Scaling the Peak (aka – Turning 40)

Turning 40 is somewhat of a big deal. I wish it weren’t the case, and in most ways I don’t feel any different, but in others I have to face those realities that can’t be avoided when you reach this age – such as, I guess me making the Olympics (in something, anything) is officially out. Facing physical limitations is especially tough – my mind still feels 18-20 (maybe younger at times) and I think all guys refuse to grow up anyway. So it’s a bummer to officially reach the supposed cross-over age to “old”.  By no means do I accept that anyway, and in reality I still feel young and energetic most of the time. Family and and friends help with that, and living a life less ordinary in Africa plays a role too! Although there are days when it has me reeling, that’s for sure. We’ve now been living in Rwanda for a year and half, and while we’ll never stop hearing calls of “Mazungu!”, we feel more and more “local” and at home.  We specifically choose the name of our company, Karisimbi Business Partners, to align ourselves with something easily recognizable to the Rwandese and a symbol of the work we hope to accomplish with Rwandan small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs.  Mt. Karisimbi is the highest peak in Rwanda (14,800ft), part of the Virunga volcanic range and serves as a border with the Congo. Our motto, is “Guiding Ventures to Reach New Heights” and yet, we had never summited our namesake.  So, we decided to go for it during the short January dry season in the north, and it became part of my 40th birthday challenge / celebration.  In hindsight, spending two days climbing through a muddy jungle, to camp in 30 degree weather and high winds, and then hump it up into the clouds and race back down before dark does NOT make you feel young.  Three days post the climb and my legs still feel like someone spent several hours beating them front and back with a large hammer.  But, we made it and it was a tiring, cold, bonding experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.  I can think of no better way to celebrate this new decade of my life.

Greg, Marty, Jon, Dano, Carter: Packed up to head North

Only 84 people climbed Karisimbi in 2010 and when we excitedly told our various Rwandese clients / friends about our trip, we invariably got very puzzled looks and polite comments like “Oh? …hmmm.  It is very cold up there.  Isn’t there snow?”  It was very clear that they thought this a pointless Muzungu thing to do.

We left last Friday for the drive north to Musanze. 

Hillside dwellings on road leaving Kigali

Heading for Musanze

Wednesday of that week I caught a cold, but was not going to back out. It takes special permits and fees to climb Karisimbi, plus a government guide, our plans were set, it was my 40th birthday, this was a key weather window that wouldn’t come around for another six months, etc, etc.. so I was just going to gut it out and be miserable.  Who needs full strength and clear breathing when you are climbing at high altitude and limited oxygen!  Not me, I’m turning 40! 

Friday night I lay in my uncomfortable bed in a guest house at the base of the National Park, completely miserable, unable to breathe, and depressed at the thought of the next two days in that condition. I was feeling extremely sorry for myself and decided to pray. I explained to Him that I knew that in the grand scheme my cold was not really a big issue, but I also knew He doesn’t want pain for me and so I asked for healing so that I could fully enjoy this experience. Within 10 minutes my cold was gone. You can believe me or not, but that’s what happened. It was that fast, I fell asleep, and the next morning when we got up at 5:30 I was in perfect health. Let’s climb!

Pyrethrum fields - Musanze

Starting out for the Parc National des Volcans you head through farmers fields of pyrethrum (daisy) and Irish potatoes. We were especially happy to see all the fields in bloom with high yield pyrethrum flowers as this was related to one of our biggest clients, SOPYRWA, the pyrethrum factory and refinery that was on the brink of failure. Pyrethrum is used to make natural insect repellents and insecticides, and is only grown in 6 regions in the world. We completed an assessment of the company at the request of the Ministry of Commerce and provided a recovery plan for government assistance to secure this key industry for Rwandese farmers in the North (the most densely populated region). I blogged about this back in October. So, it was a great feeling to see fields that were previously lying fallow or with very poor yields, now covered with white flowers – and to know we had played a role in helping to bring this back.  Its why we are here, and it was a great start to the trek.

Real men do flowers...

Watching the family pyrethrum on the road

Drying Pyrethrum flowers

Our fans lined the road to see the brave (strange) Muzungus...

Carter, Dano, Greg, Marty, Jon: At the base

Our group was comprised of the three Karisimbi Business Partners (Carter, Dano, and me) plus our new intern, Jon Porter, recently graduated from USC. We were led by a good friend here in Rwanda, Marty Koonce, a 14 year missionary in Africa (Togo / Rwanda) who had previously summited Karisimbi. We also had the required Park Ranger guide, and as a surprise, about 10 – 12 well armed RPF soldiers.  It’s hard to pin down how many exactly since they just started appearing and disappearing out of the jungle ahead and behind us.

Feel more or less safe?

 It took us a while to understand they were there for our expedition.  As Jon said – “I don’t know whether to feel safer because they are here, or less safe because they are necessary!” It’s one thing to have a few soldiers, it’s a whole different level when some of them are carrying shoulder rocket grenades, AK47s, M60 machine guns, etc.

Sleep well, we've got the rocket launcher....

