Barafu Camp

For all the gadgets and sensors crammed into my cell phone and watch, one that is missing is temperature. Inside my zero degree bag I’m fully dressed with a fleece jacket and still felling the chill. Fortunately, we have a fairly short hike today and can stay hunkered down until the sun starts to come up. Like most mornings, it is perfectly clear again with views all the way up to the summit.

Since we’re down to our last few days, I figure this is also a good time to get some close up pics of our set up. Here is our home away from home for the past six days:

Our mess test, which doubles as a wash/change room:

The cook shack where Albert works his magic:

The porter’s tent:

And last but not least, the bathroom tent

Our destination is only a few miles away, but we’ll climb about 2,000 feet in the process. The locals have a saying here – pole pole, which means “slow slow” in Swahili. It frustrated me a bit lower on the mountain but, here, where the air is thinner, I’ve become quite a fan. With our steady, methodical pace, we still make good time and my heart rate stays surprisingly low given the activity.

Barafu Camp is back above 15,000 feet and will be our highest camp on the mountain. From here, our plan is to gear up just after midnight and climb the last 4,000 feet in the middle of the night, hopefully reaching the summit around sunrise. After a brief rest, we’ll turn right back around and descend the same 4,000 feet and return to camp in time for a late breakfast and a rest. If that’s not enough, we’ll then pack up our gear and power through another four hours of hiking to descend to 10,000. Summit day is a bitch.

Albert whips up a spaghetti bolognese to load us up with carbs and, after that, there’s not much left to do besides eye up the prize and get ready.