Nepal 2017 - Everest Base Camp Trek - Day 1

Everest Base Camp Trek
Day 1 - Kathmandu to Lukla (9,317) to Phakding (8,562')
5/1/2017

Tik Toc!....Zaneho!

"For the stone from the top for geologists, the knowledge of the limits of endurance for the doctors, but above all for the spirit of adventure to keep alive the soul of man." - George Mallory

Deciding to Go

The moment one accomplishes an ambitious goal like a mountain summit, an interesting thing happens. After months or even years of anticipation and looking forward to standing on a summit, your goal has suddenly been realized. The future becomes past in an instant and the mental space that was once occupied by thousands of thoughts, hopes and fears dissolves into the ether while a void opens up in it's place. It is bewildering to have a goal that has been a part of your mental landscape for so long suddenly transform into a goal achieved. Now what?

Kilimanjo Summit (19,341') - July 2014

Such was the case when I reached the summit of Kilimanjaro in 2014 and made the turn to descend. A rogue thought emerged and embedded itself into my psyche. With every foot of descent back towards normalcy I found this thought gaining voice and definition until I reached the Kilimanjaro exit gate at Maweka ultimately transforming itself into an inconvenient question. Is that it? 

A void demands to be filled. I found myself asking our guide over the next few days on safari about other adventures I might take in the future. One that stood out was the trek to Everest Base Camp. I've always been fascinated by people that risk their lives to climb to the highest peak in the world. It took me a long time to actually to commit to it, but as with most of my adventures, once I decide to go, it becomes an inevitability.

An REI store recently opened up in Overland Park and I immediately became a member. REI Adventures hosts an expedition called Everest Camp Base Camp Trek. 19 Days in Nepal, 14 of which are spent trekking 93 miles in the Himalayas. My tuning fork pings and soon my mind is set.

My original plan was to depart in October 2016, but several factors weighed on my decision to delay until May 2017. October is my favorite month to be in KC. The crazy election was heating up.  What if the Royals made the playoffs again? I couldn't bare missing a possible 3rd run to the World Series. Mostly I wanted to experience Everest Base Camp while it was inhabited with the climbers from all over the world. October would have been a baron field of ice and stone devoid of the human factor that gives it life. Ultimately, I chose to delay for the sake of a better experience. Mid-May is the time the climbers are attempting to summit  Everest and that is why I decided to delay until May.

An Unexpected Setback

While training for the trip in March I was on my 25 mile bike ride as I am known to do most Sundays riding from Olathe to the Kansas River. I crossed over a bridge and rounded a corner that I've navigated dozens of times. On this occasion, I encountered another Sunday rider rounding the same corner in the opposite direction. Unfortunately his eyes were directed elsewhere and his path crossed mine before he realized his mistake. As our shoulders collided we were both thrown from our bikes to opposite sides of the trail. I laid on the side of trail in shock and pain not knowing the extent of the damage. We both were able to gather ourselves after a couple of minutes. He lost consciousness a couple of times before ultimately stabilizing. 

With 6 weeks between then and my departure the trip may be in jeopardy. Fortunately, neither of us sustained any broken bones confirmed by chest x-rays. I did lose a couple of weeks of training when I could least afford it. My knee sustained a glancing blow during the crash which left quite a large bump, but was undamaged. I was assured by my doctor that it would reduce in 6 to 8 weeks. On practice hikes I noticed that my left shoulder would seize to the point of pain. That was a concern given that I had 93 miles of Himalayan trekking ahead of me. I visited my chiropractor 4 times prior to my departure. On departure date I would say I was back to 90% with the hope that the remaining recovery would happen prior to starting the trek.

Other Side of The World

The trip to the KC airport with Laura was surreal. It wasn't the first time she would drop me to embark on one of my adventure quests, but this was 4 weeks on the other side of the planet. One reoccurring saying was that we're "letting this happen" a quote from the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". We're actually letting this happen. Yes, I guess we are.

