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Kilimanjaro Climb with my boys August 21, 2019 Day 4 (Hike Day 3)

by cateyesrsk

Shira II Camp to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower - Day 3 of our hike started out like Day 2 with the wake up call, washing up, breakfast, replenishing our water bottles/bladders, medical check up and packing all our stuff to start the hike. Since the porters were heading straight to Barranco to set up camp for the night, we packed boxed lunch and lots of snacks to eat along the way. It is also getting colder as you can see from the way we are all dressed.
This day was a very important acclimatization day (Climb high, sleep low) where we would climb high and then come back down to the elevation close to where we started at to give our bodies time to acclimatize to the low oxygen levels. We started at Shira II Camp at an elevation of 3850 m (12631 ft.), hiked up 4 miles to Lava Tower at 4650 m (15256 ft.) and hiked down another 2.2 miles to Barranco Camp at an elevation of 3900 m (12795 ft.). Although it was only 6 miles it was a challenging one with certain sections that were quite steep uphill climbs. From Shira II we continue East for a mile after which we change directions to head Southeast towards the highest point for the day Lava Tower. Vegetation changed from Moorland to semi desert along the way.
Lava Tower is what is called a volcanic plug. It is about 90 m (295 ft.) tall and was formed when lava shot out of a vent that was located beneath where the tower stands today. The lava cooled and hardened forming the tower which plugged the vent beneath. In the past climbers were allowed to climb to the top of this tower but is now banned due to safety reasons.
After a break to eat, rest and take pictures we continue hiking down to Barranco Camp which is located in a valley below the Western Breach and the Barranco Wall. After washing up our routine again was washing up, tea/snacks, delicious dinner around 7 pm, nightly medical check up and retiring to the tent. This evening although none of us had any major problems with altitude we all reported an overall feeling of 6-8 on a scale of 1 -10 (we were reporting a 9-10 on the other days). That is why coming back down to sleep was very important and by next morning we were all feeling fine again to continue on..
Started the hike at 8:45 am, arrived at Lava Tower around 1:30 pm and finally at Barranco Camp around 5:15 pm, Of course the boys got there before me.

28 photos · 5 views
An overall perspective of where we were on this day
Our hike route this morning
First perfectly clear view of Kibo from our camp at Shira II
Again the beautiful views of the clouds below us was breathtaking.
There is essentially not much vegetation around here as it has turned into a semi-desert zone. The transition from Moorland to semi-desert was very clear.
Porters from all the groups of climbers on the mountain making their way to the next campsite
One of those uphills leading to Lava Tower.
Kibo peak just visible in the distance as we slog our way to Lava Tower
Not much vegetation or signs of animal life in this area but was still beautiful in it's own way.
We have now transitioned into the completely semi-desert zone.
Short break here just before lava tower.
The boys and Abel had reached Lava Tower ahead of me and as usual were waiting for me, :).
Lava Tower Camp site. Not too many folks camp overnight here.
We have now started our descent to Barranco crossing several beautiful streams.
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A lone porter making his way to Barranco. We were descending but still had several uphills to contend with, :(.
Making our way to Barranco.
Even this desert zone had some greenery. The short stubby plants with a rosette of leaves at the left bottom are Lobelia one of very few species of plants that survive in this region.
Kibo visible among the clouds in the background with the Western Breach in the foreground.
Walking among the giant groundsel (Dendrosenecio Kilimanjari) that can grow up to 5 m tall.
After what seemed like a forever hike the Barranco Camp comes into view. I still have another 10 minute hike before I actually reach the camp.
And I have finally made it. Landmarks like this were always a welcome sign for me. I still had a little bit of a walk to get to our tents, :).
Selfie by the Camp Site sign - Barranco Camp at 3900 m elevation).
And another one with Robert my guide.
The green/gray tents in the foreground were our bedrooms for the week, our dining room is seen in the middle (Vasanth and Erik are sitting in front of it taking in the views).