Left: the Lava TowerI ask Bruce about the Abramovich thing -- he confirms that the guy is indeed on the mountain & he registered at the camps along the way. (Apparently, lots of other celebrities have also been there recently. He mentioned Arjen Robben and Guus Hiddink from Dutch football - just a few weeks earlier, and even Justin Timberlake! Suddenly, my great Kilimanjaro climb doesn't seem so impressive.) Even the US Marines come here occasionally -- cutting off all telecommunications traffic on the mountain when they need to update their website...!
We reach the Lava Tower by about 1 PM. The early heat is giving way to much colder conditions, as it clouds over. After leaving the Lava Tower, it is a steep descent down almost all the way to Barranco Camp. There are rocky sections, and our guide, Fuat is racing down, seemingly in a hurry to reach the camp. Dave takes a tumble on the way down, and bruises his thigh. (Furtunately, it seems to be a fairly minor injury.)
We reach a grove of cactus-like plants (senecio plants) that grow to be up to 8-10 feet tall.
Right: Nitin next to a senecio plant
We finally reach Barranco Camp around 3:30 PM. It is a small city of tents with a view over the plain and the city of Moshi, and with the Kili peak looming overhead.
Left: the summit from Barranco Camp
There are lots of people at the camp - a number of different routes meet here, including the Lemosho and Macheme routes. I wander around after tea, and meet some folks from San Francisco (almost in the same neighborhood as me...) Dinner is getting a bit monotonous at this stage - another peculiar concoction of noodles and some sort of beef stew/curry. It's a bit warmner at this camp than it has been the past few nights. However, I still quickly get in to my tent & I'm asleep again by 9 PM. I wake briefly at about 3 AM - when I get out of the tent, I can see the lights of the city of Moshi below, and a bright sky of stars above.
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