Kilimanjaro Day 3: The Miracle of the Mountain Chips
Acclimatisation day on Kilimanjaro is designed to push your body high and let you sleep low, but Day 3 brings a whole new set of hurdles mainly a shrinking appetite. Here is the unedited, firsthand story of Day 3: The Miracle of the Mountain Chips.
Kilimanjaro Day 3: Horombo Huts (Acclimatization Day)
Location: Zebra Rock & Ridge Detour
Altitude Reached: 4,020m (Zebra Rock) / 4,100m (Ridge)
Terrain: Steep volcanic trails and rocky ridges.
We woke up in our palatial, six-person log cabin at Horombo Huts. It was immaculate, fairly new, and perched perfectly on the hillside looking right over the camp. Below us, the clouds were lazily rolling in over the trail we’d conquered yesterday, but up by us, the sun was fully out. As it was our official acclimatization day, we even got a welcome lie in.
Then I looked at Ben. He looked like a man who had spent the night wrestling an alligator.
"Sleep okay?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
"No. Not a wink. You?"
"Same. You got up a few times in the night, are you okay?" Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over me. I had dragged this poor man into what was supposed to be a holiday and I was quickly remembering that my definition of a holiday was not to everyones taste.
Before Ben could answer Martin knocked on our door with the routine “water for wash” and smile
plastered across his face. He took our water bladders away to be filled as we got changed for breakfast.
"My stomach is really not good," Ben muttered. "Nothing stays in. I think I’ve got food poisoning."
Racking our brains as to what we had eaten we ruled food poisoning out pretty quickly as everything had come out warm and we had eaten very little meat.
“We could ask for none water based meals perhaps? More toast and dry foods see if that helps?” I suggested. “Their cooking water might not be being treated”
Ben agreed this was a good plan so we made that plan A, talk to Fred and Juma about a hard food only request.
The Canteen Gossip
We begrudgingly trundled down to the canteen for breakfast, fully aware that whatever we put into our mouths would likely evacuate our bodies with the speed of a formula one car.
The usual suspects were inside, Hannah, the quiet Japanese man, and the drama crew. The morning update on the soap opera was juicy. The group's runaway guide was officially blacklisted from Kili forever, but they’d managed to strike a deal to carry on to the summit with their remaining crew and one guide.
They had all decided to carry on the hike to the top with the one guide and the porters they had as they could afford to pay all their tips between the three of them and the porters were happy to continue based on tips being paid. Therefore, everyone believed everything was agreed and they could move on with the hike. The girl who had walked up solo had made it and the other two who went down to sort out the problems had been driven up to the Horombo huts in the evening to get the group back together so they could all carry on with their acclimatisation walk today. Then they would make their way up further to Kibo camp with Ben, Hannah and I tomorrow. Glad of some drama once removed we all chatted about the hunt for the guide in town and how they had all done really well to stay together in adversity and hatch a plan.
Everyone carried on eating until Hannahs guide came in for her morning briefing. He suggested skipping the acclimatisation day entirely, changing the route from a 6 day hike to a 5 day option.
"We haven't been offered that," I told Hannah after her guide left, as we debated her options. "But we paid for six days, and it’s not like we’ve got anywhere to go at the bottom if we finish early. Having the extra day to acclimatise won't hurt."
Ben agreed. "I’d be kicking myself if I rushed up a day early and then didn't make it."
The two girls from the drama crew agreed.
When Fred and Juma walked in, they offered Ben and I the exact same 5 day deal, smiling like proud fathers at a kids' football match.
"You are both very strong, you can do it in 5 days! Then we can have a day relaxing in the rainforest at the end!” Juma grinned
A day hanging around in the damp rainforest? No thank you. It sounded like a waste of time and we did not feel minty fresh so decided to harness the acclimatisation day and politely declined. Thank God we did given how brutal our actual summit day turned out to be, skipping this day would have been a pretty big mistake.
The Porridge Epiphany
Breakfast today was toast, fruit, and porridge. I took two mouthfuls of the porridge and my stomach violently protested a few moments later. The altitude had finally taken my appetite and shot it, I felt physically sick at the thought of eating.
Beside me, Ben was pouring approximately half a gallon of honey into his bowl just to make it bearable. Watching him force feed himself was making me gag.