After approximately 24 hours of flight time including a 2 night stop in Hong Kong and a 4 night stop in Bangkok, I finally arrived in Kathmandu. My desire was to experience parts of Asia during this trip since it's quite likely I would not be back this way again.

Kathmandu is the hub of Nepal. Anyone traveling to the Nepalese Himalayas will most likely go through this ancient city. I was picked up by one of the REI support drivers and transported to our hotel in the Thamel district. The first sight that let me know I was in an exotic foreign land was a cow laying in the middle of the street without a care in the world. The traffic would simply go around him. Thamel is a vibrant, condensed section of the city popular with tourist because of it's extensive restaurants, shopping and night clubs.

Upon my arrival at the hotel I settled into my room and met my roommate Vijay. Later was greeted by the rest of the REI trekking team. There will be 6 of us supported by 14 REI guides, sherpas, cooks and support staff. I don't know anyone in my every day life that truly understands my desire to take these kinds of trips. When you meet people that share that common ambition, it's kind of magical. It's a bit like being seen for the first time by someone that truly understands that heretofore unacknowledged drive in you. How can you not have affinity with a person when you share something so uncommon? We are all individual travelers which is fantastic. There are no preformed alliances.

My roommate Vijay is an anesthesiologist from Shreveport, LA. Richard is a gregarious retired vice president from the Weather Network and lives in Toronto. Elizabeth is a marathoner and Business Intelligence specialist from Dallas. Ahoo is a yoga instructor from Atlanta. She has worked with the documentary film maker Ken Burns. Davis is a doctor from New York. I immediately liked all of them. Richard had already dubbed us the "Dream Team".

As it turns out, I've done more adventure trekking than any of them. Kilimanjaro (19,341') established me as the "expert" and they had many questions about my experiences.

The Dream Team
Left to Right: Ahoo, Richard, Vijay, me, Davis, Elizabeth

The team spent the next day on a guided tour of three of the local Kathmandu temple sites and getting to know each other. What an amazing experience to be among people that share this elevated spirit of adventure. That night it was time for our briefing from the local REI representative. I remember feeling a little worried after this meeting and that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. There were lots of warnings about how hard this was going to be. Phrases like "very difficult day" and "don't under estimate the trek", forced us to re-examine our decision. Maybe they just wanted us to be prepared for some suffering. I think we all already knew that suffering is part of what we signed up for.

Aptly named Monkey Temple

Old gentleman sitting on a Temple in Kathmandu

Young Buddhist Monks on the streets of Kathmandu

The night before leaving on a trek like this, there are lot's of logistics to be dealt with. You have to separate your trekking gear from civilian gear and leave things unnecessary for the trek behind at the hotel. You're only allowed 25 lbs. in your duffle so hard decisions have to be made on what to leave behind. Although most of our expenses were covered by REI, we needed Nepalese Rupies to get us through two weeks. I took about $200 worth and still managed to spend it all.

Tik Tok and Zaneho

Wake up time is 4:00 AM to make a 6:00 AM flight to Lukla if all goes well. Lukla is considered the "most dangerous airport in the world". Why you might ask? First, the runway sits at 9,317'. Second, the runway terminates with a wall backed by a large mountain so there are no second chances or go around. Third, the runway is only 1,729'. Fourth, the weather is commonly difficult and changes very quickly. Fifth, the airport is not IFR equipped (Instrument Flight Rules), so all landings must be performed VFR (Visual Flight Rules). The week after we left Lukla, our airline crashed a plane at the foot of the runway because the pilot came in too low and could not regain the altitude he needed.

Most dangerous runway in the world at Lukla.

I'm happy to report that we made it into Lukla without incident or delay. The flight is more likely to be delayed than not, so we considered ourselves very lucky. We would start our trek on time! The flight was magnificent with views of peaks over 20,000' all around us. I was amazed by the number of small villages dotted all across the mountains as we flew deeper and deeper into the Himalayas. The villages were unreachable by vehicle and quite difficult by helicopter.

From Lukla Airport looking towards today's destination of Phakding.

