Kilimanjaro 2: from Machame Camp to Shira Camp

From the forest to the moorland.

Location: Moorland

From Machame Camp to Shira Camp

This is the day when we leave the last areas of the rainforest, just above the Machame Camp, to enter the high-altitude moorland. Crossing a small valley, we climb along a steep rocky ridge covered in heather, until we reach its end. From here, we have a view towards the west, with the Western Breach and its beautiful glaciers. When the sky is clear, you can see Mount Meru, Kibo, and even villages much lower down. The path then turns to the west, crosses a river gorge, and reaches the Shira Camp at 3,840 meters. In this exposed area, the night is even colder than the previous one, and the temperature often drops below zero.

Towards Shira Camp, through fog and moorland.

The night is quiet.; We were awakened at 6:30 with coffee in our tent, and after fifteen minutes, two basins arrived for us to wash up. Then we had breakfast, and by 8 am we were ready to depart. The sky was clear, but after a few minutes, we were enveloped in fresh mist, which was open enough to allow us to admire the surrounding landscape. Jackson, our second guide, would accompany us to the Shira Plateau, while Joseph, the head guide, oversaw the dismantling of the camp and caught up with us along the way. The formation was established immediately, with the guide leading the way, and this would continue for the following days, all with a friendly discipline. The pace, not fast but constant and regular, proved to be the best way to avoid fatigue, prevent lactic acid buildup, and allow for good digestion while walking. We were now outside the forest. the climb is more challenging compared to yesterday, but everything is within the normal range for our Sunday excursions. We are advised to drink frequently and we follow this instruction carefully. The pace is slow, we take turns with other groups during the frequent stops, and the atmosphere remains light. The porters from the various teams have already taken down their tents and proceed quickly towards the next camp, under our admiring gaze. At some point, we take out our backpacks because The fog transforms into droplets. that we can quite accurately describe as rain.

Climbing We return to see the sky. and we are at an altitude of 3,600 meters. The sun illuminates the beautiful heather flowers, especially gorse and other white flowers, and in the distance you can also see the pyramidal shape of the Mount Meru, with its 4,556 meters, always surrounded by a sea of clouds. But this is just the beginning, because shortly after, looking back to the right, you can see the outline of the our mountain... which for the first time appears as a wish ready to be fulfilled, although in the face of sacrifices. With a short descent, around 1 pm we arrive at the Shira Camp, located on a beautiful plateau exposed to the wind but with excellent views. We find our tent already set up, and we are offered tea, followed by lunch around 2 pm. In addition to the Meru, to the west, which will be a constant companion in the coming days, we can see the Shira Peak area, an extinct volcano that is part of the Kilimanjaro massif, near which the Lemosho Route rises, which we will see flowing into Machame tomorrow. Although we have been hiking for several days, we have met many people on the trail, who we no longer had the opportunity to see today, even though it is not easy to find each other in these mobile settlements that are the campsites. Strangely, we also notice that we can connect our smartphone almost at every altitude, although not everywhere; this allows us to stay connected with the world and provide near-live updates on our adventure. In the afternoon, with Joseph, we take a walk to a panoramic viewpoint on the plateau, very windy but in a great location for a A memorable photo with Mount Kilimanjaro. There will only be about 130 meters of positive elevation gain, but every opportunity is good to take advantage of the training. Afterwards, we go for a solo tour of the campsite, which is really vast and bustling with colorful tents of all shapes and sizes. Everyone seems to be active; you can hear cooking, chatting, singing, and in some groups, the porters are engaging in traditional songs and dances typical of the local folklore. A moment of relaxation in the tent, with Mount Kilimanjaro looming above us, benign and majestic. Dinner time arrives, at a better hour than yesterday, and we even have time to read something. For this occasion, I brought Mountains of a lifetime by Bonatti: what better motivation to face the next days of climbing? Re-climbing his ascents on Dru infuses positive energy and encourages perseverance, knowing that there is nothing in common between us and him except our passion for the mountains. But our goal is infinitely lower than his. The rest is good: we can say that the first two days represent a good starting point for the continuation of the trek, fully aware that the difficult days are yet to come. Darkness envelops the Shira Camp, but the rays of the sun, now warm in color, They shine like reflectors on the mountain.... making it even more desirable. With this view, we return to the tent, and it's pointless to ask what our last thought was before falling asleep.