Shira Plateau

Day 36 2/19/99: Shira Plateau Camp (11,300')

After a night sleeping in our tent, we got ready. Every morning we were awaken by the camp crew asking whether we want coffee or tea. I always look forward to having warm water to wash my hands and face. Here was Theresa holding a little bottle of Purell hand cleaner. Soon we gave up on that as it seemed that we were just rubbing dirt deeper into our hands. I must admit that even though I did brush my teeth every morning soon I gave up on dental flossing--my hands were so dirty that I just hate to stick them inside my mouth!

It was a great morning when we started our hike at 8am. The air was clear and cool. The sun shone brightly--remember that there is no smog on the mountain as the sky was crystal clear until the clouds showed up around 10:30am each morning. We were still hiking through the montane forest, where the "old man's beard" are hanging down from many trees.

We really did not see that many wild flowers. However, here is one. Norman said that this is called "Everlasting," in the genus Helichrysum.

We are hiking up and up and up. Today we would hiked for 8 hours and gain 2,300 feet in elevation.

"Drink, drink, drink." I'm glad that the pumped water was clean enough that we did not get sick. Our water bottles from the San Francisco Wildlife Refuge were very good: hold lots of water (32oz), light, and cheap. However, I wish that we had the Camel back hydration system that will make drinking while hiking much easier. I'll use that next time.

Click on this image to find out who was the clown who wore the "old man's beard" hanging lichen.

Prior to the hike I know as we hike from the bottom to the top of Kilimanjaro we will hike through many different zones of landscape and vegetation: cultivation, forest, heather, moorland, alpine desert, and glacier. Did you know that for this hike we have added a new "charcoal zone!" It turned out that Samia told us that one week ago there was a forest fire, which was an unauthorized burning, that came really close to the Shira camp. Even though Samia is usually very calm and cool, but he said he was scared and ready to break down the camp. The fire came so close that they did not have to use flashlights at night. At the last moment the wind shifted, and the camp was safe. We were happy that we did not have a forest fire. However, it was very smoky and dirty to hike through this charcoal zone, which would have been a beautiful giant heather zone. Our clothes got black and sooty. I sincerely apologized to my lungs, and I was rewarded by some of the dirtiest--how do I put it politely--booger I have ever had. (Okay, according to the on-line Webster dictionary, I should have said "pieces of dried nasal mucus." :-) (Thankfully, I don't have a picture of that!)

We hiked through many peaks and valleys of the charcoal zone. We were thankful to reach the spot for lunch.

As usual, the porters have already set up lunch and even made hot soup and tea. 

We started to eat our lunch while enjoying the sun. However, it started to get really windy. How windy was it? It got so windy that we had two porters standing there holding down the sliced bread so they will not get blown away. It got to be too much so the porters quickly--I mean lightening fast--put up a tent so we can enjoy lunch sheltered from the elements. Yes, we were pampered campers.

[by Doyle] I  felt great whenever I was hiking and breathing deeply. However, the high elevation started to get to me a little bit whenever I stopped since less oxygen got to my brain. Nevertheless, I forced on. See, I still can have a smile on my face.

Do you believe to prior to the start of hiking through the "charcoal zone" I had a white shirt on? Okay, I'm just joking. Thankfully I had a dark expedition-weight Capilene shirt on. I was also wearing a pair of shorts and the all-important gaiters to protect the lower part of my legs. The weather was pleasantly cool and perfect for hiking. After eating lunch and pumping water we continued.

We rested one final time before reaching the Shira Plateau. Greg is looking down the trail where we came from. If you look carefully you will see some puffs of smokes from the still smoldering forest fire.

So we still looked happy--not for much longer...

Here I was at the start of the Shira Plateau. Notice that I have my North Face Gore-Tex Denali jacket on. Gore-Tex is great for blocking off the gusty wind all afternoon. Besides, the soot does not stick onto Gore-Tex easily, thankfully.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is shrouded in cloud, is to the upper right-hand corner. Actually, Samia told me the proper way to refer to our destination is Kibo. You see, we are ON Mt. Kilimanjaro, which really consisted of three volcanoes: Shira, Mawenzi, and Kibo. Shira and Mawenzi are both extinct now. Kibo is actually still active--boy, wouldn't that have been a great climb if Kibo started to spew out lava--on the other hand I will not be writing this WEB page if that was the case. :-) Kibo's summit is called Uhuru Peak, freedom in Kiswahili.

Notice that I had both of my hiking poles with me. For the rest of the ascent they stayed in my backpack. Whereas Theresa found the hiking poles to be extremely useful, I did not need them while hiking up hills. Hiking poles, however, are indispensable while coming down, especially down the slippery slopes of the last two days--but you just have to wait to find out.

After reaching the Shira Plateau but still some distance from the camp I started to hike at the very end of the group of 14 hikers. Why? I started to feel nauseated. I guess this is what high altitude sickness feels like.  I thought, "Hum, this is much too early to get sick and throw up. Butterman, in his Internet travelogue, did not throw up until the last camp." Of course, he was taking Diamox, and I was not taking it yet. 

