Around 6:30, David, one of the G2G Adventures' excellent guides, woke us up with morning coffee. From the firm ground, a thin mattress under our bodies, we climbed out of our sleeping bags. I soon realized that the inflatable pillow and the hoodie of my sleeping bag were not a comfortable match-up, and a jacket rolled up as a pillow would work better.
A freshness filled the air, and while we packed our backpacks, folded our sleeping bags, and excited our tent to enjoy our first breakfast on the Kilimanjaro climb, gratitude and excitement flooded my thoughts.
Omelets, pancakes, viannas, toast, and fruit; spoiled for choice of what to enjoy for breakfast. August and Benni insisted we eat enough. Well, with food this delicious, it is not difficult to eat! Our G2G team porters started packing up camp and headed towards our next camp named Shira cave camp 4.29 km away with an ascend of m.
Tightening boots, applying sun cream, and adding water purifying drops in our 1.5 litre water bottles and backpack bladder, six drops to be precise, reminded each other that we had to start taking half of an altitude tablet. Up to this point, Mount Kilimanjaro had been shy to show itself to us, but this would change soon...
I should have realized we were in for a tough day as the trail's incline became steeper early on Day 2. Another giveaway of the challenge we faced was August, our guide playing "Hakuna Matata" and "Happy" as we started climbing over boulders. Up and up! Steep but slow. Slow enough not to feel the heartbeat increasing. Slow and controlled was the pace set by our excellent guides. One guide stayed behind, ensuring the camp was packed and all porters carried equal loads. Interestingly, we were told that there were female porters on the route, which was not the case in year's passed, and the males assisted by taking a few kilograms to lighten their load. The porter loads are carefully managed to ensure they do not exceed the specified mass set by the national authorities. A relief for us as physiotherapists when we saw the porters using their backs, necks, and heads to assist them in hauling up the rainproof, 20-kilogram load up the same boulders we were climbing.
Day by day, the landscape changed from the green forest with elephant trunk flowers, ferns, trees, and plants surrounding the primarily single-track path to boulders of rock, steadily upwards to the Moorland. Throughout the day, we sipped on water and still proceeded at a slow leisurely pace. The difference was that the climbing gradient necessitated a gradual pace. As we walked the last stretch of the trail, the wind started picking up, and it became cooler as we approached the camp.
The steepness of the day was evident when looking at the day's stats.
At a 0.8km/h pace, our total time was 5 hours 26 minutes, 4.29 kilometers for the first hike of the day. A second hike was to come.
A light frontal headache made its appearance known, which surprised me. I kept it to myself before sharing, with nausea now added to the symptoms. I was trying to check out what was happening in my body as this was a first, and we were" just" at 3750m above sea level. To place it into perspective, the height we climbed in the first two days, in fact, was higher than any South African mountain peak and the highest altitude I have ever been at before, giving plausible explanations for my symptoms. Retha shared that she also had a headache, and I gave her a neck treatment in the tent hoping that some part of the headache came from her neck. It was as if Chef Marimotto knew with his vast experience just what we needed. We were welcomed with popcorn and tea/coffee or milk, and after that, for lunch, steaming foil-covered treats. Uncovering the foil wrapping of our hot and steaming gifts unveiled white bread with ginger filling. We ate, and the ginger was the remedy for nausea.
After a brief rest, we walked another 1.4 kilometers to the Shira cave and lookout point. The Shira cave camp is named after the Shira cave we visited. Years ago, hikers used the cave to sleep in before hiking to the next camp. With the second hike for the day another 78 meters were added in the right direction, upwards! Before descending back to camp. Climb high and sleep low to combat altitude sickness!
Arriving at camp, we walked a few meters to admire the beautiful views close to the tents but headed back soon after as it was too cold. Before dinner, the G2G Adventure team introduced themselves to us by dancing and singing. A joyous and heartwarming introduction by a group of big-hearted, hard-working men.
The wind was howling, and after dinner and a wash, we piled extra layers to combat the cold that started seeping in and climbed into our tent, turned off the portable light, and tried and get some sleep.
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