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DAY 2 - 3 August 2009 - Machame Camp to Shira Camp
Having slept exceptionally well, not least because EcoTours provided sleeping mats in addition to ours, meaning we had a double layer of softness and insulation, we woke thirty minutes before the promised seven o'clock wake-up call. This allowed us to sift through the devastation in our tent, caused by having unpacked things in virtual darkness, before bowls of steaming hot washing water arrived. Clean and freshened up we tucked into an absolutely massive breakfast of piping hot porridge, sausage and omelette, toast and honey or marmalade, all washed down with steaming cups of tea, coffee or Milo. Once again the quality of the food far exceeded our expectations and the quantity left us feeling embarrassed because although we ate twice as much as we would at home we could have fed another 2 or 3 people. Breakfast finished, we turned our attention to repacking bags, which in the confines of a small tent, takes a surprisingly long time and before we knew it Tino was there calling, "It's nine o'clock. Time to go". Had we really been up for two and a half hours? Wow, how time flies!
After soaking up the views and setting off again, the path became much narrower, with steep and tight sections where porters and climbers alike had to squeeze their loads carefully between rocks and round corners. As we continued gaining altitude the heathers became smaller and thinned to be replaced by the amazing everlasting flowers that mark the transition from the Heath and Moorland to the Alpine Desert zone. Ahead of us we saw what can best be described as a small cliff and having clambered up the huge steps carved into this rocky outcrop and rounded the corner at the top our lunch spot for the day opened out in front of us. A quick look at the altimeter showed we had gained 650m, meaning that after lunch we had about 200m to climb to camp two. After resting and eating for thirty minutes we shouldered our packs and headed off to join the trail of ants picking their way through the landscape towards the top of the ridge where, presumably, we would see the Shira Plateau.
Now out in the open, nearer 4,000m than 3,000m and with the spectacular everlasting flowers covering an ever greater proportion of this wonderful landscape, the afternoon sun was really beating down on us. A quick look at the thermometer, hanging as it was in the sun, showed 42 degrees. Surprisingly we weren't perspiring, presumably due to the drying air at this altitude, but it was definitely necessary to be creamed up and to wear a hat to protect head and neck from the intense sun. It was around this time that Barbara said she didn't feel right. Her legs felt like jelly and walking was more a case of ground meeting feet than feet meeting ground. Immediate thoughts moved to the possibility of altitude sickness as we had seen several people struggling but we had acclimatised in the Alps to our current altitude and had been fine there for four days. So if not AMS what could possibly be wrong? There were no real symptoms apart from the legs so she persevered and by about three o'clock we reached the high point of the day at 3,800m before dropping down a few metres onto the vastness of the Shira plateau and the colourful and welcoming sight of our campsite. The spiky remains of Shira volcano sticking out of the lunar landscape called the Shira Plateau, dotted with the odd heather or spread of everlasting flowers, are amazing. We were looking forward to spending the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the views but Fred had different ideas. Not long after we arrived and had begun pulling sleeping mats and and sleeping bags out of our packs he popped his head round the door of the tent and said, "Time to go on a short acclimatisation walk". We were using New Shira Camp, near Shira Caves, and Fred's intention was to walk for about forty minutes to the original Shira Camp used by those trekking the Shira and Lemosho routes that come in from the west. On the basis that every metre gained and then lost again on a particular day is good for acclimatisation we thought this was a good idea, so despite our urge to relax and take in the views and despite Barbara feeling like death we pulled on our boots and set off in the direction of the original Shira Camp.
After dinner we put our minds to organising things for day 3 and, in an attempt to keep some order in the tent, arranged clothes and other kit on top of open rucksacks and duffle bags before recording our video diary using the infrared function in the now pitch dark tent and retiring to bed by about eight o'clock, with a light breeze blowing through the open roof and wall vents to keep us pleasantly cool. You can view all of the pictures from day 2 here.
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