Jens A. Hald Al-Sheikhali

At 6:00 AM, we woke up to very bad weather with both a storm and heavy rain, and it continued like that all day. This day was considerably more challenging; there are many mountains, and we are getting higher and higher. We ended up at Chiawa Camp 1, which is at 3,650 meters altitude. Today's hike was also about 6 hours long, covering 8.3 kilometers. It rained continuously, and there was a lot of mud. You also have to be cautious of the many rocks, but fortunately, no one got hurt, and I was lucky enough not to be affected by altitude sickness.

Could you keep the spirits up despite the difficult terrain and severe weather?

It probably helped a bit that it was January and we were coming from Denmark. So, swapping snow and cold for rain and warmth was still something I viewed positively, even though you could long for a ray of sunshine after 8 hours in the rain. Another thing was that I had rented a rain poncho at the hotel, just as a little extra precaution. That was probably one of the best investments for the trip, as it kept both me and my backpack dry.

What was the most challenging part at this point? Was there anything that surprised you?

At this point, the most challenging thing was definitely that the rain had been ongoing for so long that it was really muddy and slippery. You had to place your feet very carefully when climbing steep inclines or crossing small rivers to avoid slipping or twisting your ankle.

The pace surprised me a bit; there weren’t many breaks scheduled or time to just enjoy nature and the surroundings. You’re very focused on the path ahead and placing your feet correctly, so you forget to look up and enjoy the jungle. It also surprised me that despite a whole day of overcast weather and rain, I managed to burn my hands from the sun since they were the only parts not covered due to the weather.

It’s quite foggy here at Barranco Camp, or actually, it’s not fog; we’re so high up now that it’s clouds. Some of them contain a lot of water, but that’s just how it is. As I mentioned yesterday, today would be tough, and it really was. You walk very slowly when you're above 4000 meters. The guides keep saying "polepole," which means "slowly." Today’s hike was good. We saw a lot of different things; everything from small bushes to big mountains.

On the way to Barranco Camp, we passed a waterfall that we had to descend, all while it was snowing. There were a couple of American groups behind us who said it was crazy and very dangerous, but we managed it and got down safely. The descent by the waterfall was much harder than going up. I haven’t experienced altitude sickness yet, and at Barranco Camp, we've arrived at an altitude of 3900 meters. It’s always the case that we hike high, but we sleep a little lower. Now we only have two days left, which is exciting.

How did you handle the situation at the waterfall when you realized it was quite challenging? How did you feel when you had made your way down?

I could immediately feel, both in myself and in the whole group, that there was full focus and no time for photos or chatting. Everyone just made sure to help each other down the waterfall one step at a time. We constantly checked with our trekking poles to see if the next stones felt slippery, loose, or safe to step on.

Actually, there weren’t many emotions for me when we reached the bottom. I think we got about 200-300 meters away before we took a short break, and it was only then, when we turned around and saw the waterfall from a distance, that we realised what we had just been through. For me, it was probably a feeling of joy and relief that we had all managed yet another challenge very well.

On Day 8, you reach the summit; can you describe the experience? Was it what you had imagined? Could you enjoy it, or were you too exhausted?

When I was woken up at midnight and turned on my headlamp, the entire inside of my outer tent was glimmering with frost. It was quite special. Stepping out into a starry night with a full moon gave me a feeling of extra energy and motivation to tackle the last 5 kilometers. This day was undoubtedly the most mentally demanding experience I’ve ever put myself through, and I had probably underestimated it because everything had gone so well up until then.

It took 7 hours to walk those 5 kilometers, so saying that the pace was very slow is probably an understatement. That wasn’t the hard part; it was more that we were no longer just ourselves. We were practically a snake of people all trying to reach the summit for sunrise, and we were moving so slowly that there was neither space nor speed to overtake anyone.

The last 5 kilometers were filled with many stops, and I didn’t get into a good flow during my ascent, while I also experienced symptoms of altitude sickness for the first time. I had a headache, felt slightly dizzy if I looked anywhere other than at my feet, and had stomach issues, though thankfully, it didn’t escalate. Additionally, some groups were playing all sorts of music from small speakers they carried, which created a lot of noise that, at least for me, negatively affected my experience. So, if I were to describe the first 4 kilometers, it was a bit of hell. I don’t think I said more than 5-10 words that night on the way up because I was just maxed out.

The last kilometer was walked as the sun was rising over 70 cm of snow and above the clouds. It felt a bit like walking on another planet when I reached the top and looked around. At the same time, getting hit by the light was a huge mental boost, along with the sound of stepping in the snow while everything was completely silent. Everyone was so exhausted that there was no talking at all. So, walking there with snow all around and clouds like a sea on the horizon was truly magical.

Finally, you reach the infamous sign where everyone takes their picture to prove they reached the summit, and that was a real nightmare. People were just standing in a big clump, annoyed and arguing over whose turn it was to take a picture, and that part felt more like "just getting it over with" than actually enjoying it. I would almost advise anyone reaching the summit to focus on everything else but that sign. Additionally, you only have about 10 minutes up there before it’s time to head back down again. Partly due to exhaustion and the thin air, you really have to soak up as much of the experience as possible.

Did everyone in the group reach the summit? How long did it take you to come back down?

Yes, the whole group made it to the top, which was really cool. Standing there with my dad was also a special moment for me. What made it even cooler was that when we returned to the camp we had left that night to reach the summit, Lars from our group surprised us with five gold medals that he had engraved with our names and that we had reached the summit. It was a really fun and special thing, and in hindsight, it made it even more significant that we all made it to the top; otherwise, it might have felt a bit flat for some.

The descent went really quickly and only took 1.5 days, but with too few breaks for our taste. Especially considering that we had been going since midnight, which ended up meaning we had been up and going for about 20 hours straight that day. So we were pretty exhausted, and the actual route down is different from the one taken up, and you don’t have to acclimatise, so it goes much faster.

However, that meant my knee suffered tremendously again, and it was almost unbearable. We had a section of about 10 kilometers that can best be described as poorly constructed, wide steps made of mortar and uneven stones, where each step was between 30-50 cm high. The shock it sent up through my knee with each step down was awful, but we made it down.