Kili Climb--Day 5--Karanga to Kosovo

Woke up to beautiful clear skies and a view of Meru floating in the clouds. Set out of Karanga after a delicious breakfast of porridge, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. After a couple thousand vertical up the ridge, we arrived at Barafu Camp, high camp for most climbers. We stopped there to sign in with the rangers and eat lunch. The whole place smelled like a urinal and resembled a tent city for the homeless; so glad we continued up to Kosovo, our own semi-private high camp about 500' higher. I'm also very thankful we are climbing the Machame route rather than the Marangu (Coca Cola) route. I much prefer sleeping in a tent over sharing a crowded hut, and it's also more interesting to descend via a route different from our ascent. The Coca Cola route has a lower success rate because the ascent is often just four days. We will spend an entire week on the mountain: five full days of climbing, then an overnight summit climb followed by two days of descent.

I was always curious about how the two Kili climbing seasons differ from one another. I asked Eric because he's guided both. Kili sits almost dead on the Equator, so the level of the sun does not change radically throughout the year. But, there are two rainy seasons: late March to mid-June and November to December. The first climbing season from January to early March can be a bit wetter but is generally about 10 degrees warmer than the season from late-June to mid-October. I think I'll take the warmer temperatures, even if they do come with some rain. Rain becomes less likely as we push up the mountain, so we should be done with it.

Walking up the big slab of rock after Barrafu Camp was challenging and would be even more so if we had to do it at night. As we crested the rocks at Kosovo, our group of porters welcomed us with song and dance, which brought tears to my eyes. There is a cultural component to this climb that I have never encountered and might not find again until I climb in the Himalaya someday.

A couple on our team sharing a moment in side-by-side toilet tents

We moved into our tents, had a rest, and then listened to Eric's summit briefing. We'll eat dinner at 5:00, go to bed at 6:00, wake up at 11:00, eat, and get on the trail by midnight. It's bound to be an exciting but endless day. We couldn't have a better group. Humor abounds and takes the edge off any tense or difficult moments.