Climbing Kili Day 4

We left Barranco Camp with several other tour groups and headed down into a valley and then climbed up a steep wall on the other side. We were climbing over large boulders and at times there was a steep drop down from the path. It was challenging for those who are scared of heights. When we finally reached the top of the steep section I was happy to break for lunch. We had reached Karanga Camp and it was cold. Some people were staying at this camp overnight so they would have an extra day of acclimatization. Sachin and I were both feeling good and although the climb had been steep we had only been hiking for a few hours. We both agreed that it seemed unnecessary to stop at this point, so early in the day. Neither of us were tired. Two of the porters had fallen after slipped on some sharp boulders. We had an ACE bandage which I used to wrap one knee and then the next day used on another porter who had injured his knee as well. I gave out my ibuprofen to the porters to help them with the pain. Both of them continued working.

After lunch we descended into another valley that was very brown and dry (Karanga Valley). As you descended you could see the steep trail on the other side that you would have to climb later. One of the porters suffered from a “stitch” (abdominal muscle cramp) and was moving very slowly. He was lagging behind the other porters. The weather was getting quite cold and it didn’t seem safe to leave him by himself. Eventually we ended up taking some of his bags to try to help him reach the next camp. Sachin traded backpacks with him and our guide Pascal carried his other bag. Eventually we reached Barafu Camp late in the day. It was getting dark.

Barafu Camp was a cold place perched on the side of the mountain situated in a pile of broken shards of hard stone. All the paths were very steep and everything was covered with large sharp rocks that seemed to have been recently cut or burst apart. There was very little flat ground for tents. Even a trip to the outhouse was a substantial climb that left one exhausted. Just moving around the camp one risked a twisted ankle. The air was thin and the wind was extreme. Anything put outside had to be weighted down with a rock. It was not a very comfortable place. We rested for a little bit and then had dinner. After dinner we went to sleep in our tent, but I slept very poorly. The lack of oxygen made sleeping uncomfortable and I knew we would be waking up at 11:30 that night to start our final ascent.