We arrived in Lukla around 7:30 AM and trekked to a staging hotel next to the runway to prepare for our departure to our first stop in Phakding 5 miles away and 800' lower in elevation. It was sunny and reasonably warm in the low 50's. Here we begin our two week journey into the Himalayan wilderness. I'm so excited to get moving.

There are two words that we would hear at the beginning of every leg. "Tic Tok" was essentially your two minute warning to get ready and "Zaneho" was the command shouted to start the leg. There were many legs to come.

Departing Lukla

The actual trek to Phakding took us 6 hours. Even though we were losing 800' of altitude on this leg there was plenty of climbing involved. In the Himalayas you're ascending and descending regardless of which direction you're headed. This is rugged terrain. On Kilimanjaro if you were headed toward the summit you were ascending and after summit you were descending. That is not the case in the Himalayas where it is a mix of ascent and descent but dominated by one or the other. I felt like one of the hardest climbs was actually on the way back.

We stopped for lunch in a village called Ghat. The support staff had already arrived and prepped for us. We would be spoiled this way throughout the trip. We met many along the trail without such support, hiking from village to village and making their own way. How adventurous and intimidating that would be in this unforgiving landscape.

Towards the end of our hike to Phakding it began to rain. We arrived around 2:00 PM and the rain stopped around 3:00 PM. The rest of our day was spent drinking tea and wandering the area. Ahoo led a Yoga session for the team while I watched. It's just not my thing.

Phakding (8,562')

Local Nepalese children walking home from school

I spent the rest of the afternoon photographing the area and pinching myself to make sure I had really embarked on this epic journey.

Dinner was welcome and we retreated to our tents around 8:00. Our first day of trekking was in the books and we were on our way. Between the excitement, cold, snoring and worry, sleep proved difficult. If all goes well, in 8 days and 50 miles of trekking across some of the most challenging terrain in the world, we'll be standing at Everest Base Camp! 

Next: Nepal 2017 - Everest Base Camp Trek - Day 2

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 6 - Summit Day Descent (19,341' to 10,150')

“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” - Ed Viesturs

We were allotted only 20 minutes at Uhuru Peak, mostly due to the cumulative affect of high altitude. We were not acclimated to linger at 19,000' for a long period of time. It would have taken more days we didn't have. There are those who actually camp in the Kibo Crater, although I'm not sure why someone would want to do this in such a foreboding environment. After a well orchestrated barrage of photo opportunities among the group and individuals, we began our descent back to Barafu High Camp.

Barafu Camp in the far distance from Stella Point

Our first milestone was Stella Point which we easily reached after 30 minutes or so. The sun was out and the temperature had risen to the 30's. The down coat, balaclava and heavy gortex gloves came off. Barafu Camp was in site most of the way down although quite far away. You can see Barafu if you zoom into the photo above. The goal of reaching the summit had already been accomplished and the apex of our suffering is now in the past. Most of our worries had dissolved and we're using the euphoric feeling of the summit to fuel our descend back to Barafu.

On our descent to Barafu High Camp

The 2.5 hour, 3,500' descent through the scree and pea gravel on the Umbwe Route to Barafu was somewhat difficult but not too unpleasant. This was the wall that we ascended through the night. It seemed much less scary during the descent. Each foot of descent brought more welcomed oxygen and I began to feel somewhat normal again. We learned to use the scree to aid our descent by sliding on top of it. The group splintered based on their varying paces of descent and Joe stayed at the back to make sure everyone made it off the mountain.

Barafu High Camp - A welcomed sight

When we arrived at Barafu High Camp there was a small celebration of high-fives and congratulations. George and Laurel where there looking fresh as daisies, well rested and fed. When I looked back up the wall to Stella Point the mystery of it had vanished. Now it was a known entity and not so intimidating. Isn't that a metaphor for life? Many fears come from the unknown and often prove unwarranted.

