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King of the Mountain

by Gina Fidnick & Neecie Moore

The climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro was an amazing experience for The vAdventures Team. We all experienced it and celebrated it in our own individual ways. But there was one factor we all agreed upon … the trek would not have been as successful nor as enjoyable had it not been for our guide, Julius Minja. His outstanding professionalism and enthusiasm not only increased the quality of our adventure, but also multiplied the dynamics by adding challenge, knowledge and fun.

The fun part seems to come naturally to Julius, because he loves what he does. He's been guiding treks up Kilimanjaro for nine years and hopes to continue his occupation for at least another decade. Along the way he sang to us and cheerfully taught us a Tanzanian song, "Jambo Bwana"!; he instructed us on the ecology of Kilimanjaro, showing us flowers, plants and insects; he encouraged us when we thought we couldn't go one step further; and he waxed eloquently on topics of African politics and religion. This is how we learned that he had trained in seminary to be a minister.

Climbing the mountain itself was a serious challenge and adventure, but Julius added to the height of the challenge by offering to guide us up the western breach of the Machame Route. It's shorter in distance, but is much steeper and requires boulder climbing (better known to us as "hanging out over cliffs with nothing but toe holds and finger holds." Julius may have, inadvertently, encouraged us to take this route by downplaying its technical characteristics and naming it his favorite trail. But, never the less, once we conquered the western breach, we all said we were glad we succeeded in our summit.

The truth is that Julius really did find this route and most others very easy. He grew up at the base of the mountain, so altitude and acclimatization are of little concern to him. In addition, he has conquered the route 156 times. He is extremely fit, staying in shape during the off-season by running 9 miles every day.

He also works hard on his four-acre farm where he raises cattle, chickens, and goats while helping his wife with their four children. His children include a daughter-11, twin boys-8 and a son-5. He said that he would start bringing the boys up the mountain when they are 14-16 years old, but his daughter will have to be older. (Apparently, fathers are more protective of their daughters in every culture!)

Although "protective" may have many different perspectives. Julius married his wife when she was just 16. In Tanzania, it is common for young girls to begin marrying by age 14. When his wife was 10 years old, her parents owned a shop where Julius frequented. At the time he was 20, and he often joked that one day he would marry her. Soon he left to fulfill his military service, which took five years. Upon returning, he stopped in at the store and found that she had grown up. He fulfilled his promise, which was at one time a joke and married her a year later. Julius is now 40, although, based on his looks, we all guessed his age around 28!

Looking younger than their actual age seems to be a trademark characteristic of the Chagga people who live on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Julius is a member of the Chagga tribe which historically belonged to different clan groups ruled by mangis (chiefs). By 1968, there existed 17 chiefdoms, including Machame, Kibosho, and Mwika. After independence, the system of chiefdoms was abolished in Tanzania.

The Chagga people do not live in villages in the rural areas. Instead, each family has its own homestead in the middle of a banana grove, known as a kihamba. Generally, their household plots are next to those of the same clan. With increased population density and division of land holdings, there are hardly any unoccupied areas between the various lineage territories.

The Chagga population has risen steadily from 128,000 in 1921 to 832,420 in 1988. Overpopulation has forced some Chagga people to move to the lowlands and migrate to urban area such as Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Julius' parents gave him his piece of property near theirs when he was married, but he preferred more space, so he moved farther away where he could acquire more land.

The main language spoken by the Chagga is Kichagga, although most also speak Swahili, the national language in Tanzania. Lucky for us, Julius was also fluent in English, which greatly increased the quality of our trip and gave us the wonderful opportunity to get to know him and his country.

We appreciate all that Julius did for us and are eagerly awaiting his visit to the United States in October. He will be sponsored and hosted by Michael and Neecie in Dallas, followed by a vAdventures trip to Mt Rainier. We hope many of our vAdventures fans will get the chance to meet him. His smile, his kind nature, his connection to Creation makes him the real "King of the Mountain" in our books! « Back