Last night I woke up with my heart racing, my body sweaty, and my bladder uncomfortable (and possibly still some jetlag) at some dark point in the morning. After calming the first three with a trip to the bathroom and a crack in the tent, I had a bit of time to listen to the bullfrogs and the acclimating farts and snores before falling back to sleep.
Our wake-up call, with some warm water and bottles filled for drinking, then guided us to the dining tent, which is a old fashioned tent with a table and eight chairs. Not really roughing it, huh?
Though from the hike today, getting to the summit is going to be hard but doable. This was our hardest day according to the guides, save the 16-hour day in five days we have to look forward to.
We started with some hard uphills in the forest, which were roots and dirt. We spotted a black and white monkey in a tree, which is apparently called a blue monkey. But two hours out of camp, the vegetation turned from trees with moss and leaves to scrub brush about eight to ten feet tall. We had entered the next climatic zone.
I really enjoyed getting into the rocky bush land. There were the stunning views, the (slightly) interesting geology, and the great scrambling up rocks. When I did rock-climbing camp in California in 2001 (with these same shoes... maybe it's time to retire them after this), scrambling was my favorite. Just a hike that got you using your hands and your brain.
When we stopped for lunch (which was delicious potato pancakes with vegetables), Stewart gave me a tip. Keep your heel up, he said. Step on little rocks with your heels and your tendon will appreciate you. Between that hint, my knee braces, and the variance of the hike, the final three hours to camp were dandy.
Just thirty minutes from camp, we rounded the bend and in front of us, finally, was Mt. Kilimanjaro. We still have to walk 180 degrees around it to our ascent path, but it will be mostly in our sights from here on out. Daunting, very daunting, but I was still skipping and in a good mood by the end of today, so I'm hoping I have the will.
Camp is more spread out, but still rent city. Tea and popcorn, some "Japanese time" with the mountain at sunset (which was behind us, but that's ok), and supper and the temperature had dropped twenty degrees (Fahrenheit - we've been getting our facts from Stewart and converting them. So maybe twenty is a bit of an exaggeration.)
We scurried to the tents, with some star-gazing while in line for the bathroom. I'm in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, and don't recognize any stars. Except for Orion (which we might share) and the Little Dipper (which I was probably just making up). A new fascinating sky to learn. The moon is getting fuller and fuller. Our ascent is near!
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