Shira Two Camp (3850M) – Barranco Wall Camp(3900M)
Today was going to be a gruelling day, a 4-hour 30-minute walk up to Lava Tower, 6 kilometres, and a climb of 730 metres to around 4600 meters. This was followed by a decent to Barranco Wall Camp, a 2-hour 30-minute walk with a descent of six hundred metres.
We started dressed-up in jackets and warm clothing and protected from the sun. Quite a few stops were taken on the walk to allow us to recuperate from the altitude. It was hard going, but I managed to keep up with everyone else. Lava Tower has a campsite; it provides the staging post for an ascent of Kilimanjaro up the Barranco Wall. We stopped here for lunch, the kitchen and loo tents have been erected here. Again, I was not hungry, and only ate a small amount of food. [Ed note – loss of appetite for Steve is unheard of.]
Afterwards we walked down to Baranco Camp, losing all the height we had gained. This walk was relatively easy, except that I tripped a couple of times so had my day sack removed and was given a couple of sticks to help me down. How embarrassing is that?
Back at the campsite we had supper, again not hungry. I tried to reduce my bread intake as much as possible, thinking I may have an issue with gluten. I was also presented with some oat energy bars to eat on the walks by the Lithuania lady, Inga. She had masses of bars and was doling them out to whoever needed them. Rather too late, I started taking to Diamox in the hope this would help me.
A little lie-in today, coffee in bed at 6.30. Today’s walk to Shira Camp 2 is short. We started off at 8.00 am and soon saw some Jackal footprints.
Today’s walk started off through short scrubland. The Shira 2 Camp site was soon visible on an exposed ridge above us. It was likely to be cold. We arrived for lunch, which we ate in the mess tent. The temperature in the tent ranged from cold, to boiling hot, depending on the state of the sun.
Today three of us crowded into the Chef’s tent to see how food was prepared, and to help prepare the popcorn for tea. The kitchen was a small blue ridge tent. It was quite a tight squeeze to fit us, the cook and helper, into the tent. Cooking was done on a couple of large gas cylinders with an integral ring. These were used for all the cooking and heating hot water for washing in the mornings and evenings. I could see only two large light weight cooking pots which were used for stews, roasting chicken, making omelettes, pancakes and of course the popcorn which we had a helping hand in producing. There were no tables, and food preparation was done sitting down on the ground with the same plastic chopping boards I use at home. How they produced these meals for us and fed all the porters and guides was quite unbelievable. Food supplies were getting short, and there was going to be a restock of food and gas the next day, all brought up to the Baranco camp.
After the demonstration cook, we had tea at 3.30, and then a short walk-up tomorrow’s path to take us above 4,000 Meters to help us acclimatise to the altitude. This walk was quite hard work, and I was beginning to get out of breath. Back down again, and then supper. It was at this stage I noticed my appetite for food had gone. I noticed I was still eating after everyone else had finished.
No rain today, I was sleeping well during the night. I was not cold, no headaches, just a total loss of appetite.
We are woken at the start of the day with a cup of coffee or tea. Today it was at 6.00am, still dark. We have 30 minutes to drink coffee, get dressed, pack our bags, and then leave them outside on a canvas mat. Once the luggage is there the porters can dismantle and pack the tents away and start the transport of the tents and bags to the new site. An individual porter is responsible for your bag and tent. You are always housed in the same tent for the whole of the trek. Each tent is labelled with a number, as is the luggage. My tent was number 5, and when you arrive at a new campsite, you look for the tent, number 5, and there it is with your bag already in it.
Today there were some monkeys in the trees, blue monkeys. Managed to grab a few pictures, two of which are reasonable. Breakfast in the mess tent was a runny porridge, frankfurter, omelette, and papaya. Tea or coffee. Started on coffee, but transferred to tea, not liking instant coffee.
Our walk today was to Shira One Camp. This was an up and down walk, starting in the rainforest, then into the heather and finally open space. It was a lovely walk, plenty of trees and flowers to see, then as the trees disappeared, we were greeted with views back to the lowlands around the base of the mountain.
On the walk we passed the first of several helipads built by Roman Abramovich in his 2009 attempt to climb Kilimanjaro. He failed to summit and gave up the fight at 4,500M, and was helicoptered out. We had a couple of snack breaks on the way to Shira One. We reached the campsite for lunch of chicken and French fries.
