Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route Day 4 - Barranco Wall and Karanga Valley
This was the day that I'd looked forward to with some trepidation - we had to tackle the awesome Barranco Wall. Our itinerary referred to "a steep and exposed climb of around 300m" (1000 ft). "The wall is near vertical, but the path cuts across it at a diagonal. Technically it is no more than a scramble, with some of the porters able to go up without needing their hands, but it is very exposed and most people will find the need to cling to the rock every now and then to steady themselves from the thought of the drop. It is quite a struggle, but there is a real sense of achievement as you get to the top and the summit comes back into view that little bit closer."
So, although we had been somewhat reassured by the view coming down the valley towards Barranco on the previous afternoon, it still looked quite a challenge from our tent the next morning.
It was another sunny morning with great views of Kibo overlooking the Barranco Valley, and with the sun already picking out the snows of the summit. We were allowed a later start. After the punishing third day's walk we had two shorter days' walking ahead of us before attempting the summit. Other groups were planning to go all the way to the final (Barafu) camp site and so by the time we emerged from our tents a lot of them had already set out.
Our departure was at the later time of 9.00 a.m., but I still managed to take ages to pack up my gear and be at the last minute! There was a mile to go across the sunlit valley to the shadowy start of the Wall, passing giant lobelias along the way. We had to drop down to cross a stream, taking care on patches of ice, before climbing gently to a couple of senecio trees and a massive boulder marking the start of the Wall. A line of porters was stretched out diagonally up the rocky slope ahead of us and we made way for others coming up behind.
Then we started the climb and really it was a joy, rather than the scary experience I'd been worrying about. Yes, it involved clambering over and between rocks, but the route was clear and the footholds secure. There was little or no exposure to speak of, just one short stretch where we had to squeeze around the outside of a large rock with a small drop down to the right. There were a few places where we had to push our walking poles up, or drop them, down, in order to haul ourselves up on the rocks. The porters had a more difficult time, balancing their heavy loads on their heads or shoulders and sometimes having to use a hand to steady them! I'm not quite sure how they managed these clambering bits or the squeeze spot, particularly the guy carrying a table on his head!
After maybe 40 minutes of slow, relatively easy scrambling, we stopped for a rest on a rocky slope with plenty of stones to sit on. We relaxed in the sunshine and could see past the genuinely steep wall on our right towards Kibo. We had a great view in the other direction as other walkers and porters passed on the trail, with Mount Meru clear to see above the blanket of white clouds. A Dutch couple were enjoying the view, with their guide. I took their photo and promised them it would appear on the website, so here they are!
The rest of the Barranco Wall was a moderate slope, stony but without difficulty at a gentle pace. There were a couple more high steps to mark the end of the climb, but even here the difficulty had been removed by building piles of stones to step up on. Taking the climb as a whole, it was no more difficult than an average Scottish munro or a peak in the Lake District, and less exposed than many. Only the altitude, going up to 4200m, made it more of a challenge, and we took it slowly slowly - "pole pole" as the porters repeatedly told us.
Once over these final steps we reached a rocky shelf with space to rest and enjoy the view of the glaciers of Kibo on one side and the vast expanse of clouds on the other. We were in no hurry and spent some time here in the sunshine, with no wind. There were more messages sent home by mobile phone - "made it up the Barranco Wall". The Manchester group joined us, along with the couple from the Netherlands, and we all made the most of the occasion, taking group photos for each other.
From there we had to descend down a stony slope to the next valley with a group of senecio trees to the left, and then climbed gently up to the next ridge for another rest. On the way we passed a sign on the left indicating that the faintly visible trail was closed.
The next section was fairly level across a gently sloping and barren stony mountainside. As we reached the far side we could see the next ridge ahead of us with the Karanga camp site spread out on the top. To get there, we had to undertake what turned out to be the trickiest section of the day's walk - the steep slope dropping down to the Karanga valley. The track bent past a cave, crossing an area of ice where water was seeping from the rocks. There were a couple of impressive rock overhangs as well, projecting from the hillside. But we had to concentrate on the downward slope to avoid slipping, dropping our poles to make it easier to get a grip.
Down in the valley there were other hikers resting beside the stream. This was our water supply for the next two camps, as there was no fresh water at Barafu. I was expecting we would take the wide zig-zag route to the left then the right, up to the ridge, but instead we went straight ahead up the steep bank. This too was hard going, simply for the effort involved at 4100m in warm sunshine. It took a while!
Once on the ridge we just had a short distance to go to Karanga camp site. Apparently it's known for being windy and we certainly felt it, especially when the clouds moved in right on cue, soon after our arrival. Our tents were pitched at the lower far corner of the site once again, reducing the security risks (our guides had told us the previous day to keep the tents zipped up as there were plenty of other parties using the sites now). It was a stony area with small areas cleared to pitch the tents, making it a bit tricky crossing between the mess tent and sleeping tents.
There was plenty of time to kill, and we all got some rest. I wrote up my log, others slept. Pete was anxious about his blistered heals again and trying out other dressings to protect them. Then, later in the afternoon, he got an offer he couldn't refuse - assistant guide Nemis said he could borrow his boots if they were more comfortable, and this proved to be a blessing for Pete over the next couple of days.
Before our evening meal, again seemingly following an established schedule, the clouds around the camp site began to break up again and Cedric and I were treated to a magical view of the sun setting near Mount Meru, casting its golden rays onto the snows of Kibo.
The meal was excellent as usual and Naiman came in again to brief us on the route for the next day - another half-day's trek. We all felt a lot better than the previous evening and spoke about our enjoyment of the Barranco Wall - the best bit of climbing so far.
During the night I was up for one of my usual excursions outside for a pee, and was more impressed than ever by the array of stars overhead. With scarcely any moonlight and the lights of Moshi only faintly visible down below, it was another truly wonderful spectacle. I just had to stand and take it in (this was one view I couldn't capture on camera) until the cold mountain air forced me back into the tent.
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