KILIMANJARO-CLIMB DAY 2.....

Day 2 - 17th October 2012
Out_Cause .. KILI-CANCER!
Start from Mt. Mkubwa to Shira 1.
Altitude: 2895 to 3810 m.
Hiking time: 5-7 hours.
Distance : 8 km.
Terrain : Start climbing through rain forest, and continue ascent, and follow a steep ridge, pass thruogh moorland zone, and then turn west into steep ridge for Shira .

Woke up at 6 am to Michael Buble, Shayamal's ring-tone, in a neighbouring tent, that was filtering through ...
What a wonderful way to wake up...
This day was only going to get better ..I was completely sure..
So I introduced my Michael to Shallu ..
And she completely looooved him....

Drank my warm water, and then of-course , the miracle worker for the mountains..Diamox..
In fact it was a joke , " Have you had your Diamox , this morning ?"
We were all ever ready to share that half Diamox every morning and evening...
The little miracle worker that warded off altitude sickness and the bringer of acclimatisation ....
He he he ...
To those who took it , it was the bringer of good luck in the mountains ...
And to those who did not ...
Well it made no difference to them at all...(Vikram and Ram , never needed it )

Before we left camp, we had the porters rock band, led by "the voice-Shadrock" who put together a rather enthusiastic good - morning ...
That really woke us up and , gave us a much needed spring in our step...

Shadrock....the man with the moves like Jagger ...

We then all set off via the rain forest ...

It was fun walking all together..
Sometimes, crossing brooks, sometimes, stopping to look at the beautiful flowers and the vegetation , as Vikram educated us about the names of the trees and flowers we came across...

A hot favourite being "Spanish beard" ...

We also found a beautiful place in the forest where we all rested , took a few photos ...

We all walked through this amazing forest , and saw it slowly change to moorlands, the topography and plants started changing , from trees to shrubs...
Sang songs like Quando and of course Abba...
We just all kept walking and talking..

Hung with Shallu, Shyamal, Yudi and Vikram...
And discussed everything from life, to music, to poetry , world peace, global warming, dance, kids, relationships, other summits, social causes, films, actors, cinema, film festivals, shopping, skin care etc..
We had all now gotten into water drinking mode, and pushed each other to drink the required 4 litres everyday..
It was a very very windy day and so it also got cold..

We stopped for lunch on this clearing and all huddled into our tent , to avoid the crazy wind ..

And Yudi and Anish also had extra energy to "Kung-fu "....

While the porters all just hung around, rested and hopped around like this was all a piece of cake ..
While we panted and puffed ...

Lunch was eaten with much enthusiasm, the avocado salad was a hit ..
Sprinkled with garlic that Shyamal got from home..
With a few more additives from Shallu's kitchen...

And hardly had we eaten , we had to start walking again ...
I frankly could not really make out the difference of when we had really stopped..
I liked the walking, though it was far from easy, and I was getting burnt despite the sun-screen..

Decided to get "very well toasted"

The walk from our lunch place to Shira 1..
Was long and uphill, overlooking the forest and the plains below...

And then at one point of time, Shallu chanced upon a chameleon ..
But Shyamal said, " If you saw it, it's not a very good chameleon , because it's main job is to camouflage" ..

Vikram and Shyamal..

Well maybe it's was his dry logic or the fact that we were soon getting as crisp as bacon in this sun, but we laughed that this poor chameleon that did not know how to camouflage himself...

And so after some songs and laughing in the middle of being completely breathless,

 Shallu, Shyamal, Ram, Anish , Vikram , Yudi just about reaching Shira 1...

This place was beautiful, because we can see Mt.Kilimanjaro right there, next to us..
It looked beautiful crowned with clouds, the peak still eluding us ..

Well Shallu  and me got into our tents, and began the search for treasure that we had packed in our own bags, but could never find..
Freshening up everyday, wearing fresh clothes, and scrubbing our faces clean and then smearing it with cream , became like a ritual..
And on the odd day, if I could muster up enough of courage ,I would use my freezing cold deo...brrrrrrr

We then all met for dinner..
It's always fun hanging together..
The veg soup , would be devoured by us like a band of street urchins ..

Then Godlisten came like the principal , to check our oxygen levels and heart -rate..
It was like an exam at every dinner, that we all wanted to pass...

Post dinner, when I looked up into the  sky, it was spangled with the shiniest diamonds..
It was the prettiest sky I have seen in a very very long time ..

It was freezing cold, about 7 degrees C.. And expected to go below 0...
I layered myself and looked at this beautiful sky and sent kisses and big "God bless yous" to my little Zeke and Zene and to the ones that I love ..

It was a beautiful day..
I was tired, we all were..

I retired to my tent, where I got into my sleeping bag, and put my phone and my extra batteries, into my sleeping bag...
Why ?
Because I was told, when you are at an altitude in the cold, you must sleep with your electronics..ha ha ha ..

Shallu and me laughed hysterically as I put my camera battery and phone together to sleep in my sleeping bag ...
Well what can I say it was a threesome ha ha ha ...

And then I fell asleep to the sound of a beautiful hush.
I'm sleeping in the shadow of the great Mt. Kilimanjaro ..

And then thanks to Diamox, Shallu and me wake up at some bizarre hour..
And in the blistering cold , with head-lamps , we scurry out of our kinda warm tents, under the most beautiful sky , that we could not really spend time admiring ..
And after we got back to our tent from our post mid-nite walk to the loo, we were sincerely wondering, what the hell we were doing here freezing, and we're seriously thinking of bunny-hopping out of Shira plateau and going to some place warmer, and went completely hysterical, cracking kulfi jokes...

Bone tired we fell asleep in no time ..
Day 2- over and out, all safe, a beautiful silence, with tiny snores, spread over the plateau...



NOTE FROM SHYAMAL...
FOUNDER OUT_CAUSE....
 
The OutCause Kili Cancer Team is supporting the Karunshraya Cancer Hospice.
Karunsharya means 'a compassionate abode' and that is exactly what the hospice is. Its a sanctuary that's offers support when a patient loses the comfort and security of a hospital as no further treatment is possible. They serve to bring peace and dignity to the patients life when the inevitable is close at hand. This institution that operates solely off the generosity of patrons such as yourselves,  have managed to help more than 12000 patients since their inception.

I am writing to you to humbly request that you and your close circle of friends please join the cause and help in the fight against cancer. The OutCause Team has pledged to raise money for this hospice so that they can continue their unbelievable work. Please reach out to family and friends and request that they be generous. All monies raised will go directly to the Karunshraya Cancer Hospice.
 
Patrons can make cheques out to the:
Bangalore Hospice Trust. 

The address for Karunashraya is:

Karunashraya
Old Airport-Varthur Main Road
Marathahalli,
Kundalahalli Gate,
Bangalore
560 037

You can address it to Archana Ganesh from Karunshraya.
Would like to request you to please mark OutCause Kili Cancer on the back off the cheque along with your name, address & PAN number. 

Please remember to write down your name, address and PAN number behind each cheque or with each accompanying donation.
Please free free to contact me to arrange the collection of any cheques or donations.