Mountain Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro by a blind person (5,895m)

We went during the end of june and the end of august 2003 to climb the alpine summits, after with more confidence, we reserved our trip for the end of the year, leaving 27 December 2003 until 5 January 2004.

The idea for this adventure was made by a dare between 40 friends. I made sure the challenge would take place. It came true for me at the age of 42, age of maturity and preparation.

Preparation / training :

To climb a mountain summit, one must have an excellent physical fitness, this I had dude to the fact I regulary ride a tandem bycicle, around 6000-8000Km every year. This alone is not enough as one must also be able to endure the altitude.
We therefore climbed 2 alpine sommits, le Grand Paradis (4000m) et le Mont Blanc du Tacul, 4300m.
I can say that walking on a glacier was a lot easier for a blind person than walking on boulders.

Without dizziness, nor feeling at all uncomfotable in the Tacul, I then decided to undertake the task of climbing the Kili.

The Climb :

We decided to climb up the Kili via the Machamé path, more difficult but also more pretty than the Cocacola Road.
The agency had recommended me to have ready an extra guide who would be in charge of guiding me to the top, a precaution which would prove to be indispensable. The first day went without any problems, we camped at 3000m. The second day we climbed higher, again without difficulty, camping at 3900m.
The third day we went up to 4600m an then later camped at 4000m. The hardest part will be the descent, very fast and rocky.

I arrived at the camp site 20 minutes after my friends, slightly angry at myself for being behind the group. However this was due to the fact that for a blind person it’s a lot harder to descend a mountain, than climb it.
On the fourth day, we climbed to the last camp, before the final climb, situated at 4700m. One passage revealed to be cramped and dangerous, resulting in a moment of panic as we were not attached by rope. My guide reassures me that I should control myself to keep going. Was the danger more in my mind than a reality?

At 4700m, it starts to freeze, we find ourselves in a storm.
But somehow our mobile phone works and we stop to share a moment with our wives in France. After a small stop, the climb starts at 11pm. The climb goes well, almost easy, however a glacial wind freezes the contents of our thermo flasks, it saps our energy and slows down our pace. A very discouraging moment where the persuasion of our guide helped us to carry on. But, what else could we do?
It would be silly to give up being so close to the finish line
We approached the summit just as the sun began to rise, it became warmer, and our moral became strong. I stopped at Stella point, on the verge of the crater; I was asking myself how I would be able to descend the mountain after, as fatigue had already crept in.
Surprise the first part of the descent was to get to the final camp at 3100m. I no longer had the force to observe my steps, the inclination of the rocks, our feet sliding on the boulders, the time to recover becoming longer and longer.
A good night at camp and a final descent help forget this long 17 hour day of walking
Hey man, just do it !