1am comes fast and we're up early to tackle the summit. I'm not feeling great and feeling the effects of mild AMS. We snack on cookies and tea, but I'm having troubles with my appetite (a symptom of AMS). It had also begun raining the evening before, so it's wet, muddy, and slippery. 2am comes fast, and we're off.
It's pitch black and the wind & rain make for less than stellar trekking. Cha Cha leads, and I'm right behind. We arrive at Rhino point (3800m), and it gets very steep very quick. The ground is mush, and with every step, you're sliding down 1/2 of that step. With the rain blowing so hard, I'm literally on Cha Cha's heels to keep him in my sights. Staring at his boots I follow every step he takes. A foot or two more and I wouldn't see him at all.
I had asked Kassim a couple of days before, why do we leave for the summit in the middle of the night? Turns out there are a couple of reasons: First, the ground is frozen overnight, and easier to trek. Second is psychological. If you saw where you were going, you probably wouldn't want to be there.
It's getting lighter out, but we're incased by the clouds. We can't see far up, and we can't see down into the crater either. I'm thinking that this is a good thing. Much of the climb on the crater rim is scrambling, which is made much more difficult by the freezing rain covering the rocks, my gloves, and everything on me. In the best conditions, it would have been trying and trecherous, but with the cold, wind, and freezing rain... it's another level. I focus on following Cha Cha as we make our way farther and farther up. At this point, I don't concern myself with how I'm supposed to be getting myself down, just eyeing each false summit that creeps up just when I'm sure this has got to be it.
6:59am, and we reach the summit of Mt Meru (Socialist Peak, 4,566 metres (14,980 ft)). In the bitter cold, we pose for a few pictures and rest. Dale mentions to Cha Cha and Kassim that he hopes we'll catch a glimpse of Kilimanjaro when the clouds break. Our African guide know better, and tell us we won't have a chance and need to head down. My hands are very cold as my mitts are wet and incased in ice. Kassim offers me his and puts his hands in his pockets. We slowly make our way down, very carefully with the icy rocks leaving little room for error. I did slip at one point, landing on the step down directly on my shin. Checking to make sure I was still in one piece, we carried on. We kept crouched down to limit the exposure the to wind, but in the most exposed parts of the climb down, the wind so hard it was like walking in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Walking in the crosswinds, I was leaning sideways into the wind to keep myself upright. My walking poles became difficult to control as the winds just blew them sideways. At this point, I just wanted to get down, and get there as fast as possible.
Past the rocky crater rim area below Rhino Point, the trail is slippery mud and we're on the home stretch back to Saddle. A few hours after reaching the summit, we see the huts at Saddle, and there is a certain sense of relief. I mention that this is one of those experiences I'll appreciate later on, but for the moment, I'm just glad we're back safe. Our guides, also very glad to be back, and mention that we'll stay for a few hours to rest before heading back down to Mirikamba. In the hut, we peel off our wet clothes. Everything is soaked, including 2 cameras. We have a bite to eat, and rest for a bit.
The clouds break as we're about to leave, and we see Kilimanjaro in the distance. The wooden 'steps' made in parts of the trail to prevent erosion on the steepest parts and made the journey up the path to Mirikamba so great, are now beating my legs with every step down. After a few hours, and with body and mind battered and exhaused, we arrive at Mirikamba, but not before the rain comes pouring down once again minitues before we make it. In the hut, we empty our bags of gear and water, and hang it all out in our little room. Over dinner, we ask if they've ever been up to the summit in as bad weather, to which they both reply no. I'm glad to be back in one piece, and with that, it's much deserved bed.
Day 7:
We're off by 8:30am down back to the park gate. There are two routes from the gate to Mirikamba, and we take the shorter, steeper trail down to the gate. Still encased in cloud, mist and rain, the trail is once again slick. Up ahead, we notice a group of giraffe, standing right off of the trail. Cha Cha leads and we soon follow slowly behind. We get within about 10m of them as we cross a stream nearing the gate.
Arriving back at the gate, we say our thank you's to the porters, Kassim & Cha Cha for making it all possible, and getting us back safely. We crowd back into the vehicle and head back out of the park. We see more giraffe on the road, just hanging out. Kassim asks if we would like to check out a reptile farm just outside the park for $3, and we do. Snakes of all sorts, crocodiles, and we even handle a few chamilions.
Back to our home base @ Keys, we arrive, and immediately hang up all of our wet gear to dry. The all important shower, and a quick
run into town to find some nearly impossible things to find: garbage ags and a knee brace. We eat dinner about 5, and Dale is falling asleep at the table as we eat. I'm sure my conversation about the digital 
copyright in 21st century Canada didn't help much. Our IMG group from Kilimanjaro arrives an hour or two later, and we stay for introductions and to chat for a bit before calling it a night.::
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