DAYS FIVE & SIX - TO KARANGA CAMP (13,200 FT)

Day 5:


An excellent 8 hour sleep!!  Lots of excitement in the camp this morning as we get ready for the big Barranco extravaganza.  I quickly dressed and met everyone for breakfast - lots of porridge and hot coffee.......medical check up confirmed that my heart rate is still at a reasonable 92 - EGAD!!!


After our breakfast everyone milled around the mess tent waiting for Francis to yell out "GITTIN' REDDY".  It's our cue to gather our poles and don our packs...............


Onward & upward....I am ready!

We started climbing the wall at 8:30....it was a steady steep climb over rocks and boulders for about 500 ft. and took 4 hours to complete.  What a challenge as we inched our way along narrow edges and hairpin turns....it was absolutely thrilling!.  Libby held my poles and gave me his hand on the more treacherous parts.

HARD TO SEE, BUT NOTICE THE LINE OF PEOPLE STARTING UP THE WALL!!

YIKES - EASY DOES IT!

After the wall, the climb became much easier and extremely beautiful with fantastic views of crags and crevasses.  Lastly, we descended into the Karanga Valley for our overnight camp.  There was lots of rock and scree, making for a slippery and laborious descent.  Francis attempted to demonstrate how to properly walk downhill - it was soooo funny.  He did a little dance, kicking his feet out and waving his arms - it reminded me of a 60s dance that we used to do called the "Freddy".

             DESCENDING - FRANCIS GIVING NIVES A "WALKING DEMONSTRATION"

                          CACTUS LIKE PLANTS AS WE DESCEND TO THE VALLEY

            

We arrived at camp around 2:30......after a quick wash, I settled into my tent for a rest.  It started to rain and my tent was pitched on a slope causing the right side of the floor to accumulate water.....after all my organising, I needed to regroup and switch things around, as it is critical that our equipment and clothing stay dry.  I've since learned that tents are purposely set up on a slant to facilitate breathing at higher altitudes. 


Met everyone at the mess tent - we were all elated about our great achievement today.  We aced the Great Barranco Wall!!!  A wonderful meal of chips, stewed curry and lots of tea.  Francis congratulated us on our progress - everyone is healthy and feeling fantastic.   This is the first time that I'm feeling with certainty that "yes, I will make it to the top"...... surely, nothing could be harder or more challenging than today! 


We stayed up later than usual and chatted  - the first time we really visited since we've started the trek because we've always been so exhausted at the end of the day....today is no exception but we took solace in knowing that we have the entire day tomorrow to rest - it's our acclimatization day!


As I lie in my tent tonight, I have an amazing view of Moshi - it's awesome to see the lights of the village below and so far away........I feel like I'm on an aeroplane looking down.


I did it.....the Great Barranco Wall......


Day 6:


Another restless night - finally fell asleep around 3:00 AM, waking at 6:15 surprisingly refreshed.  Woke to a bright sunny day.  The view of the summit is spectacular - so close and mighty....right in your face as it were. 




                  NIVES & VINCE - A VIEW OF THE SUMMIT AT KARANGA CAMP

It was pretty early when I poked my head out of the tent - no one was up except the crew.  I grabbed some tea and was sitting on a rock, when I noticed a bird fly over to my tent and perch itself right on the top of it.....it stayed there for about five minutes and flew away when someone walked by.  I believe it's a good omen!


It's harder to breath at this level.  I can hear my heart racing and very small activities (like putting on my jacket) causes a surge in my heart rate.  Today we will take a 2 hour acclimatization hike to 15,000 ft. and then return to our camp for a day of relaxation.  I'm grateful for the day of rest and a chance to regroup, visit and journal.


As we did our 2 hour hike, someone from another tour company noticed Nives and I and called us the "Ladies in Green".  After we signed up for the Kili climb, we did most of our shopping at the same time and landed up buying much of the same items - in the same colour!  I can image what we must have looked like walking a few inches apart in our matching jackets, backpacks and hiking pants......and, combined with the lack of oxygen at this level, trekkers probably thought that they were seeing double or thinking "Siamese twins sited on Mt. Kilimanjaro".




                                                       THE LADIES IN GREEN!!

As I didn't sleep the night before, I snuggled into my sleeping bag around 2:00 in the afternoon....It was quite warm & sunny and it was thundering.  I kept the flap door of my tent open so that I could watch the lightening and storm clouds brewing in the rain forest below........very strange to observe from an overhead vantage point.  Beautiful.


                                                
                                                           STORMS BREWING BELOW