The Kili Dossier. Part III

Jaymo the assistant chef woke us up at 6 am by tapping on our tent. That’s when I said Amen to the prayer I attempted to make the night before. He gave us black ginger tea to warm us up. And a small basin with warm water to have our washy washy as they call it on the mountain. It is very difficult for a tall guy to dress up in a sleeping tent. Doing it while kneeling or seated was exhausting. But we had no choice because the baridi outside would freeze you into a statue if you attempted to come out in a vest.

Chef Suleiman filled us up with the V power fuel we needed for the day. Oats, toast on egg, sausages and of course watermelon, the Kenyan dessert hehe. As I stood outside my tent I saw my first snow sighting. That’s when it dawned on me that I’m climbing the tallest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. The snow up on that plateau appeared so grand that it called for a minute of silence in awe of creation.

With our bag packs all loaded with water, snacks and my camera we set off from Machame camp. That day we were covering about five kilometres to Shira camp. An elevation of about 900 meters.  The sun was out most of the way and there was no tree cover. Thankfully it was a much warmer day than the day before. Most of the terrain was rockily combined with moorland. The scenery was getting more supu as we climbed higher. The snow cover in the distance enhanced the beauty. Mt Meru even peeped through the clouds and we could see her throughout our hike that day.

The phone network enhanced my experience because I was able to share the photos with my family back home in real-time. For some reason, my Samsung A12 performed exceptionally well. I would often hotspot my buddies. They even nicknamed it, Thuraya. I could make calls, and send voice notes in addition to photos and videos. And to imagine I got it from Safaricom using my Bonga points. So it’s official now folks, Safaricom sells genuine phones, with features that activate mountain climbing mode hehe.

We would charge our devices with solar power banks when the sun was out. Our pace was slow again but this time it was because the rocks were slippery in some places. The last thing you want is an injury from a slip. But this didn’t apply to our team Subaru porters. They whizzed by with their mzigo effortlessly.

I felt more present on this second day. Maybe it was the effect of the breathtaking scenery. It was the real chakula ya macho. It felt nice being away from my responsibilities. I enjoyed being irresponsible hehe. I only had to ensure that I get back to my clan in one piece and that my two mates do the same. Since sir God prefers speaking to me in sign language and whispers I decided to just present myself, keep climbing and take photos in silence. Maybe it’s the volume in my head that’s too loud and I need to mute it. Either way, I was happy to be there.

Sometimes we are required to relocate temporarily from our usual address. We may or may not find what we are searching for but at a minimum, we will recharge for the grind ahead and hopefully learn something new. The miracle is in the moving. So keep moving dear folks. Whether up a physical mountain like I did or whatever mountain life presents you with.

The five or so kilometers took us about six hours. The warmth of the sun helped a lot. We hiked, stopped, ate and did it all over again as we obediently followed our pace setter Barasa. We arrived at Shira camp by surprise. Maybe it’s because we were face down all the time focusing on the next step. Sometimes in life, we just need to focus on the next small step and keep moving. Then one time you lift your head and see umefika. Shira camp was a huge flat patch of ground that was good enough to pitch our tents. I’m told that before covid there would easily be a few hundred tents pitched here. I was encouraged to see the number of climbers slowly picking up again. Mt Kilimanjaro supports the livelihoods of many in Moshi and beyond. That’s why they all take care of it. You don’t litter the mountain that feeds you. That’s a lesson worth exporting back here.

We had our lunch after settling in and basked in the sun for some time. The thing with the sun on the mountain is that it’s a cold sun. You feel warm from far but it’s much appreciated because the evening cold comes with a vengeance. The Shira camp had a 360-degree display of the wonders of creation. It was like watching nature in 3D. The endless hills in front of us with sharp peaks popped above the clouds as if rising from the cloudy smoke. The sun hid behind them slowly. Mt Meru was still standing tall on our left. Our back yard was Shira plateau looking down on us as if to say, “rest now for tomorrow you meet me”. The sunset-facing Shira brought out its brown-reddish colour in detail. It was like nature was photographing the mountain with the flash on (the sun). That’s the photo in this post.

I held onto that image as bedtime approached hoping it will keep me warm through the night. Well, let’s just say that didn’t last long. The night was rough (chilly and with thin air) but we survived. The cold morning sun was a welcome relief. Our breakfast was heavier than the day before because we were going to cover double the distance.