day 4 – the barranco wall and adam’s 20th birthday!

July 18: Karanga camp (4,000 m) A steep climb up the Barranco Wall leads us to an undulating trail on the southeastern flank of Kibo, with superb views of the Southern Icefields. From here the trail gradually ascends and descends until we reach Karanga camp. Here there is plenty of time to rest, or take a short acclimatization walk above the camp (4-5 hours walking throughout the day).

At breakfast we checked in to see how everyone is doing. Lacey was sick to her stomach last night – probably due to the altitude – but she had a strong appetite at breakfast, which is a good sign. Some of the group are experiencing headaches – which is normal and Deb and Becky are moving a little slow today.

We decided to get part of the group going – So Elias took point and Adam, Lynn, Cathy, Lacey, Lilly and I followed – and Omari followed behind the group.

Julius and Hussein stayed behind and we’re going to lead Deb and Becky to the next camp.
Our day starts out with a short hike from camp to the base of the Barranco Wall. This wall look massive and treacherous. We begin our ascent up the wall, climbing over rocks going higher and higher. The wall is relatively easy to scale, but there are points where the adrenaline kicks in – such as the Kissing Rock – so named because you literally hug and kiss the rock as you pass by it – you just need to take one step at a time. For someone who doesn’t like heights – this and a couple of other passages were not my favorite parts of the day.

We continued up the wall until we reached the top. I will have to say there were many points along the way which I remember from my last climb- probably because I hated them! But reaching the top gives one such a great feeling of accomplishment.

From the top of the wall we traverse the ridge before descending into the Karanga valley. The hike to camp was very deceiving, we could see it off in the distance, but had a long descent down into the valley, followed by a steep uphill ascent. The descent was a little challenging, it’s dry, full of small rocks and sand, and you can easily slip. You just need to take it slow.

After 5 hours – we reached camp. It was one of our shorter days. We had a nice hot lunch – fresh watermelon and oranges to start, followed by pasta with chicken sauce, potatoes and an avocado salad. Over lunch I checked in with the group – everyone is a bit tired, but doing well!

As we ate lunch – Julius brought us great news. Deb and Becky were having lunch in the valley below us. The will soon rejoin us at camp!

Update:

As I was making my way back to the mess tent, I saw Deb and Becky coming up the hill towards camp. It’s the best part of the day when the group is back together. They were tired, but seemed like they were doing well.

Soon it was dinner time. I am sorry to say, some of the notes I wrote didn’t save and I don’t remember what we had for dinner. What I do remember is Julius and much of the team came into the tent with muffins and candles for Adams birthday. I know it was a very special way for him to celebrate his birthday!

Day 4 – Team Comments: Low Point followed by High Point.

Lilly: Being hungry. Conquering the wall.

Lacey: I feel spent. It was cool climbing the wall and kissing the Rock. And getting Sour Patches when I got back to camp.

Lynn: Struck me to go slow to go fast. Loved the wall.

Adam: Nine. Rock climbing on the way up Kili on his 20th birthday.

Peter: Trekking down. Climbing the wall.

Cathy: Coming down the steep hill aka Desert Slope – before camp. Climbing the wall.

Me: None. Conquering the wall for a second time.

Deb:  Being with Becky and feeling the support of the guys. This morning waking up feeling incapacitated.

Becky: Not feeling nauseous and II could eat while hiking. Seeing Deb depleted this morning.