Elevation Change: 12,300 ft to 12,800 ft(+500 ft)*
Estimated distance: 8km/5.0 miles
*The high point on the day's hike, at lava tower, is at 15,200 ft.
Woke up at 6:30 to a fantastic site – Kilimanjaro on the horizon in all its glory. Clouds were rolling over the summit at a rapid pace, being blown by what looked like huge winds. Stunning and daunting at the same time.
I still don’t see exactly where the escalators are located that will take us to the top, let alone a trail up what looks like a sheer cliff-face. Breakfast was served – porridge, eggs and sausages, with sliced tomatos and cucumber (are you starting to get an idea that we weren’t exactly hurting for food yet??).
We ate a lot, as today’s hike was going to be a long one, and we would climb to an altitude over 15,000 feet, which would be the first time I’ve gotten up that high (previous high was Mount Massive in Colorado at about 14,400 feet). After reaching new heights, we would descend back to 13,000 feet for our camp near the Barranco Wall at night. We set off at 8:30, moving through what could best be described as a rocky desert. I’d read other blogs that had described this area as windswept and extremely dusty, but the frequent rains over the past few days had dampened the soil, so for the most part, no dust. Unlike yesterday’s hike, the trail was not steep but more of a gradual climb.
We kept to a very easy pole pole pace. I’d like to say that you spend your time taking in the fantastic vistas, looking down 11,000 feet to the village of Moshi at the base of Kilimanjaro, or up to the summit. Not so. I am very well acquainted with James’, Roderick’s or Amani’s boots, as the bulk of the time, your head is down just watching the ground in front of you. Not very glamorous, I know, but one thing you don’t want to do is twist an ankle stumbling over a loose rock. I’m not certain, but I’m thinking a helicopter rescue is unlikely to happen out here. In any case, here is a good summit shot.
At about noon, we came to a fork in the trail. To the right, the trail headed downward and would eventually reach Barranco Camp – this was the direct route that the porters would take, and would get them to camp well ahead of us. To the left, and heading upwards was the trail to the Lava Tower.
We were already at about 14,500 feet and I felt great. No ill effects from the altitude at all, unlike my experiences in Colorado after getting above 13,000 feet. I think I could attribute my good feeling to two things – acclimatization and Diamox. When I hike in Colorado, I tend to fly home from a client site at sea level on a Friday evening, then at the crack of dawn on Saturday, I’m heading up to hike over 11,000 feet – it’s no wonder I tend to feel light headed on those climbs. Here in Tanzania, we’ve had several days for our bodies to get used to the altitude and adjust to the thinness of the air. Acclimatization is the process of adjusting to decreasing oxygen levels at higher elevations, in order to avoid altitude sickness. The golden rule is to climb high and sleep low. Typically, you stay a few days at a base camp, climb to a higher camp, and then return. As the body gets used to the higher elevation, it produces more red blood cells, which in turn helps to deal with the thinner air. While we weren't doing a lot of ups and downs (mainly just ups), we were going to climb slowly over the next few days, which should help us acclimate quickly. The second thing I mentioned is Diamox. This is a prescription drug that you can take to offset the impacts of high elevation. As best as I can explain it, at altitude, you hyperventilate to compensate for the lack of oxygen. This causes your blood's carbon dioxide levels to drop below normal, which in turn causes bicarbonate in your blood to break down and impact's your blood's pH levels. The Diamox stops the bicarbonate from breaking down, which stabilizes your blood's pH levels. Simple, eh? You take it twice daily and as long as you keep well-hydrated, you don't normally suffer any ill effects. So we started up the left fork, and very soon, we got our first glimpse of the Lava Tower. It is a huge rock that split off from Kilimanjaro at some point in the distant past, and now towers about 200 feet above the surrounding ground.
This was to be our stopping place for lunch. We climbed over a rise and saw numerous tents set up – this is another encampment location, for climbers on one of the other routes. However, at 15,000 feet, it seems like a hellish place to set up. The wind must have been blowing at 40-50 miles per hour in this area – not sure I’d want to spend the night here. Surprisingly, it was not too cold, as the sun had been shining brilliantly all morning. We found a little area nestled in the rocks at the base of the tower, sheltered by the winds, and took off our packs.
