THE ART OF THE imPOSSIBLE
The Art of the Impossible
(Mt. Kilimanjaro Speed Climb)
I.
Uganda is a poor country. The indignity of poverty is exclusion; from the breadth of the catalogue of human experiences on offer. Growing up in this context warps the imagination to succumb to this harsh reality. Poverty begins as physical lack but progresses into a mental challenge. This challenge creates psychological barriers, and internally caps expectations. There are things Ugandans do not do, because effort expended is only allowable in that it generates a financial flow. Uganda therefore, is an unlikely springboard for a conquest of continental significance. However, exceptions exist to prove the rule. And this is where Hermann Kambugu comes in.
The man, the myth, the legend
That exceptional people are virtually indistinguishable from the average person is almost cliché. When Hermann walked in to speak to us on that lazy Sunday afternoon in a discrete restaurant, I was amused at the indifference of other people to this smiley unassuming everyday-man. This was unsurprising however; considering that Hermann dresses for function, speaks politely, almost inaudibly and does not impose. What the casual observers sharing that space with us that day could forgivably have failed to infer is that, Hermann is no ordinary man and that our business there was recording the account of a phenomenal trailblazer, a Ugandan no less, who had just concluded an incredible feat of superhuman proportions.
Throughout, Hermann maintains a perpetual smirk on his face. A seemingly stubborn refusal to acquiesce to the dictates of being ‘someone from Uganda’.
But first- On Mountains
Mountains engulf us. They are colossal and seemingly insurmountable. Mountains represent a form that endures ceaselessly through epochs, survives and does not relent. Mountains, as endless stores of time remain a finite reminder of our smallness, our impermanence. We are perpetually in between mountains, literally and metaphorically, minute and fleeting, sometimes conquering. Our Mountains are ourselves, bending out of shape but never breaking. Eternal.
At close to 6000m above sea level, Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Democratic Republic of Tanzania is no different. While it is the highest mountain in Africa and therefore colloquially referred to as the rooftop of Africa, It is also highest single free-standing Mountain in the world- A towering beauty with a large flat white cap.
II.
24 hours — And I am not talking about Jack Bauer
“Kili was Hard,.. Kili was haaaard”
According to his telling, there is no precise moment that the decision to speed climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in under 24 hours, was made. Quite possibly that moment doesn’t arise with any great specificity in the practice of life. Decisions are the culmination of alignment. Since stumbling into the sport of running by agreeing to accompany his runner-enthusiast Boss to a local race; he has now participated in a 364km ultra run from Nairobi, KE to Moshi TZ over 3 days, 200km from Kampala to Hoima in 2 days, among other Herculean excursions. Perhaps then, this mega stretch goal of speed climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro speed climb is the illogical mutation of Hermann’s pioneering adventurism. “I am always thinking of the next challenge” He says matter-of-factly, adding that “I like to evolve because that is the only way we can grow”. That sounds nice and uplifting until he begins to reveal the growing pains that accompany the process.
Hermann shared with me his story
III.
Preparations — The Storm before the Storm — Murphy’s Law
Iin trying to clear his work schedule as well as make logistical arrangements for this trip had Hermann neglected to do one fairly important thing- Sleep. On less than 10 hours of consolidated sleeping time over the preceding 3 days before going into his thickest challenge yet, there was a lot of digging-deep that would be necessary further on.
Setting out on day of- he woefully miscalculated his water requirements. “I have trained my body to run an entire marathon without a lick of water so I figured I wouldn’t require as much water”. On the basis of this mistaken extrapolation, the decision to leave behind water carrying soft flasks was made. This would later prove to have an amplifying effect on the challenge.
The Climb
“When you’re climbing a mountain, the shortest route is also the steepest route and therefore the hardest route” Herman shares bemusedly. Of interest too, is that with this particular route, there is no retraction possible i.e the only way out is to go up first then down later. It is because of these ‘redeeming qualities’ that the Arrow Glacier route was chosen for the speed climbing attempt.
Given the obvious rarity of the Arrow Glacier route, Hermann, now with a single guide in tow could only rely on the course map downloaded onto his GPS watch, for navigation.
After making light work of the initial forest and alpine stages of the mountain; Hermann winces while recounting the desert phase of the mountain. With his Kenyan counterpart on the trail, the sustained hardship of the never-ending steep & rocky dessert, this unflinching, barren obstacle obscured the goal of the speedy summit. It occurs to me that there is a metaphor buried in there. Often time, protracted effort conceals the purpose for which is intended; a deliberate mechanism to ensure only those deserving collect the prize. The Universe plays its role in divvying up rewards, and we know full well that she is a harsh mistress.
The intense difficulty of the dessert was now being compounded by an impending water shortage. “For some reason I kept drinking loads of water and before long had run out. I was now forced to share the rations of my Kenyan friend”
To overcome this growing hurdle, the battered two-some rest their fates on “positive vibes”. — “We kept telling ourselves that we must summit, no matter what”. No matter what- This type of metaphysical experience that pits physical challenge against mental fortitude is the proxy of life itself, where human beings wrestle daily to bend the arc of potentiality towards actuality.
Earlier, we spoke about the intimidating glare of Mt. Kilimanjaro. “While in Rwenzori you’re tucked between hills and forest and can’t make out your final destination, on Kili, the flat top summit stares at you, calling you out”. The object of your desire facing you constantly is a double edged sword. It may have a clarifying effect on your efforts but it can also calcify your resolve, if found to be weak. Fortunately in this case, it was the former. Nature partially showed its face, and Hermann was determined to have a closer look-against the odds.
