Kilimanjaro: Lunch at Barafu Camp

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The morning light rose above the mountain and slowly warmed my tent. I had slept relatively well knowing that the next 36 hours were going to be grueling. We would have a short three hour hike to Barafu Camp at 14,930 feet (4,550 feet)  – the normal setting off point for the summit attempt – and continue on to a higher, lesser known camp called Kosovo where we would sleep before a midnight rise to climb to the top.

Morning 5 on Kilimanjaro.

Group shot before we leave Karanaga Camp.

It was another gorgeous day and the views of the summit were spectacular. After five days and nights on the mountain, it was hard to believe that the summit attempt was already so near. We were incredibly fortunate to have been blessed with such spectacular weather and were hoping that our climb up would be equally nice. The thought of climbing unprotected for hours in the dark scared me more than the actual climb. I knew that on some cases it could be bone-numbing cold with winds well below zero. Six or seven hours in that sounded painful.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was feeling great both physically and mentally. I was ready to do it and get to the top. To have worked so hard, I had to get there. Thankfully I had no signs at all of altitude sickness so it would merely be a mind game getting to the top. It was not only a test of physical but of mental strength. I learned that when I ran a marathon.

Leaving camp

“Challenge is the pathway to engagement and progress in our lives. But not all challenges are created equal. Some challenges make us feel alive, engaged, connected, and fulfilled. Others simply overwhelm us. Knowing the difference as you set bigger and bolder challenges for yourself is critical to your sanity, success, and satisfaction”. – Brendon Burchard

In the past five days on the mountain I had become great friends with our team of climbers and support staff. What I love about doing a climb is that it is both personal and communal. We all have our own personal reasons for doing it and our own challenges to overcome. Yet as a team,  the support and friendship of the group has its own impact and power on the experience too.

Going up through the long rocky path

Taking a break

We reached Barafu Camp hungry and ready for a hot lunch. As one of the highest camps before the summit attempt, it was rocky and crowded. After being there for only a few minutes, I was relieved that we would continue on to the next camp up. My nerves were already racing and a little more peace and tranquility would do me well.

Solar Sister Founder Katherine Lucey taking a little nap in the sun.

It was only a short hike to the next camp where we would rest, eat an early dinner and rise shortly after midnight for our climb up. It was hard to believe after all that dreaming that it was finally here.

 

38 thoughts on “Kilimanjaro: Lunch at Barafu Camp”

  1. Unbelievable, I cannot imagine the inner joy that you must feel: the combination of Mother Nature’s magnificence and your quest to fulfill a dream must bring an inhale and exhale of spiritual tranquility.

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks Sally! I want to go back! 🙂 It was really amazing.

      Reply ↓
  2. Alison and Don – Occupation: being/living/experiencing/travelling. In our sixties, with apparently no other authentic option, my husband Don and I sold our apartment and car, sold or gave away all our stuff and set off to discover the world. And ourselves. We started in Italy in 2011 and from there have travelled to Spain, India, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, South America, Egypt, Japan, etc. - you can see the blog archive. We travelled full-time for nearly six years, and then re-established a home in Vancouver. We now travel 2-3 months per year. We are interested in how the world works, how life works, how the creation of experience works, how the mind works. As we travel and both "choose" our course, and at the same time just let it unfold, we discover the "mechanics" of life, the astounding creativity of life, and a continual need to return to trust and presence. Opening the heart, and acceptance of what is, as it is, are keystones for us both. Interests: In no particular order: travel, photography, figure skating (as a fan), acceptance, authenticity, walking/hiking, joy, creativity, being human, adventure, presence, NOW. Same for Don except replace figure skating with Formula One motor racing.
    Alison and Don on said:

    Another great installment. As usual you got some great shots.
    Alison

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks Alison!

      Reply ↓

  3. I love the quotes that you have interspersed in all of these pieces. Did you read them before you went or just when you got back? Looking forward to reading about the final moment you reached the top!

