After getting a good night’s rest at Mti Mkubwa, we were ready for our first real day of hiking. Our route for day two would take us from Mti Mkubwa to Shira Camp, and our schedule called for a 5-6 hour, 7-mile hike that would take us to 11,500 feet. The hike started in the same dense rain forest, which was still very warm and humid.
We made good time even though it was tough going. We were still getting the hang of “pole, pole”, Swahili for “slowly, slowly.” With nine days of hiking covering over 40 miles and heading to over 19,000 feet, the best way to achieve the hike is with a slow, measured pace. With Peter, our guide, in the lead, Luke and I had to consciously resist pushing to go faster.
About halfway through the second day’s hike, we came to a very abrupt transition where the rain forest simply ended and we found ourselves in man-high scrub. We also found ourselves with gorgeous views out over the African plains, and we stopped for lunch to enjoy the view before continuing with the day’s trek.
Once we got to Shira camp, we rested for a bit and then Peter took us on a short side hike to acclimitize to the increasing altitude. The camp area and side hike were pretty barren, and with the huge mountain looming in the distance, it was hard to believe that we were already over 11,000 feet up. After we returned to camp from the side hike, it was another tasty snack of popcorn and tea before another good dinner. It was becoming obvious that they were going to feed us very, very well.
Day three took us from Shira camp to Moir hut, about a five hour hike that Peter said would be fairly easy. Of course, when we got up in the morning it was cold. I knew it was nothing compared to what we’d experience as we approached the summit, but I still found myself bundling up in most of my warm clothes. Once we were underway the activity warmed me up and I shed the really warm stuff, but that morning certainly was brisk.
I’m not sure if it was our lack of conditioning or what, but both Luke and I found it to be a fairly difficult hike. We were starting to learn that Kilimanjaro is huge, and that every aspect of the hike would go on seemingly forever. Every hill seemed endless, and every plain stretched into the distance. It is a very big place.
Moir hut is at about 13,500 feet, so it was higher than Luke or I had been before. We got to the camp pretty much exhausted and ready to just lounge for the afternoon after wandering over to look at Moir hut itself. The hut has long since been abandoned, with obvious good reason, but it sure is picturesque. Our plans to loaf were dashed when Peter wisely insisted that we head out for another side hike to continue acclimation to higher altitudes. Luke and I decided that we were fine to head out on our own and that we’d stay within a short distance of camp.
And here’s where Luke and I demonstrated our foolishness. The thing is, Moir hut is at the base of a large lava flow. It’s fascinating terrain with lots of elevation changes and uneven wall-type features that just beg to be clambered up. So of course we did just that, at first just a small wall right across a stream from camp. But then there was an interesting cave not too far away, which only became less interesting once we got there. And then there was a large cliff face with interesting looking caves not too far away from there.
Somewhere in the dawning adventure, we got distracted from the whole altitude thing and found ourselves scrambling up a promising looking ridge maybe 300 feet above the lava flows we had been walking on. It was somewhat tough going, but it was challenging and doable enough to be thoroughly addictive. About an hour after leaving camp, we finally reached the top of a cliff face that had a fantastic view.
Enjoying our new vantage point, we decided that climbing back down the way we had come up was going to be too steep to be safe, and we started to think that maybe this little adventure had been somewhat careless. And that’s when it started to rain. Did I mention that the weather on Kilimanjaro can change very, very quickly? It turns out that standing on a really high place in the beginnings of rain really drives home the point that it’s smart to look for ways down before climbing.
We did see one slide-like feature that looked like it descended gradually to the lava flows we had climbed up from. So we headed that way. Point the second: when you’re a little worried and decide to take an alternate route down, it is smart to look for landmarks to help find the route. We ended up overshooting our intended spot and found ourselves in a dry stream bed. Hmmf. Well, that might do. So we started walking towards camp… until it became obvious that we were coming up on a (now-dry) waterfall. And still the rain was picking up, a matter of some concern.
So we changed our plan for the third time, heading out to another slide about a quarter of a mile away. This merely required walking on a heavily tilted hillside covered with slippery slate-type rocks above a sheer cliff in a light rain. But we did finally find the new alternate route down, and we even made it back to camp with minutes to spare before tea time.
With tea, the rain picked up considerably, reminding us that we were very, very lucky. But luck works. It had been a good side hike and after all of the climbing and walking and semi-panic, we felt fairly invincible at 13,500 feet, whereas we had been exhausted and weak when we first arrived at camp. And, after dinner, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset before retiring for the evening.
Was the wet volcanic rock as slippery as it gets in Hawaii? And is it as sharp? Many a time I had sliced myself open on the rock there without even knowing it, it was that sharp.
Did you take Diamox before ascending or did that come later?
Kara
March 23rd, 2008
Thankfully, it was only a light rain and not enough to make the rocks as slippery as they could have been.
At the advice of my doctors, I started Diamox on the first day of our hike, since apparently AMS can be particularly unpleasant with mitral regurgitation. Luke, though, made the whole trip without chemical assistance.
Brooks
March 23rd, 2008