It is a formidable task for people half his age. So when 77-year-old Dr. Harnath Tipirineni decided to to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, it was a big challenge. The seasoned trekker reached the summit of the famous mountain on September 16 at Gilman’s point, at an altitude of 5,685 metres.
Gilman’s point is on the rim of the Kibo volcanic cone on the mountain top. Kilimanjaro has three such cones, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Mountaineers looking for the toughest goal go to Kibo, because it is the highest, with three points along its rim that are at different heights.
Gilman’s point is the first where everyone gets on to the rim. The second is Stella Point which is 5,756 m high, and then there is the Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the highest. But it takes 80 minutes to trek from Gilman’s to Uhuru. Dr Harnath saw little point in straining himself.
At high altitude, every step is a monumental effort. Dr. Harnath who had developed altitude sickness, ended the trek at Gilman’s point, which is also the basic requirement for certification of a Kilimanjaro climb. The Kilimanjaro National Park Chief Park Warden issues certificates for all three peaks.
Dr. Harnath, who was born at Pasumarru in Krishna district, studied in Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada and pursued medicine in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata. He then worked abroad till he retired. He now divides his time between the city, his village and Chicago where his children live.
Tougher than Everest Base CampLess than a year ago, Dr. Harnath scaled Everest Base Camp. He covered Adi Kailash, Pindari Glacier, Manasarovar and Mount Kailash when he was younger. But the most arduous treks he undertook were post-retirement.
Everest (south) Base Camp which is at an altitude of 5,150 m (16,900 ft) is seen by amateur mountaineers as the first step to the seven summits.
“Kilimanjaro was much tougher than Everest Base Camp. But the entire trip was shorter. While we completed Kilimanjaro in a week, Everest Base Camp took double the time,” Dr. Harnath said.
Was he worried about collapsing? Dr. Harnath said, “Anything can happen. We have to go prepared to face the worst. He have to tie up all loose ends at home before embarking on the adventure.”
Phanikumar Bandreddi, 53, who reached Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro with Dr. Harnath said the team took the Marangu Route because there were huts on the way. Those who take other routes had to rough it out in tents. While the trekkers on the Marangu Route had just four days to reach the top, others had an extra day to acclimatize. Often, climbers prefer to stay one extra day to acclimatize and then try reaching the Kibo volcanic cone, which is a steep climb, Mr. Phanikumar said.
Endocrinologist and trekker Goutham Meher, who has also scaled Kilimanjaro, said the failure rate was very high on the Marangu path. His team picked the Machame route, to gain more time to acclimatize.
