Margherita

Description

First of all, Rwenzori range is renown as being one of the most wet area on earth, that's the first thing you have to fight. The climb in itself is not too hard but may become very tough if its rainy, as usual and as our's. The stages are not much than 10 kms each day and 600 to 800 ms elevation, but it needs at least 6 or 8 hours to complete due to permanent mud on the tracks, very exhausting. Finally even if it was snowy and misty, the easier part for me was on the glacier. As a European climber, I'm much more used on ice and snow than mud, even if you may find crevasses, and fall down as my roping partner Risper, sure the youngest African women on the top ( she is 27).

I actually think that Rwenzori mountains have to be taken seriously. The third night is at 4000ms and acclimatization is very short, indeed we where on the summit 5th August, the same day a French tourist died at Kitandara hut, probably with pulmonar oedema, and with no easy possibility to escape and going down quickly. You can read this sad story at the following link: http://hikerhell.blogspot.com/2008/08/french-tourist-dies-on-rwenzori.html

I must thank very much the whole staff provided by Rwenzori Mountaineering Services from Nyakalengija, guide, porters and cook, all very professional.

I can't miss to congratulate miss Risper Nkirote Nyaga, my usual roping partner in Africa from Chuka (Kenya) who came along with me on Mount Kenya in 2006 and Kilimandjaro in 2002. She has been so courageous to reach Margherita peak.

You can have a look at some photos gallery: http:// www.olidomidum.fr

My E-mail adress: olivier.dumon4@libertysurf.fr

Thanks to Olivier Dumon for this description.