yoga

13

december 2018 / january 2019

yogajournal.com.sg

weather. We reached Camp Baraffu around
noon, grabbed a quick bite, and then hiked to
Camp Kosovo in low visibility as we marched
closer to the sky. All I did was follow the
footsteps of the person in front of me, and
made my breath rhythmic with every step. I
was living the moment, not thinking of what
the future held nor delving into the past. Once
we were at the final base camp, we ate dinner
early around 5.30pm, and were told to take
a nap before our biggest climb—the grand
finale!
I barely got 3 hours of sleep before I heard
the guide yelling out for us to wake up. Four
layers up and four layers down, beanie, two
pairs of socks, three pairs of gloves, head
lamps, warmers—all checked. I was all set to
go. When I stepped out of the tent, my first
sight was of Venus welcoming me to walk
under a sky lit bright by a gazillion stars. This
was the day I had been waiting for, and it was
time to give my best as all preparations would
come to test now.
Before we began the climb, we ate some light
snacks with hot tea and coffee. And then we
sat down and chanted some mantras and did a
few breathing exercises. We were divided into
three groups and the key was to walk slowly

and take a few short breaks. The air was going

to be thin, the temperature was going to be

-20 degrees celsius, and it was going to be

pitch dark. The first thing that hit our faces

as we started walking was a sharp, icy-cold

breeze.

Our head lights shining on sand and rocks,

we went through switchbacks and reached

5,000m, one step at a time. My fingertips

and toes were numb, and I had to shake the

warmers so I could transmit some warmth,

and life, into them.

I would breathe in through my nose and with

every exhalation, I would chant Om. Breathe

In, “Ommm”. Breathe In, “Ommm”. Breathe

In, “Ommm”. The rhythm of my chant helped

me focus and remain steady and positive.

We took a few breaks along the way, and at

the last break, we were served hot tea–what

a respite! It really gave us the much-needed

boost. We had been walking nearly six hours

in the dead of the night, and at every 200m,

the temperature dropped by 2 degrees Celsius.

At -20 degrees, I felt breathless and every

step was brutal. Om, Om, Om—I kept going,

getting the energy from the chant and from

the thought that the end was near.

It was 5:56am on October 10, 2018, when we

reached Stella Point—the dark sky was giving

way to a streak of golden ray. I imagined hot

melting iron being poured into a crucible, it’s

warmth slowly spreading to people around.

The horizon turned majestic—a beautiful hue

of blue, orange and gold—as the sun kissed

the sky slowly. It was magnificent. The air

was light, my body was cold, my nose was

dripping, but I felt nothing. The whole scenery

ahead of me became bright and vibrant, and

there was renewed energy and life in the

surrounding. I saw glaciers and icicles on

one hand, and the vast open horizon on the

other. A blanket of cloud teased us sometimes,

blanketing us and gradually letting go. We

were at the rim of the crater and the caldera

was covered with snow in the middle. After 45

minutes, we were at the summit— We reached

Uhuru peak by 6.50am.

The Summit

When we finally reached the summit, I was

in a state of delusion as all this seemed like

a dream: I could not believe I had done it.

Everyone around me, my fellow climbers,

were celebrating our success. I was amazed

by Saanya’s will power, focused energy

and patience. She completed it with utmost

composure and calmness. I was so proud that

she was with me until the finish line.

But it’s not over till it’s over. Like they say in

yoga classes, it is just as important to get out

of a pose as it is to achieve the pose. Reaching

the summit may have been the ultimate

goal, but we had to come down as well. The

sun was creeping on us while we took all

our customary pics. We had a quick snack

and started our challenging descend—sand,

pebbles, rocks made it slippery and dangerous.

My focus was low and strength was fading

out because of lack of sleep. One of our

group members had to be airlifted due to high

altitude fatigue, while another decided to head

back to base camp when he reached 5000m. It

took us 8 hours to finally reach Mweka Gate all

the way down.

It was an experience of a lifetime—while

celebrations and gratitude followed with the

group once we were at the hotel, there was

also a lingering unexplainable feeling of having

seen something unforgettable, a place that

will always be cherished for years to come. I

defined a new threshold for the body and

mind!

Sandip Guptais a professional in Singapore, an

avid dragon boat rower and positive thinker.

He penned his Kilimanjaro experience in a

journal which was edited as the above piece

by Yoga Journal Singapore editors.

At the Summit. We did it!