Mount Kilimanjaro Day 3 - July 16th

July 16th, 2008:

Up early, we began our longest trek yet. Luckily we were above the clouds and the day was dry and cool. So cool in fact that some in our group are worried they won’t have enough layers to keep warm. As we climbed steadily out of our camp our pace became gradually slower. While many of our paces would probably differ, Moses prefers that we all keep together and go at a consistent pace. He is a true believer in going slow, which is physically easier, and helps with breathing and acclimatization. Consequently, while some of our group is sore, everybody is, for the most part, in good condition. We walked very slowly from an elevation of 3800 meters to 4600 meters, and then stopped for lunch. Lunch was at a beautiful location and afforded great views of the summit. During the afternoon we descended back down from 4600 meters to another camp at 3900 meters, though it was more of an up and down rather than walking straight down to 3900 meters. The motto is “Hike high, sleep low,” and this supposedly helps your body acclimate. Today many of us felt the effects of the altitude, mainly in the form of a headache. After descending back down to 3900 meters we began to feel better.

Moses has been great. His English is good, although limited at times, but he has always been quick to point out plants and other interesting bits of information. He is also very professional, and it is clear he knows what it will take to get everyone to the summit. He has been continuously telling everyone to drink water, and today he took the liberty to tell us to keep our talking to a minimum. This was pretty funny considering Zhalisa and Carolina had had a two hour conversation earlier in the morning. They sheepishly looked at each other when he made this comment. He also informed us to breathe through our noses, not our mouths, as this helps to prevent moisture in the lungs and therefore pulmonary edema. This is not welcomes news for Carolina, whose congestion prevents her from breathing through her nose.

Once again today we have been left in awe at the porters. Each day these guys sprint past us carrying heavy loads. Most of these men are not using backpacks; instead they carry the load balanced on their heads. They seem to be completely unfazed by the amount of walking or the altitude. It is pretty unbelievable. In any case, we all made it with no issues to our camp this evening, enjoyed a snack, some dinner, and quickly passed out.