Day 4

Day 4: Trek Day 2

Simba Camp to Kikelewa Camp: 8500 feet to 11,800 feet - 6-7 hours

 Last entry in my diary:

"07:02 Day 2: Up at 6 with lovely hot sweet tea. Brushed teeth and had breakfast with the most stunning view of Kili and Mawenzi beyond.

Sun quickly rose as did temps.

And we're off. "

Bed tea became the normal wake-up routine. A shake of the tent, followed by a few "Hello's" and then a hot cup of milk-less sweet tea thrust in through the opening.

We set off towards Mawenzi, the craggy peak to the left of Kili, on a dusty trail mostly through scrub and alpines. The mornings are always beautifully bright and sunny and quite warm, but the dust today is truly awful.

When you blow your nose after a few hours walking, it looks like you've been down the mines.

Unfortunately, I'm over loaded with gadgets and excess weight, and by the time we stop for lunch, I'm feeling terrible.

The air is most definitely thinner up here, but I really struggle to eat and feel dead on my feet. This (apart from summit night) was where I hit my wall.

And that is probably the main reason why this day is a bit of a blur to me. I had felt so good and strong before, but now every step is a huge effort and I feel slightly nauseous.

Thankfully, the rest of my Serious Fox team are hugely supportive, and they all offer to share the extra weight burden that I've been carrying in the name of technology.

We set off after lunch, and immediately it's steep and I wonder if I can survive the day.

There's also a very rocky section, which involves scrambling over boulders. This, at high altitude is utterly exhausting. It's surprisingly difficult how a small amount of physical exertion at altitude can virtually stop you in your tracks.

Fortunately, my body starts to acclimatise. I'm not sure if it's the lighter load, the water, Diamox or body adjusting, but I welcome the feeling of normality by late afternoon.

I start to feel fit again, and it's a huge relief.

We approach our camp at Kikelewa walking through clouds. The plants have all but gone now, it's just grass. Barren, bleak and very cold in the mist.

It's slightly boggy on the approach, and it's not a particularly welcoming sight.

We are now at nearly 12,000ft

It's pretty much the same routine from now on. Dinner and then bed.

The view you wake up to

Mawenzi

Dust and clouds