Barafu Camp Day 6 9/30/18

We had a later start this morning because the hike was supposed to take less than three hours. We were still up by five just because that’s when the camp wakes up and nobody’s going to be able to sleep. I woke up feeling like I had a migraine the day before but so far so good today. I saw the sunrise behind the mountain peak teasing light however it was slowly hitting our tent around seven. Since it didn’t rain the night before everything was still dry, but the sun still much appreciated in the 30° temperature.

Breakfast consisted of Fried egg with pancakes and fruit and slabs of cheese. I was hungry which was also a good sign. I took my one altitude pill and aspirin just in case. We started hiking around 815, this time there were several groups in front of us. However, we ended up passing them. We have a slow and steady pace but apparently, it’s faster than other peoples. The hike was a slow and steady incline up, not much rock climbing and pretty tame. Once we hit first falls peak you could see a large cliff in the distance and the path zigzagging up to our next destination. 

We reached camp in 2 1/2 hours. Andy was feeling good, I was feeling great just happy that I had no pain and the hike was easy for me. This was the first time that I really thought I’m going to be able to summit the mountain. We sat outside and enjoyed the spectacular views from our camp. We could see the other peak on Kilimanjaro off in the distance. The day was beautiful, the sun shining bright, but that breeze definitely chilled it. We watched people come into the camp, so more tired and haggard than others.

For lunch we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and the most delicious peanut butter and mayonnaise grilled sandwich. I don’t think it’s just the mountain hunger talking, but the sandwich was truly amazing. I’m worried this is going to become a staple when we get back home. Feeling energized but ready for tonight, we prepped our bags, got our beds out, laid down to relax before our early dinner.