October 13th: Day 3 of Kilimanjaro Trek

 Shira I Camp to Shira II Camp

Last night with all the sleeping bag layers, electric socks, down jacket stuffed into bottom of bag, summit jacket laid on top and hat and gloves... I was warm. Gosh I hope Abdi was correct when he said Shira I was one of the coldest camps!

I woke to clear skies, a view of Mama Kili and frost amply applied to all surfaces, including our crunchy tent. It was stunning! As we packed up, ate breakfast and did our AM health check, lots of pics were taken too. 

Yes! Yes, that is fresh papaya half way up Mt Kilimanjaro!

Me and Abdi

Evance, Zar, Imogen, Sue, Me and Abdi

The hike was easier than yesterday - mostly gently up and down. 

But arriving after 10km, we 4 all reported more fatigue today. Just around 12,000'. As usual, a 1/2 km from camp, the porters had showed up to carry our daypacks the rest of the way. Day 3 and STILL the sweetest surprise!

On route today, I retained my crown for making the most money. ("Making money" is the guides lovely way of saying Pee.) But despite being only 3 hours of walking, I also finished 2L of water and almost all of my 1L electrolyte drink. I'm a rule follower and 3L is the minimum here. We have twice daily  health checks. Pulse oximeter readings, a check in about diarhea, headaches, appetite, energy levels and whether or not Diamox was taken. All 4 of us were at 90+% O2 readings with healthy heart rates and no other issues. Long may it last!

Since our hike was short-ish and not much, if any, elevation gain, we arrived before lunch was ready and managed to fit in our altitude hike... 30 mins walking up a point that overlooks camp. It fulfilled the "hike high, sleep low" criteria and was not hard. 

Chicken and chips lunch followed and just before a cozy afternoon nap, I managed a decent "washy-washy". Luke warm water in a plastic bowl, soap and a bath wipe... all the important bits plus removing dust and sunscreen from face and neck. I felt like a new woman.

So here we are at 5pm in the dining tent, journaling the day alongside Imogen, ginger tea in hand, cards at the ready; listening to the sounds of dinner being prepared. Before we know it, Emmanuel will be here with giant platters of food and a warm but firm face of expectation: "When I return, all of this food will be gone!"

Emmanuel!

Did I mention sunsets are quite magical here? Our camp is a little higher than most and the view over Shira II is a delight. Plus... that's Mt Meru out there catching the last rays of today!

Ok, so how am I feeling? The hike was joyful today. 10/10. I love our team, feel well cared for and our guides set expectations beautifully. There is space and encouragement to be ourselves, and share freely about how we're doing physically and mentally. While I still have self doubt and discomfort is "normal", I also feel optimistic and so happy to be here. If the nights weren't so darn cold (both Imogen and I are sensitive to the cold) then this would so far be considered far easier than 90% of my training!

Tomorrow's Briefing:

Wake up: 5:30am

Breakfast: 6:00am

Departure: 6:30am

We hike 7km to Lava Tower at 15,110' where we'll stop for a hot lunch. Then it's downhill to Barranco Camp for 3km (3900m).

It's alpine zone >4000m. Wear tights and hiking pants. 3 layers on top.

Take/wear balaclava, hat, wool liner gloves.

Take sunhat, sunscreen, sunglasses, snacks.

October 12th: Day 2 of Kilimanjaro Trek

 Not gonna lie... The night was cold and expectations of my apparently -10C sleeping bag were not met. Do you think I could warm up the air inside? Nope. Not even with thick smartwool tights and my down "moon booties" that came on at various toilet runs. 

Outside the stars shon brightly, a half moon smiled down and tree hyraxes called out... a wee bit too close to the toilet tent, as I sat there. The air was chilly, but scarily not much colder than my sleeping bag!!! Sleep was elusive and spotty but I welcomed the first stirrings of camp in the early AM. Even moreso when Emmanuel "knocked" on the tent with hot coffee and a big smile. He enquired about sleep and I was surprised to hear that Sue was in the same boat. I guess I was relieved to feel normal too. LOL

Today was our first attempt at the organized pack-up before breakfast at 6:30am. Porters eagerly eyed our tent and I could tell they had designs on dismantling it ASAP. Like us, they had been told of the afternoon rain and attention was being poured into an early start for a PM arrival at Shira I Camp, on the Shira Plateau 1200m higher and 7km down (up) the trail from here. 

Our Habari Team had another health check then breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, toast, fruit and a millet type oatmeal with honey. A LOT!

Emmanuel, our waiter, would be by during breakfast and every meal to encourage us, pressure and force feed us until we had cleared the table of food (which was impossible!) or made ourselves near-sick, trying. Hahaha. We loved him anyway.

The trail... UP, Up and mostly up. Through the jungle in early morning light and damp. In the first 2 hours, the sky was clear blue.  We even got a stunning view across to Mt Meru. 

As we got high enough to exit the rain forest, clouds scattered and accumulated, mistiness swept through the valleys. It was still t-shirt weather... we were trucking steeply uphill. Our guides called it "the giraffes neck".

Last time I was in Africa, I was 25 - enjoying drinking games and the freedom to make irresponsible choices with no way for stories to follow me off the continent. This time at 51 years old, I surprised myself by suggesting we (4 trekking passengers) played a drinking game aimed at getting us well hydrated. Every time a porter, carrying bags half my body weight, passed us; 1 sip from the camelbak. Every time another passenger passed us; 2 sips from the camelbak.