"Melia, you need to eat something," he warned.
"I’ve had a few mouthfuls, I'll be fine," I fibbed.
But as we sat there, the gears in my brain started turning…
"Ben, when did your tummy start going weird?"
"A few hours after the first stew."
"Mine too. But the food is hot, so it’s not food poisoning."
"The water?" Ben suggested.
“That is what I am thinking”
While we were meticulously treating the water in our hydration bladders, we weren't treating the water in the tea flasks, the stews, or the porridge. The porters were boiling it, but at this altitude, water boils at a lower temperature, meaning the nasties don't all die if it is not boiled long enough.
"Bugger," I laughed worriedly. "We’ve probably got mild water poisoning. Good thing we took our Cholera medication before we left the UK!"
We flagged the issue to Fred and Juma. They smiled knowingly, diarrhoea is just standard mountain occurrence it turns out but they promised to ask the chef to cut out all watery foods for us going forward to be safe.
Zebra Rock and the Ultimate Dick Move
After a lovely morning of unpacking, repacking, and violently expelling our breakfast from our lower orifices, we set off for our 4 hour acclimatization hike to Zebra Rock.
Just as we were leaving, Ben yelled, "Em, I can't go yet, I'm getting rid of breakfast!" and sprinted past Juma and Fred toward the toilet cabins.
Fred looked genuinely concerned now. "Are you really bad?"
"Yes," I admitted. "For Ben, it’s water straight in, straight out. I’m not much better but I think I am a bit better than him." This raised some concerns with Fred as he began to realise we were being serious about the severity of us not keeping any food or water in our bodies. We were not just being fussy eaters.
"Okay we carry on and see how you are feeling at the end of today" Fred advised and then he went down to the chefs hut for 5 minutes.
After some uncertain back and fourth from Ben and I to the toilet cabin, eventually, we began the day 3 climb. The sky was a piercing, flawless blue, and the summit of Kili peeked down at us. I joked about where this rainy season weather was, but Juma remained deadly serious: "It will come this afternoon, this is why we must walk now and get back quickly.”
I looked around the blue sky for as far as the eye could see over Tanzania and was not convinced. I was beginning to think that rainy shoulder season was a myth.
Halfway up, Ben was dead silent and had deployed his walking poles, something we hadn't resorted to yet.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"No, I feel really queasy and my stomach is not okay" he replied "But it is fine i will just keep walking"
I suddenly was in full worry mode, we had tomorrow, summit day and then another day to get down. If Ben was this awful now he was not going to enjoy the next 72 hours at all. I started making a mental list on things to do to help him up and down.
Suddenly, Hannah steamed up behind us full of energy and dropped the latest drama crew update, which was hot off the press as she was leaving camp.
"So Corey (the man of the group) has decided to leave the girls and do the hike in 5 days now, not 6, which means the girls do not have a guide any more for today and tomorrow. Corey has bribed the guide with more tip money to take him to the top a day earlier and they won’t take food or water with them as he will have to leave the porters and chef with the girls."
It turned out that given the guide was not being paid a wage as their main guide had run off with the payments, extra tip money sounded appealing and he accepted. So the two girls were left at the huts with no guide, they were to get to the next camp on their own. Fortunately, one of the girls was a seasoned hiker, the pathway to the next hut was obvious and I think they ended up having a porter upgraded to a guide in the end which meant they could carry on. But total dick move by Corey and apparently, one of the girls was a bit worried that they were not going to have sufficient help if anything went wrong. Not to mention that the guide and Corey where taking on a two day hike now to the summit with sandwiches only and limited water.
Hannah and I discussed this at length, enjoying the gossip, whilst we all trudged on upwards towards zebra rock with Ben silent behind us.
The Ridge and the Reality Check
We eventually reached Zebra Rock, which was indeed stripey, but nothing to write home about. The real show was at the top of the near vertical climb right behind it.
We tackled the tiny footpath up to the ridge and breathing became a bit of a chore. I synced my inhalations with my footsteps just to keep a rhythm. No one was talking. The only sound was the long, drawn out hum of everyone being out of breathe and trying to breathe.
"Here!" Juma announced.
