I first heard about Kilimanjaro in Switzerland at the end of 20 1 1. My Australian colleague and roommate said that his best friend was going to climb the highest mountain in Africa to commemorate the tenth year of successful anti-cancer. Later, I learned about the famous "7+2", that is, climbing the highest mountain on seven continents and reaching the North and South poles on foot, which is the highest realm of extreme exploration. Only a dozen people in the world have successfully completed this challenge, including women in China. Comparatively speaking, this "7" is the most suitable challenge for amateurs in Africa.
In recent years, climbing Kilimanjaro has become a relatively mature adventure tourism project, which must be led by a professional and qualified guide, choose one of the seven climbing routes and take five to seven days to reach the top. To this end, it is necessary to equip a logistics team of at least ten people to carry food and tents side by side. Meilangu, the most relaxed and comfortable route, is the most crowded. It is the only "sightseeing route" with wooden houses, because there is coke supply throughout, also known as the "coke route", and the scenery is average. I chose the Machame route with medium length and difficulty, which is also commonly known as the "whiskey route". When climbing, I can clearly feel the vertical distribution of the plant belt, which is the first choice of the general public after the "Coke route". It usually takes six days to reach the summit. In order to better adapt to the plateau climate, I specially requested to extend the schedule to seven days. After arriving at the camp at an altitude of 2650 meters on the first day, I climbed the mountain for five or six hours every day and stayed at an altitude of 3000 meters and 4000 meters for one or two days. In order to reduce the cost, I collected a group of girls Liz from the Internet before I left. After I arrived, the travel agency brought Rebecca, a Canadian girl of Japanese and Korean descent. Because of this week's mountaineering, everyone got together.
Although I have no special training, I have been wandering in Africa for more than a month, walking for more than five or six hours every day, and often carrying a travel bag of more than 40 kilograms, so I have lost weight. Most importantly, I rode more than 60 kilometers a day in Kenya's Hell's Gate National Park two days ago, and successfully challenged a 25-meter-high vertical cliff for the first time, which gave me great confidence. Two days before climbing the mountain, I strode at the front of the team, either striding forward step by step or developing difficult shortcuts by myself regardless of the guide. I am immersed in constant transcendence and always keep my eyes empty.
It seems that most experiences that can be written as stories have to be followed by a "good time". I don't know whether it is too sensitive to the food hygiene in the mountains or gradually entering the foggy area. Due to the cold and humid climate and the thin air, all three girls have gastrointestinal discomfort. Liz soon recovered and ate more and more silently; Rebecca went from diarrhea to vomiting and was finally sent down the mountain on the fourth day; I, pure joy and sadness, ate too much the next day to keep my strength and fight against high treason, and finally caused my old indigestion that I hadn't committed for more than ten years. Fortunately, it's a chronic disease, and I know a lot about the treatment. On the third day, I almost stopped eating. Until the sixth day of the summit, I almost refused all high-calorie or even greasy food, relying only on rice porridge and vegetables to maintain my daily life.
Natural fatigue. On the fourth day, before the mud was dry, I fell into the puddle twice and had to climb the cliff. Although not as steep as the stone walls conquered by Kenya, they are not protected by climbing ropes. Some places are so narrow that the whole body should stick to them and walk sideways. A slip of the foot will be a lasting regret, but it will definitely break a few bones. It's been a long time. A few days ago, I was far ahead of the "team leader". If I want to catch up with Liz who ran ahead, I'm definitely joking with life on the cliff.