Amani asked if we wanted to climb the tower – no-brainer – of course. So Roderick stayed down with all our stuff, and James, Amani and I set off for the mini-summit. Climbing the tower is not for the faint-of-heart. In one place, I felt like I was on a climbing wall. You had to sort of swing yourself through a narrow crevice, selecting appropriate hand holds and places to put your feet or you’d be a mass of broken bones about 15 feet below. Add to that the fact that, as the crevice was sheltered from the sun, there was snow and ice along the wall, and it made the climb extremely treacherous.
A good percentage of the people who climb Kilimanjaro don’t do this little add-on for reasons like this. Once through the crevice, you come out on an open area, and a scramble up a mini boulder field. Severe drop-offs on the right, and the mighty Kilimanjaro on the left, watching over you like Godzilla over the screaming hordes of Tokyo (hey, I’m working on my metaphors, okay?). In any case, the view was breathtaking. We made it to the summit of the tower, and then paused for the required photos and mini-movie from the final rocky outcropping.
You had to keep really low as the wind was really blowing here, so no casual photos of me with my feet hanging over the edge, looking really cool. Instead, more realistic photos where we're hanging on with sweaty palms to the rock for the briefest of instances until we can get back to safety.
But, the views here are worth it – climb the Lava Tower if you can, you won’t be disappointed.After scrambling back down, we had our bag lunches (more boiled eggs, mango juice, dry muffins and fried chicken) in the shelter at the base of the tower, and then started the one and half hour hike down to the Barranco Camp. I decided to use poles for the first time – I don’t tend to use poles when climbing up as I find they just tire out my arms (others may argue this point, especially the slow Germans) but they are extremely useful for climbing down, absorbing some of the pounding on your knees.
The most remarkable thing about this hike into Barranco Camp was the vegetation. From a rock desert we slowly descended into a valley, but instead of seeing grasses, mosses and lots of small plants, you see these massive cactus-like trees called groundsels (or Senecio kilimanjari). They are huge, some growing as high as fifteen to twenty feet, and they are distinguished by the fact that they just seem to grow out of the rock, with no discernible soil available.
If you’ve ever read the Tintin book ‘The Shooting Star’, they are very much like the giant mushrooms that appear on the floating meteorite. The best words to describe them are ‘not of this Earth’. We posed for a bunch of pictures in front of them.
We also saw some examples of lobelia deckenii, a flowering plant that is almost identical to the silversword plant I’d seen on Mount Haleakala on Maui. From a leafy base, a huge flower shoots up about a foot high – very stunning and colorful.
Amani pointed out a number of these plants and gave us a background on each of them – his knowledge of everything we are seeing is amazing, and he doesn’t come off as a ‘know-it-all’ but more as someone who is very proud of his country and wants to share it with everyone.The groundsels stayed with us all the way into Barranco Camp, a rocky encampment at the base of a massive cliff (the famous Barranco Wall) at the end of the valley we’d just climbed through.
All of the usual suspects were present in the camp – the French party (looking refreshed and none the worse for wear, especially the cute blonde wife), the dour Germans (looking…dour), the slow Germans, Peter the nurse, a Brazilian couple who smiled a lot but didn’t say much and a couple from Chicago (Peg and Tom) who we’d see a bunch of times over the next few days. This would be the last night that we’d all be in the same place, though. James and I had decided to take one extra day on the hike so that we could acclimate better. Many of the other groups were doing the hike in just six days as opposed to the seven we would take. Tomorrow, we would stop at the halfway point while others would move on.Another great dinner was served – zucchini soup followed by rigatoni, vegetables, beef, and sauce followed by sliced fruit. And of course, the coffee, tea and hot chocolate that accompanies every meal. After dinner, Amani gave us a brief lesson in Swahili - here are some of the words we learned:
Lala Salama - Sleep well
Karibu - Welcome or You're welcome
Kila Kitu Sawa - Life is good
Asante - Thanks
Asante Sana - Thanks very much
Haraka Haraka - Faster Faster (a phrase we NEVER used, by the way)
Habari Bwana - How are you?
Misuri Sana - Well, thank you
After another round of backgammon (thoroughly beaten again by James), we turned in around 9PM. Tomorrow, we climb the Barranco Wall...
Read the next post: Day 4: January 19
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