OK day 4. Beautiful day! I immediately tuck right into being in the rear:)! Today I am wearing long sleeves...partly because it's chilly but mainly for protection from the sun. I am also keeping gloves on my hands. My hands are swollen and burnt and I think I got a little sun poisoning. Lovely. We have a short hike this morning (and by short, I mean a couple of hours) to our next camp which is the Kibo Huts. This is where several trails meet up and everyone will stay prior to summiting. We are following a river bed. It is dry season but during rainy season, I guess a river flows through here.
This picture is another sign left by someone...kind of like a trail marker...similar to the one left for us so we would know where our water was. These were all along the trail.
Messages spelled out in rocks...
Can you see in the photo below all the trail markers? They are along the top of the rocks. Pretty cool.
Below is a picture of our pals...Benjy and Arinn.
The photo below is of Flora (on the right) and Eddie/Edwin (Edoo-Edoo)...on the left. Ladies...Flora is single:)!
The next few are our view along our hike...
a heart.
This picture is another sign left by someone...kind of like a trail marker...similar to the one left for us so we would know where our water was. These were all along the trail.
Messages spelled out in rocks...
Can you see in the photo below all the trail markers? They are along the top of the rocks. Pretty cool.
Below is a picture of our pals...Benjy and Arinn.
The photo below is of Flora (on the right) and Eddie/Edwin (Edoo-Edoo)...on the left. Ladies...Flora is single:)!
The next few are our view along our hike...
a heart.
No one is really feeling the effects of the altitude. A couple of us have had mild headaches. We have been taking Diamox as prescribed and also take aspirin or whatever for headaches. We have all been drinking A LOT of water. Having Nurse Lisa and Nurse Arinn is very helpful as well. We hiked a few hours to Kibo.
When we arrived, I can remember being so tired. But there was also this immediate smell...breathtaking and not in a good way. I asked Flora what the smell was and he said waste:):)! WOW. At this camp there were huts and tents. Some of the routes have huts but the route we took required tents. You had to sign in at this camp which is where I ran into Rama:)! "Hello Diva"...he says.
As I am signing in, Mickey came up to buy a Coke (or was it a beer? I can't remember) and Snickers. My eyes perked up because I hadn't had a coke in days. I am a soft drink feen. After signing in, I found our tent and begged JJ to buy us a Coke. While he was gone, my mouth started salivating. It was one of those moments where I could totally taste the bubblies and syrup...a perfect combination. Oh he just couldn't get back fast enough. So he gets back with one Coke and I think I remember him saying he had bought two...I think he gave the other to Benjy who wasn't feeling 100%. We are pretty high up in altitude. So he popped it open and you know the sound...ahhh, yeah! I took a BIG SWIG...and almost immediately spit it out. STUPID DIAMOX. When taking Diamox, things taste different. It was as if there was no carbonation in the Coke at all...only syrup. GAG. I had forgotten all about that. My moment with my Coke had been ruined. UGH!
OK, well, I mustered up the strength to go to the bathroom. I remember thinking...cool, our tent is near the bathrooms. Oh my goodness! Listen, I really don't know what to say about this. OK, do you ever experience something and think...one day...one day, I may develop some form of Alzheimer's and will forget things in my life. And if this happens, you hope you remember all the good things...but as luck will have it, this will go down as a memory that not even Alzheimer's can erase. And what I am talking about are the bathrooms at this particular camp. It's OK if you think I am being overly dramatic...this is my blog...my story and I will tell it like I want to...a very filtered version of what happened next. FILTERED. So I am waiting in line to go potty. And as the line shortens, I start to smell something. Now, this particular set of bathrooms is not really close to where we entered the camp. So, different smell...different indeed. There were like 4 doors to choose from and I thought "I hope I get the good one". Well, it was my turn and because there was a line I just took a deep breath and went in. O*M*G. I remember trying to focus on all the television shows I had watched about scuba diving...how to exhale slowly so you don't have to breath in...why can't I remember the advice from the various programs? Oh boy, then as I am trying to focus on breathing out, while holding the toilet paper so it remains clean and positioning my pants...I gagged because I could now taste the smell. I had always made fun of JJ for gagging at revolting smells and now it was happening to me. I thought well this is not going to end well. Remember hole in the floor...nothing else to really hold you up other than your two feet. I really could not get out of there fast enough. I ran outside and up the hill before I allowed myself to breath. Ahhhhhhh, fresh air. I don't think I even buttoned or zipped my pants until I got up the hill. Let me say this again...GREAT! Our tent is near the bathrooms. There is another bathroom story that is reserved for me to tell in person...the impact of the magnitude of the situation really comes to life for the audience if told in person. (disclaimer: not for all audiences).