It is completely helpless. I can only keep up with the camp for the elderly, which was nearly 60 years old last year. Liz complained to me before that the traffic jam was as slow as a snail! Sure enough, the old plug occasionally asked to stop and have a rest. But years have also given him patience and experience that young people don't have: he took pains to help me put away and take out the trekking poles to adapt to the peaceful transformation of the mountains; Even better, on the cliff, he knew that many porters would not choose the easier and safer road, which made me feel at ease. At that time, I began to look at the problem from another angle: we set off at eight o'clock every day and spent five or six hours climbing the mountain. When we arrived at the camp, we had nothing to do but eat and sleep. So what's the difference between speeding up and arriving an hour or a few minutes early? At that time, I began to stop and look at the scenery and people in the past. I no longer mind tourists overtaking me, but I will pay attention to making way for heavy porters. Calm down, I saw: a porter's shoes, fixed on the soles that are about to fall with ropes; Another porter's trousers seem to be torn, leaving cobweb-like stitches on his ass; There is also a porter who always has a big old-fashioned player around his neck, even though he has shouldered a heavy burden and hobbled along this thin foggy mountain. Lao Sai told me that everyone in the team, whether a porter or a chef, hopes to be a mountain guide one day. Lao Sai has never been a guide, although he has been in the mountains for nearly 20 years. Before entering the business, Laosai taught for more than ten years and became a monk halfway. He missed the best age to be promoted to the top of Kilimanjaro's workplace pyramid. This is Lao Sai's last mountaineering season.
These days, the strict hierarchy and differential treatment in the mountaineering team make me feel very uncomfortable. Take eating as an example. Only the tour guide can have three courses (soup, main course and dessert) with our three guests in the restaurant tent. The food we can't eat is shared by waiters, camp assistants and assistant guides. I often look into the kitchen tent, which is also the night tent of a dozen porters. In order to save electricity, it is always dark, only enough for everyone to lie down next to each other. The cook set up a pot in the small clearing in front of the tent and cooked food between the hands and feet of the other porters. Prepare three courses first, sometimes we have finished eating, and the chef is still cooking for others with headlights on. The battery is always out of order, so I have to find someone to hold the candle all the way-I often wear my headlights to illuminate them. Once, I ate boneless chicken for dinner. After dinner, I went into the kitchen as usual to see what the porter was eating. Open the lid and stew the chicken bones. I guess I can taste some oil and water in vegetable soup. Being fascinated is very unpleasant. Just when Liz was critical of kitchen hygiene, I blurted out, "Why do we eat chicken and they eat chicken bones because we earn more than them?"
The summit was at midnight on the sixth day, in order to watch the sunrise at the highest peak of Kilimanjaro at 6 am. I shared it with my friends before, because I didn't walk fast enough to keep up with the big team. Although I finally climbed to the top of the mountain, I still missed the sunrise. I'm worried myself. I basically rely on porridge to maintain myself, and I've been walking very slowly. Liz is very concerned about this summit. She said that she had been running in the gym every day for half a month, and all her friends knew that she was coming to climb the mountain, so she couldn't go back in despair. We didn't go together. In fact, Richard, the mountaineering guide, can't wait to finish the precautions for climbing to the top. She has set off with Asa, the assistant guide.
This time, the mountaineering guide Richard took me. Before, he was busy taking care of sick Rebecca. He sent Rebecca down the hill the day before, and then went back the same way. Before leaving, the camper Lao Sai gave me a bucket of juice. Sweet things can be drunk even if they are cold, and they can also replenish energy. Richard found a spare jacket and thermos in my bag and carried it on his back. Until we walked out of the tent, the old plug behind us shouted at our back: "Jenny, don't give up!" " "There will be the few words of the chef, the fifth day of lunch turned out to be I seldom touch potatoes, and only potatoes. To keep my strength, I asked him if he could get me some meat. Half an hour later, a bowl of fried beef with green peppers was smuggled into my tent, which was obtained from a chef friend in other camps.
It's been five days, and I haven't bathed. Once I vomited and had diarrhea, and I took anti-reflex pills given by Richard every day. Everything is for this last-minute summit.
Along the way, I hardly spoke, just looked down at Richard's feet under the spotlight of the headlights and stepped on his footprints step by step. Although we started very early, we walked slowly, moving almost 30 cm at a time. Tourists kept passing by and met Canadian friends who had come from afar before. I just agreed, but I never looked up and stared at Richard's feet. I think I may forget Richard's appearance in the future, but I will definitely remember his feet.
I don't understand why the summit must be in the early hours. If you climb mountains in the afternoon, you can also enjoy the sunset. I can't see anything around except the beam of light under the headlights. This is actually a good thing. If I see how steep this mountain road is in broad daylight, I may not be able to stand firm and be distracted. Richard said that it is coldest around three o'clock in the morning, and people will be tired and sleepy. I brought an extra coat, two bottles of red bull and four warm babies, just to cheer myself up when I backed out.