After lunch it poured with rain, and my tent sprang several leaks. The tent porters soon corrected them, so I had a dry, snug tent. At every camp stop, there are two containers of water, one drinking and the other warm for washing. Filled a bowl of warm water and had a quick wash in my tent. Should have brought a towel to dry. My tee shirt is absolutely covered with salt stains from the two days of walking and sweating. Should have brought a few more clothes on the hike. No problem I change into one set of cloths for socialising in the evening and the smelly, sweaty cloths for walking. It will be getting cooler now, so there will be something on over the tee shirt.
Water is gathered at each stop. Sometimes the water team must walk long distances to find the clean stream, other times the water is close nearby,
In the pictures you can see our tents, and the two loo tents, one for the women, and the other for the men. The campsites do have their own permanent toilets, these are very smelly and dirty, they are the squat type of toilets. The portable toilets in their tents were nice to have and were kept clean.
As evening approached, the rain stopped, and I was able to grab some snaps of the campsite and a nearby stream. This evening we were entertained by quiet singing from the porter team. This was quiet, because singing in the park had been banned, with some guides losing their license to lead groups. COVID was used as an excuse to ban singing.
Supper tonight was rice and vegetables. It was much cooler tonight, so when I went to bed, I still wore most of my clothes. Still lovely and warm in my sleeping bag.
Today, Friday 11th February, was the start of the trek. Up and ready by 7.00 am for breakfast of mixed grill and fruit. Afterwards I repacked, splitting my luggage into three, the trekking luggage to be carried by the porters, luggage to leave behind and my day sack. I had yet to see the sleeping bag I had ordered; I was assured it would be there in the tent at the first campsite. Others had also ordered a sleeping bag, even those who had their own bag, saves luggage space.
The group was split into two Land Cruisers, and we headed off out to the start of the epic trek at the Lemosho Gate. The highway was on an exceptionally good tarmac road. (Chinese built for mineral rights?) The traffic was terribly slow, and then there were flashing lights as government limos sped past. Apparently, the prime minister was out and about. Instead of continuing along the tarmac road we set off cutting the corner of the triangle on dirt roads. This took us through a township and alongside many cultivated fields. The townships, and shops looked remarkably like my memory of Kenya 60 years before. Cultivation was in full swing, mainly manual with jembes, and women sowing the seeds. I did see one tractor. (The land behind our hotel had been ploughed mechanically.) This work was all in preparation for the short rains which were due to start in the next week or so. We spotted Zebra on some of the grassland areas.
We eventually re-contacted the metalled road and continued at a fast pace to the Lemosho Gate. There (2100 meters) we had a picture opportunity under the sign. We collected our lunch and filled our water bottles with clean water. Our porters were having their luggage weighed by the park authorities to ensure they were not overloaded and exploited. There were eight of us clients, and thirty-four supporting us. The thirty-four included the tour leader, Jimmy, our guides, cook, toilet operatives, water fetchers, the manager, and the porters. Three porters per client.
We started our walk through the rainforest. There were Colobus monkeys, who remained very hidden, and plenty of birds. I carried my large lens, but no obliging critters posed long enough to be photographed. Part way up the walk we stopped for lunch (fried chicken) so arrived at the camp at around 2.30. The path up was very well made and not steep, it was all through the rainforest. The walk was warm, I wore shorts and a tee shirt. At the campsite, after dusk, it soon became cool, so I wore fleece and long trousers.
At the camp site the sound of thunder boomed around, and the clouds grew larger. This was to be repeated every day. From morning to midday there were no or few clouds. As the day progressed the clouds took over the sky, and thunder then became pretty well continuous. We were lucky to get extraordinarily little rain.
We had an excellent meal of pumpkin soup, spaghetti and meat. We were all seated in a large mess tent with a table and chairs, all brought up by the porters. Several Ravens provided a photo opportunity, they are scavengers on the lookout for a free meal. The night was warm in my rented four-season sleeping bag. The Colobus monkeys provided a noisy soundscape to the forest throughout the night. Some obliging monkeys showed themselves in the morning.
