Climbing Kilimanjaro - The Highest Freestanding Mountain in the World

[Music] kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in africa the foothills surrounding it are a paradise for wild animals since ancient times people living here have venerated the mountain the glacial peak stands isolated and majestic [Music] a trip around the mountainside rewards visitors with a great variety of natural wonders [Music] located on the equator kilimanjaro is known as the mountain that glitters white [Music] climbers are attracted to the snow-capped summit that overlooks the broad african plains [Music] welcome to the great summits the series that features the world's most famous mountains this episode will take you to kilimanjaro in northern tanzania near the border of kenya kilimanjaro soars to a height of 5895 meters perched above majestic foothills it's one of the world's largest freestanding volcanoes the sun rises over the plains a herd of elephants is on the move [Music] the northern foothills of kilimanjaro have broad tropical grasslands known as a savannah elephants have come here for water [Music] many animals living here depend on water that flows down from the mountain [Music] the savannah is naturally irrigated by melt off from the glaciers near the top of the mountain kilimanjaro is called the white mountain it was a german man who first brought news of its existence to the west [Music] in 1848 the christian missionary johannes repman visited africa where he saw an incredible sight [Music] a snow-capped mountain stood before him in the equatorial heart of the tropics [Music] the discovery marked the beginning of fierce competition among europeans to be the first to reach the summit [Music] that honor went to the german geologist hans meyer who reached the top in 1889 [Music] the white summits of kilimanjaro also sparked the imagination of a famous american author ernest hemingway was a nobel prize-winning novelist his short story the snows of kilimanjaro was based on his experiences traveling in the foothills of the great mountain it later achieved worldwide fame through a film adaptation [Music] today is in the past the glittering peak exerts a strong attraction this is marangu a village at an altitude of 1400 meters on the south side of kilimanjaro home to climbing guides and porters it serves as a starting point for visiting mountaineers the camera crew meets a member of the indigenous chaga tribe who will guide them on their climb davis began his career as a porter and earned his certification as a guide at age 26 he has climbed kilimanjaro more than 100 times foreign davis suggests that the crew take a route all the way around the mountain so that they can enjoy all that kilimanjaro has to offer there are several climbing routes to the top the team decides to follow davis advice and take the long way around [Music] kilimanjaro has three peaks the middle one called kibo is the summit the team will start its expedition at londorosi park gate on the mountain's west side they'll pass through the jungle and climb to four thousand meters staying inside of kibo peak they'll hike all the way around the mountain they'll go between kibo and mawenzi peak to get to the north side where wild animals are often sighted [Music] after completing the loop around the mountain they'll climb the steep slope to the crater and finally to the summit [Music] it will take them 20 days to fully experience the many natural wonders of kilimanjaro [Music] before the team departs the chaga people sing and dance for them in praise of the mountain [Music] this is a tribal elder he has venerated kilimanjaro since he was a small boy [Music] [Music] [Music] on a morning in late january the team sets out their destination is the distant summit of kilimanjaro their long 20-day trek begins [Music] [Music] they'll start by driving 90 kilometers from the town of mushi [Music] they're headed for the trail head on the mountain's west side [Music] road conditions are terrible they reach a point where their vehicles can go no further davis leads the team of 30 people on foot they make their way through misty woods known as a cloud forest davis spots a species of flower that's unique to this area this you can you can find only here kilimanjaro you don't find an area in the world and for the high attitude you can you don't find this because the open area is not good for him because they don't need to win yeah so you can find we can find only here in the forest the flowers are tubular so that bees and other nectar-seeking insects are easily coated with pollen so something white is jumping from branch to branch [Music] the abyssinian columbus is a type of monkey it's eating tree leaves a staple food prized for its long white fur the colobus was over hunted but now it's a protected species [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] leaving the cloud forest behind the team comes out on a highland meadow called a heath we are close and close yes the other side is more beautiful this is kibo as seen from the west it's kilimanjaro's highest peak at 5895 meters the team is told that nearly all of the glittering snow on top fell just a few days ago they arrive at their campsite at an altitude of 3500 meters other climbing parties have also pitched their tents here on this trip all the meals are prepared by a cook this evening's menu includes a traditional chaga dish called matuke it's made of unripe bananas boiled in a stew dinner is very civilized complete with tablecloths it's a camping style imported from europe it's necessary it's banana milk i have banana that's good stronghold [Music] it's after seven in the morning the sun rises from the top of kilimanjaro hidden by the mountain it's slow to appear [Music] so [Music] on this day the team continues to hike through the heath temperatures rise to nearly 20 degrees centigrade during the day but fall below zero at night the variation is quite extreme [Music] there's a cluster of flowers hugging a boulder they're a type of straw flower [Music] to survive the dryness and cold the thick leaves are covered with white hair the blossoms retain their beauty even after being cut a trait that has earned the species the nickname everlasting flower [Music] these white petal-like structures are actually leaves the central yellow parts are the flowers measuring less than a centimeter across the tiny flowers are one way that this plant protects itself from the harsh environment the line of porters stretches back a long way they carry their loads on their heads in typical african style [Applause] the team finally reaches the path that will lead them around the mountain it will take them a week to make the circle and return to this spot the path goes up and down repeatedly but stays close to 4000 meters in