Hike Day 5 - Three African Hours : Feb. 23

It is our last day sleeping a full night. And today's hike was supposed to be easy. "Three hours," Thomas told us last night.

Well, we got the lazier start because of all the traffic up Baranco Wall, which was our first obstacle. Instead of up at 7, breakfast at 7:30, it was tea in the tent at 7 (which I declined - Alisa was toasting her hands on the boiling water), then breakfast at 8.

I had a warm night, except for when my feet started getting cold. A trip to the bathroom fixed that. A cold trip where I had to crack the icy layer on the outside of the tent.

But once the sun was up and breakfast was served, it warmed up. The awesome scramble up Baranco Wall warmed us up as well.

It was an hour and a half of hoisting ourselves up boulders, hugging rocks, squeezing up narrow passages, and finding places where the porters could pass us. Having Chatty Cathy from California behind us was a pretty big push for people as well. I think we really all enjoyed it a lot.

When we finally reached the top, the blue sky and clouds seemed to disappear off the edge of the rocks. We were in the sky, and when the sun shone, you could tell there wasn't much between us and it. After a piece of relaxation (where I took off my extra bottom layers and put on my knee braces), it was "jib, jib, twende" and we were "up, up, let's go."

There was some down that varied between gentle and technical next. We walked through that no problem. Next, we approached a gentle section where the wind and erosion trails down the mountaintop were only cut by a gravelly path that we followed.

It was two more ridges until we saw camp. Gentle up, steep down, though. On the way down, I stuck with Erin as we chatted with Bruce about schools and the U.S. He went to UW Madison, where my cousin is finishing up now! Small world.

The path itself, though, was a challenge. We were basically following a stream, which meant there were an awesome cave or two, but also a "water slide" down a wide, flat rock that you had to be careful of sitting down or you'd end up wet.

There was the last stream before summit, then maybe another fifteen minute uphill section to camp. The porters were carrying water up the hill, since we'll need it all for cooking, washing, and drinking today and tomorrow.

So three hours was more like four and a half, but we rolled into camp and got lunch. The group is a lot of fun to chat with, and Bruce popped in to give us some encouraging words (and warn us again about the water).

Alisa and I headed back to the tent, ostensibly to rest, more to just chat and gossip and eat snacks. When it was twenty minutes to dinner, then I decided to try to nap in the deliciously warm sauna that was our tent.

But the sun went down (with radiant colors over the city - Arusha was the guess) and so did the temperature. Dinner was hats, scarves, and more soup... There were delicious pasties to dip into it though. The green bean and potato sauce on rice wouldn't have been half bad if it weren't the same taste and texture as every night.

We did more wondering about summit night tomorrow, then sat and chatted until it was too cold to continue. The candle was blown out - the party was over. Time to get the last full night until summit!