Our Route to the Lemosho Gate and the walk to the first camp at Mti Mkubwa Campcam
Drive from Weru Weru River Lodge to Lemosho gate, and then walk up to Mti Mkubwa Camp
The earlier trip to Morocco had been a practice run for the climb up Kilimanjaro. So, I felt confident I would succeed in climbing Kili. I booked the trip quite late to Kili, the last booking I believe. The Omicron variant initially stopped me from bookin. I thought Tanzania would be added to the red list to join South Africa and several other African nations. It soon became apparent this wasn’t happening, and the red list soon lost its African countries. I booked the trip in January, getting a 20% discount from Explore. Unseen benefit!
I few weeks before travelling, I bought insurance for it, which had to include cover for over 6,000 meters. I also completed my Tanzania visa application online. The visa was granted withing 36 hours.
Despite the wind down of the pandemic, there were rules still to be obeyed for entry into Tanzania. A couple of days before travelling a PCR test was taken and delivered to the pickup point just off the M40. I waited with my fingers crossed for the result to be texted to me the next day. Yes. Negative, so I could travel.
The next day (9th February), I had to complete a Tanzania passenger locator form, and pay $10 for an LFT for when I arrived in the country. Not sure what happens when you fail this test. I assume, holiday over and into state isolation. I decided to travel to Heathrow by train and the Piccadilly line, no way was I going to pay the rip off Heathrow express fares. The alternative, the Oxford Airline bus service, is still not back to its pre-Covid timetable.
Arrived at Heathrow unstressed, checking in quickly, presenting my paperwork, (visa, vaccination status, PCR test and booked LFT). Soon I was in the departure lounge. Many of the bars and restaurants are still not open in Terminal 2. Even the bar I had a pint in closed shortly after I entered.
Soon I was boarding the flight to Addis Ababa, and despite not purchasing My Sheeba Space, I had an empty seat next to me. Ethiopian Airlines was very insistent that I should bid to upgrade to business class, or failing that, I should purchase empty seats next to me, the so-called Sheeba Space. The food on the flight was good. Two meals on the flight to Addis, and they also did not stint on the wine. Another meal and wine on the short flight to Kili. Some European, American, and British airlines have something to learn about when it comes to service.
In Addis I transferred to the flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. This was a fullish flight although there was a spare seat next to me again. I could not believe so many were flying to Kili, only realising later that the flight was destined to Zanzibar, and only twenty people disembarked at Kili. Small airport where I was temperature checked and had my LFT test. (Very gentle tester.) Seems they were testing only the British. Americans did not get tested, and I heard one American demanding her $10 back. I had slept during some of this flight but luckily awoke as we were flying over Lake Naivasha, Kenya. A town I once lived in. Homes and cultivation now surround the whole of the lake.
There was one other Kili client on my flight. We were both picked up and driven to Weru Weru River Lodge around 60 minutes away. All the other clients had arrived on earlier flights through Nairobi. Some had been booked on to my flight but Explore had cancelled their flights and put them on the Nairobi route. This was because of the escalating war in Ethiopia. I think because I was a late booker, the security issues had diminished, and the Ethiopian Airlines option was back on.
We arrived at the lodge, showered, and then met the others for the briefing. The lodge has large well-appointed rooms. There was a swimming pool and bar. Even managed to get a Negroni for a relaxing evening drink. Oh and of course WiFi.
Supper was terribly slow to be served. Despite the number of chefs, it appeared ages to prepare. I ate an Avocado salad, followed by Nile Pike.
Visited Waddesdon to see the Snowdrops. Many had been planted. There were some near to the aviary, and others on Baron’s walk. The Snow drops were not that impressive, the Baron’s walk the better ones. It is sometime since we visited, the temporary path from the car park has now been made permanent. A small ticket checking office was being erected on this route. This is replacing the small cabins which have been used in the past.
We visited Portmeirion, taking our longest trip to date in the Polestar. En route we stopped at Oswestry to recharge and have a snack. Though we could have made the whole trip to Portmeirion, we would have been empty on arrival. Rapid charging in North Wales seems to be virtually non-existent. The drive was excellent, and we arrived in dry weather. Our four nights and days were fabulous. The weather was mainly dry with bright sunshine, though we did have the odd shower. The bright sun, and recent rain showers made for some dramatic photographs.
As is usual we stayed in a village room (we have yet to stay in the same room twice) and ate breakfast and dinner in the main hotel. Due to Covid restrictions, or was it the time of year, many of the small cafes in the village were closed and we were stuck for lunches.