What exactly do we think might be out there?  When we asked what they were protecting us from they said (with a straight face) “Cape buffalo.”  Uh huh, with a rocket launcher?  We found out one day after our safe return, when there was a news report of FDLR rebels from the Congo side firing a rocket grenade into a group of Congo park rangers and soldiers killing eight!  Obviously all turned out fine for us, so my mother and others that tend to worry can remain calm. What could possibly go wrong?

We were within a brief two week rain break in the region which meant we didn’t have to hike in a downpour as could easily be normal there.  This was a huge benefit.  However, it still meant that the trail was a mud bog for 90% of the ascent / decent.

Pretty much all mud, all the time...

 That added to the exhaustion, watching every step to avoid the deepest spots and just “trudging” as Marty aptly described it.  But, I’m a man and we like to make things sound more manly than necessary at times. We had a lot of laughs (at ourselves) and just enjoyed the feeling of a bunch of guys out on the trail on an adventure.  In that aspect all of us have the mentality of an 11 year old boy – e.g., “Maybe something cool will happen!”, “Can I hold your rocket launcher? Awww, c’mon! How about the machine gun?” , “Dano, I dare you to pat a silverback gorilla on the head and run.” Immaturity is fun.

Into the Jungle

Further up and further in...

Speaking of gorillas, early on we passed a group of tourists on the side of the trail who had just left a troop of gorillas just three minutes off the trail. We asked to detour to see them, but that is a separate permit ($500) and there is no way the Park was going to let us double up on our experience.  Bummer! Have to go back.  We hoped to come across some ourselves on the climb, but although we saw fresh gorilla poo and some leopard tracks, no live versions. 

Arriving at Base Camp for the night

We made it to base camp at 12,000 feet around three in the afternoon and it provided some great views of the surrounding range and jungle we had left below. It also provided intense temperature drop and within 15 minutes of arriving winded and sweating in short sleeves, I was putting on insulated jacket, stocking cap and gloves. Night comes quickly and it dropped to around 30 degrees F with a good wind. Our guard platoon positioned posts on the uphill and downhill sides of our camp, and after setting up our tents and eating something, we responded to their invitation to join them at one of their fires.

Gathered round the campfire with well-armed friends

 They stayed awake all night outside and still managed to easily beat us up and down the mountain – Rwandese soldiers are well known for their toughness and discipline.  We had a really special time with them around their fire and I was struck again by the unique experience and opportunity I’ve been given to be here. There we were, sitting around a fire on a remote mountain in the center of Africa, with soldiers cooking maize in the fire and sharing it with us, talking and joking back and forth in a mixture of broken English, French and Kinyarwanda, (with machine guns and rocket launchers propped on logs next to us), and we began trading hymns back and forth – they in Kinyarwanda and us in English. Here you can hear one of their songs that Jon captured.

RPF Soldier Sing

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None of us slept well that night (I got about 2.5 hours) and we were up at 4:40 a.m. to eat breakfast and start for the summit around 5:15 or so. The sunrise and view heading out and looking back was pretty great. 

Looking down before heading up

Beautiful Sat morning - just above base camp

Dano and Jon - enjoying the view

All we could see of the next phase climb - clouds

The vertical climb from base camp increased dramatically, and by the time we were approaching the top, all was quiet as we just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, not falling, and trying to breathe in thin air, blowing wind, and in the midst (mist?) of a cloud.  I was directly following the two lead soldiers, and visibility was no more than 20 feet or so given the cloud sitting on the summit for at least 1000 feet.  I was very nervous to lose them as I couldn’t see anyone behind me either.  So, I felt obliged to keep pace with them. 

14,800 feet! (and freezing)

 We joked later about the metaphor we always share with clients about Mt. Karisimbi and reaching the top, the great views, the feeling of success, being higher than all your competitors, etc…  And here we were in the reality, which is: I can’t see anything (possibly the worst view imaginable), I can’t feel my hands or toes, ice is blowing in my face, and the summit is covered with abandoned construction materials and even two portable structures established there back when the Karisimbi communications tower was erected.  Hmmmm….won’t include this reality in our marketing materials or descriptions of the rewards of scaling the proverbial summit! 

The Karisimbi Partners atop Karisimbi!

Our crew of 5 - lost in the cloud on the summit

We spent about a half hour on top – it wasn’t a pleasant place to be, and then began the long trek all the way to the bottom, arriving by three p.m. in the afternoon.  The nice thing about descending is it is twice as fast as up.  But, it is brutal on the knees, joints, balance and energy, on little sleep and a strenuous previous day. In terms of proving my youth and the old adage “You’re only as old as you feel!” – I certainly felt a bit decrepit as a result the past several days.  But I would do it again (again with no rebel encounters and during July / August when there is better chance for clear skies at the top).  But I am in no rush.  Been there, done that, don’t got the t-shirt (but did get a cool carved gorilla walking stick which proved to be one of the best purchases I’ve ever made ($8.75) and highly necessary for maneuvering mud trails. 

Ready for the next challenge (but in no rush...)

As I posted on Facebook – 40 is the new 30! Look out world.