Altitude Gained: 0m (1436m + 360m) currently at 3941m
(acclimatisation trek to 4295m)
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| Dawn, looking up to the mountain and looking out over the cloud covered Kenyan plains. |
So this morning I awoke to ice on the inside of the outer
tent and feeling a little chilly! But soon the sun rose and quickly warmed us
all up. Again, we were treated to another breath-taking view of the Mountain. I
am pleased to say that we are fiercely maintaining our appetites currently and devoured our breakfast this morning (fruit, porridge, omelette, pancakes and
toast).
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| Pointing to the summit in the clouds. |
It was then off on our acclimatisation trek. 2hrs up to a
height of 4295m then 15min ‘playing’ (we constructed our own little sign out of
rocks – well we needed something to mark our efforts) then 45min down. Daddy
foolishly forgot to pack the snacks and so Chidler1 did extremely well without
any extra sugar. As an aside, I couldn’t quite believe myself when I walked out
of a shop in Moshi before we set off with more sugary snacks than I would
normally eat in a year – 6 Bounty Bars for Childer1, 6 Snicker Bars for me,
plus 3 emergency Twix’es (we both like). I also bought some cashew nuts! But
that shopping spree has proved to be invaluable.
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| 4295m |
I must say that Chidler1 has been absolutely amazing so far
this expedition. She has at times gotten tired quicker on the steeper bits than
those with longer legs, but she has recovered quickly and has weathered the
altitude extremely well. In contrast, I have found the walking absolutely fine,
but have felt a bit rough when we stop. Today, I felt distinctly dodgy when we
got back. Very non-specific, just a bit muzzy in the head (not a headache as
such) and a bit whacked with the slightest touch of a cough (I mention this as
a medical person on high alert for AMS). Using myself as a medical case study
(of course I would), it is very interesting to unpick what these ‘symptoms’ all
mean. On the one hand, they could just be the carryover of a minor cold I got
in Arusha, or they might be signs of very mild AMS. I suspect the later to be
the case, although it is difficult to know whether such things should be
‘expected’. Our guide was vague and there was nothing about such things in the
guide book I have borrowed. Regardless, as someone who is certainly fitter than
average, it is disappointing in some ways, or perhaps I am just a doctor and
more in tune as to how I am feeling. I recovered after a nice 20min lie down in
our tent (Childer1 read her book) and we both enjoyed lunch (appetite and other
bodily functions are supposedly very positive signs of good adaptation to the
altitude).
There is a well-recognised correlation between the number of
days taken to approach the summit and successful ascent. Whilst there are some
that do it in just 2-3, usually taking Diamox (we have none), if you take 9 you
are almost guaranteed to be successful. I confess that I did not do nearly as
much research for this expedition than I would normally (but I have been so
very occupied with other things). I realised yesterday, that despite the
reassurance of our Tour Guide that the way to get to the top is to go ‘polepole’
(slowly), we are heading to summit in the early hours of day 5 of 6. After the
way I felt before lunch, I decided that I would broach the topic of an extra
day’s acclimatisation with our guide. It was an interesting discussion, but
when he established that I would expect to pay for such a thing, we agreed it
was a good idea.
Perhaps not necessary, and we would make it successfully to
the summit on our current schedule. Perhaps we will not make it anyway (the
final ascent is a lot to ask of anyone, let alone an 11 year old, and that’s
assuming I’m not the ‘weak link’). But I am clear that if we did not make it
and we did not take the extra day, I would regret it. So we shall. Hopefully we
might enjoy the expedition all the more. So we will spend another day on the mountain
(an absolute privilege) and tomorrow we will make another acclimatisation trek.
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