Mt. Kilimanjaro Trek - Shira Hut

Joining our group was the tour operator's brother-in-law Jae-Mul. Jae-Mul was an interesting guy from the United Kingdom who was aimlessly traveling around the world for some time. Usually he didn’t respect regulations and snuck into parks, but given his relation to Bobby, he promised to hike Kilimanjaro on the “up and up.” He was definitely a loner, and we were unsure if he would stay with us for all of the ascent.

Once the clouds lifted, our campsite provided a great view of Kilimanjaro in the late day light. If you wanted a photo you had to be attentive though as the clouds didn't dissipate for long.

Dinner was cooked in a small crowded tent. Gone were the spacious accommodations of the Inca Trail.

That night I slept great and awoke feeling better and stronger than the previous days. Again we got an early start and headed up a well groomed trail. The slow steady climb into the bright sun provided us great views of the barren but snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro. The day before we were politely asked by Simon to wait for him as it would look bad if we got to the campsite before him. So today we walked with Simon. The pace was sluggish, but tolerable. It was actually good to proceed at a slower pace as the stunning views motivated many photo breaks along the way.

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