The dinners in the hotel were excellent, I have pictures of most of our meals. Rosemary missed me eating my last dessert, which must have been frozen with liquid nitrogen. Apparently, I looked like a fire breathing dragon, with jets of water vapour blowing out of my nose.
We did our usual walks around the grounds. One thought confused us, the tour of the tree specimens. We had our guide to the trees but could not make the trees coincide with the guide. Turned out the specimen walk had been changed, and there was a new guide.
I was invited, with guest (so thought I should take Rosemary), to the Gonville and Caius Commemoration of Benefactors. This took place on Sunday 14th November. Because of the likelihood of flowing wine we decided to stay the night. Our first choice of the Camping and Caravan club was stymied cos they were closed. We also thought of the Caravan and Camping club which was open, but the location was not good for public transport.
So we opted for an hotel, choosing Graduate Cambridge because of its free parking and the easy walk into Caius. It used to be the Double Tree by Hilton. On the site of the Double Tree, there used to be the Garden House Hotel which was destroyed by a fire on 23 April 1972 in which two guests died and before that it was The Garden House where a riot took place in 1970. Protesters against the Greek Junta, the “Colonels’ regime”, gathered outside the hotels for several days, culminating with a crowd of several hundred – mostly Cambridge University students organised by socialist groups – demonstrating against a Greek dinner for 120 guests being held in the River Suite at the Hotel from 7:30 pm on 13 February.
The company behind the Graduate operates hotels in university cities, mainly in America. The Graduate Cambridge and the Randolph in Oxford are the only two hotels they operate in the UK. The Cambridge hotel has been completely revamped, with excellent WIFI speeds far excelling mine at home. The reception area is themed with bookcases, books & college crests. The hotel has one downside – long meandering corridors which go on and on forever.
We arrived in the afternoon, got dressed in our glad rags and walked over to Gonville and Caius for four o’clock. The events of the celebration were:
4.00 pm Tea in the Fellows’ Combination Rooms
4.45 pm Lecture from Dr Arif Ahmed in the Bateman Auditorium
6.00 pm Commemoration of Benefactors Service in the Chapel
7.00 pm Reception in the Fellows’ Combination Rooms
7.30 pm Commemoration Feast in Hall
We had a lovely time starting with tea, and an excellent, thought provoking lecture on “Freedom & Free Speech”, mainly in universities. The Caius Choir performed well. The historic (1631) sermon, “Death’s Duel” by John Donne, seemed a tad sombre & bizarre, but fascinating at the same time. The reception flowed with drink and noise in the Senior Combination rooms, where the Feast provided excellent, beautifully presented food (from the newly refurbished kitchens) matched with equally splendid wines.
We ate breakfast at the hotel the next morning, after a quick walk around town, but were rather underwhelmed with the experience. Rosemary’s egg benedict had a hard yolk, soggy toast was served & luke-warm coffee! (No idea why we didn’t say anything.) You can get a better full English at any Joe’s Café.
The annual Kingswood firework party was held on the 6th November 2021. It was well attended. Usual brilliant display of fireworks (thank you, Ian) and a large bonfire.
On the 31st of October a strong wind blew through Aylesbury Vale. It was an exceptionally strong one which drew my immediate attention to the outside world. The poplar trees in the garden were being whipped around by the gusts. Luckily they did not succumb to the wind, but they did blow around, losing leaves and a few small dead branches. We lost a few larger branches from our willow trees. The large willows near the field pond were flattened even more. They were already going over, being supported by their neighbours and the hedge. Outside our home the A41 was covered by the last of the autumnal leaves.
I walked out to investigate the road block down the road, but soon stopped. There was this weird hissing sound, and then the smell of gas. A tree in Kingswood had lost a branch and broken a link pipe between two bulk Calor gas cylinders supplying the local eatery. The sound of the escaping gas could be heard throughout the village.
We were worried the gas could ignite and cause a serious problem, so called 999 to asked for the fire brigade. But it took so long that we hung up and tried again. Finally, we were put through to the fire brigade which answered immediately. They said they would come out. In the meantime a neighbour had sorted out the gas and was able to turn off the taps. Called the fire brigade again. They were already en route but said they would still come so they could check as a precautionary measure. They took some time to arrive from Aylesbury, because they had to negotiate several blockages on the A41 due to fallen trees.
