Journal: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro - Day 3
There is icy frost on the ground this morning and it is bitterly cold. I feel tired and it takes a fair amount of willpower to leave the snug, warm confines of my sleeping bag to pull on freezing clothes. After a quick wash in a basin of lukewarm water, I pack gear away in my rucksack, pull a woolen beanie over my head and make my way to the mess tent for breakfast. My legs feel a little stiff and my breath makes plumes of cold mist as I walk. After breakfast – more welcome warm porridge, fried eggs and energizing thick rashers of bacon - we fill our canteens with boiled drinking water and set off at 9.00am.
I know that today is going to be a tough day, the hardest we have had so far. A member of our group, one of the Germans, is sick this morning and slowing us down. It is a fairly brisk walk, not the relentless and grueling ascent of yesterday, but at this altitude the air is getting thinner and it takes more energy and physical effort to keep going. Our pace has slowed right down, with frequent stops to rest, eat or drink. As we climb, the terrain becomes very dry; rocks and dust govern the landscape. Far below us a thick layer of cloud covers the landscape, a heavy white mantle, pierced only by Mount Meru. Above us the summit is covered in varying degrees of cloud and mist, swirling around the snow-covered shoulders of the mountain. Where we are, it is surprisingly hot. Later it clouds over and suddenly becomes cooler. I feel droplets of rain on my face, but then realize that it’s snowflakes!
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