Food for thought on what we just did in Africa: I’m sure the attached article is sensationalized just a little, Gugu’s Death on Kili but the dangers of altitude are very real. I wonder about the cumulative effects of high altitude on porters and guides, who are there all the time. Although they acclimate to some extent, I can’t imagine it’s good for them long-term. One thing’s for sure: it’s very dangerous work. My guide informed me that he has actually seen porters die on the mountain. Not many, but one is too many. Jeff told us that altitude sickness can hit anyone, at any time. He said that even HE could get it despite his extensive experience climbing, including the Himalaya and Everest.
Now that I’m back home and STILL recovering from severe bronchospasms that started after I returned to Kosovo Camp after summiting (Kosovo is at 16,000′, more than 3,000′ lower than Kili’s summit), I’m thankful to be safe and out of those harsh conditions, beautiful though they were. It is impossible to explain how difficult it is to climb in high altitude, though some are affected more than others. I have yet to complete my Badgerblogspot.com blog, which I will do at some point, and I will explain more about what was going on each day. As I’ve said previously, I did pretty good considering no headaches or nausea, but I was messed up for sure. Surprisingly, one of our team members didn’t really seem to notice the altitude. It’s mostly governed by your genetic makeup, so there’s little you can do about it. Others got very ill. One of us almost died near the summit after developing HACE. Jeff’s quick intervention saved her. It was terrifying.
When I was suffering from uncontrolled rapid breathing and wheezing (bronchospasms) at Kosovo Base Camp after the summit, I was pretty sure I had developed HAPE — High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. I called to Jeff for help, and he put a pulse oximeter on my finger. While sitting at rest in my tent (well, trying to rest), my pulse was very rapid at 140, and my oxygen level was just 70%, compared to my normal 99%. No wonder I felt like crap. But when he listened to my lungs, they were dry. So no HAPE–just very uncomfortable bronchospasms that scared the hell out of me. That was the most frightening moment of the trip for me because I could not get my breathing under control, no matter how hard I tried. For the rest of that day (many hours), I practically choked as I down-climbed the remaining 3,000′ to Millennium Camp. Stumbled is really a better word. When I finally got there, I was coughing so violently that I threw up. Jeff gave me a bronchodilator and some Diamox, and eventually I settled down enough to sleep.
I think what always worried me most on the mountain was (not) knowing when/if to stop and turn around. If you climb Kili, you WILL feel bad at some point. Really bad. In rare cases, it is obvious that HAPE or HACE are occurring, and the decision to turn back is easy. But when you’re just struggling to breathe and feel awful, how do you know where you are on that spectrum? Are you minutes away from checking out? That was part of the mental game of pushing towards the summit–believing that you were NOT going to get sick and that you could do it. Fortunately, I didn’t get seriously ill. Just the usual embracing of the suck (as Jeff calls it) that occurs when participating in such ventures. T Minus 6 and Counting: Embracing The Suck
One thing I do remember is seeing some very sick people being evacuated down as I was going up. Some of them were in grave condition. As you will see in my video, there was also a med-evac by helicopter on day 4 at Karanga Camp. It was all very sobering. Now that I’ve had a little more time to reflect, I am so relieved to be back at sea level. I feel very accomplished at having made it all the way to the top, but I am humbled by the power that Kili had over me regardless. She hit me hard, and I guess I just hit back a little harder, for a little longer. That’s it.
Tomorrow it’s back to work and the real world. It will be tough. Africa has caught me in her net, and I will return very soon. I loved it there. But you will not see this Badger on Mount Kilimanjaro again. One and DONE.
Badger out.