I knew I had to hike slowly so I didn't mind. Besides, Theresa and I started a nice conversation with Samia. As the trip assistant leader, he has to stay at the end to take care all the stragglers for the day. In fact, everyday he gets to deal with the problem cases as all the healthy and able hikers are in the front with Alex. This afternoon I was it. It was nice to learn about him as well as Tanzanian culture. Ironically, on the last day we had a really nice and long conversation with him. That's the time I found out that we like some of the same singers: such as Celine Dion. In fact, he also liked Shania Twain, whose "The Woman In Me" CD is playing right now as I'm writing this WEB page! Theresa also reminded me that on the first day we saw Samia during our orientation he had on a colorful Hawaiian shirt, which is the type of clothing that I wear all the time to work at Intel. Samia and I must be twins separated at birth!

  Here was Alex clowning with a buffalo skull and posting for a "photo-op" with Samia. Would you trust these two folks leading you all the way up to 19,340 feet? :-)

For not having hiked extensively and have NEVER camped outdoor in their entire life, Ede and Bruce sure looked like they are having a ball despite the sooty clothes that they were wearing. Compared to this Kili climb, marathon running--which they usually do--must seem like a sprint! Incidentally, that was the last picture I took of the day. No picture of the camp. No picture of people. No picture of Theresa. No picture of dinner. I was too tired to even hold my 9-oz Canon PowerShot A5 digital camera (which is a great camera and I highly recommend it--I even just discovered that Canon is delivering a new 28-70 zoom version of the camera which I wish I had on this trip) and press the shutter. Why?

Kili climb is a 9-days adventure, but it must seem like a slow Chinese water torture to some. That's exactly how I felt the moment I reached the Shira camp. Remember what I said about less activity means less oxygen to my brain, and my brain does not like it! I gulped down two extra strength (500Mg) Tylenol pain relievers and started to seriously doubt my "wisdom" of not having taken Diamox yet. It was actually not the headache that was bothering me the most; it was the nausea.

I tried to sleep. I coughed a few times. However, the moment I smelled and tasted the soot from my lungs and nostrils, it was too much for me. I ran out the tent, picked out the nearest tree, and puked.

"Hum, this is much too early to get sick and throw up. Butterman, in his Internet travelogue, did not throw up until the last camp." Of course, he was taking Diamox, and I was not taking it yet. Sorry to say that I was too sick to ask Theresa to take a picture of me puking--fluid was coming out of my mouth and my nose. You know the feeling. Yuck. Well, I wanted an adventure and wanted to experience everything while climbing Kili--I had my wish now!

I lost my appetite and refused to go to dinner. Theresa was very worried and talked to Alex. Alex suggested that we take our Diamox right away rather than wait for the next day. So we did. Since I knew Diamox will take 24 hours to take effect, I knew that I will suffer some more. Since Diamox is a diuretics and due to my trial use of Diamox prior to our trip, I knew I was going to pee like crazy. I was right!

So my experience at Shira Camp was mostly a blur. What did I remember? Was my fondest memory my throwing up? Was it the beautiful setting on this expansive plateau? Was is trying to sleep even though I was sick, uncomfortable, and miserable. Nope. the most I remember was seeing the night sky sparkling with millions of stars in the crystal clear and cool air. I'll never forget that sky for the rest of my life, and I will not trade that experience for anything else! What beautiful stars!

Every night I  looked forward to getting up the next morning because I knew that I'll feel better as soon as I started to hike and get some oxygen to my brain. Besides, as much as I like stars I just hated to go to bathroom all night and wake up my camping neighbors as I zip up and down the zippers for the sleeping bag, the inner tent, and the rain fly. This is what Alex refer as to the "ZIP symphony." However, I often felt guilty for being the solo performer! What weak bladder I have!

As you can see from the next morning's picture, the Shira camp was a beautiful place. I got up at 6:30am--not a minute too soon.

Sun has not risen as of 6:39a.m. There is Kibo straight ahead. Just a few more days then we could be on the top of Kilimanjaro. Frankly at this point I had serious reservations about myself getting all the way to the top. Just exactly how can one get evacuated from this place, anyway... Soon I'll find out.

Sun was shining brightly at 8:20a.m.

This is a three-frame panoramic shot of the Shira plateau as we look toward south-east--I think. You know what kind of condition my brain was in--so I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this WEB page! Can you locate the women's bathroom in this picture. I'll give you a hint--it's green.

  Everyone else seemed to be doing great and enjoyed their breakfast. Believe me, food was the last thing on my mind. At least I have the energy to snap a few pictures.

Anne was all ready to hit the trail as the porters were breaking down the camp.

Theresa was ready to follow Anne with her hiking sticks in hand. However, if there was a bus stop nearby Theresa would have sent me home on the bus right then and there. I was pretty green at that time. Let's see how many times I will be throwing up the rest of the way...