Umbwe Route from Barafu High Camp

We were originally allotted a couple of hours at Barafu for lunch and resting before the next 5,000' descent to Mweka Camp, however that time was cut short when new arrivals were looking for places to set up camp. Level ground was not plentiful so we reluctantly surrendered our spots. We had to pack up our duffles and abandon our tents in a fog of exhaustion. Joe warned us the previous day that we would all want to stay at Barafu and he warned "it would not be an option". He was right. I would have given him $100 to stay for just one more hour.

"Its funny. I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder, ascending or descending? He said without a doubt descending, because ascending you were so focused on reaching the top, you avoided mistakes. The backside of a mountain is a fight against human nature, he said. You have to care as much about yourself on the way down as you did on the way up." - Ranger Mem Junior

So we began our long slog to Mweka Camp. The need for acclimatization is over so we will get off the mountain quickly. The first 3,000' below Barafu would continue to be through high alpine desert and then we would enter the Moorlands where there is vegetation, but trees are scarce.

Slogging through mud on our descent to Mweka Camp

This is when we begin entering cloud cover and therefore potential for moisture as evidenced by the nearly dry creek bed that would become our trail for the next 2000' of descent. The lower we descended into the rain forest, the more muddy the creek bed became. It became so treacherous that I was legitimately fearful of breaking a bone when I inevitably slipped and fell on a rock. This coupled with the ridiculously long day (15 hours of hiking so far) that we had already endured and our extreme exhaustion, brought the first real frustration during this trek. As if this day wasn't hard enough already, we had to slog through slick mud for 2 more hours. There were no more shouts of "Koochay, Koochay". Of course, the porters had no trouble whatsoever navigating this impossible trail and our guide had to keep stopping to let us catch up. It baffled me how they could walk on the mud and rocks carrying 50 lbs. without hiking poles nor a care in the world.

Mweka Camp after 9,000' of descent

After 17 hours of hiking since beginning our summit bid the night before, we finally hit Mweka Camp at 5:30 pm. I barely had the strength to put air into my sleeping pad and roll out my sleeping bag. My big toes were numb and my legs ached. I'm confident to say I burned more calories on this day than any other in my life (approximately 13,000). Today, I truly appreciate and marvel at the endurance capability of this amazing body in spite of the its' copious consumption of beer, BBQ and bacon.

Dinner was quiet as everyone was beyond exhausted. I couldn't decide which I wanted more; food or sleep. I decided food was probably the prudent decision, so I choked down all the food I could as fast as I could. After leaving the mess tent, I couldn't get into my tent fast enough.

As I settled into my sleeping bag, Stuart told later told me I said, "Hardest day ever..... by far" and began snoring immediately. I do not recall saying it.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 7

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 5 - Barafu High Camp (13,250' to 15,360')

Although we were allowed to "sleep in" this morning until 7:00 am, today is when it starts getting serious. We've grown accustomed to Joe sticking his head into our tent each morning asking about our physical and mental states. As for me, I feel good and anxious to get this day started. 

Breakfast at Karanga Camp

We begin by having our typical breakfast sans mess tent below our ultimate destination. The sun has already warmed the temperature up to the low 40's and we're looking forward to a half-days hike to Barafu High Camp. The weather continues to be completely cooperative and we hope that this trend continues for a bit longer.

Day 5 Hike to Barafu begins - Summit Route is up the right side of Kili

The hike was 3 miles of mostly a gradual incline crossing over a couple of ridges until our final steep ascent into Barafu High Camp. The sun stayed out most of the day and everyone is dealing well with the altitude.

Our Group

In the picture above, you can see tonight's summit ascent route on the right side of the mountain above the three guys' heads on the right. This is the 3,500' ascent known as the Umbwe Route that we will be climbing with headlamps in the dark.

The final ascent to Barafu High Camp

We arrived at Barafu around 12:30.  It was a busy place with many teams either staging for tonight's summit departures or vacating camp having completed last night's summit climb.

A look back to where we came from



Barafu High Csmp - Mount Mawenza to the South

Barafu actually has public toilets with holes in the floor and some other permanent structures in place. I haven't showered in 5 days, but neither has anyone else so it's OK. I'm feeling the affects of 15,360' mostly through shortness of breath. This is the highest elevation this body has ever experienced. I feel mentally agile, but that's probably how someone with diminished reasoning would feel. I may be reasoning at a 5 year old level. How would I really know?


