DAY 6: CLIMB TO KARANGA CAMP

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

After breakfast, one of the biggest challenges for our climbers begins. They’ll climb up and over the Great Barranco Wall. Getting to the top of it will take 1 to 2 hours. After the wall, climbers will cross a barren and rocky plateau with views of Kibo and three glaciers before descending into Karanga Camp. As they cross the plateau on a trail of gravel and sand, climbers will pass streams and giant boulders for 2 to 3 hours. As they walk into camp, they have a good view of tomorrow’s route. They’ll get to camp by lunch. But this short day is planned for resting which helps with acclimatization.

MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS

Starting elevation 12,900 feet | Ascend 14,000 feet to the top of Baranco Wall

Ending elevation 13,300 feet at Karanga Camp

Net elevation gain 400 feet

Distance hiked 3 miles

Average hiking time 4 to 6 hours

DAY FOUR: The Wall, The Big Island, and the Dallas Boys Fight Club (DBFC).

Thursday, January 11, 2024

To our friends, family and sponsors;

As always, the day begins the night before with the news that D4 will be a “late start day”. We’ll be moving out at 9:00am. Yea, Right.

D4 began as D3 ended - like we live in a cloud. Which you actually don’t ever get to do - so that’s kinda cool.

And after yesterday’s DOI (day of infamy), in a stunning display of perseverance nine out of nine answered the bell for D4. Hello. We’re just living in a “no wimps allowed” zone up here.

Dr. John Simon (The Shrek) attended to Jordan’s (wildcat4) blister - our first hiccup to date. A nuisance - manageable - but a nuisance nonetheless that Jordan is handling like a champ.

Breakfast was ginger porridge, scrambled eggs and toast, with a hot drink buffet bar and included the traditional reading of the trip journal. For most of us, breakfast also includes malaria pills, altitude pills and Advil.

Emily (Bluegirl911) rallied the team for a morning prayer thanking God for this wonderful opportunity, our amazing support, continued good attitudes, and a plea for some sunshine- even if only at the summit. We rolled out at 9:15am. Our least late morning yet. Which means it’s the morning MJ has gotten the fewest hives.

For those at home keeping score:

8:00am Breakfast

9:15am Moving out (13,200 ft.)

1:30pm Arrive at camp (13,500 ft.)

2:00pm Lunch at campsite.

~ 4 hours hiking. Elevation gain 300 ft.

The Wall

The Wall is exactly as it sounds… a giant rock face straight up from our camp site. TBH, Kili is really more of a hike (a very long hike) than a climb. But The Wall made it feel, for a day, like a real mountain climb. Free Solo kind of stuff. Sort of. More like “bouldering”, but for a couple of hours today, it was certainly not a hike.

The Big Island

I had never been so happy for “cool and cloudy” in my life. It was like we were sunning on the Big Island. Seriously. To simply climb, dry, while happily chatting it up your neighbor was manna from heaven. Not to mention, having to climb The Wall in the DOI weather would have been, well, not much fun. Unfortunately, it only lasted until 11:30am. For the last two hours we clearly had left the Big Island and the rain returned. Cool and wet - but today without the wind. You know what they say, “you can’t win with the wind.”

Dallas Boys Fight Club (DBFC)

Funny where your mind will take you at 13,000 feet…

Q1. David (david.montague) wondered: Two Dallas boys (from your posse) are going to get in a street fight with two others of your friends. Who wins? Snake draft to determine four pairs. Four team bracket. Semi-finals and finals. Single elimination. A spirited conversation ensued. All participants’ and winning team names have been sworn to secrecy and sealed - think Chick-fil-a recipe. Or The Scroll from Rev 5. I will say Bluegirl911’s team was the unanimous winning pair. But that’s probably already more than I should say. What’s done is done.

Q2. Knowing what you know now, you have to pick one Dallas guy friend to come on the Kili trip. Could any one of them handle it? Could anyone possibly keep up? Who do you pick, and why? Again, see CFA recipe / the scroll comment above.

Q3. Adam wondered: What skills or abilities are most important to you in a spouse (assuming all the foundation non-negotiable are in hand)? A sampling of answers includes: a handy man, a mechanic, a good cook, a good storyteller, a great host, a skier, a great voice, musically inclined, aware of and knowledgeable of world events, cares about society, fun at parties, good at grilling, active/healthy/likes outdoor things, likes kids, willing to try new things. And more… pro tip boys: see “art of manliness” podcast. Chop-chop.

And what are the biggest red flags?

Well it was singular. As in one flag: “A video-gamer.”

[parenthetically, as an unsanctioned aside I’m invoking an author’s privilege. As a father of five daughters, I’ve got a couple more red flags I’d like to insert here: porn and online gambling.]

We arrived damp and cool - but in one piece.

Sadly, the altitude bug has bitten a few of us and did to our spirits what the rain could not - dampen them. But this Dream Team of Travelers served one another with distinction. Not surprising.

Nervously, we’re off to bed as a cool drizzle falls (what else) hoping our good friends recover overnight.

We remain, One Team. One Dream.

-David