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks Emily!! I did not read them before the hike but found them after. I love Brainy Quotes and usually look there.

      Reply ↓

  4. I love reading your posts about trekking up Kili. Your photos are fantastic. I’m looking forward to taking lots of shots each day. I leave the US on Friday and start the trek next Tuesday. I’m doing 8 days up and 2 down. The route is a newer & less crowded route called the Northern Circuit. I’m scared and excited but mostly excited and ready to get to it 🙂

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Wonderful! Sounds like a great route. 2 down is nice as the knees hurt by then. Good luck!

      Reply ↓
  5. Madcap Odyssey – New Delhi – We all have that one thing in our lives that makes us feel alive and keeps the fire ignited within us. “A ship is always safe at the shore but it’s not built for it”. We don’t believe in being reasonable in her approach towards life. For us till the time our dreams do not scare us, we are not fueled enough to go for it. Efforts are important but knowing where to put the effort makes all the difference. We never expect things to happen for us, we are ready to sweat out and achieve it and create our own value. With this inspiration, we have set out to pursue our passion for traveling and connect with the people of our kind. We are here to create a community of travelers who are willing to learn and explore life in Madcap Odyssey Style.
    Madcap Odyssey on said:

    Travel to India Someday

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      I have. I love India!!!!

      Reply ↓

  6. Wow. Tanzania is undoubtedly one my dreams. My boyfriend is half Tanzanian, hope one day I would be able to see that beautiful part of the world and gain some skills on how to write a blog. I am an amateour 😀 Blessings from Netherlands.

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Wonderful! You should visit Tanzania! It is such an amazing place! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply ↓

  8. Oh my! I’m on pins and needles. Why did you have to leave for the summit at midnight? Was it because it was a long trek and you had to return to one of the base camps the same day?

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Ha Ha….I’m not very fast Debbie at getting the story out. It has dragged on for perhaps too long but it is so fun for me to relive it. 🙂 We left at midnight as it was 6 hours up, 6 hours down then a short nap, then four more hours so it was hard to make it all in one day plus you must be on top to see the sun rise!!! Something I will never forget.

      Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks Andrew! I wish I did but it was too cold and I just wanted to get there. I wish so bad I got the shots. My hands were numb and I wanted to make sure my camera would work on top if I took it out.

      Reply ↓

  10. Reading your blog makes me wanna go there and trek! I am not sure though if i can handle it hehehe…

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks so much! It is amazing! 🙂

      Reply ↓
  11. Jo Bryant – New Zealand – I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.
    Jo Bryant on said:

    What an adventure. I remember sleeping against a rock when I climbed Kili I was so tired.

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Yes it was. When did you climb it Jo? Did you enjoy it?

      Reply ↓
      • Jo Bryant – New Zealand – I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.
        Jo Bryant on said:

        Back in 1984. We did it in two and a half days. To Gilman’s Peak.

      • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
        thirdeyemom on said:

        What? Wow how did you do the entire hike in two and a half days???!!! That is amazing!

      • Jo Bryant – New Zealand – I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.
        Jo Bryant on said:

        Actually looking back it was three days. We hike each day to different huts. Then the third day [half a day] to the last hut where we slept the afternoon and evening, getting up at midnight to make the last climb to the point. It was pretty taxing. I hurt my ankle on the way down. Our guide was holding my hand pulling me and I twisted it on the scree. Getting the rest of the way down was a nightmare. Part of it I had to be piggy-backed as it was too painful.

      • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
        thirdeyemom on said:

        Wow, that is crazy Jo. What an adventure though!

      • Jo Bryant – New Zealand – I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.
        Jo Bryant on said:

        And yes I loved it. Bloody cold though.

      • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
        thirdeyemom on said:

        Yea I’m to was cold but not as bad as I’ve felt it in Minnesota! We had pretty mild weather on the summit climb.

