Day 5 – Shira Two to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp

Today was a good day. We were a little anxious about altitude sickness, since this was a long day at an altitude higher than we’ve ever been to before. Additionally we are not using any kind of altitude sickness medicine so today was a sort of dry run for the summit attempt. We’re happy to say that we performed admirably, and did the trek faster than anticipated. It took us 3 hours 45 minutes to make it to Lava Tower where we had lunch, and another hour to make it down to Barranco Camp. Rushi had a mild headache that receded quickly, but apart from that both climbers felt good. The temperature differential from Camp Shira Two to the Lava Tower was something to behold. It was actually hailing on us as we ate our lunch on Lava Tower. Unlike other groups, we didn’t have the luxury of having porters pitch Geodesic Dome tents at Lava Tower for lunch. As such we decided to pack our lunches & head down to a lower(warmer) altitude to finish eating.

The approach into Barranco Camp was particularly stunning. We were in the middle of a cloud layer on the approach, so visibility was 15-30 feet and the temperature was significantly lower than just moments before we entered the clouds. Coupled with the giant cactii all around us and the barren rocky terrain, it truly felt like an alien planet. The pictures do not do justice but should give you some idea of this unique environment. Visibility was even worse at the camp itself. While there were over 75 tents at the camp, we were able to see maybe 10 due to the intense fog. It felt amazing to experience this after a long day, we felt like explorers on a strange alien world.

Today there was no acclimatization hike due to the long push. After pitching camp we had tea, followed by dinner. Rushi taught me how to play 13-card Rummy & after a few rounds we headed to bed. Today was a great confidence builder. We feel that the summit attempt should go off without issue.

Continue to Day 6 – Scaling The Barranco Wall to Karanga Camp

IMPORTANT! Click on any of the pictures below to go to the full photo/video album for Day 5. We highly recommend clicking on the “show info” button at the top right of the album page if you’d like to see our description of each picture. Also when videos play, be sure that the HD box on the bottom right is lit, or the video will look terrible!

(Note: If you are clicking through the pictures manually, be aware that there is a Flickr bug that causes a video to play if you’re looking at the picture preceding the video). We apologize for the inconvenience, but you can mute the audio if it gets annoying.