Gradually, we began to overtake the tourists who had overtaken us before. They sat on the rocks in twos and threes to rest. Richard and I are still at full speed. If we encounter a steep slope, Richard will take two steps at a time and walk more slowly. Because I walk slowly, I can always adjust to breathe evenly, and I don't feel tired, so we never stop. It's just that I hardly talk to Richard, because I want to keep my strength and breath, so I walk silently-I will succeed!
"I will succeed!" Just silently cheer yourself up. Somehow, consciousness drifted over, and other scenes appeared in front of us: African children who always ran forward and waved to the jeep that passed by us, Kilimanjaro porters tied ropes to the soles that were about to fall off, and stewed chicken bones in the pot-even if they helped to turn on the headlights for a while, they could be so happy from the heart. Gradually, I don't seem to feel cold and tired. I seem to forget that my legs are still walking mechanically, and I even seem to have lost myself. ...
The mountain is getting quieter and quieter, as if it were just Richard and me. I don't know how long it took. Richard looked at his watch, his face sank, and said, "Not good. It's only after three o'clock, and we're walking too fast. " In order to ensure that we can see the sunrise at the top of the mountain, we slowed down and took two breaks. Actually, it's cold when you stop. I took out the warm baby and put it on Richard.
20 13 65438+ 10/2, before six o'clock in the morning, the mountain was still dark, and Richard said to me, "Here we are."
I didn't react: "That's it?" The red bull prepared for the most difficult time at three o'clock in the morning has not been finished, and the imaginary scene of "I was cold and tired several times and wanted to give up, and finally I persisted with tears" has not yet happened. It is so calm and even dull. Kilimanjaro, 5895 meters long, is already under our feet, just walking step by step, slowly and continuously. Unfortunately, there is less and less snow in Kilimanjaro.
Someone turned and walked down the hill. They came too early. After a while, we saw Liz. Richard said, "We will see the sunrise soon." Liz didn't look back. "It's too cold."
It was not until the red sun rose from the clouds at the top of the mountain in the distance that I saw that the top of Kilimanjaro was a glacier that stood on the equator for thousands of years. The shadow of Kilimanjaro floated in the clouds, like a mirage and a pyramid. How can you see the shadow of the mountain itself at the top of the mountain? I don't understand. I'm too frozen to think about it.
At this time, Richard took out a can of Pepsi from his bag, which was a surprise to me. Let's shake it, shake it. This bottle of champagne sprayed at an altitude of 5895 meters quickly left chocolate-colored ice beads on my hat, clothes and backpack. I called Richard to my side in front of the congratulatory card that said "5895 meters finished", and my hand holding the camera began to tremble with cold: "Richard, I couldn't have reached this height without you!"
The journey to challenge the highest mountain in Africa should have ended here. Unexpectedly, when we walked down, we saw Liz turn around, followed by assistant tour guide Asa. After missing the sunrise, Liz ignored our suggestion and insisted on taking photos at the top of the mountain. Richard hung his head and said, "If you stay at the top of the mountain for more than half an hour, even a professional guide may be in danger." I realized the seriousness of the problem and said to Richard, "Asa is your buddy. This is the first time he has been an assistant tour guide since he was admitted. " Richard decided to give me to Asa and follow Liz himself. I really didn't know what would happen to Richard at that time. Maybe it's lack of oxygen in the brain. I have always been very kind to people, shouting at Liz's back: "money is a fucking good thing!" " Then he shook Asa's shoulder in despair and almost cried and repeated: "You are only 26 years old, and your life is precious! It's not easy for your parents to raise you so big! Why not refuse her? Even if you lose this job, you can do something else. You have parents, brothers and sisters, and many people care about you ... "Asa's English is not very bright, and he looked at me blankly and said," Sister, don't cry, don't cry ... "
When we went down the mountain, we saw a tall white man, who was first carried on a stretcher and then transferred to a unicycle. I haven't seen him move. I think he was sent to the top of the mountain.
