A sobering story in today's Newcastle Journal as a local man
recounts how three African porters died on Kilimanjaro due to
inadequate clothing in appalling conditions.
Peter Nixon, 39, was trekking up the mountain as part of a charity
challenge organised by the Make A Wish Foundation when conditions
deteriorated high on the mountain. The three Masai porters were part
of another expedition and were inadequately equipped, some wearing
only shorts and tee-shirts, and apparently succumbed to
hypothermia.
Nixon himself suffered the effects of altitude sickness high on
the mountain and 'admitted to being unfit and an inexperienced
climber before the trek'.
Sadly the tragedy occurred the same month as Ed Douglas's
prescient piece about the risks of climbing Kilimanjaro appeared in
Climber magazine. In the article Douglas concentrates of the way a
daily peak fee charge of $70 encourages trekkers to climb the near
6000 metre peak - the highest in Africa and one of the seven summits
- as quickly as possible.
Many trekkers aim to complete the popular Marangu route in just
four days, which is totally inadequate for acclimatisation - nearer
two weeks would be a more sensible time scale - and has led to
numerous deaths from AMS on the mountain. Douglas suggests that more
than ten people a year die on Kili.
It also underlines the importance of the work of the International
Porters Protection Group - see previous articles below - which is
working to improve conditions for and awareness of porters
worldwide.
For the original
story, see the Journal.
