Day 5: Climb to Baranco Camp

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

Today, the trail runs through a black lava desert past millions of boulders. From the Shira Plateau, the group will go up a ridge, past the trail to the peak of Kibo, to Lava Tower (known by locals as Shark’s Tooth). During their lunch break, they can take in the snowline above the Lava Tower. After lunch, they’ll descend to the Barranco Camp at an altitude of 13,000 feet. The black lava desert fades into heather and moorland. From Barranco Camp, they’ll see the Barranco Wall, the Western Breach of Kibo, and the South Glacier. This is where their hike ends – and they rest and have dinner. Because their bodies are exposed to such a high elevation at lunch, this is one of the most important days for acclimatization and will prepare our climbers’ bodies for summit day.

MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS

Starting elevation 12,500 feet

Ending elevation 12,900 feet

Elevation gain 400 feet

Distance hiked 6 miles

Average hiking time 7 to 9 hours

JOURNAL ENTRY BY ROB MACKEY

Today is to be an acclimatization day. Morning is slightly overcast as we eat breakfast together as a group. The game plan is to hike up to lava rock, which is at 15,000 feet elevation. There we will spend an hour eating lunch and relaxing before we head back down to Baranco Camp. At least that was the plan. 

When we asked Drew about the expected weather for the day we were told it would be cloudy at first with sun breaking through later on that day. That was followed by “ I cannot guarantee”.  After another hearty breakfast we went outside to prepare for our trek. By that time it turned cold with slight mist coming down. Change of plans! We all scrambled to our daypacks to add layers as well as waterproof jackets and gloves. After a brief prayer we began what would be an 8 mile hike. 

The plan was to track up almost 3000 feet for lunch at Lava Rock. We began our never ending climb with the occasional break for water and snacks. Several times we were looking to go “just over that ridgeline” to see our lunch site only to find another ridgeline behind it.  Eventually we arrived at Lava Rock where our porters had set up our mess tent for lunch. At just over 15,000 feet we sat down to eat a wonderful meal of soup, fajitas and fruit. Afterwards many of us chose to add an extra excursion which consisted of climbing to the top of Lava Rock which stood 300 feet overlooking our lunch site. With the help of Gabriel, Samea, Dennis, and Nazareth we were able to enjoy the incredible views of the mountain and valleys we had previously traversed. 

After safely climbing down, we gathered our packs and headed towards our campsite. This was a very interesting hike for us as it was the first time we had spent any length of time in a descent. We followed a shallow Creek bed that carries the snow melt down the side of the mountain. During this part of our day we observed flora and fauna that we had not yet experienced on Kilimanjaro. We arrived just before sunset at about 6 PM, just in time to wash up and sit down as a group for dinner. Once again we were treated to a delicious meal German style consisting of leek soup, potatoes, pork schnitzel and apple pancakes. 

So far this proved to be our longest day on the trail. We look forward to a good nights rest and the adventure that awaits us tomorrow as we climb Baranco wall!