23. Shira Camp II to Barranco Camp – August 11

Jo’s alarm sounded too early. It was dark outside and way too cold to think of getting up. I let Jo start packing her gear while I stayed in my sleeping bag a little longer. But the day’s adventure was ahead, and I needed to get moving. So, I emerged from my sleeping bag and began the daily task of dressing, stuffing my sleeping bag into it’s sack, and putting on my shoes to begin the day. Outside the zipper entry to our tent, I found my water bottle that I left just at the entrance and discovered it had partially frozen during the night. Then, a crew member showed up with two bowls of hot water to use to freshen up. Sometimes the daily bowls of hot water would show up in the evening but at least once a day we had water to cleanse our bodies. I never figured out how to really use it well as I couldn’t bring the bowl inside the tent and I didn’t want to stand bare footed in the dirt outside the tent, so I would use a cloth and try and wipe the dust, dirt, and sweat from my body as best I could. Once ready, I headed to the breakfast tent to join the group for our first meal of the day. It was usually the same menu of hot oatmeal, fruit, pancakes, eggs, and a meat for protein. The spreadable oil or margarine, Nutella and jam that were always on the breakfast table were so cold I could barely scrape a little onto a table knife. I liked to add a little of the margarine to my hot oatmeal to add flavor and a few calories as well. The Nutella and jam were a nice addition to the pancakes. I would take my water bottle to the table, fill it with warm water and add some electrolyte powder. Next, I would try and find some water to brush my teeth. Since by this time, camp would be packed up, I would often use the electrolyte drink in my water bottle to wet my toothbrush and rinse my mouth. Then I had to fill the Osprey water container that I carried in my daypack in addition to the water bottle. I was always the last one ready to begin the hike, but the others were patient with me and never complained.

Our route for this day would start at Shira Camp II, travel back through the Temple of Cairns, lunch at Lava Tower and reach the Barranco Camp to spend the night. Our starting elevation was about 12,600 ft. with Lava Tower at about 15,200 ft. and Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft. We would be hiking about 9 miles, so it was a big day ahead. When we got to the area of the cairn towers, we decided to build our own monument. Since I was the oldest group member, I was to place the foundation rock and the others added their rocks in chronological order. Once we finished making our cairn, we took a picture capturing the moment. It was a brief moment as it toppled before we moved on with the hike. The higher we got the terrain changed from the moorland to alpine desert. It became more difficult to find cover for the trail breaks the Diamox demanded. The plant vegetation all but disappeared and it became very barren and desolate. It was a bright day, so the sun shined down on us but due to the elevation, it remained cool enough to leave our long sleeves and pullovers on. Most of the trail was a gradual climb and we moved at a snail’s pace. As we got closer to our lunch destination at Lava Tower, I noticed that Laura was lagging, looked very pale, and stopped to get some medication from her daypack. She had a headache and felt nauseated. Since we were nearing 15,000 ft. elevation she was undoubtedly experiencing altitude sickness. When we got to Lava Tower Camp our porters greeted us with the same happy welcome singing, took our daypacks from us and took pictures of us at the Lava Tower gate post. They had a hot meal waiting for us in the mess tent where we dined and rested before continuing on our way. Others in the group weren’t feeling so well either so the food and rest were very welcome to refresh us before continuing to our camp for the night.

From Lava Tower the trail descended down an open area where the trail was mainly the volcanic gravel scree making it easy to slide and fall. The rugged cliffs to the left of the trail were majestic and glowed in the afternoon light. As we got close to Baranco Camp, we came upon an oasis with a stream flowing down the mountain. The water cascaded over rocks and made waterfalls. It fed beautiful desert plants turning the barren land into a beautiful, lush area. I stopped to take pictures but January, our lead guide, took my phone, put it in his pocket and said we needed to hurry, or we would be hiking in the dark. We arrived in camp just at dusk and the light on the mountain towering above us and peeking out from the clouds was a stunning sight. The evening ritual of unpacking, dining, gazing at the beautiful stars, and snuggling down in my sleeping bag for the night was a little easier now that I was getting used to it. It had been a long, hard, tiring day full of beauty and splendor and sleep came a little easier this night.