Climb the summit at midnight on the sixth day, return after a short stay, and immediately rush to the camp that night after a short brunch, climbing continuously for more than 15 hours. Finally arrived at the camp, I gave all the remaining batteries to the chef, threw all the chocolates in my bag to the porters, and heard their cheers "Thank you, Jenny!" " "At that time, that kind of feeling, as if suffered the heartache of love.
It's time to go the next day. Porters will come from time to time and search for English in their stomachs: "Jenny, you care about us, and we all love you!" " "
"You should practice your English so that you can be a mountain guide ... If I come to Kilimanjaro again, you should be my guide!"
It takes six days to climb high and one day to walk down another road.
On the seventh day, after another relaxing hiking in the morning, I will leave Kilimanjaro.
It was not until this last day that I really got to know Richard, the tour guide. I never liked Richard very much, because I was not satisfied with the porter's embarrassing situation. As a tour guide, Richard is the only one in the team who enjoys the same treatment as American tourists, but he also started as a porter. Why can't he be nice to the porter? On the sixth day, I climbed the mountain with Richard for the first time. He once mentioned that he set up a website to help orphans, and I didn't say anything-in East Africa, I often meet people who ask for donations. On the seventh day, when we met, I tried to verify my previous guess. Sure enough, Richard himself is an orphan. Some stories here were later seen on Richard's website: when Richard was a child, his mother died of illness and his father died unexpectedly at the railway station where he worked, and he didn't get any compensation. From his grandmother to a teenager, Richard heard that he had an uncle who worked as a ranger in a place called Kilimanjaro, so he hitchhiked all the way. I'm afraid he is the youngest porter, cook and guide in the mountains. After many years of obtaining a tour guide's license, he was still paid as a porter because he was not employed by a familiar mountaineering company. Although he has been assisting the mountaineering guide to take tourists to the top on the last day, gradually, some guides began to trust him as an assistant. Mountaineering is a very dangerous thing, even if you are a professional tour guide with more than ten years of experience. Richard was also hospitalized for several months after an accident. In the hospital bed, he got the qualification certificate of hunting guide to identify animals and plants.
After going down the mountain, I met Richard's friend, a tall and strong man who was shaking like Parkinson's disease. He can't be a mountain guide anymore. In his small home, the newly-married wife is crowded together with a big belly, and the sister-in-law is waiting to get married in silence. Richard said that he would go to driving school, be a hunting guide and show animals to tourists in the future, so he didn't have so high demands on his health. It's just that his driver's license will write his birthday in the future, but he doesn't know it himself. Grandma only remembers that there was a lot of rain when he was born.
But what moved me most was not Richard's inspirational story, but his calmness in telling all this.
"Have you never been angry?"
"Why are you angry? Who are you angry with? "
I don't know. But if these things happen to me, I will definitely be angry. Perhaps because there is no one to blame, I am even more angry. Anyway, I just feel unfair! "
Richard told me that even for Liz, "you must forgive her, because people are different."
He always said: "Don't worry, just like climbing to the top of the mountain, step by step, don't stop."
Almost a year later, I received an email from Richard, who said, "I have my own mountaineering organization."
Asa, a 26-year-old assistant tour guide, used to work in mines in Tanzania. He was glad to be transferred to a safer mountain area as a guide.
The 60-year-old camp will go home to grow wheat after retirement.
Richard's sick friend has a daughter who is less than one year old. I don't know what he does for a living
At the campsite, I saw a young porter, with a gloomy face and a dung bucket, limping towards the public toilet-the luxury group equipped the tourists with detachable bathrooms and toilets.
On the other hand, the Frenchman who just threw up in a mess ate my gum and laughed so handsome.
This world, from the beginning, is unfair.
You can get a lot and still feel angry, or you can go on with your life calmly and positively with nothing, even if it seems that you have no choice.
No beauty can be taken for granted, and it can be entirely attributed to you personally. Sometimes, it's luck. I am not a fatalist, but the more I travel, the more unpredictable and intangible I am. Only gratitude and cherish. ...
Hemingway didn't answer what the leopard was looking for in The Snow of Kilimanjaro. At the end of the novel, Harry, a dying young writer, finally ends all kinds of regrets about wasting his time and failing to realize his dreams. He dreamed that he got on a plane and flew to the snow peak of Kilimanjaro.