The hike started out mostly downhill and flat so the group began hiking really fast, and I should have slowed down but I didn’t. Shortly after I began to feel a mild headache. We continued to walk across this desolate plain which felt exactly how I imagined it to be on the moon. Some past hikers left messages with rocks along the side of the trail. Most of them were in other languages, but I did understand one that read “Pole,” which means slow in Swahili. I felt like that was specifically a message for me.

The Moon   

As we hiked, the fog kept rolling through. At times it was a bit eerie and then all of a sudden it would clear and you could see across the Saddle, but not far enough to see the hut. I stopped to take a pee brake and took some Tylenol. George stayed back with me while the others walked ahead. My headache was a dull throb in my temples, and it didn’t seem to get any better. My stomach didn’t feel great, but I wasn’t at the point of puking. The headache stayed with me throughout the hike.

Wil, Don, and Jerry eventually broke out in the lead. Then it was Dad, Paul, and Jeff. Rich stayed back with George and myself. He mentioned that his legs were a bit sore. I just listened to my body and kept a slow and steady pace. We did get to a sign and we could finally see the hut off in the distance. George said it would take another 1 ½ to 2 hours to get to the hut. It felt like forever. I felt like I kept getting slower and slower, and the headache was taking over my concentration. But I kept going. Eventually Paul, Jeff, Dad, and Rich were back with the same pace as me. I started to do like Sea Moose said - take 100 steps, than rest for one minute. Then do it again, and again. Soon that was all I was thinking about, counting steps. It really seemed to take forever.

Me, Dad and Rich   

Needlesstosay I finally did get to Kibo Hut, and I do feel much better now that I got here. I changed into dry clothes, had tea, and prepared all my gear for the summit attempt later tonight. Everybody in our group seems to be OK. I had no appetite, but I did manage to eat dinner - soup, bread, potatoes, pasta, and pears. Now everyone is getting ready to go to sleep. The wake-up call is a 12:00 AM. We need to climb another 3,700 feet to get to the summit. It’s pretty cold in the hut. We have to put our water inside our sleeping bags so it doesn’t freeze. There is no running water at all. We carried all of the water we needed from Horombo. I’m exhausted, and looking forward to some rest.

Sunset at Kibo Hut