Around 1:30 we ate lunch. We were then advised to take it easy for the rest of the day and get as much sleep as possible prior to dinner at 6:30 pm. I spent part of the afternoon prepping my gear and clothing for tonight's climb.
 

My last photo before tonight's summit attempt - Fat faced and worried

 

Dinner was an exercise in caloric consumption. There was fried bread, rice, a beef stew and lots of bananas. I was only able eat about 800 calories. I'm sure much thought is put into what the best foods are on summit night.

I once wore my Polar heart rate monitor to track the number of calories burned during my climb of Half Dome in Yosemite. Polar is supposed to be the most accurate method for measuring caloric expenditure as it even uses your VO2 Max which I once had measured at 42 (low end of athletic). When the 12 hour day was done I had burned 8,500 calories which I use as my benchmark for arduous days. Using simple math, I assume that in the next 18 hours I will probably burn in the ballpark of 13,000 calories. It may be considerably more since the top of Half Dome is only around 8,000'.

 

After finishing dinner, darkness and cold had swallowed Barafu High Camp and the summit briefing began. The mood surrounding this briefing was quite serious and intense. Our four local guides were brought into the mess tent and formally introduced. Theo is our lead guide. He is a large man built like an NFL lineman and has summited Kilimanjaro over 75 times. Filbert (FBI) is a charming, charismatic, confident soul. Everyone seems to really like him. Atile is the more contemplative of the group and our ever cheerful Shira hike companion Joshua is the newest guide.

To begin the briefing Theo says, "Our job is not to get you to the summit. It is to get you off the mountain alive. The summit is just a bonus." Yeah, I can get behind that mission statement.

Joe explained that if and when he decides that you need to turn around and go back down, there will be no discussion or argument and his decision would be final. I'm so worried that it may be me that gets turned around.

Why do we begin our summit bid at midnight? Our guide Joe says, "if you saw it, you wouldn't do it", but there are other practical reasons for the early departure. By leaving at midnight you summit around 7:00 am leaving the rest of the day to descend 9,000' to Mweka Camp. If you waited until morning it would add an extra day to an already extended 7 days on the mountain. By comparison, the effort involved thus far has been mild and stress free. Once we summit we will aggressively descend 13,000' in about 30 hours to get off the mountain at Mweka Gate around noon the next day.

Joe says on every climb he goes from everyone's hero at the summit to the most hated man on the mountain during the descent. The 9,000' descent from Uhuru Peak to Mweka camp will be the most punishing part of the trek. The summit bid will be difficult, but has a reward at the end. The descent is just difficult with no real reward other than arriving at your destination and finishing this inhumane day of exhaustion and suffering. 

At 8:00 pm we're sent back to our tents to attempt to get more sleep prior to 11:30 pm. At this point, all of my clothing, gear and water is organized and ready to go. I had spent the afternoon diligently thinking about every contingency. The camelback bladder in my pack was filled with 3 liters of water and an extra one liter bottle was included for the inevitable moment when the camelback hose is frozen solid. My many layers of clothing are laid out and the pack is organized. I'll be wearing as much clothing as possible as the temperature is expected to be 0 degrees tonight. I've replaced my headlamp batteries and placed backup batteries into the pack. Sleeping is next to impossible, but I probably managed an hour or so.

 

At 11:15 am the camp begins to come alive with low talking, zippers and the sound of artificial performance fabrics rubbing together. It's time to exit the relative comfort of this sleeping bag, dawn my gear and step out into the cold for the adventure of a lifetime. The moment I've been waiting for is here and I'm ready to get started. There is an ominous feeling to the proceedings, but I attribute that to the plethora of unknowns that we have yet to experience on this night.

