BootsnAll's Travel Community

Here is an update from Kilimanjaro on the most recent Kilimanjaro Porter Death.

I read the post. Is this due to poor attire on the porters behalf? Or is it a combination of things such as health, clothing, the need for work etc.

Not that I have any climbing experience but I would suspect that Kili would be much the same as what you hear about porters in Nepal.
These people are poor and obviously will go for what work they can get, even if it means getting paid a pittance.

As to attire, do not expect them to have all the fab sort of gear that people going there to use them will have, a reading of some blogs making references to amazement at what porters can carry and in bare feet.
They are basically coolies of the modern era and whilst there will be some owners of companies providing climbing services making a reasonable living, the porters are at the bottom end in attempting to eke out a living.

I suppose there is a certain ammount of morality to the whole question of doing any climbs and that is well these guys are lugging these huge loads on our behalf and what should they be paid?

Your experiences of less developed countries CG may lead you to discovering that some values are yet to be developed too.

quote:

This is another sad day for a climbing industry that make millions and millions of dollars off Mt. Kilimanjaro, but can’t put together some basic rules and regulations that makes sure everyone - including the porters - gets down the mountain safely.

When that happens, if reasonable wages were part of the regulations, then cost ofclimbs will astronomically rise.

Well I would be willing to pay more for the climb if it means that the Porters are paid better and therefore don't die on the Mountain.

We can all help to stop this, if the Climbing Companies are unwilling to pay the Porters more then why can't WE, as the Climbers, pay the Porters a larger tip?

I think it's appalling the way some people have to live...I know it is a fact of life, but I would hope that someday we can all help to change it...

Porters are not the only ones to die either and important for people to have a reasonable degree of fitness, have appropriate clothing and a commonsense approach along with good guidance.

Very sad and unfortunate. There is politicing on the mountain. You see things that you could never imagine. Go with a reputable guide company, do your research...

Check out the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project out. They do good work. And if you're on your way to Moshi, be a courier and take a duffel (from the states, tho) down for them -- all you pay for is shipping of the duffel to your house before your trip (it was $35 for me, but $35 is so insignificant when you consider the intentions of bringing the bag down). Or if you have good condition gear you don't need, drop it off with them. They are more than appreciative.

Good outfitters will make sure their porters have proper clothing for the camp conditions. We had 9 guys at Crater Camp and 3 went to the summit. All were dressed in cloths that worked but I still sent extra cloths for my team after I returned home.

Whomever was in charge on the mountain with a porter vomiting blood for 24 hours and had him carry a load on the way down before he died isn't dealing with poor wages or clothing issues, it's called manslaughter.

On October 6 while camping in the Karanga Valley, I was awaken early in the morning by the sounds of someone with a serious coughing problem. The appeared to be some panic as there was much yelling back and forth in Swahili, and then the coughing person was apparently taken down the mountain. I didn't leave my tent, as initially I thought I was dreaming and it was still dark out, but by the time this was all over, it had gotten lighter out. I asked my guide later, on our way to Barafu, if there had been any problems that morning and he hadn't heard of any.

As soon as I read your post, Donovan, on the Mt. Kili Logue, I wanted to find more information to see if this was related - although you mentioned the porter was taken down Marangu and there wasn't a specific day mentioned. Is there anything out there that reports this - I can't find anything on the web.

One more thing. I was on a Zara trek. The porters were dressed appropriately, except for one of our guides who didn't have gloves, and one of our group donated an extra pair to him. I think it's important to remember that clothing is not what causes AMS. Also, guides may not know what is going on with the health of a porter or even a client.

There were six in our group and we all made the summit. One girl in our group, who was an experienced climber, had consistantly low oxygen levels the whole trek. Yet, she told us that she was feeling fine, aside from having headaches and low appetite. We paid close attention to her the whole time, and our guide knew about her issues, yet she refused to let anyone know just how bad she was feeling. Basically, she got seriously sick on her way down from the summit, and our guide was by her side the whole way, and had her transported down to the gate. It might be interesting to mention that her traveling partner had HAPE on another climb at 14,000 ft, yet he didn't recognize any serious issues with her health. So, this just goes to show that even clients can make poor judgements about their own health.

'When that happens, if reasonable wages were part of the regulations, then cost of climbs will astronomically rise.'

And we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?
Next you'll expect the 5 year olds making your lovely warm mountain coat to get paid more and then where would we be.