Reidy 1 Stephanie Reidy Instructor Wright ENG 113-970 12 November 2013 A Hike to the Peak of Kilimanjaro Do many people

have the endurance and determination to hike many gruesome miles over a five day trip just to reach the peak of Africas famous Kilimanjaro while risking many health problems due to the terrain, altitude, and weather conditions? James Ramsay Ullman, author of Kilimanjaro! shares an experience of going on a safari and taking a hike to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro while being one of two out of his entire group that started the journey to reach the top. A hiking expedition to the peak of this 19,340 foot mountain requires no special tools or expertise, only endurance, determination, and preparedness. A reader response approach is a very intriguing way to analyze this amazing, descriptive story. This story uses vivid diction and comparisons while showing the authors personal experiences during the expedition as well as some geographical and educational backdrop. As Ullman describes his voyage, he uses vivid diction to make the story as understandable and clear as possible. As the safari crew is approaching the mountain, Ullman says that only one thing remains constant, Raise our eyes, wherever we were, and there it wasthe white [shape] in the sky (55). What could this shape be that he is describing? Maybe it is Mount Kilimanjaro the tallest point in Africa, towering above the giant giraffes necks, above the tall trees, and above all of the surrounding landscape (55). Later on during the hike, while describing Jims altitude sickness, he says that he lurched from the cabin at Kibo (59), which

Reidy 2 gives an idea as to how violent the sickness is and adds vitality to the way the information is depicted. The author makes many comparisons throughout his explanations of the mountain climbing trip. For example, he says that the seven mile long plain between the two peaks of Kibo and Mawenzie is utterly barren and flat as a ball field (59). His comparison of this land to a ball field helps the reader understand his meaning and description more clearly. When Ullman describes the meal at Kibo hut, when nobody was eating the ferocious looking mustard pickles, he realizes that Jim has become ill with the demon Altitude, striking without warning and this sickness was so bad that it was determined that Jim could not proceed any further (60). Throughout his hike, Ullman discovers many periods in which he has difficulty differentiating between illusions and reality (63). It is such a different world on top of the mountain that he does not quite know what to expect. At one point, he sees a huge white cloud cover the sky which he thinks is snow at first. He then sees an amber colored plane brake through a split in the cloud. It is not the normal color of a plane, so he thinks he is not seeing right until his partner later confirms this incident with proof that he saw it too (63). As he is reaching the summithis final destinationUllman also sees a round disk growing larger as he approaches it (63). He thinks that this must be an illusion, until he realizes that it is the head of Thomas, who had reached the destination and was waiting on him at the top (63). Another illusion occurs when he sees a man-made mound of stones with bamboo sticks rising from the surrounding snow. In this mound was held the register for people who had reached the summit to sign (63). It is easy to understand why, in an unusual place with many different surroundings and sights, people like Ullman can have so many instances where they doubt if what they are seeing is real.

Reidy 3 Ullman also includes feelings and thoughts that he has during his hike instead of solely stating the facts. After his journey back down the mountain, Ullmans face is now swollen, legs and knees are hurting, and feet are blistered. He thinks to himself that after this he would never climb anything higher than the gently sloping Murray Hill in New York; but when a friend asks how the trip had gone, his only truthful remark is It was wonderful despite what he feels at this moment (65). There are many different aspects which influence the hikers. The idea of being so close to the sun as well as the suns reflection from the snow on the peak causes a glare that nearly blinds them even with their snow goggles on (61). The author of the story, who is one of two men who makes it all the way to the peak, also experiences slight symptoms as he nears the top, but he holds out very well with just a little bit of medicine (60). It definitely is difficult and tiresome to climb almost vertically at some points with very little breathable air around. Nevertheless, Ullman experiences the worst of his symptoms as he was traveling back down while fighting gravity and obstacles (65). Ullman begins describing the circular method in which they are traveling up the mountain (55). He says that at this point they can no longer focus on anything else but the mountain despite the distractions of the man called the white hunter to look at the surroundings instead of being focused on their path (55). It is interesting that he notes that they have to climb miles and miles to reach the peak (57), so they obviously do not climb straight up the mountain. Instead, they must climb up and down and around to get to the top of the mountain. Ullman also points out that it is different from other immense mountains that are hiked because it does not require any special climbing gear or much expertise (56). Nevertheless, the hikers have to be prepared because of the altitude; many people get sick due to lack of oxygen or other health

Reidy 4 effects (59). He also mentions that because of the dramatic temperature differences between the base of the mountain and its peak, the hikers must take extra precaution and be prepared for whatever weather they might encounter (57). Because of this, not all people who begin the hike make it all the way up which is shown in this story. When about to hike the mountain, a few people from the safari joined with the mountain climbing crew, while the setting during the hike changed from dense forest at the base to snow at the peak. At an elevation of about five thousand feet was the roads end, so in the village of Marangu, two of the men including James Ullman from the safari separate themselves from the crew and join up with the mountain climbing group of nine people and later are joined by Fred Hughes of the Forestry Service there (57). They begin the trek through villages, forests, and partially inhabited land (57). At this point, Ullman begins to describe his actual hike up the mountain. For a person who has not hiked a mountain before, it would be hard to imagine hiking many miles over three and one half days to hike up the mountain, and spending a little time on the peak before setting out on the one and a half day journey back to the base (57). For example, on the first day, Ullman and his fellow hikers walk ten miles only to get three thousand feet up the mountain (57). These menwhich dwindle down to two who make it all the way to the tophave to travel through dense jungles at the bottom (57) which thins to jagged rocks and then snow which creates much resistance (61). After discussing the authors experience during the hike, it is also important to know some information that lies behind Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is located in the deserts of Tanzania, Africa and is 19,340 feet above sea level (56). Because of its location being in the severe heat of the African deserts, many people would probably be shocked to discover that Kilimanjaro is

Reidy 5 covered by snow at its peak and at times, the wind is extremely unrelenting and overwhelming, and the sun is extraordinarily bright (60). While viewing this story from a reader response perspective, it is easy to relate to James Ullmans vivid description of his hike to the peak of Kilimanjaro. He incorporates vivid words and comparisons which make the story feel like it is happening in the presence of the reader. He also shows his thinking that is taking place throughout and some of the times when he thinks that he is seeing illusions when he really is not. The way that he stresses his meaning and thoughts is a very fascinating way to keep his readers interested.

Reidy 6 Works Cited Ullman, James Ramsey. Kilimanjaro! Understanding Literature. Mission Hill: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. 1991. 251-273. Print.