I look up onto the Umbwe summit ascent route and see the scores of headlamps lighting the nearly vertical wall above us. This is a surreal site and sadly I have no photo of it. I steel myself for the long 7 hour slog to the summit. The guides yell "Twende" which is Swahili for "Let's Go" and our summit bid unceremoniously begins.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 6 (Summit)

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 4 - Karanga Camp (12,900' to 14,500' to13,250')

After yet another cold night in the 20's, we woke at 5:45 am in the Barranco Valley knowing how our day was to begin.  The dreaded Barranco Wall looms outside our tents waiting for our attempt at ascent.  We received our expected morning visit from Joe inquiring as to our mental and physical states.  Thankfully, I still feel remarkably well.  No headaches or nausea. Wouldn't this be an unpleasant experience if you were not feeling well?

We woke early to get ahead of the other groups camping in the Barranco Valley. The various tour groups tend to stack up on the Barranco Wall and if we get there first we won't be part of the traffic jam unless we cause it ourselves.

Breakfast was a friendly affair complete with the daily coffee substitute called Africafe, an instant coffee that's not half bad. I'm just thankful that the caffeine addiction is being kept at bay during this trek. The last thing I need is a throbbing head due to caffeine withdrawals.

After assembling the group with their back packs we began our walk to the wall around 7:00 am. Fear can cause you to make mistakes, so it's important to be calm and collected during the climb. Without looking down, you can mentally reduce the effort to small chunks of scrambling over boulders.  There were plenty of hand holds and lots of instruction from our guides on foot placement.

Scrambling up the Barranco Wall

One of the steeper parts of the Barranco Wall

FBI assists Laurel up a difficult step of the Barranco Wall

Hugging Rock - The scariest section of Barranco Wall

The toughest part of the wall was called "hugging rock". There was only one way around and it was to place your chest on the rock and coax your body around it without letting your center of gravity get behind you.  Everyone safely navigated this obstacle without issue.

Close to the top of Barranco Wall

Barranco Wall - Walking on the edge

It took us two hours to reach the top of the 1,600' Barranco Wall and we were glad to have this section of the climb behind us. Personally, I found the experience of climbing the wall quite exhilarating. There was no time I felt scared or unsafe. If you remain methodical and mindful of each step's placement, there is really no need for concern or fear. What good would it do anyway? 

Frequently, one of the local guides will yell "Koochay, Koochay" (forgive the spelling).  Loosely translated this means "Happy in Adventure". To which the correct response is "Koochay" tagged with some kind of joyous "woo-hoo" or yodeling or whatever. If the team ever gets quiet, the guides would prod us with "Koochay, Koochay" to remind us that this endeavor is supposed to be fun.  At times, this reminder would prove to be important. 

Top of Barranco Wall (14,500')

Top of Barranco Wall (14,500')

After topping the Barranco Wall we descend down into the next valley. Because we are horizontally crossing over the front of Kilimanjaro we will have to traverse multiple large valleys cut by glaciers and snow melt.

Throughout the day, Stuart would pull out his harmonica and play some familiar melody that added a very interesting, simple sound track to the experience. I often forget how powerful the most basic music can be in transforming an experience. I found myself starring in my own movie complete with sound track which made the landscape around me all the more poignant. 

After 4 days on the mountain, the grandeur of the experience tends to retreat and fade into normalcy. However, there would be moments where the larger self would wake to the reality of what was actually transpiring. Even Analytical Jeff would chime in to say "Hey Jeff! You're climbing Kilimanjaro. You need to take this in and enjoy it to the fullest." and for a time I would appreciate my surroundings and contemplate it's context and meaning. States of awe and wonder are still fleeting, even in an environment like this. The human mind has the uncanny ability to be amazed for a time before categorizing the experience as a new normal.

This is looking back at our descent trail from 14,500'...

...and we ascend again into Karanga Camp

At the bottom of the final valley is a stream that contains the closest water for Karanga camp on the ridge above.  All required water for camp had to be retrieved from here by the porters and boiled.  This meant they were making this descent and ascent multiple times throughout the day. Even though we are paying the porters and they're grateful for the work, it's hard not to feel guilty for all they do to support our climb. Get your own water you lazy American bastards!

