29 Dec 2008 – Big Tree Camp to Shira 1
Beautiful morning, clear skies but one hell of a crowded campsite! Bucket toilet full to overflowing. Didn’t sleep too badly and didn’t wake up with any aches and pains. Slight dizziness as I sat up too quickly but nothing untoward. Loads of noise around the camp so glad of the earplugs. Missed a lot of birdsong (dawn chorus) however. Great breakfast of toast, porridge, eggs and then off we go. Rattled off an unbelievable number of photos and got some good video footage (I think!) For want of stating the bleeding obvious, the forest is soooooooooo green. Not so many flowers (sedoviola Kilimanjaro) Occasional clearing was really pretty. Undergrowth very dense, temps quite cool under the trees, perfect for walking and the sounds were great. Wish I had a sound recorder. More chat with the guides and group today. Limo is good with local info and I had some interesting conversations with the rest of the team. The pace is a lot slower than I would probably walk if I was on my own but I can be as trigger happy as I like with the camera and it’s not wearing me out. Loving it. There are a lot of us on this mountain and the ‘purist’ in me would like to be more isolated but then it’s so worthwhile for the locals to guide/porter that it feels good to put something into their economy (pockets) whilst we have our ‘jolly’ up the mountain. The guides pay US$500 to get their license, so it’s evidently worthwhile. They’re all part of a larger company that hire out guides and porters, operating a kind of taxi-rank queuing system to allocate porters etc to trips. With 5+ of them for every one of us, it’s hard to imagine doing it without their help.
And on this occasion I’m glad I’m doing a trip where we’re looked after and I can just amble along and enjoy the view. Good group, great summit views as cloud clears, but not as good as the white-necked raven or my 30” exposure night shot from last night! Dinner, curried chicken and rice and soup. Liking the Milo, the interesting travel/history/natural conversations with everyone. Well, early night – it’s only 2045 but feels right. It’s good to align your body clock with the sun. It definitely feels healthier. I have the blackest fingernails right now but I’m enjoying the grime. It’s dusty here and is like this the rest of the way apparently. This is great and I’m tired so will continue tomorrow.
Shame we can’t see any big game, too many people disturbing the peace I guess
30 December 2008 – Shira 1 to Shira 2
Rubbish night’s sleep. 1st 3 hrs ok but in bed too early, awake again at midnight. Garry snoring again so after 2 hrs of frustration, got up to see the stars. Stunning. The plough on the horizon and bigger than I’ve ever seen it. Shooting stars too. Eventually back to bed for another 3 hrs sleep. Woke up feeling like I had a hangover. Re-hydrated but headache/tired all the way to the next camp.
Another great breakfast, this time with sausages. Off from camp almost on time for a short hike to Shira 2. Sunny clear morning but the clouds followed us to camp. Very slow pace, felt ropey all the way. Some more good chats , less photos due to headache. Head down and plod. Apparently eland and other animals from the Kenyan side come up here to find mineral salts (good with honey for colds apparently)
TWENDE – let’s go
HARRAKA – hurry up
CHOKA – tired
Arrive to a cold and misty campsite, most of us feeling the effects of altitude. Late but amazing lunch of soup and cheese toasties followed by ibuprofen and a siesta – amazing transformation, feel full of energy!
Early dinner of beef stew and potatoes followed by birthday cake for Andy. Visit to a CLEAN toilet, amazing sunset over Meru, Kili summit cleared too, stunning evening. Really funny game of ‘guess who’, some more experimentation with night photography and then to bed to write.
Jason (a lone American with his own porters who’s shadowed our group all the way so far) stumbled into camp after having tried to bypass this one and go too high too quick. He’s in a very rough state. Luckily I’d moved in with Bob (to avoid the snoring!) as Jason is now sharing with Garry (his guide didn’t want him sleeping alone)
So, a rough morning but a good evening
Stuart Westwood 