day2

On the second day of our adventure we were woken by a tap on the tent door – Losi, our camp waiter had brewed up some hot tea and we were summoned to the mess tent for breakfast. Again, Rayson went over our plans for the day and stressed the importance of safety on the mountain.

About 9am we set off on our journey to Shira Camp and very quickly the terrain changed from the soft green of the fern forest to a much harder environment. As we gained altitude the trees gave way to shrubs – and within an hour of starting our climb the giant trees of the forest had been replaced by thin, stumpy bushes that struggled to survive in the rarefied air. The ground too lost its softness and was replaced by stones, rocks and boulders thrown up by the ancient eruption. Along with the change in environment, our progress slowed.

No longer walking on solid ground, this day we skipped from rock to rock, pulled ourselves over boulders. On the first day we’d travelled along a clearly defined path. Today, a faint trail left by thousands of walking poles scratched our way forward. On the map this stretch had looked a lot shorter than yesterdays 18km hike and Tim and I had been looking forward to a less strenuous day. Yet the change in environment and higher altitude meant it took us nearly 8 hours to travel just 9km.

 Halfway through the day it started raining and so, cold, wet and tired, we trudged through this desolate landscape. It was bloody marvelous. Not once did we talk about business or exchange rates or the global economic meltdown. When we arrived at Shira Camp (3,840m) we were, once more, utterly exhausted. A tiring yet fulfilling day.