OK, on to lunch. I said before that the food has started to blend together for me. It is getting harder and harder for me to eat. The food is equally as great as it was on Day 1 but my taste buds or my body is just saying no. So I think I just ate a PB&J. We were being briefed on our summit...that was later that evening. We were told JJ and I may need to start an hour earlier than the group because of my slower pace. We would be given final instructions at dinner. For now, go to sleep. So we went to the tent and got everything ready for summit...then we went to sleep for the afternoon. I didn't have a watch so I really relied on the guides to wake us up. I also have no idea what time we layed down or how long we slept.
More to follow...
When we arrived, I can remember being so tired. But there was also this immediate smell...breathtaking and not in a good way. I asked Flora what the smell was and he said waste:):)! WOW. At this camp there were huts and tents. Some of the routes have huts but the route we took required tents. You had to sign in at this camp which is where I ran into Rama:)! "Hello Diva"...he says.
As I am signing in, Mickey came up to buy a Coke (or was it a beer? I can't remember) and Snickers. My eyes perked up because I hadn't had a coke in days. I am a soft drink feen. After signing in, I found our tent and begged JJ to buy us a Coke. While he was gone, my mouth started salivating. It was one of those moments where I could totally taste the bubblies and syrup...a perfect combination. Oh he just couldn't get back fast enough. So he gets back with one Coke and I think I remember him saying he had bought two...I think he gave the other to Benjy who wasn't feeling 100%. We are pretty high up in altitude. So he popped it open and you know the sound...ahhh, yeah! I took a BIG SWIG...and almost immediately spit it out. STUPID DIAMOX. When taking Diamox, things taste different. It was as if there was no carbonation in the Coke at all...only syrup. GAG. I had forgotten all about that. My moment with my Coke had been ruined. UGH!
OK, well, I mustered up the strength to go to the bathroom. I remember thinking...cool, our tent is near the bathrooms. Oh my goodness! Listen, I really don't know what to say about this. OK, do you ever experience something and think...one day...one day, I may develop some form of Alzheimer's and will forget things in my life. And if this happens, you hope you remember all the good things...but as luck will have it, this will go down as a memory that not even Alzheimer's can erase. And what I am talking about are the bathrooms at this particular camp. It's OK if you think I am being overly dramatic...this is my blog...my story and I will tell it like I want to...a very filtered version of what happened next. FILTERED. So I am waiting in line to go potty. And as the line shortens, I start to smell something. Now, this particular set of bathrooms is not really close to where we entered the camp. So, different smell...different indeed. There were like 4 doors to choose from and I thought "I hope I get the good one". Well, it was my turn and because there was a line I just took a deep breath and went in. O*M*G. I remember trying to focus on all the television shows I had watched about scuba diving...how to exhale slowly so you don't have to breath in...why can't I remember the advice from the various programs? Oh boy, then as I am trying to focus on breathing out, while holding the toilet paper so it remains clean and positioning my pants...I gagged because I could now taste the smell. I had always made fun of JJ for gagging at revolting smells and now it was happening to me. I thought well this is not going to end well. Remember hole in the floor...nothing else to really hold you up other than your two feet. I really could not get out of there fast enough. I ran outside and up the hill before I allowed myself to breath. Ahhhhhhh, fresh air. I don't think I even buttoned or zipped my pants until I got up the hill. Let me say this again...GREAT! Our tent is near the bathrooms. There is another bathroom story that is reserved for me to tell in person...the impact of the magnitude of the situation really comes to life for the audience if told in person. (disclaimer: not for all audiences).
OK, on to lunch. I said before that the food has started to blend together for me. It is getting harder and harder for me to eat. The food is equally as great as it was on Day 1 but my taste buds or my body is just saying no. So I think I just ate a PB&J. We were being briefed on our summit...that was later that evening. We were told JJ and I may need to start an hour earlier than the group because of my slower pace. We would be given final instructions at dinner. For now, go to sleep. So we went to the tent and got everything ready for summit...then we went to sleep for the afternoon. I didn't have a watch so I really relied on the guides to wake us up. I also have no idea what time we layed down or how long we slept.
More to follow...
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