altitude as it makes its way around kibo this colorful fellow is a type of sunbird he pecks at the backs of the leaves [Music] he's come up from the foothills to feed on the nectar of flowers hidden behind the leaves in the process he helps to pollinate the plants [Music] at this high altitude it gets cold enough for frost to form in the early morning hours [Music] the upper half of this giant lobelia is covered with green foliage [Music] the lower half retains its dead leaves which act like a sweater to keep the plant warm [Music] other plants come into view that tower above the hikers looming mysteriously in the thick valley mist the giant sinesio is appropriately nicknamed the ghost tree a type of chrysanthemum it can grow over five meters high the valleys in this area calm the winds and tend to maintain a steady temperature year round that's why large plants such as these can flourish despite the high altitude the team reaches barranco camp at an altitude of 3960 meters it's one of the largest camps on kilimanjaro many climbers congregate here because it's located where climbing routes intersect why do you crime the mount kilimanjaro because in austria and in switzerland and in italy we do a lot of climbing yeah so kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in africa so it's our aim to we'll do it what do you want to do on the top of the mountain [Music] [Laughter] beyond the cap there's a 200 meter bluff called the barranco wall this must be climbed team members firmly secure their luggage so that they can keep their balance on the wall the wall was created about 100 000 years ago the result of a large-scale landslide from a distance kilimanjaro looks like an easy climb with gentle foothills in fact however the mountain paths can be steep treacherous and full of surprises hey hold that baby the path through the rocky fields is crowded with hikers the team proceeds cautiously watching every step the porters carry loads as heavy as 20 kilograms on their heads as they skillfully climb maintaining balance is truly a trick of the trade [Music] oh finally the team reaches the top of the barranco wall the ice covered peak awaits them 20 years ago they are glaciers from the top under down the sun and here this photo was taken in the 1920s the entire summit area is completely covered in ice [Music] 90 years later glaciers are only found here and there according to recent research the pace of glacial retreat is now two and a half times faster than it was during the first half of the 20th century [Music] at 4000 meters the highlands are unobstructed the dry earth reflects more of the sun's glare which is stronger at this altitude the team crosses several small mountainside valleys that were created by lava flow this is the saddle a stretch of land sloped like a horse's back between two peaks the team picks its way across a scree slope of broken lava the fierce dry wind creates a harsh desert-like environment they find everlasting flowers growing here too blooming low to the ground they seem to cling to the rock for protection [Music] on the tenth day the team arrives at pofu camp at an altitude of 4100 meters one of the porters finds the skull of an animal called an eland the eland is one of africa's largest bovines with sharp horns twisted like drills the word pofu in swahili means eland profu camp got its name from the fact that elans often climb up here the following day davis sees some animal tracks i think this element because they you see look the new one yes herds of buffalo come all the way from the savannah up to these highlands [Music] but why would they make such an arduous journey up to an altitude of 4000 meters the team follows the tracks and finds that they continue on beneath the rocks [Music] the powder is eventually they find themselves back at the point where they started their circle a week before next they'll attempt the summit they'll have to climb a steep rock wall to reach crater camp from there they'll climb on up to the top of kilimanjaro it will take them four days and three nights to complete the climb which requires an altitude gain of more than 1800 meters the guides sing a special song to encourage the climbers [Music] the team has been hiking for 16 days they've climbed to a height of 4830 meters their next challenge is the western breach the steep slope goes up nine hundred meters to the rim of the crater at seven in the morning the team sets out with davis in the lead even experienced porters have trouble keeping their feet on the rocks made slippery with snow davis keeps a steady pace as the climbers gain altitude are carrying as much as 20 kilograms they get down on all fours in the snow to get through this passage which is the most difficult on the route they pass the 5 300 meter mark at this height the air contains only about half the oxygen it does at sea level it takes the team six hours to climb to the rim at 1 30 in the afternoon they arrive at crater camp at an altitude of 5730 meters the crater of kibo peak has a diameter of two kilometers crater camp is inside it the mouth of the volcano lies in the center of the crater the last volcanic activity observed here occurred 400 years ago the yellowish substance is sulfur proof that the volcano is still active [Music] 100 meters north of the camp a giant wall of ice rears up some 20 meters high climbers can go right up next to it it's been 160 years since kilimanjaro became known outside of africa global warming is now rapidly changing the face of the mountain's glittering white glaciers [Music] it's five o'clock the following to go morning okay let's go the team hikes in the light of their headlamps after about 40 minutes they come out on a large snowy field they can see the summit outlined against the eastern sky where light has begun to glimmer finally they encounter a sign that indicates the summit [Applause] foreign [Music] at four minutes after six the team reaches the highest point on the african continent [Music] formed more than ten thousand years ago the glaciers of kilimanjaro reflect the rosy light of dawn for yet another day [Music] the team encounters a couple who have just become engaged on the summit check it out thank you i'm engaged i carried it all the way up she didn't know totally surprised she said yes [Music] the summit is also called uhuru peak uhuru means freedom in swahili the peak was renamed uhuru in 1961 when tanzania gained its independence [Music] [Music] tanzanian african [Music] my [Music] is the white mountain of the equator [Music] as the brilliant jewel of africa it continues to shine with a radiant light [Music] you

Channel: David Snow

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Id: NORaM7E9DfA

Length: 41min 58sec (2518 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 04 2022