Chasing Snow Storms: Mount Kilimanjaro Day 2
Moorland Hike
It is our first morning waking up in a tent. The sun is making an appearance at Machame camp and the little trip I take behind the camp gives me a better view of the peak than the one I caught last evening. Watching babu from this distance is still intimidating especially now seeing how far up we still have to climb.
I'm feeling a little dizzy, my eyes soggy, and my watch says my sleep oxygen levels were around 70–80%. This worries me a bit given the next 3 nights will be at even higher altitudes. But I also realize that my body will have time to acclimatise, so I take solace in that. And this journey is for the books. No matter how it goes.
Today we are going 6 km through the moorland vegetation. Moorlands are my favorite part of high altitude hikes. They can get challenging though especially when you encounter the wet, borgy areas or have to navigate rocky terrain. The vegetation is out of this world, a wide variety of strange plants that are built for the the hardy climate and surprise weather conditions. During the hikes you could be shielding yourself from the sun one moment and then the next you are walking in a mist that gets thicker and thicker, visibility to no more than a couple of meters, as the rain is ushered in.
After a kilometer or so in tolerable slightly humid weather, it started to drizzle. The drizzle went away after about an hour. We tucked away our rain gear and strolled on for about 15 minutes before it started to pour. And so we marched on in a single file fully covered from the elements.
The pattering of the rain on top of my head, the cold wind across my face and watching tiny hailstones bounce off of the poncho ahead of me kind of drew me into my own world. Everyone was in their own world at this point. Listening to music, deep in thought or just taking it in moment by moment.
Getting to the next camp is usually the best part of a multi-day hike. But the closer we got to camp the lower our expectations of having a good evening became.
It was still raining when we got there. One of the tents had a stream running through it. And one had given up to the force of the rain and wind and collapsed. We gathered at the mess tent, got rid of ponchos and indulged in the hot beverages.
The rain eventually stopped, the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds but giving just enough warmth to keep the weather tolerable. We were then invited out for song, dance and intros by our local crew.
Before dinner we played a few board games. I was introduced to a card game called Phase 10. The initial explanation made zero sense, but as the game progressed I started having fun.
After dinner one of our colleague delighted us with a standup comedy. Her act was raunchy and hilarious. From the hearty laughs across the mess tent it seems like this is all we needed to forget what the day had put us through, and get our minds and bodies ready for the next day.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story by following the High Altitude Therapy Publication: https://medium.com/high-altitude-therapy
