Day 7 - The hors d'oeuvre...

Third Caves Camp to School Hut Camp
Distance: 4.9 km; Altitude gained: 751 m
Third Caves Camp: 3936m (12,913 ft)
School Hut Camp: 4722m (15,492 ft)

Going to bed on Day 6, my nerves were peaking.  Day 7 is when it would start in earnest.  The climb to School Huts (our base camp for the summit) would take us just the morning, but gaining 751m in altitude in less than 5 km meant for a steep morning.  A morning of tough hiking, at high altitudes, followed by a light lunch, acclimatization hike and early dinner and bedtime.  Although "Day 8" is the day of the summit bid, it really starts today, as we wake up at 11 PM to get ready.  So, I was nervous.

Day 5 - Bring on the drugs... (Feb 15)

Kikelelwa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp
Distance: 3.75 km; altitude gained: 627 m
Kikelelwa Camp - 3675m (12,057 ft)
Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp - 4302m (14,114 ft)

Don't let the short distance fool you.  Although this was just over 2 miles of distance, we gained over 2,000 ft in elevation today, which made for a pretty steep climb.  And at altitudes approaching the highest peaks in the continental US, this was by no means to be taken lightly