Day 3 on the Mountain!

Day 3 we left the rain behind (thankfully for the rest of the trip) and although we all had wet clothes, we anticipated some nicer weather ahead (for some strange reason! perhaps just the morning of day 3). The camp site was packed up and we set off ...

We were a little more prepared for cold and wet ...

As we walked we got our first glimpses closer to Kilimanjaro ...

and first glimpses of Mawenzi ...

The porters soon passed us (carrying ALL of our stuff!)

We greeted them with "Mambo Poa" which means "You are cool!" but mispronounced (as I suspect I did), it means "You're a nose!". I was greeted with "You're a banana!" to which I think they were refering to being as cool as a banana. Or, perhaps just that I was a banana!!

The view down the valley ...

Liz & Elspeth ...

As we hiked, Mawenzi became more clear ...

Obote, our master commander ...

Lastie continued to demonstrate how to rest well ...

My gaitors ... these themselves might need a posting of their own!! I didn't know what gaitors were when I began my Kilimanjaro homework but upon getting them for the trip (I couldn't really borrow them from a person with long legs!) they became one of my most valuable assets (along with my pink hiking poles!!). Though everyone laughed at them (and my hiking poles), I was very proud of them!! And I had to wear them all the time because I couldn't fit them in my bag!

Our campsite for night 3 ...

We got settled and then hiked another 2 hours, and a few hundred metres up to acclimatize. This was our extra night on the mountain and we had taken a slightly different route to the normal Rongai route (all legitimate, though!).

Along with our group there was a group with a Scot, a German and 2 Italians who stopped at the same camping areas as us each night. Since we were a lot more fun, and pleasant to be around, I dropped of some nuts and a Milkybar for the porters and guides of the other group.

Charlie drying his things ...