Mount Kilimanjaro climb: day 3

Wednesday, March 26 - Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

The third day of the climb consisted of another five hour hike, getting us from alpine moorland at 3720 m to alpine desert at 4703 m. We woke up to the usual tea, to a wet day and to my repetitive sneezes - no cats here, so I was either allergic to the down in the sleeping bags, or to the dust in the huts. Sorry everybody!

The porters preceded us on the route:
(thanks Jenni for the pic)

Mount Kilimanjaro has three craters: Shira, flat Kibo which is our destination, where Uhuru Peak sits (and Gilman's at the crater rim), and 'craggy' Mawenzi at 5149m which is a technical climb. From Horombo Hut we could see Mount Mawenzi much higher than us:
(thanks Jenni for the pic)

The hike on the Upper Route took us on a steep first few hours of climb.
(thanks Georgie for the pic)

Then we reached 4000 m altitude at Zebra Rocks:

(thanks Kendra for the pic)

We were at the height of clouds, which would pass right into us, such as this one on Mick and Melissa:
(thanks Georgie for the pic)

Too bad cloud material is not as fluffy and soft as it looks, but rather, cold and wet!

The vegetation became more sparse as we climbed higher up. At the Saddle Plains, wind and rain welcomed us coldly. We hid behind a rock wall to have a fast lunch under the rain then continued to walk under the rain. Of course, this was the day where I packed my poncho in the big bag so had no access to it. Not so smart!



The Saddle Plains sit between Kibo and Mawenzi - Mawenzi was playing peak-a-boo with the clouds while we were rained on:



We finally arrived at Kibo Hut at 4703 m. By now, there were no plants left, not even tundra, at this altitude. This was alpine desert, the second-to-last climate on this climb - the last climate being, of course, the ice cap at the crater rim.

Indicating the route to come, once arrived at Kibo Hut:


Dinner at Kibo Hut was a cold affair - warm food and soup, that is, but we were freezing - we had to eat with our hats and mitts on!
(thanks Georgie for the pic)

To my additional sneezing bouts and a dry cough in the common dorm where we gathered after dinner, Tafaeli the chief guide gave me a concerned look and an 'Eh?', perhaps worried about pulmonary oedema, a sign of severe altitude sickness. I told him that it was allergies and would watch for it, but the fact that he was concerned definitely reassured me and reinforced the importance of having a good guide. We very much trusted him with our lives, after all.