Six hours into our hike, I finished my 2L of water and had drunk a half liter of electrolyte drink too! Outstanding for me -> Very normal for Sue! I had pee'd 4x using my pee conch in the bushes and was feeling very proud. 

Our little group had been throwing fun or useful facts at each other almost non-stop. Evance, at the front (our pacer) had for several hours, acted as a mighty fine DJ with his portable speaker.  Spirits were high. Energy was good. I personally felt the joy factor was 10/10 and even on the steep uphill, the pace was slow enough for jokes, conversation, easy breathing and no muscle fatigue. 

Shira Plateau is wide and beautiful. Clouds blocked our view of Kili but I enjoyed the moodiness and was grateful to reach camp with my bladder ready to burst again. Thoughts of warm layers, a hot lunch and the elusive nap were front of my mind.

Elevation: 3610m. Moorland.

Lunch was another hearty event. Stew with veggies and bananas!? Crazy delicious actually! Burgers featuring fresh lettuce and avocado! Off to bed... food coma assisted napping ensued and I relaxed into the warmth of 3 sleeping bag layers, fresh socks and sun filtering through the tent. It's surprising how time flies though. One (admittedly large) journal entry and a few documentary photos later, we are staring down the barrel of dinner - and going back to bed!

Todays real challenge? I managed to pucker up ALL the tent zippers I touched. Our tent, dining tent and porta-potty tent! WTF?! Luckily Emmanuel is a wizard and with a little hand soap, he fixes all the sticky and misaligned zippers. Genius!

Sunset on Kili makes the world a better place...

Briefing for tomorrow:

Shira I Camp to Shira II Camp @ 3850m

A 10km walk taking 4-5 hours. 

Hot lunch at camp then, weather permitting, we'll take a little extra uphill (200m) walk for aclimatization. (Hike high, sleep lower.)

Wake up: 6:00am

Breakfast: 6:30am

Departure: 7:00am

Pack 3L to drink, rain gear, sunglasses, sunscreen, sunhat.

Wear baselayer, fleece, puff jacket to start.

October 11th: Day 1 of Kilimanjaro Trek

 Lemosho Gate

The procedure, for those interested, is this:

A 6am you drag the luggage that you won't be taking up the mountain, to reception. You fill out a form regarding how many bits of luggage you want them to store securely, including a full inventory of valuables that will be stored in the hotel safe while you trek. A copy of this form is given to you and without it, they say you will not be able to retrieve your stuff after the hike! (You wonder where you will hide this valuable scrap of paper that will be safe, yet easy to find after hiking with it for 8 days....)

The Habari Adventure van, filled with porters, food and everything needed to live on a mountain for 7 days, arrived to pick the 4 of us up around 7am. There was a quick stop at the Habari office to get a few rented things...  And t-shirts! And photos!

It was a good 3-4 hour drive to Lemosho Gate - Kilimanjaro National Park. Once there, our guides registered us and we signed the hikers book, officially starting our trip to the summit.

We filled our camelbaks, emptied our bladders one last time into ceramic loos and ate about half of the generous boxed lunch we were each given; samosas, chicken, boiled egg, petite banana, apple, yogurt, peanuts, a sandwich, cake and juice box! I shoved the peanuts into a front pocket and joked about luring a Colobus monkey with them. Sue said "you will not. I've got my eye on you!"

There were pics of the Habari Team, complete with our chant "One Team. One Dream" and we were off.  Uphill in sticky damp red clay, amongst the tall trees and enthusiastic undergrowth. Before long we came upon our first Colobus monkeys - unless you count the few seen from the van on that 11km rough road to Lemosho Gate an hour earlier. I didn't.

Sadly, cell phone pics are all I afforded myself after opting to leave the Canon safely at the hotel for this adventure.

Todays hike to Mti Mkubura Camp was 4km long and all in rain forest. What else lives in the rain forest? Blue monkeys - cute little devils with raccoon-ish faces. Happily munching leaves near us, safely ensconced in bushes with vines for escape routes, we got pretty darn close. We stopped about half way to finish our boxed lunches and for me to pee! That's right, I'm the most prolific pee-er of the group. So saturated was this body that ALL water etc going in, was coming out! The others simply didn't believe that I wasn't capable of emptying my camelbak until 6pm... still peeing.

The jungle was immense, ancient, smelled sweetly and was alive with noises. Light filtered gently through and from time to time, direct sunlight lit the path and warmed us.

We arrived at 3:10pm. The last 1/2km was backback-free. Our porters doubled back and took our packs. What a freakin' treat! I AM being treated like a queen. 

We registered, took pics at the sign, then got familiar with what it means to be in camp.

After dinner, Abdi and Evance do their briefing for tomorrow.  I love this and always write it down, so now you get a peek about tomorrows plan too.

Wake up: 5:45am. Woken by waiter, Emmanual who brings hot drink to tent!

Wash: 6:10am

Pack everything.

Breakfast 6:30am

Leaving camp: 7:00am

Mti Mkubura Camp to Shira I Camp:  From rain forest to moorland. Walking 7km and ending at 3600m ASL. But we hike up to 3800m before coming back down 200m. 5-6 hours of hiking.

We will be exposed once out of jungle, so pack sunscreen, sunglasses, sunhat, warm hat, rain gear, snacks and 3L of water (2L water in camelbak, 1L electrolyte solution in Nalgene)

Wear t-shirt, fleece and rain jacket.

Swahili Lesson:

Lala Salama = Sleep well

Usiku Mwema = Good night