Kilimanjaro Part 3

August 22, 2009 (Day 2 on the mountain)

We start out with a three course breakfast, uji (porridge), eggs, bacon and veggies, and fruit. Head out hiking. Today is a much more uphill hike. Longer and up, up, up. Finally feels like we’re climbing a mountain. We move pole pole (slowly slowly) as Nelson (whose nickname of course is Mandela—which we in turn alter into Papa Mandela or just Papa) tells us that the best way to let the body acclimatize is to hike slowly slowly and drink a lot of water.

I took this to heart on Day 2 and 3 and drank a lot of water. This means a lot of stops at the internet café (the mountain euphemism invented by our team for bathroom) to send messages. I got to be a bit of a running joke. But I feel fine. So we spend the morning hiking again through misty jungle that soon becomes covered by bearded lichen and what looks to be Spanish Moss. Another surreal, quiet morning in the mist never seeing more than 10 to 20 yards around you. Still waiting for those gorillas. Or at least elves.

At midday we stop for a hot lunch. Then we head up, up, up again. At one point we round a rise and the vegetation changes abruptly. We move immediately from jungle to tall shrubs, like high desert with very big plants. And up, up, up some more. Late afternoon we arrive at our camp, Shira 1, at the edge of the Shira Plateau. All of a sudden the mists start to blow off, the plateau is very windy, and we get our first real dose of sun and a peek at Kili herself for the first time. Still cloudy, but at least a peek.

We have dinner, and as we step out to head back to our tent, we realize that the clouds have blown off completely, leaving a star filled night more beautiful than I have ever seen. The Milky Way is a significant presence, and being that high at the equator puts them right into your lap. But it was also much colder than I expected—during the course of our meal the temperatures had plummeted. We barely have time to admire the stars as we sprint back to the tent to warm up by passing around our Cabernet. Whiskey shots are more effective than wine shots for warmth, but it sure hit the spot (Thank you RJ!). We finish the night reading short stories aloud and try to get some sleep in the wind.

Altitude Covered:

Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree Camp) 8695 ft.
Shira 1 Camp 11, 417 ft.

Photos: Wagum carrying our gear, led by Wencelaus. Wild Protea flower. Lemosho path in jungle.