IV.
The Snowline — Comeuppance
The choice of shoes while sufficient, was no protection against the dangerously slippery rocks hidden beneath the snow. “I kept using my knee as an anchor to break my fall”. The profound opportunities for harm in such a scenario can’t be understated. Around this time, the guide, though mostly limited by language barrier kept steadying his eager compatriot using the easily recognisable Swahili phrase- “Twende Pole Pole”.
Because when it rains it pours, the precarious dance on the snow, was exacerbated by a brimming cup of exhaustion. Sleep had come to collect. “After short distances Id plant my sticks in the snow and catch a few precious seconds of sleep”. This unimaginably difficult arrangement of circumstances was not ideal, but it was also not detrimental.
Then struck by a positive memory, he excitedly fumbles through his phone gallery to demonstrate “Look”, he says, “we were floating above the clouds, above the clouds”. It was difficult to interpret what aspect of this phenomenon gave him this animated happiness-but my speculation is that it has to do with the otherworldly vantage whereby– To inhabit a point above the clouds suggests a surreal reconstruction of the realm of practical possibility, cracking open a brand new world of possibility.
“I can’t go on, I’ll Go On” — Samuel Beckett
“When things got tough, I just kept focussing on the bigger picture; the bigger picture”. Due to the teething problems of this shared national project that is Uganda, it is uncommon nowadays to find Ugandan youth with unblemished love for their country and countrymen; But all the while, Hermann had us in his heart. “I had to keep going because no Ugandan has done this before, so it was important that I did this for Uganda, and for Ugandans” — For God and my country.
V.
The Summit
Caution: Objects on the mountain are further than they appear
“We found some campers on our way to the summit; wherefrom it (the summit) was in full view. Basing on what we knew or heard from other speed climbers, our expectation was to summit by 5 pm and then start our descent”
The Projection was far from accurate. Even though the benchmarks for making these assumptions could have been sound, scenarios on the mountain do not replicate themselves easily, because nature is an arbitrary dimension, which by means of a choice selection of inimitable variables, ensures a constant state of flux. By the time Hermann and his guide reached the summit at 9pm it was properly dark. Hurried photography duty for the guide was not effective as it was later discovered that he failed to capture any usable images. In a society currently wedded to the notion that memorializing every moment, big or small, through pictures is a basic requirement, this might have caused some frustration. However, if Hermann had any concern about this, it did not show.
VI.
(What goes up, must come down)
Going up the mountain is choice, Coming down is compulsory
It is not known by the uninitiated that descending from the mountain is equally if not more cumbersome than ascending. Besides the small matter of fatigue, it is considerably dangerous because a fall can be a lot more comprehensive, working in concert with gravity.
“Because the trails change on mountains frequently due to weather conditions, my watch kept leading me to some dead ends or newly transformed rocks so I had to just keep finding my way”. Hermann is a new age tech enthusiast and his reliance on the GPS navigation was absolute. But the capricious mountains had metamorphosed in new ways that he had to cope with-having to slide on his rear in particularly steep sections.
“On my way down, I run into my friend Mwembu who was also attempting the 24 hour challenge through a different route. He later told me that his only regret was not taking a picture of that would later prove that I looked like a corpse”
VII.
Somebody Tell Me Why?
I count myself among the legion of people, inspired inexhaustibly, by Hermann’s shining example. It was therefore imperative that I understood what motivates the motivator.
“My religious faith is an important part of who I am, and sports has given me the confirmation-its like a real time example”. A man of faith, Hermann has lived the discipline prescribed by Divinity. He has also remained his brother’s keeper.
“I am always encouraged by people I’ve met along this journey-who say that I have helped them in some way”. He relays about the time he encountered a runner from India at the Nairobi marathon who was genuinely excited to meet his hero. He had been following him religiously though digital means.
Another tale is shared of how eagerly the guides on the Virunga mountains keep retelling the story of Hermanns’s incredible 2 day -3 mountain summit, to spur on chubby city lifers attempting the same, wondering aloud to them — what does he (Hermann) eat?
I suppose the moral of this is that we are in this reflexive symbiosis. Hermann motivates us motivate him and vice versa.
As we draw to a close, many hours later, I am unashamedly scouring for sage advice. He is now waxing philosophical, emphatically reminding me that Discipline trumps genetics. This advice is also his hope to persuade us to do the same. Because he fervently believes we can manufacture the discipline necessary to attempt the extraordinary, and in so doing, become the same way.
I admire Hermann’s Humility, not the concocted PR version that’s common- the type of humility that is generated by the knowledge that there is more out there — Gakyali Mabaga –
When I queried about how he rewards himself, he says curtly- “with more challenges”. The paradox of success is that its anti-climax is its greatest power. One successful summit begets another ad infinitum.
Hermann Kambugu summited and descended Mt. Kilimanjaro in 23 hours and 22 minutes on –26th February 2021- setting a new national record for Uganda. Naturally, as soon as he came off the mountain, he took the only logical step –he participated in the Kilimanjaro marathon, running 42km in less than 4 hours! -
“I wanted to show everyone that it is possible”- Hermann Kambugu
(Note: This story was written in 2021, even though it is only being published now. But — Better Late than Never)
Kiwanuka Okot MJ
