Well we were woken up rather abruptly this morning by what sounded like bullfrogs the size of large dogs outside of our tents! Come to find out they are actually the calls of the Calibus monkey!!! It was pretty ridiculous! At least it didn’t go on for very long!!
Amiri made his rounds delivering hot water for washing and that also served as our wake up. Once I was packed up I headed into the dining tent for breakfast. Every morning at breakfast and every night at dinner Tom checks our pulse rate and our Oxygen levels. That’s one of the benefits to having an American Guide, all guides are concerned with the health of their porters and clients but they don’t all check your pulse and everything twice a day. Tom does. It’s a comfort knowing that our health is a priority! The Porters work directly with our local guides and we found out that if a porter dies on the mountain the guide gets slapped with a huge fine and also jail time. These guys work so hard and carry so much stuff it’s crazy. Jonny takes good care of his guys, which is also a huge comfort!!!
Today was a long 6 hr hike with a lot of steep ups! No matter how slow you walk, uphills will still leave you out of breath! Today we hiked out of the forest, through the heather, and we are now in the moorlands of the Shira Plateau… It was pretty cool seeing the different changes in the terrain. Right before camp we came to a huge cairn field. In the states cairns usually point you the right direction but over here they are meant to wish the travelers good luck and a safe journey! It’s pretty cool to see.
We ended the day at Shira 1 camp. Roughly 11,499ft of elevation. It’s pretty awesome to be able to look up and see Kili… Right now it’s still a little daunting to look up and see just how far we have to go… But we still have a few days and I’m hoping it’s gets a little less daunting!
Once we were all set up we settled into last card! We also had some visitors… Jon and Katy, another couple on their honeymoon. We first met these guys at the Londorossi gate. They are from New York as well… They both hung out for a little while and played cards. It’s always fun to meet new people!
After cards it was dinner and bed! Tomorrow is another long day!
Cinderella Adventures 