Walk: Simba Camp (2627m) to Kikelea Caves (3672m)
Notes and photos from my Kilimanjaro diaries written in 2007. Uploaded to my blog in 2009 but posted with a 2007 publish date.
Slept in boxers with no sleeping bag liner to test I wouldn’t be too cold. Woke up mildly chilly but was reassured that I still had several more layers of clothing to wrap up in as we ascended the volcano.
The daily routine that I would get used to involved a 6:30am wake-up with tea in bed. Breakfast from 7am (porridge and jam) with the aim of having everything packed up and ready to go by 8am.
As I left my tent to get breakfast, I could still see Kili from the camp, but by the time we left at 8am, the clouds had rolled in again. We set off from our campsite and as we progressed the thick bushes became shorter and shorter until we realised the lack of vegetation from hereon would mean there was no privacy for loo breaks.
The milestone of breaking through the cloud line seemed to continue to evade us all morning, but around lunchtime we entered the thick cloud and had lunch in the fog near a cave. Several hours later we emerged from the cloud into strong sunshine and uninterrupted views of Kibo Peak for once.
Progression seemed odd from here, as we were not walking towards Kibo, but instead towards her sister Mawenzi Peak for a day of acclimatization. The two peaks are very difference in appearance: Kibo appears almost flat on top, while Mawenzi is sharp and jagged.
Washed feet at camp. As the sun set it got cold very quickly. People were tired so there was no will to play card games like last night. Straight to bed.
An Antipodean Adventure 