Kilimanjaro & Meru - Page 4

Lemosho Glades (2.200 m) – Mkubwa Camp (2.650 m)

We had a full day's rest at the lodge and did absolutely nothing there. Relief about the first summit success and a slight tension because of the coming ascent. We were even too lazy to swim in the beautiful pool. We exchanged with other tourists, mostly Germans, but also Greeks and Americans. Personal impressions and information are usually more meaningful, as they are more emotional than abstract data on the web. The next morning we were double-checked by Richard, then we set off with almost the same team in a good mood by bus via Moshi towards Kilimanjaro.

There were a few more porters, as the Lemosho route is a tent route, i.e. 4 additional tents including equipment had to be taken up the mountain. At Londorosi Gate we entered the national park, papers were checked, then we continued to the starting point, Lemosho Gate. Arrived there, we were given packed lunches again. It felt like there was always something to eat, and we were worried whether we would be able to get up the mountain with stretched bellies. But Richard said, "It's OK, we'll need the energy. The porters were thoroughly checked, their luggage were weighed, later again at each camp. Richard explained to us that this was for their safety, so that they would not be harmed in their health by carrying too much luggage, and so that they have everything for themselves in the cold up there and don't just carry the tourists' stuff. Sometimes they also look for marijuana, he smiled.

After the formalities at the entrance, we entered the forest and immediately went steeply uphill, for hours. Richard also walked at a different pace than on Meru, much slower. He did everything carefully and explained it to us. The porters came running past us shortly afterwards, madness. On the way we saw colobus monkeys again and a few new animals that might keep us awake in camp tonight: Tree hyrax, a kind of tree shiverer, which make a terrible noise from the evening onwards. And so it was to be. When we arrived at Mkubwa Camp (also called Big Tree Camp) in the middle of the forest, our fast group had already pitched the tents and our good cook was already in his element. There was always starter soup and main course, way too much for dinner. There will be nothing left over in the end, Richard soothed our guilty conscience. The cook and porters slept in a large tent and that's also where they cooked and played cards. They didn't freeze, it was quite warm in there just because of the number of people.

Then Richard said he had surprise for us. He pulled two hot water bottles out of the tent. We couldn't stop laughing, he had seen it when checking the equipment in our lodge and bought some. A nice guy, mine only lasted for 2 days, then it was broken, probably squashed in the tight sleeping bag. I don't know how long we hadn't camped for, it was quite an adjustment on the first evening. The toilet huts were even more disgusting than on Meru, for washing we had a small bowl of warm water. There was the option of having our own chemical toilet tents, but that was out of the question for us. We felt stupid that others had to carry our luggage up, so we didn't have to feel any more guilty. It was cramped in our 2-man tent, and it quickly got chilly after sunset. We had a food tent, so we held on to our warm tea for as long as possible. At dinner, Richard got us in the mood for the next stages and measured our blood oxygen levels. Just for comparison for higher altitudes.

At night, the Tree hyrax made its loud appearance: between screaming and giggling, the range of its noises was wide. I was not yet used to drinking the necessary 3 litres a day, so I often had to go out at night. Actually annoying, but when I saw the night sky between the treetops, I was impressed by the number and clarity of the stars. It was beautiful. But still: we had become too effeminate, so the first night was not so restful. But that was to be expected and did not affect us at all 🙂.