KILIMANJARO-CLIMB DAY 4 ....

Day 4 : 19th Oct 2012.
OUT_CAUSE ..KILI-CANCER.
Start from Moir Hut, to Lava Tower, to Barranco...
Altitude : 4200 m to 4630 m , to finally 3976m..
Hiking time : 3-4 hours to Lava hut and 2-21/2 hours to Barranco ...
Terrain : leaving moorland plateau to walk on lava ridges, beneath the glacier of the western breach, Then descent into the Barranco valley , surrounded by towering cliffs.

Woke up fresh...
So the combiflam worked..
It was my tiny miracle pill , that I decided I will now take only before I summit...

Godlisten our guide, told me to give my bag to a porter because it's too heavy..
So I decided to wear most of the clothes I carry in the bag on me..

Mox...one of our super-guides...

And that way I will only have 4 kg of water weight ..
It's weird, but when you are walking , uphill -downhill over rocks and sand , every gram you carry , counts..

And while we were all kind of getting ready for another day of climbing ..
I hear this soft voice calling "sister-sister"...
It's Shallu , calling out to our food helper who is a man , whose name is "Sistus" ...
So we had a good laugh and christened her "Sister Shallu"...
She is really too sweet and gentle, and was hanging with a burly bunch like all of us ...

At around 8am, we had started our days walk to Lava Towers..
Today after many days , it actually felt like a new day..

We started our walk uphill and in about 15 minutes..
I was boiling and so was Yudi, so we took off all our layers and just kept our thermals on ..

Kabir ...was not looking too good, he was not feeling too well, at all....

Today we were all told to walk at our own pace, because we needed to figure it for the day of the summit ...

The trail to the next camp..

Tara started off right in front,
She says trekking is in her Swiss- Blood..
And I completely agree...
Well me and my Indian blood, that uses the car and the lift a lot ..
Was walking slowly ...
I kept thinking , that I have never ever really done this before..
And though today I was feeling like I had more than a spring in my step ..

The "voice of reason" in my head , that I always tie up and keep in a corner,is the one I listened to ...
I just went slow ..
All of us kind of found our own pace today and walked on our own ..
Today was kind of good, I felt no tiredness..

 And since we were feeling upbeat, Yudi and me decided to strike a few poses at "Lava Hut " ha ha ha

Yudi and me, paying homage to the mountain man...Ram ..

Lava Hut ,was cold very cold and windy, and it felt like we were among clouds ..
Post lunch we had a long walk to Barranco camp...
Long long walk , but the topography kept changing, we again started finding plants and flowers

Reached Barranco camp..
It is beautiful..
Filled with a lot of green ...
And as we were trickling into camp..
We came across a very disoriented guy in his tent..
Yudi , immediately called for help...
(Well must tell you , that he made it up the summit, he was fine the next day onwards)

This happens a lot , if your body is not getting acclimatised...
Head-aches , fatigue ...is really normal...
I loved this camp..
Our tent was closest to the loo..yeah ..now that what you call real 5 star in the mountains ...bloody Diamox...

My head-ache had lessened here at the Barranco camp...
We were camping above the clouds..a beautiful surreal sight..
This camp was in the middle of the valley , so it was really cold...

But we had signal, so everybody was on their phones, calling home..
Telling family that all is good...

Then came some really bad news..
Kabir is going to have to go back, his body was not taking in enough oxygen..
And though he looked physically fit, Godlisten,said that he will have to go down , as he was not acclimatising ...

This was horrible..
Not Kabir..
He is really fit...
But today, I saw him struggling while he climbed up and down from Moir Hut, to Lava Tower and down to Barranco....
And within half an hour of reaching camp, they had him bundled and 12 porters were sent to take him down...

There was a silence that fell over all of us..
This was Kabir, my best friend Mini's husband, who is fit, does not drink or smoke , works out ..
And to see him shivering in a sleeping bag , and being carried away..
Is something I was just not prepared for..
But there is always a better plan for life..and so knew that this was for the best ..
Well, after he reached down, 3000 m, he walked for 6hours all the way to the base...
We got to know this the next morning ...
(well he is going to be back soon, amidst a family that loves him to bits)

That night I wore nearly all my clothes and went to sleep ..
I looked nearly as big as a bear..
Now I finally understood , why bears do not feel cold..
It's the layers of fat that warms them up ..

Unfortunately for me, did not have the required amount of fat to keep me warm , just enough to not let me fit properly in my jeans ..damn...
And to make it even better , I am allergic to wool..
I wore Min's fleece..
I miss all my girls..
I miss my family..

I miss cuddling my ZZ's...

And so I finally drift off to sleep over the clouds, never thought that would happen , with my feet still on the ground ..

And as I sleep in the prettiest valley of Mt. Kilimanjaro..

I thank God for keeping me safe and for everything ..
I'm blessed..
My fingers are frozen...

Good-night....

Day 4 - we are one person less..it feel different...



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.