Day 5: to Karanga Camp (3930 m)

The morning is cool, but not as cold as on previous mornings. Today, we have to scale the fairly imposing Barranco Wall. Bruce talks of starting early, to beat the traffic of other groups and porters all headed in the same direction, but we get started at 9 AM as usual. We immediately get caught in a crush of porters and other hikers on the way up.

We quickly reach a steep rock wall -- the Barranco Wall, and we start to hike up. Parts of the climb require a bit of scrambling. It's fairly tough but exhilarating. Everyone enjoys it, despite the fast that porters are climbing past and around us all the way. (They are taking astonishing risks to get to the top of the Wall with their loads.)

However, we get to the top inside an hour and take in the astonishing vista around us, with the peak and glaciers directly above us.

Left: taking pictures at the top of the Barranco Wall.

Take off again along a trail of scree and pebbles. We soon see the Karanga Camp in the distance ahead of us. This seems easy. However, Bruce tells us that we have a big descent into a canyon and an ascent back up before we reach it.

We struggle through the difficult, rather dangerous descent and then make our way up to the camp. (Bruce tells us that the descent is the most difficult part of the entire Lemosho Trail, even more difficult than any part of the hike on Summit Night -- but we're a bit skeptical...)

Anyway, in to camp by 1:30 PM and we're done for the day!











I nap for a while and we have dinner around 6 PM -- soup and some deeply fried chicken. Nobody is hungry. Bruce comes in and starts to talk about Summit Night (coming up soon -- late the following night.) Sounds like it's going to be very cold and I'm not at all sure I have enough layers for it. I'm getting concerned!

Bed again by 8:30 PM. I sleep well till about 4 AM despite a distinct slope on the tent floor! Up again at 6:15 AM and getting prepared for the big day ahead.