Stage 3

Monday 21st June:
Acclimatising at Zebra Rock

We had been promised an easy day today. In fact if we chose to, we could even take the day off and rest in our hut. Those who chose to take part in the days organised walking were to be take to Zebra Rock - about an hours walk from the huts. The idea was to become a little more acclimatised to the altitude by walking up some distance, resting for a while, and then walking back to our present position to sleep. Apparently, walking to altitude and sleeping at a lower level is the most effective way to acclimatise to altitude. Most of the party decided to make the trip, after all what the hell else was there to do?

The walk was fantastic. No pressure, nice steady pace with the usual great conversation and gelling going on. The initial part of the walk was the steepest climb I could recall doing so far. However we soon levelled out to the usual up a lot, down a bit, then up a lot again routine until we reached Zebra Rock. One look at the picture will give you a clue as to why the rock was named zebra rock. It was a rock with markings on it that resembled the markings of a zebra. Clever, eh? I know. It blew me away with the irony of it!

Once there some of us decide to climb the rock. It turned out to be a very worthwhile exercise. The view was spectacular. From our vantage point on top of Zebra Rock not only did we have a perfect view of our major goal but we got our first sight of 'the saddle'.

The saddle was the name given to the main pathway between Horambo Huts, where we were staying at present, and Kibo Huts, our destination tomorrow. The view was amazing yet, to me at least, somewhat daunting. You could see for miles. It looked for the entire world like a thousand square miles of cat litter with a path running through it and a rock in the middle.

We all stayed there and milked in the view for while. Confidence in the group seemed to be running high, or were we all cleverly disguising our fears?

After a good rest we set off back to the huts. The walk had been great but I for one was ready for some lunch. I didn't have to wait long and when it came we were all in for a wonderfully pleasant surprise. Somehow, 3270 metres above sea level and more than half way up the highest mountain in Africa, our guides/cooks had managed to make chicken and chips, with REAL FAT CHIPS. Was there no end to the talents of these people? It seemed not!

The rest of the day was spent walking around our camp, experiencing the most breath-taking views and sharing some wonderful conversations with fantastic people.

One thing I discovered was the 'view from the bog' [toilet]. For some reason, a toilet had been built away from the camp and right on the edge of the part of the mountain we were on. For the first time in my life I sat in a toilet with the door open, not because I was in the house on my own but because the view was outstanding. Taking a dump in a bog on the edge of a mountain was a little like going on an aeroplane. Why do you need curtains, after all who the hell is going to look in?

The last thing we did was prepare all of the cold weather gear we had brought along. I don't think I was alone in wondering if I had brought enough with me. I was very disappointed to discover that I hadn't brought along the cover for my water bottle that was on it when I bought it. I did, however, bring along my trusty 'Swiss Army Wife'! Sara has an answer for everything and a strategically placed spare sock would serve the purpose well.

All that remained was for us to go off to bed and to sleep. After all, tomorrow was going to be a long day.