Day three is the first really long climb. We start the day early with tea, Karyn and I are reluctant to wake up so early but we do. The ground is again covered in frost and the hand washing water from last night is frozen over with a film of ice. It is a cold morning but as we begin the day’s hike, we all begin to warm up and shed the outer layers.
We climb up and away from any vegetation and soon the ground is a barren hill studded with volcanic rocks, people wending their way among the boulders like a line of ants extending into the distance. Clouds threaten to engulf us as the wind picks up and Karyn puts some gloves on her ears; we all put our extra layer back on. The wind drops and the clouds lessen and I am about to take off my sweatshirt again when we reach a flat section where a couple of tents are pitched. One of them is our cooking tent and part of our team has stopped to set up the cooking tent and table to serve us lunch – cheese and tomato sandwiches (cheese!! Not too common here) a hard boiled egg, juice box, the cucumber soup that everyone else was starting to get sick of and some glucose biscuits.
When we start again, Francis, officially Patrik’s guide leads us up the rock-covered slope. Soon, far ahead up the hill, a tall rock formation comes into view. I stare at it for a few minutes before it 
dawns on me that this might be the Lava Tower to which they told us we would be hiking today, 4600m. We continue up the barren slope, which isn’t extremely steep, and we eventually come to the place at the base of the “lava tower” that is to be our highest point for theday. After a short rest, I get out my poles to ease the impact on my knees as we begin heading back down. 
After a steep descent, a short ascent and a much longer descent we begin seeing some signs of life. Green vegetation, especially the sinecio (trees that remind me of llamas)becomes more common as we go back down to our camp at 3900m, just one hundred more than last night. I run off the path a couple of times to try to get a good photo and I fall a bit behind, but it’s downhill and I catch up again. And tea and mahindi pop is waiting for us on the table in our tent.
dawns on me that this might be the Lava Tower to which they told us we would be hiking today, 4600m. We continue up the barren slope, which isn’t extremely steep, and we eventually come to the place at the base of the “lava tower” that is to be our highest point for theday. After a short rest, I get out my poles to ease the impact on my knees as we begin heading back down. 
After a steep descent, a short ascent and a much longer descent we begin seeing some signs of life. Green vegetation, especially the sinecio (trees that remind me of llamas)becomes more common as we go back down to our camp at 3900m, just one hundred more than last night. I run off the path a couple of times to try to get a good photo and I fall a bit behind, but it’s downhill and I catch up again. And tea and mahindi pop is waiting for us on the table in our tent.
The campsite is more protected that the one the previous night. It’s in a valley between two ridges of the mountain, the main Kibo peak rising behind and above us. On the
opposite side, the mountain descends into the clouds and haze and somehow it gives me the distinct impression that the sea is right there, that just beyond where the mountain drops out of view, the cliffs plunge down into the sea. The moon rises above the mountain and tomorrow’s hike looms above us as the sun sets.
opposite side, the mountain descends into the clouds and haze and somehow it gives me the distinct impression that the sea is right there, that just beyond where the mountain drops out of view, the cliffs plunge down into the sea. The moon rises above the mountain and tomorrow’s hike looms above us as the sun sets.
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