Kilimanjaro from Karanga Camp (13,250')

The inevitable question arises, "where do you relieve yourself"? Within camp, it's a simple matter of a tented outhouse pictured above. Yes, the porters would even haul this thing up for the lazy spoiled Americans. On the trail, the remedy was less accommodated. For number one, a rock or bush would have to suffice. For number two, one always had TP in the day pack just in case. At higher altitudes there were no trees and it was impossible to cover the expenditure due to the lack of top soil. Luckily, I was spared this indignity throughout the trek.

After a day of acclimatizing by ascending and descending between 12,900' and 14,500', we reached Karanga Camp (13,250') at around 1:00 pm. Of course, the porters had already been there for a while, had set up all the tents and were preparing dinner. Prior to dinner, Stuart and I decide to explore some nearby caves and take some photos at sunset. 

Kilimanjaro from above Karanga Camp

Karanga Camp in the distance

Facial Edema (swelling) sets in

Since there were no mirrors around, I didn't realize this was occurring at the time, but my face was quite swollen. The technical term for this phenomenon is Facial Edema and is basically harmless. It's caused by a combination of cold air and decreased pressure from high altitude. I'm surprised that no one commented on my appearance.  It looks like I gained 30 lbs. Maybe I need just to layoff the fried bread.

As the sun sets, once again the temperature drops into the low 20's. To keep myself from freezing at night it's a matter of long johns combined with another layer of clothing and then slipping into my 20 degree sleeping bag outfitted with a liner.  I even wear thin gloves and my stocking cap.  With all that it's reasonably comfortable sleep inside a nice tent.  Luckily as soon as the sun rises the air warms again.

We are now at Karanga Camp working our way to Barafu

We are now staged for our half-day trek up to Barafu High Camp tomorrow which will serve as our launching pad for the final summit bid at midnight. We've come a long way in 4 days and I'm not feeling any physical symptoms as of yet. I grow more confident that I'll be able to make it to Uhuru Peak (19,350'). I shouldn't be too surprised. Time after time, this big body has risen to the challenge of whatever I choose to put it through. Laura calls me a "mountain", because nothing ever seems to physically phase me among other reasons. It's kind of why reason I do things like this. Part of me wants to know where that breaking point is, so I keep testing for it. Of course, I may get my wish and find it at any moment in this environment, but so far I'm adapting quite well, swollen face not withstanding.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 5

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 2 - Shira Camp (9,900' to 12,500')

The 2nd night's sleep was sporadic.  I discovered the importance of covering your head when the temperature drops below freezing. We woke at 6:30 am to Joe poking his head in the tent to make sure we were properly dealing with the altitude. "Any headaches or nausea?", he asked.  "No, feeling great", I replied. The porters brought coffee to the tent along with warm water for rinsing off our face and hands. It wasn't a hot shower, but every bit helps.  There will be no shower for the next 6 days. The temperature is around 30 degrees.  Since there is no cloud cover, it promises to warm up through the day.

This morning, we caught our first partial glimpse of the peak since starting our climb.  It is still quite far away and above.  I'm trying to not think too much about summiting and concentrating on getting through each day's climb.

Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Peak

 

Machame Camp was inhabited by white-necked ravens looking for scraps of food discarded by the hoards of people in camp.  After packing up our sleeping bags and organizing our day packs, we ate a quick breakfast and hit the trail for today's half-day climb at around 8:00 am.  

The group prepping for Day 2



Today's destination is on the farthest visible ridge

The 5 mile climb was steep and slow up and over a few different ridges which required some scrambling over large boulders.  Our destination was the top of a final ridge that would allow us to traverse the mountain from West to East over the next three days.  We hit Shira camp at 12,500' well above the clouds at around 1:00 pm and had lunch around 1:30 pm.  The temperature was a balmy 70 degrees and thankfully, I'm still feeling no ill-affects from the altitude.


