Having survived my first camping experience we were woken at 6am by Laurent. Laurent woke us up every morning with a cup of tea - what a luxury! Each morning had the same routine:
6.00 - Wake up call and tea
6.30 - Washing water delivered
7.00 - Breakfast
7.30 - Leave Camp
After breakfast we ran through the usual kit check, were given our water for the day and of course posed for the daily photo. Each morning the porters would walk to a nearby stream with buckets to collect the water. It was then brought back to camp (usually on the porters head) and purified before being distributed among the porters and climbers.
Day two was much like day one, thick forest. The trees did thin out the further we walked. This was the hardest day for me. The Altitude sickness had kicked in and I was struggling. The terrain again wasn't designed for little legs and I was getting breathless with each massive step. I had now started taking altitude sickness tablets and my wonderful walking poles became a permanent attachment to my arms.
I thought my walking poles would end up in the bush, Ive never really got on with them, they just get in the way. But actually I could not have done this climb without them. I may as well have slept with them attached to me. It was quite hard to pack them away when we had returned to the hotel as they had become such a comfort blanket.
As the day went on the trees started to fade away to make way for slightly more rocky terrain. You could definitely feel that environment was getting dryer the higher the altitude. No wildlife, fewer flowers, smaller, dryer trees - weirdly though this was great as you knew you were making progress. And the higher up we went the more spectacular the views!
The mood on the mountain felt different too. Day one was very exciting. All the climbers were buzzing with excitement and a bit of fear, but there was definitely a positive feeling. We had bumped in to a few climbers along the way that had been on our flight so it was nice to see a few familiar faces along with way. Day two felt a little calmer. I think reality had set in. The excitement had passed and had been replaced with focus......let's just get this done.
Although we were all climbing with different trekking companies it didn't seem to matter on the mountain. Everyone helped everyone - when you passed another group they were full of encouragement, comparing experiences and giving you a little supportive push along the way.
There were plenty of breaks, we certainly weren't in a rush. The daily schedules had been planned to perfection to allow a slow pace and plenty of breaks. Yet we still managed to reach the camp on time. The breaks were very welcome. Drink some water, eat some food, toilet stop, photo opportunities - all an essential part of each day.
It was arriving at the Shira 1 Camp that we got our first glimpse of the summit. Although I wasn't looking forward to another night in the tent, it was fair to say we had a room with a view! It somehow made it all even more real - Lovely view but looking at it made me feel little sick!! It was still three days away, the summit climb, and yet the top felt so close.
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