Kilimanjaro Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp

 I woke up in the early early morning and was so excited that the clouds had parted. The stars were absolutely amazing and I got my first glimpse of the mountain I came to summit. I was so excited for clear skies. Little did I know the rest of the way would be beautiful I just had to get through the first very wet day.

My morning selfie so I could evaluate how I look:)

Finally above the rain forest clouds!

Today we were going to hike 5.6 miles and climb from 9,900 ft to 12,600ft. What the guides didn't tell us was that we would be hiking straight up. No switchbacks. It was like climbing really tall stairs for many many hours. It was't too bad physically but mentally it was challenging because the up never ended. Right when you thought you were looking at the top you would get to that point, walk 20 yards on flat ground and then continue going straight up. You gain elevation very quickly in Africa. I was grateful that we didn't have to go down this way. Going up it really wasn't bad but it would have been very hard on my knees to go down it. Pictures do not do a good job of showing how steep something is!

Rock Cairns with Kilimanjaro in the background.

There is the mountain I am trying to get to the top of.

Taking a short break on the uphill.

The weather was amazing. My body felt great. I didn't do a lot of long hikes to prepare but I had done plenty of short steep hikes. My body was responding well to the demands placed on it. I felt great and was much more excited to be on this journey during day 2 of hiking.

We made it to the sign that says we are at camp!

It was a great day.

We enjoyed time in the tent visiting. It was so warm I spent time outside soaking in the African sun. There were crazy ravens all over camp scavenging food. I ended this day feeling so grateful for a healthy body and the opportunity to be here fulfilling a dream. And the sunset was an amazing ending to a great day!