Shira I Camp

We started taking Diamox yesterday as it helps prevent altitude sickness as we ascend. Unfortunately, it is also a pretty strong diuretic, making for some active traffic in and out of the tent throughout the night. It is below freezing outside which makes crawling out of a perfectly warm sleeping bag even more of a chore. Not exactly how I envisioned by first night on the mountain.

In the morning, a porter appears at our tent with hot tea to help get us started for the day. From there, it is over to the mess tent for breakfast, a sour smelling porridge and slices of papaya, neither of which I’d ever choose myself. We need the calories though and, by mixing them together, I find a combination that is at least somewhat palatable. Not good, but palatable.

After choking down the whole pot, our porter reappears with a plate of toast, a few hard boiled eggs, and some sausages/wieners. With a stomach now full of gruel I feel like the kitchen crew is probably laughing hysterically in their tent.

Our goal today is Shira I Camp, roughly four miles and 2,500 feet of elevation away. The bulk of the trail is still below the tree line and we are able to mostly stay in the shade. Throughout the trip, porters constantly blow by us, bags of gear balanced on their heads as they race to get to camp and set things up before we arrive.

Not far from camp, we break out of the forest and get our first clear glimpse of the mountain.

We cover the last mile or so in the sun, arriving at the check in station shortly after noon. We’re at 11,481 feet, roughly equivalent to the summit of Mount Hood.

We have a few hours to relax before 3 o’clock tea. A nap feels in order but with no tree cover the tent is a little on the toasty side. It takes a concerted effort on my part to fall asleep, but what is Kilimanjaro if not an opportunity to push yourself?

Before dinner we take a few moments to meet the whole team. In addition to Aloyce and Nesto (our two guides), the squad includes:

• Our cook, Albert
• Praygod, who serves our meals
• Tumsif, who sets up all of the tents and welcomes us at the end of each day’s hike with a couple of camp chairs and a damp cloth to clean the dust off our boots
• Renata, Benson, Tony, Ally, Elia, Anold, and one whose name escapes me, who haul all of our equipment and fetch water
• and perhaps most important, Peter, overseer of the private toilet.

After introductions, the team shares a couple of local songs. It is a very cool experience, even though we only understand a small handful of words (although Nick is managing to develop quite the Swahili vocabulary).

It is another cold evening but the sky is perfectly clear. Without any light pollution we have a great view of the Milky Way. A small consolation for the frequent trips to the bathroom tent. This Diamox better be worth it.