Ascent - School Hut Camp to Uhuru Peak
Ascent: Distance to summit: 5.4 km; Altitude gained: 1,173m (3,848 ft)
School Hut Camp: 4722m (15,492 ft)
Hans Meyer Cave: 5243m (17,201 ft)
Gillman's Point: 5708m (18,727 ft)
Uhuru Peak: 5895m (19,341 ft)
Amazingly enough and despite less than 4 hours of sleep, when our wake up call came around 11 PM, I woke up feeling fairly refreshed. Although in reality, it was probably pure adrenaline and nerves that were making me giddy. The wet weather that had damped our acclimatization hike earlier that day had passed and now there was nothing but a clear sky filled with more stars than I could even imagine above our heads, beckoning us onwards towards the heavens. Joshua had warned us though - a clear sky meant for colder temperatures and this seemed to be true (not that I have any basis for comparison). After 30 minutes of prep time in the tent, brushing teeth and using the
toilet tent, everyone headed to the mess tent for a light
"breakfast" of sorts. There was some brief chatter over breakfast, but everyone's mind was only on the summit and poor Catherine had barely slept a wink. We ate our porridge and prepared our water and packs in silence, which seemed appropriate in the solitude of the night on a remote mountain in the middle of Africa.
