We Meet Again Old Friend

Day 5 - True Date 6/10/13

Today was yet another early but good start to a day. We were woken by the porter crew at 6:30 and we were offered a hot beverage of choice, which was delivered to the tents as we dressed and packed our gear. The plan was to have breakfast at 7, followed by about 30 minutes to finish packing and resume the trail. Breakfast was a combination of toast, pancakes (more like crepes), eggs and bacon. So, with full stomachs we filled our water with the group's filter, loaded our packs, and set off for the day.

We continued from the Montane Forest Camp (obviously...) at 9,450 ft. The camp and much of the morning continued through the rain forest region of the mountain. The trail was easy to walk, not that steep, and the weather was quite pleasant. No more than 20 minutes into the hike I had a personal "disaster" as I realized that one of the water bladders in my pack was leaking quickly. While it was only due to a bad seal - and thus easily solved - it still made for a moment of disappointment. Before long the pack was fixed and the group continued through the lush plant life that surrounded the trail.

The rest of the morning continued quite smoothly. After about an hour the trail began to get steeper and we continued out of the rain forest region and into the "health zone". The change in zone is paralleled by a clear change in the vegetation. Previously the trail was surrounded by many trees (frequently overhanging the trail) and a lush undergrowth. Now however the trees were thin and short. The ground was often sparse between plants and the plants were all much smaller and "browner" as if more dried out. The trail led us past a multitude of beautiful flowers spectacular views of the forest behind us. One aspect of these views that seemed thematic for the day was our ability to see our trail both before us and behind us.

After about 3 and a half hours oh hiking our group reached the summit of a small plateau where the porters had stopped to prepare us lunch. We were offered the usual assortment of fruits and vegetables that included avocados, passion fruit, mango, etc. The main course for the meal was a beef (of some variety) burger and some pasta. It was quite tasty and was nice to just sit in the nice hot sun instead of hiking for a bit. Justin described to us a bit of what the afternoon hike would be like and before long, we got up to resume the trail.

The trail continued up many steep ridges. We were quickly told more details still, many of which were prompted by our groups inquiries. Kilimanjaro is a volcanic mountain formed from the merging of 3 different volcanoes, Kibo, Mawenzie, and Shira. The three are listed there in descending height order. Our climb today took us along the north side of Shira. Shira is the most western peak and by moving around it we would find ourselves in a very shallow saddle facing the main summit of Kibo. The specific path that we were taking was commonly known as the "elephant's back". The trail follows a narrow ridge that frequently alternates between rises and falls, some shallow and some steep. In speaking with one of the assistant guides I also learned some history about the name of the mountain, Kilimanjaro. It is believed to be an English adaptation to the locals term for it, which meant "shiny" referencing the summit's glaciers.

About an hour before reaching the final campsite for the day we rounded a final ridge of Shira and received our first glimpse of Kibo in the distance. The peak rose from what seemed like a level plain and climbed into its own set of clouds, masking the actual summit from view. It has been 13 years, nearly to the day, since I first had a view like this and it was good to be on the mountain again. We could see many of the glaciers that rose up the sides of the mountain and we would have similarly great views for days to come (non-stop). Only a few minutes further down the trail we all stopped and took some time for a few group pictures. We continued a bit longer onto the Shira Plateau to the night's campsite, the West Side Camp. In total we hiked about 4.9 miles and gained 2,000 ft of elevation in approximately 5 hours and 48 minutes. This brought our total ascent time to 7 hours and 52 minutes.

It was about 3:00 in the afternoon when everyone reached camp. We signed in and all first headed to our tents to change into more comfortable clothes. Archer, Harrison and I all spent some time reading, Sabrina worked in her journal and Kelly and Liesje took a nap. After a while I moved onto doing some writing of my own and Archer took a stint laying outside sun-bathing. At 4:30 most of the group congregated in the mess tent for a snack of popcorn and socializing before dinner.

Dinner began with a sweet potato soup. It was followed by a spinach and carrots, with a chicken-curry of sorts served on rice. Maybe it has been because the evenings all felt cold but the soup both nights so far has been the highlight of the meals (not to say the other food was anything to complain about). As usual, we had some ridiculous conversations (the details of which will be spared from this entry). After dinner was time for bed. There was a brief time for us each to admire the the stars. When there are no clouds, no trees and no lights you can really see a LOT of them!