Hike Day 4: Barranco Camp to Barafu Base Camp

Start: Barranco Camp (Elevation = 13,074 ft)
End: Barafu Base Camp (Elevation = 15,358 ft)

This morning was clear and cold. When we woke up around 7 AM, we could already see a string of hikers and porters climbing up the Barranco Wall. Barranco wall is a near vertical wall very close to camp. It is a climb of ~800 ft to get over the wall.

Steph and Simko were still not feeling well from the altitude. Steph rolled her pants into her sleeping bag (it is best to sleep with your clothes to keep them warm) and was late for breakfast.

This was the longest day of hiking so far. ~8 hours of hiking total and a lot of elevation gain. We stopped at the Karanga Camp site for lunch about halfway through the hike. Some people actually turn this day into two days to keep the day before the summit hike from being too strenuous.

The Karanga valley is also the last point where water was available. The porters made us tea and refilled our water bottles at the lunch stop. They also filled containers for cooking and to refill our bottles for the hike to the summit. We spent ~1 hour at the lunch stop. It was cloudy and dusty and all of us were tired so we appreciated the extended rest.

After lunch it was basically steadily uphill to the base camp. Shortly after starting the hike after lunch, we saw a porter who had hurt his knee. He was shivering and appeared to be going into shock on the side of the trail. Azizi helped him and we gave him some pain medication, granola bars and hand warmers. We waited down the trail while Azizi helped to bandage his knee. It was a long way down the mountain for him.

We finally made it to base camp around 5 PM and signed in at the hut. At this elevation, even just climbing from the start of the camp to the hut was a chore. The site was very rocky and many of the rocks were unstable making the walk around camp tricky. Immediately started unpacking the duffel bags and getting the cold weather gear out for the summit night.

Dinner was around 7 PM and was noddles with ground beef and red sauce. Some who were suffering the effects of altitude did not eat much, but all ate as much as they could as there was a long night ahead.

Went back to the tents after dinner to finish getting organized for the hike. Put foot warmers in the boots to keep them somewhat warm. Slept in two pairs of wool socks. Three pair of pants (base layer, fleece pants, and hiking pants). Long-sleeved base layer and wool hat. Put jackets and all water bottles in the sleeping bag to prevent them from freezing.

Finally went to sleep around 9:00 PM. Did not sleep well, as the adrenoline was flowing getting ready for the night. Also, was anxious about whether the group would make it to the summit. Wake up call is at 11:00 PM.