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February 27

Kilimanjaro - to Camp Barafu

I got up quickly at 7 due to another diarrhea attack. Breakfast was served at 7:30. I ate the egg, some cucumber slices, a slice of bread with honey, and a green orange. There was ice inside my tent fly. We began with a steep climb up the Breach Wall, often needing hands and feet. Then we went up and down around the Summit Circuit, at about 14,000 feet, to the Karanga Valley, where I was served a hot lunch with soup and French toast. It was the same unidentifiable thick yellow soup I have been getting every time. A small bird kept trying to get my lunch.

After the break, we began a steep climb out of the valley, and then had some more up-and-down ridge crossing, with a few flat stretches. The route was increasingly desert-like. We had a steep climb to a ridge top, where we met the trail junction to Barafu Hut, up the ridge. We found a porter (from another group) with altitude sickness there, breathing fast. We rested and Tobias smoked a cigarette before continuing up the ridge. Our porters joined us. The climb did not become very steep until the last half hour. The only plants were now some isolated clumps of grass and lichens on the volcanic rock. We were occasionally engulfed by clouds.

Camp Barafu

We reached Camp Barafu, at 15,100 ft, at 2:15. An American group was already here, having camped at Karanga Valley. I was brought popcorn and tea. The peak showed only briefly through the clouds, beyond the jagged volcanic cliffs ahead. The sharp peaks of Mawenzi could occasionally be seen to the east, when the clouds broke. There was some thunder from the west. One of the American women who had been on the same itinerary arrived in camp sick, and decided not to continue climbing the peak. The German man also said he was too exhausted to continue. It is possible to bypass the peak by going back to the junction where we saw the sick porter, and continuing around the mountain to meet the Marangu route. This is what our porters would do while Tobias and I climbed to the summit.

Kibo from Camp Barafu

Sunset at Camp Barafu

The camp, perched on a narrow, rocky ridge, was periodically bathed in sunlight as the clouds formed interesting shadows below. For dinner, I had soup, a chicken thigh, french fries, and macaroni with cheese, plus pineapple for desert. I ate everything. Tobias said he would wake me up at midnight for tea and biscuits, and we would begin the summit climb at 1 AM. The others in the camp were all starting an hour earlier, but Tobias figured I was faster than them. There was a particularly beautiful sunset at 7:00, but most of the camp was already in bed and missed it. I took a lot of pictures, and then went to bed myself.

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