and amongst the rocks, calling to their
friends as new parties arrived.
I
had felt fine as we had walked along, but now that we reached our campsite a
thudding headache began to make it’s presence felt. Lisa had also slowed right
down in the last ¾ hour of the walk as the altitude leaps started to tell on
us.
A
single wheeled stretcher was being pushed into the campsite as we arrived. We
settled into our tent after the washing and popcorn routine, hoping to catch up
on some much needed sleep. However, after ten minutes or so I was summoned to
go and sign in at the Ranger’s desk. I spotted a signature two above mine,
“Joan” from
I
went deeper into the building and heard two men speaking Spanish. It wasn’t
Catalan, but the next best thing. After speaking to them they took me to
another room and called out to Joan. The middle aged man looked at me with a
puzzled expression. I explained I had a mountaineering friend from
A
good 1½ hours of sleep later, I sat in the sun revelling in the view to
Mawenzi. Deus came to speak to me and pointed out tomorrow’s route to Horombo
Hut. I told him about the wasted people I had seen in the hut and he explained
that the stretcher I had seen was for two of them. They had been to the summit
and upon their return to Kibo hut had refused to descend any further. They were
urged by their guides to do so but insisted they felt fine and would go down
after a few hours sleep. To their horror, both woke with symptoms of acute
mountain sickness and were barely able to move, necessitating their rescue by
stretcher.
This
night was known as “The night nobody slept.”
DAY
FOUR (day three and a bit
really) Lisa and I
had tried to sleep until
As
we rounded Kibo hut we were disappointed to see a long line of Spanish climbers
snaking onto the path toward the scree approach. Deus immediately put his head
down and shifted a gear so that we passed them in single file before the path
became too narrow to do so. Deus, Lisa, me then Moses. I was glad Deus had
pushed us ahead of the large group, but the effort of doing so at that altitude
was telling.
Ahead
of us the bright lines of head torches wormed their way up the mountain. Most
were small clusters, but two groups were obviously large parties (or soldier
ants!).
We
gained altitude, slowly but surely, squeezing past people ahead of us. Deus set
a slow but measured pace, and we didn’t stop at all at first. Zigzagging paths
up ever steepening screes led us upward; absolute purgatory, slipping and
sliding in the thin air, with a pounding altitude headache.
We
reached 5,000 metres and Lisa gave a “Homer Simpson” style whoop as she reached
her new highest ever altitude. At some stage we passed a large party of French
who politely stayed smack bang in the middle of the tiny steep path while they
took off their jackets or sat down to rest. It seemed an absolute age until we
reached
Lisa
had been going really well, but I noticed she was slowing noticeably above
5,000 metres. I was quite happy to take rests whenever she needed them and can
remember thinking, “We’ve got five hours of this to do. Do I really want to be
here?” I consciously stopped looking at my watch as time seemed to move so
slowly. I couldn’t believe the mind sapping effect the altitude gain had upon
us.
Time
gets a bit mixed up here, as I certainly wasn’t making notes as we travelled
upward! I can remember getting too hot and taking off my jacket and gloves.
Then at some later stage I can remember the water tube on my pouch freezing and
my fingertips feeling wooden. At some stage we stopped for a rest and Lisa
immediately threw up a few times. In fairness, she was at least the third
person I had seen doing so. If she had said at that point that she was calling
it a day, I would probably have gone back down with her, I
felt so unwell. To my eternal gratefulness, she soldiered on.
We
reached a point called “Jamaica Rocks” where the scree fell over and through
slabs of bedrock. I felt far more comfortable on this ground and can remember
remarking how we would now make much better progress. However, Lisa had slowed right down and I
think she was losing heart a bit. Thankfully I could no longer see the
head-torches of people above us, which meant they were now off the slope. Deus
had obviously picked up on Lisa’s condition as he quickly pointed out to her
that we very close to Gilman’s Point and would soon be at the top of the wall
we were scrambling up.
