Kilimanjaro, Day 5

February 2, 2014

Kilimanjaro, Day 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp



It's kind of incredible watching camp break down every morning.  As we hikers eat breakfast, pack our bags, and organize ourselves for the day, our porters swing into action, silently and efficiently gathering up our mess tent, sleeping bags, and other supplies into large, straw baskets and bags fashioned out of tarp, all to be carried atop their heads to the next camp.  Just as quickly as our colorful city of tents appears on the barren landscape each and every afternoon, it disappears, with only the bare rock and gravel of this mighty mountain left in our wake, like a mirage that never even existed.

Even though this same routine has taken place every morning, today's breakdown seemed even more fantastic.  Maybe it's because more and more trekkers have been converging, as the various routes are beginning to meet up, so the latest camps have become increasingly populated, creating a multi-colored sea of tents, spanning as far as the eye can see.  Or, maybe, it's because today's energy is vastly different from the previous days; the air is practically alive with excitement.  I can hear the exuberance and anticipation in everyone's voices as we prepare for today's hike.  There's a boisterousness that wasn't there before.  We've all made it this far, which, in and of itself, is an accomplishment.  But, even more exciting, is that today is the day we head to base camp, where we will rest our weary bones for a few hours before beginning our final trek to the top.  So, in all reality, this morning is the beginning of a very long and arduous twenty-four hour stretch.  This is the beginning of the end...