Day by day diary

Day 5 - 2nd July 2000 - Karanga Valley (3950m) to Barafu Hut (4610m)

The now familiar routine of tea in the tent followed by the early morning walk up the valley side to sooner get the sun proceeds breakfast. The morning is frosty but soon warms once the sun arrives prompting us to pack up camp and ready ourselves for the morning's climb up out of the valley towards Barafu. While our fellow campers across the valley enjoyed the evening sun we now have the advantage of the warmth in the morning. It would be difficult to get any enthusiasm to get going without it. Maybe this is why Ben picked this side of the valley to camp on.

We leave just after 0900 crossing over the stream and cutting diagonally up the steep slope out of the valley. The weather is again perfect with blue skies and the top of Kibo clear of any cloud. Once out of Karanga Valley the terrain becomes very barren. We cross another couple of shallow valleys moving around the mountain until, after a final steep climb, we reach the Barafu Ridge. This ridge top marks the point where the South Circuit Path, which we have been following for a couple of days, joins the Mweka Trail that climbs all the way up to Stella Point on the crater rim. We can see the route rising up the ridge top, steepening all the way to where we imagine tonight's campsite to be.

As we head up the Mweka Trail following the boulder strewn ridge we get our first view of Mawenzi with it's jagged rocky spires partially covered in cloud. Behind us Mt Meru is again visible surrounded by clouds. For the first time we are on a path that will only lead up until we can climb no higher. Each step now can be marked off against this goal bringing it ever nearer. It feels like we are finally down to business and we feel strong and well prepared. The aclimatisation is working, as we suffer no headaches on the approach to our highest point on the mountain so far.

Shortly before arriving at the camp we pass our friends from the hotel who have just successfully reached Uhuru peak and are now descending to Mweka Hut for their final night. We congratulate them and feel encouraged for our own attempt that will begin in around 12 hours from now. We arrive at Barafu Hut Camp at 4630m just after 1200 after 3 hours of walking and 715m of ascent. This is another short day due to our extra night at Karanga and it will hopefully give us plenty of time to rest up for tonight.

Due to our early arrival the camp is still full of climbers that attempted the summit earlier this morning. We hear that some 16 or so made the summit with a few others only reaching Stella point or below. A large party of climbers led by Greg Wilson, the Everest veteran, catches the eye with their colour-coordinated kit. Barafu Camp is perched on a narrow rocky ridge top and has only limited camping space available. We set up camp on an available space at the top end of the camp perched on a raised ledge near a cliff top. Some 15 feet from our tent door is a sheer drop of a couple of hundred metres or so. We remember references to a number of Barafu camp fatalities caused by people wandering off a cliff in the dark. Ben's warning is succinct, "Beware of this cliff, if you fall over in the night that will be the end of you".

We have lunch at 1330 (bombay potatoes followed by fruit) and then sort most of our gear out for tonight. Getting rest in the afternoon is difficult, as the campsite is noisy with people leaving and arriving. The tent is also very hot which makes sleep difficult. During the afternoon there are a couple of brief, light hail showers during a cloudy spell. The top's of Kibo and Mawenzi cloud in as normal from midday to mid afternoon when the views clear, and become spectacular in all directions. Mawenzi is picked out spectacularly in the evening sunshine, the brown and grey jagged peak towers over the desolate looking 'saddle' plateau stretching towards us. Kibo looms above us, one minute looking achievable, the next daunting, depending on our frame of mind. We have a mixed feeling of excitement and apprehension that is not especially conducive with sleep.

An early dinner is prepared at 1700 and then Ben advises us to get some sleep before our wake up call at 2330. We get maybe a couple of hours before the 'wake up' arrives with tea. We already have the base layers on in the sleeping bags but, after a little struggling within the confines of the tent, we eventually emerge 'layered up', sweltering with the effort into the cold night air. The sky is clear and the stars look fantastic. Above us the jet-black silhouette of Kibo stands starkly against the moonless sky. We look to Ben in the darkness who asks if we are ready and then says, "OK then, lets go".