Tanzania: A Sky Full of Stars

How would you like to tackle an 800 foot wall right after breakfast?  If that is something that sounds fun, Day 5 on the Lemosho Route is for you!  We got up early so we could get to the Barranco Wall before things got to busy.  I guess if you wait until a little bit later, you start to get a line of groups waiting to go up.  We were early enough there was no hold up.  But before we got to the Barranco Wall, we got to cross not one, not two, but three small rivers.  After crossing the rivers we had one last brief rest/bathroom break before tackling the wall.  We handed over all our trekking poles to our guides because the Barranco Wall requires hands and feet to get up.  This is really the most technical the climb gets.

You can see the trail in the upper right hand corner.  These are the three rivers we had to cross to get to the Barranco Wall.

Climbing the Barranco Wall involves a lot of not looking down, because it is a long way down.  Ledges aren't super wide, but you also don't feel you're one misstep from falling off the edge...more like two missteps.  Our guides very carefully showed us where to put hands and feet to get up safely.  There is one place called the Kissing Rock where you basically hug a rock as you go around, and that was probably one of the most nerve-wracking places of the climb.  Overall, it actually wasn't as bad as I feared.  I am glad, though, that we didn't have to do it in rain.  Now that would have been frightening.  It was actually a very beautiful morning.  

Simon helping Mimi, with Caspar on the left climbing up.  Alex and Tim in the back.

I don't think I was fully prepared for the view from the top.  It was stunning.  Looking one way, the mountain was right there.  For the first time, it really seemed close enough to touch.  And looking the other way...well it looked like we were floating in the clouds.

We were on our way to the Karanga Camp which was actually fairly close in elevation to the Barranco Camp where we had spent the previous night, but in order to get there, we had to climb the Wall, and then do a series of ups and downs.  

We went through some interesting landscapes.  At one point we traveled through what was like an empty desert where all you could see was a series of small carved out gullies where water would likely run during the rainy season (which despite the fact we had had rain almost every day, was not this time period).  We crossed over the Karanga River, which was clear and fast, and also the last source of water on the route.  Porters carried water from the Karanga River, up to the camp that night, and then more water was carried on to the Barafu Camp the following night because there was no other water source up there.

We made good time and got to camp before noon.  We did an acclimatizing hike up an additional 100m vertical (300ish feet).  That seemed long and far.  As we did this, fog was constantly shifting in and out.  Sometimes you could see our camp, clear as day, and other times it had completely disappeared.  After returning to camp, we got lunch and then nap time.

After about 2 1/2 hours of napping, people started to give up and meet up outside because it was ACTUALLY NICE OUT!!!  By this point we were high enough on the mountain that it was rather chilly out, especially when you weren't moving.  In camp I was wearing my fleece base layers, with hiking pants and an additional fleece jacket, and eventually coat on top.  For the hike on this day, I had a base layer, long sleeve shirt, and fleece jacket for the first part of the day before eventually ditching the fleece.  

After the sun set, from camp we could see down to the lights of Moshi and Arusha.  It was stunning.  And the stars!!!  So beautiful.  I found Orion and Canus Major easily.  I also found Leo the Lion.  But I don't know what else was out there because I don't know my southern constellations.  I sat out on a rock in the dark for probably 15 minutes just taking it all in.  I wish we had more nights like this on the mountain.  I'm glad we got one, but a few more would have been lovely.

The lights of Moshi and Arusha down below us.

Orion above, with Canis Major below on the right.  The brightest start you see in Orion is Rigel, the 7th brightest star in the night sky. The bright star you see below and to the right of Rigel is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.  The other bright star you see in the lower left is Procyon, the 8th brightest star in the night sky.