Day 3: Shira Camp to Barranco Camp

5.6 miles

13,000 feet 

Another 8:00 am start. The landscape quickly morphed to volcanic desert as we climbed a ridge flanked by deep lava troughs. I could easily imagine the boulders we negotiated spewing from Kilimanjaro’s throat thousands of years ago.  

With each step, Kili’s peak loomed larger while Mt. Meru, haloed by its cloud carpet, receded. When we were on the way to Lava Tower, a behemoth rock formation at 14,000 feet, I distinctly felt like Littlefoot & co. from The Land Before Time: 

“follow the bright circle past the great rock that looks like a longneck and the mountains that burn to the Great Valley.”

Yes? No? Doug had no idea what I was talking about!

To acclimatize, we were scheduled to sleep at a lower elevation.  On the back side of Lava Tower, the decline was void of vegetation except for a few places where rivulets trickled down the mountain side, sprouting small oases of cacti and palms.

We made excellent time to Barranco Camp.  When we arrived it appeared deceptively crowded, but, upon closer inspection, the pitched tents were empty—only the porters had arrived. 

(They always pass the tourists en route which is beyond me given the weight they carry and the terrain they cover.) 

 

I was thrilled because early arrival means: pristine toilets!  To my delight, the Barranco Camp toilet could be propped shut with a heavy rock and had a clean shelf for resting toilet paper.  

True luxury. 

Toilets were a perennial issue for me; less of an issue for Doug. 

The injustice!

We were provided a bar of soap and scalding water in a small plastic basin for a “hot bath” which was more refreshing than we imagined.  Dinner was spaghetti, my favorite.

 

Lexi & Dougie Love from Kilimanjaro.