Barranco Wall
Day 3 started out with the first signs of altitude sickness. Cam had some vomiting and Mat a strong headache. Both of them seemed to get better as they left the Barranco huts and began the trek to Karanga Valley camp. The first obstacle today was to breach the Barranco Wall, a 600-foot rock. The climb over the rocks is not a technical one, but it is long, hard and tiring. The guides generally use rope on some steep sections for peace of mind. Once over the wall, the climb becomes easier and extremely beautiful, with fantastic views of the crags and crevasses of the jagged peaks on their left.
The team would now be trekking through the Moorland Zone.Altitude: roughly 11,000 to 13,200 feet/ 3350 to 4100 metres
Epitomizing the moorland, senecios and lobelias are also the iconic plants of Kilimanjaro. The senecios, also known as groundsels, have thick, weathered stems capped by cabbage-like rosettes of tough leaves. Two giant groundsels common here, Senecio kilimanjariand S. cottonii, are found nowhere else in the world. Like the senecios, the endemic lobelia, Lobelia deckenii, closes its rosette of leaves at night to protect against frost. Large birds of prey like the crowned eagle and the lammergeyer are often seen overhead, while the lucky few might catch a glimpse of elands, duikers, African hunting dogs, or even elephants.
The climbing team is starting to struggle with connectivity and battery issues. We've received a few sms reports throughout the day you can see in the twitter feed to the right, but have heard no more since the afternoon when they arrived at Karanga Valley Camp. We're really hoping that the solar charger continues to keep them switched on. Praying they all sleep well and the headaches and nausea subside as tomorrow they will have a hard day of walking in the barren Alpine Desert at 4600 metres. In the absence of more reports, you may want to look at a video log from other Kilimanjaro climbers documenting the day 3 route.
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