We
topped out and were immediately hit by a freezing blast of air coming over the
glaciers on the other side of the mountain. It was still pitch black and Lisa
tucked into the rocks for some shelter and a hot drink. I knew at that point that I was going to go
on to the summit. The route follows the crater rim up and down, gradually
climbing a further 300 metres, which the guidebook bills at 1½ to 2½ hours
walking. Lisa wanted to go on, but was a little concerned about her current
performance. A quick word with the guides and we were soon all on our way.
This
was much better, moving at speed along a high mountain rocky path. On my right
the ground dropped off into the ash cone area, and on my left the caldera wall
rose above me, occasionally pierced by glimpses of the far horizon getting
lighter. I was carrying my big camera with some filters and a small tripod,
intending to get some shots of the sun as it rose over Mawenzi. As we hurried
on toward Uhuru peak I began to look for a spot for my shots. Lisa and I
quickly ate some broken biscuits she had in her pack. With Lisa in front of me,
and my camera in my hand, I let out a loud belch. It certainly hadn’t been the
first during the night, but to my horror, I sprayed a jet of vomit all over
Lisa’s back. A further two heaves landed onto the path and I felt so much
better. When the fourth and fifth chucks finally finished, the sun was up, the
night was gone and so was my desire to use the camera!
Other
parties were now joining the ridge from the Baranco route. With the climbers
already ahead of us, together with their guides, there were probably between
thirty and forty of us converging on Uhuru at the same time. At
A
happy walk saw us back to the top of the screes at Gilman’s Point and then
whooping scree runs took us back to our tent. Seven hours up, less than two and
a half hours back, we were both really tired. An hour’s sleep, then another of
packing. As we did so, one of the rangers came over and checked our pitch for
litter, making our porters pick up the tiniest scrap of anything whether we had
dropped it or not. In fact, we learned, our litter would be examined on the way
out of the park to ensure we had brought enough out with us. Woe betides any
trekking company that didn’t bring out their fair share.
A
pleasant but frankly unwanted walk brought us to our last campsite where we
spent a few hours dozing and then chatting to other nearby campers who we had
met over the preceding days.
In
one direction there were fantastic views back to Uhuru and Mawenzi over ridges
of African flora. In the other direction the path led over another ridge that
fell away to reveal huge banks of fluffy clouds like an ocean. It had been a
long day and we were both tired and ready to call the safari to an end as we
settled down for the night. “The night of the heaviest sleep!!”
DAY
FIVE As
ever, the walk out was an anticlimax, more “put up with” than enjoyed. We set
off in warm sunshine after a great sleep. Just below us we could see the bank
of cloud lapping over our intended route. As we descended, the air got wetter
and wetter, first coating us in a fine dewy mist, and then eventually raining
on us. As we got deeper into the Heather zone, the dusty path became an inch
thick mudslide, but that was nothing!
As
we reached the forest we were slipping down steep root clogged steps into thick
pools of mud. Not wanting to stop, we passed straight through Mandara camp,
punishing our legs with the steep downhill slip and slide.
About
three hours after we started, we began to reach drier ground below the rain
cloud. People coming the other way smelled clean as they approached and we must
have looked a hell of a sight to them, covered in mud to the knees as we
pounded resolutely down.
Eventually, at the Marangu Park Gate, we were issued with our certificates for reaching the summit as we signed out of the park. From the register I could see that we were the first to leave the park that day, testimony to our 22-kilometre speed descent.
Kilimanjaro, a huge bit of the world set in a place of beauty. If I were honest, I probably would have preferred to have climbed something. But as walks go, it was a pretty good one. As honeymoons go, it was the best I’ve had yet!
Coming
Soon
The
next newsletter will be published in March 2003. Please submit items, requests
or pictures by 1st March. See above for my contact details.
All
submissions will be considered for publication and almost definitely printed.
Remember,
the submission date means the date for inclusion in the next newsletter.
Any item can be sent to me at any time for future publication.
Can you fill this space?
If you
think you can, send any items for the newsletter to: |