Day Three - Shira 1 Camp to Moir Hut

Day three had been branded "Lisa's Day" by Jacob.  Most of the walk was flat, and having been the one struggling the most with the steep steps on the last two days he knew day three was going to be my favourite day.....but we'll see!!

After the usual morning routine we posed for the obligatory photo and we were off, again.  Day three saw a change to the terrain as we were out of the forest and in to a much more baron landscape.

We headed out of camp and it wasn't too long before we came across a couple of streams we needed to cross.  These were really challenging for my short legs - so much for it being my favourite day!  Again my little legs made it more difficult for me to tackle the crossing as what was a step to everyone else was a leap for me - across the rocks.  I was trying to take it slow but the porters were slowly catching up with us so there was soon queue building, but as they say "pole, pole".

Most of the walking today was much easier, it was flatter and quite picturesque - getting out of the forrest also meant it wasn't as hot & sticky.  We were now walking directly toward the summit so there were some quite spectacular views.

So far Jacob was right, my favourite day - I even had time for a cheeky plank!

The mood today felt different too, it felt like we have truly settled in to the flow, we knew what to expect, we knew the routine, we knew each other - it just felt easy.  That said, the altitude sickness wasn't getting any better.  Nausea, dizziness, breathlessness....it just kept coming.  Regular checks of my oxygen levels showed I was fine to continue but it was starting to feel uncomfortable and I was starting to panic about how I was going to cope as things were just going to get harder, steeper and higher!

As the day went on Deo starting to all about the "last bit of the climb" in a rather shifty way, he may as well shuffled on the spot and looked a the ground.  What he was trying to say was that the "last bit of the climb" certainly wouldn't be my favourite.....and he wasn't wrong!!  Day Three was certainly NOT Lisa's favourite day!

It was steep and rocky, and went on and on and on and on and up and up and up and up.  Little did I know but we were actually climbing over the third volcanic peak of Kilimanjaro, Shira Plateau.

The team had split up, with Susie, Bob and David walking ahead with Jacob.  I came behind, slowly, stopping for a rest every 10th step.  But somehow I made it to camp.  I really wanted to celebrate surviving another day but all I could do was collapse in the tent and sleep.

Thankfully we had another room with a view, but the view in this direction was not enough - I felt sick, dizzy, tired.  My legs were like jelly - and if I looked in the opposite direction I could see the start of what lie ahead of me on day four and it wasn't pretty!