The first break of the day

A section of the trail to Shira Camp

A look back at the trail that brought us to the ridge

Some light scrambling to get us to Shira Camp

On top of the ridge with Kilimanjaro in view

A look back to Machame Camp and today's climb

The group is still in high spirits on Day 2

During lunch, the inevitable differences of opinion between members of the group arose into an ill-advised religious discussion.  The discussion was mostly broached and driven by Tim, the youth pastor from Bristow, OK, and his wife Becky.  Our guide Joe wisely stayed out of it, while two camps verbally sparred over various topics from gay marriage, drinking and Marijuana. Fortunately, the discussions remained mostly mature and respectful.  Although it bares mentioning that the conservative camp from Bristow did refer to the gay lifestyle as a "fad" and drinking alcohol and smoking weed as a "degradation" always ironically proceeded by the disclaimer, "I'm not judging anyone".  Within this particular group, the Oklahoma brand of conservative Christianity with which I am personally familiar, was relegated to minority opinion, exposed as out-of-touch with reality and out-dated. Bristow was not the only Christian representatives within the group, but they were isolated as the more extreme conservative view points regarding gay marriage and alcohol.  The rest of the group were quite progressive when it came to the idea that people are indeed born gay and have every right to love who they want to love equally. I do believe that this American microcosm represents the trend of what is happening in the larger American culture, an overall acceptance of those that are different from ourselves. It's sad to me that there are people that view this trend as a bad thing.

Intense faces during our discussion on religion

Religion was naturally avoided for the rest of the trip which I greatly appreciated. I didn't come on this trip to learn about people's views on religion, unless it was coming from the local culture. The discussion made me ever more grateful that I allowed the beliefs instilled by my Christian Oklahoma upbringing to be questioned and evolved in spite of religious teachings dogma. I now see much of what I believed about race, religion and culture as a young Oklahoman as grossly misinformed and unfortunate. The good news is that nothing expands a persons appreciation for diversity than traveling and seeing cultures different than your own. I hope that the Okies will embrace a more progressive view of the world as I have, but a commitment to the ministry makes that possibility very unlikely.

Since we had some time to kill, Stuart and I had so much energy that we hiked over to Shira Camp II over 2 miles away with a guide named Joshua.  Along the way, Joshua gave us lessons in Swahili.
 

Our side hike to Shira Camp 2 - Stuart strikes a pose

Shira Camp sits in the climate zone known as the Moorlands.  It consists of mostly shrubs and no trees over 8 feet tall.  It has a mostly arid desert feel.  The clouds tend to stop around 12,000' depriving this area of the moisture afforded to the lower elevations.  We can now see the crown of Kilimanjaro in all it's glory from the Northwest.  We will spend the next few days traversing across the mountain between 12,500' and 15,000' to the southeast side of the peak.  No one has experienced negative affects from the altitude.  The acclimation must be working.

The sun is a real concern from here until the trek is complete.  Since Kilimanjaro is so close to the equator and the high altitude removes much of the atmospheric protection you would enjoy at lower elevations, the sun is quite strong.  Covering my lily-white Irish skin is essential on Kilimanjaro.

 

Dinner was pleasantly quiet and uneventful.  Each night after dinner Joe gives us a briefing of what to expect during the next day's trek regarding weather, terrain, duration and exertion.  When the sun goes down the air gets cold immediately. The wind also kicked up to 20 - 30 mph on this night making it difficult to take in the unbelievable starry night.  At 12,500' with zero light surrounding us, there were more stars than I had ever seen. Unfortunately, the cold and wind allowed me only 30 seconds to admire them before I dove into my tent for the night. Stuart bundled up and braved the cold to gather some time lapse exposures of the sky before retiring to the tent.



Machame Route

Here you can see the full scope of the Machame Route.  We started at Machame Gate on the left and have climbed to Shira Camp.  You can see how the next three days will be spent crossing the mountain over to Barafu High Camp at 15,000'.

Day 2 is complete and I'm still here.  It looks as though the dream of summiting Kilimanjaro is still within my grasps and seemingly more likely to become real.  The real tests are still ahead of me, but I'm quite hopeful that Uhuru Peak is possible.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 3