Passports & Pearls: Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 2

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 2

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Mark Twain

Wake up call this morning came pretty early. Around six o’clock the porters from the various camps began working to prepare breakfast and take down the camps. The sound of their voices woke me and after an hour of tossing and turning I got up.

Last night I slept pretty soundly considering I took my malaria medication and it usually makes me nauseous. This is my fourth week taking the Mefloquin so maybe my body has adjusted to it.

The other thing that kept me from deep sleep was sleeping on an incline. I guess that’s the disadvantage to camping on a mountainside though.

Breakfast never tasted so good because I was starving from so much physical activity the day before. We ate eggs, toast, fruit jam, sausage, porridge, and bananas for breakfast. Quickly after eating we packed up our bags and we on the more by nine o’clock.

Today’s hike was 2,625 feet and it was all uphill on large rocks. It was definitely different than hiking through the rainforest. About 650 feet into the hike at an elevation of 10,500 feet we were above cloud level. Incredible does not even begin to describe the view of the mountain and sky. From that elevation we could see Mount Meru, the second tallest mountain in Tanzania.

Along the hike we stopped at various points where the view was particularly beautiful to take in the scenery. The awesome scenery is definitely a testament to why the Machame route is one of the best, even if it the “Whiskey Route.”

We arrived at Shira Cave at 2 PM after our porters. The porters are pretty amazing considering they leave camp after us in the morning so they can pack camp up and they arrive at the next camp before us to have it set up. Some of the porters literally run up the mountain which is unreal to me because I go at such a slow pace.

Arnold our guide has taught our group the Tanzanian phrase “pole pole” which means “slowly slowly.” He says because of the altitude and the rigorous activity the key to getting to the summit without getting ill is reminding ourselves to go “pole pole.”

For lunch at camp we ate grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches, leeks soup, chicken and oranges. Again I ate as much as possible because the amount of physical activity is making me super hungry. Dinner consisted of pancakes, cucumber soup, peanuts, rice, and beef with coconut sauce. I steered clear of the cauliflower and green beans because even though I was hungry, I draw the line at eating things that I am not at all a fan of.

With temperatures in the mid 40’s, the strong winds make it feel like it’s in the 30’s out. Now that we’re above cloud level the stars are incredible. Arnold told us that on summit night the stars will seem so close we can reach out and grab them. I’m pretty excited to experience the stars that way because at home there is so much ambient light I don’t get to see them like that often.

As I lay there of course I couldn’t help but think of how I missed my family. As of tomorrow I won’t have seen them for three weeks. I know my family, especially my mom, is worrying about me this week as I can’t be in touch with them to tell them I’m doing well.

Although I’m missing my family, friends, and my yellow lab Bella a lot, I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you were me wouldn’t you try to enjoy and experience fully each moment? I'm so excited to be checking this off my bucket list soon!