  12. wwwpalfitness – Hello my name is Paul and I used to write quite often and I missed it, so I decided to start this blog. I plan on publishing on Kindle with some of my specific writings. I am a bit of a wiseguy, have a mouth on me but I do curb my language in my writing but comments are another thing. My writing material is also quite varied. I hope you enjoy my posts. I am a long island based personal trainer and coach with over 25 years of experience. I have been a multiple time County Champ in various events, a State Champion and All American in both High School and College. I have also had injuries that have aided me in understanding how to train myself and others and have helped 1000s of clients attain and surpass their goals. I had my first certification in 1989 and my most recent is with ACSM. I work with people from all walks of life, ages, fitness goals and needs. <!-- Put this code anywhere in the body of your page where you want the badge to show up. --> <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/paul1mc" rel="nofollow"> paul1mc Fiverr Seller Hello my name is Paul McAleavey and I live in New York, specifically and sadly Suffolk County but not much longer. I am a Word press blogger, help create websites, I do marketing and SEO. My blogging is fairly frequent and I am very diligent in getting my work done quickly and efficiently. Paul </a>
    wwwpalfitness on said:

    Reblogged this on wwwpalfitness.

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks LuAnn! It is taking me longer than I thought it would be almost there!

      Reply ↓
  14. The Hollyfood Reporter – Everywhere – My name is Zulfikar Fahd, a movie & TV maniac. Growing up in a country where toxic masculinity is well nurtured by its society, my late grandma (bless her soul) was always hesitant every time I'd try to make my way around the kitchen. Cooking is a feminine job, they'd say. My curiosity towards food grew bigger when my palate was exposed to a whole new food scene while traveling the world in 2012-2017. In a random mining town called Newman in Western Australia, I had my first-ever kitchen job: a cook at a bar & grill, whose customers were mostly miners, truckers and road trippers. Spring 2019, for the first time in my life I lived by myself. Bachelor apartment, Downtown Toronto. This means, I have the kitchen all for myself. I've been experimenting with food from around the world, thanks to Sam Sifton and Melissa Clark whose recipes I always stole from The New York Times. One cold evening in November 2019, I suddenly came up with an idea of combining my two hobbies: movies & TV and cooking. I've watched more than 1,000 Hollywood titles and cooked more than 1,000 foods in my life, so the idea of recreating recipes from iconic food scenes of my favourite movies and TV shows would be an excellent idea. I know it's not an original idea, someone else has done it before, but what the hell. There are many foods and movies they haven't covered. So here we go, folks. Oh, if you want to get in touch, write me at hello@hollyfoodreporter.com.
    Zulfikar Fahd on said:

    Awesome story and pictures!!! I want to go there one day 🙂

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thank you! It is quite wonderful there. 🙂

      Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Lovely! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply ↓
  16. maamej – Australia – I'm a single white Aussie mum of anglo-celtic background with a teenage son whose dad is from Ghana in West Africa. I’m blogging to share experiences, insights & funny stories about living in a mixed family. I also blog about health, politics, culture, racism and food.
    maamej on said:

    Oh no!waiting eargerly fot the

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      Thanks!

      Reply ↓
  17. maamej – Australia – I'm a single white Aussie mum of anglo-celtic background with a teenage son whose dad is from Ghana in West Africa. I’m blogging to share experiences, insights & funny stories about living in a mixed family. I also blog about health, politics, culture, racism and food.
    maamej on said:

    Oops, pressed send accidentally. What I was going to say was: Oh no, I didn’t realise you hadn’t finished the series. waiting eagerly for the next installments.

    Reply ↓
    • thirdeyemom – Writer, traveler, hiker and global humanitarian traveling the world and doing good. Member of Impact Travel Alliance Media Network. 40+ countries and still wandering sharing my journey along the way.
      thirdeyemom on said:

      I am almost done writing the series! It has taken me a few months! But fun to go back and remember the trip. It was awesome. 🙂

      Reply ↓

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