Karanga Camp

We set off later than usual this morning as our guides hope to let some of the traffic clear. The Lemosho and Machame routes merge together just before Baranco Camp so the number of people jockeying to get on the trail has more or less doubled. Straight away there is an 800 foot wall to scramble up with very few places to pass, so if some of the slower groups can get through it before we head out hopefully things will go a bit more smoothly.

It is a fun section, even though there are a few spots where the trail gets pretty narrow.

Before we know it, we’re at the top. The views here are apparently quite good, but we’re completely surrounded by clouds and can’t see a thing.

The next two hours is probably the nicest stretch of trail so far. A little up, a little down (as F-Bomb likes to say) and perhaps the climb to 15,000 feet yesterday made a difference as I feel almost normal. Before we know it, we’re pulling into Karanga Camp, our second to last one before the summit.

With the cloud cover, it is quite a bit colder at this camp than the previous ones. Great for an afternoon nap, but far less pleasant once the sun goes down.

After dinner, while discussing the plan for tomorrow, our guide tells us we are doing really well. Even better than he imagined, he says. I’m not really sure how to interpret that. Nick looks like he’s in pretty good shape, so why would he have been worried about him?