I looked up from the rocky floor below and upwards to the more spectacular panoramic view. In front of us was Kili in all her glory. Below us was the visible path of where we would walk tomorrow, winding along the valley, into the desert and then up over into the base of the Kili summit path. Just behind us was Mawenzi peak who was just as stunning as Kilis Uhuru Peak.
"Oh, it's nice to see where we're going tomorrow. It feels achievable now," Ben smiled wearily.
We sat on the ridge taking in the view and mulling over what tomorrow would bring. We forced down some bananas, sandwiches, and juice boxes, and then began our descent along the very path we’d be climbing tomorrow.
On the way down, we spotted a tiny white speck in the distance. Corey. When we crossed paths, we acted completely surprised and asked why he was on his own. He offered stories about being told he could do it in 5 days, how the guide had encouraged the split, how the girls did not want to risk 5 days but it was all okay, there was a plan and everyone was happy. We wished him well and kept moving and then we asked Fred, Juma and Hannah’s guide what Coreys guide thought about it all as they had all been whispering to each other. They laughed and said that was all lies, the guide was not happy but had been offered such good money he could not say no.
This ensued more gossiping with Hannah and talking about men in general versus the unicorns we had found and welcomed into our lives. Hannah’s unicorn was at home as he had no ambition to climb Kili and my unicorn was not looking so magical...more like he wished he had stayed at home. I offered the occasional "are you okay?" and "have you drunk enough" to try and keep him motivated and engaged.
The Miracle of the Mountain Chips
The walk down was fast, rocky, and unstable. We re-entered Horombo Huts, and Ben immediately vanished to the loo. I climbed the final five steps to our cabin, once again blowing as if I had run a marathon. It made no sense why these five steps were the hardest bit of the hike!
Martin popped his head into our hut 10 minutes later with the obligatory “water for wash”, hot chocolate, tea and popcorn. I could not face eating properly still but forced down a hot chocolate on our veranda looking over the clouds in the peaceful afternoon sun. It was a stunning way to relax, a beautiful view, sun beginning to think about setting and the distant chitter chatter coming from the porters and canteen.
Once Ben had materialised from the toilet cabin I took my leave and followed suit.
“See you down at the canteen?” I suggested. He nodded back with a sad smile.
Off I went to the loo, expelled everything that has been consumed, stood up slightly dizzy, grabbed onto the walls, regained myself and then toddled off for dinner. The lack of sleep and nutrition was beginning to take its toll, I knew the warning signs and figured I had 2 days max left in me before I would likely pass out. However, my thought was I had to make sure Ben was okay and we could not both be in a trough of despair at the same time. My job was to make sure he was safe. This was his first major challenge and I had to be there to make sure he was supported by someone he knew. I knew he could do it, but I also knew it was not going to be pretty.
I went to meet Ben on the porch at the canteen and there was a girl sat on the steps up to where he was sat looking like a shell of a human being. I gave her a quick smile and hello.
"Have you been to the top?" she asked me, her eyes hollow.
"Urm, no, not yet. Do I look that awful already?" I chuckled.
She looked me up and down, completely deadpan. "It’s tough. It’s really, really tough. It is not fun."
The smile slid right off my face. I discreetly checked to make sure Ben hadn't heard her.
"Well, you’ve done it now! It’s all downhill from here," I offered, trying to keep the thoughts positive.
"No. I feel awful. I feel really bad," she muttered.
I swiftly ushered her back to her group in the canteen, who all looked like extras from The Walking Dead. “Christ”, I thought, “what have I gotten us into?” Ben is a tough cookie, but this as his first multi day altitude trek might have been too far. He’s going to absolutely hate me.
But then, Martin the saviour walked into the canteen with a plate of CHIPS. I forgot about everything and Ben and I were suddenly a bit more alive.
Real, fried, salty potato chips. The only other time I have felt a connection to a carbohydrate like this was on the final day of the Mongol Derby when chips were being made at the final horse station. The fat, the salt, the calories, it was pure heaven. We wolfed them down, completely forgetting our stomach woes for ten glorious minutes.
Naturally, moments later, our stomachs staged a violent counter attack.
"Uh oh, too much too soon!" I laughed, sprinting for the toilet.
The Sleepless Watch
By the time Fred and Juma came in for our evening medical checks, Ben and I were empty. Surprisingly, our vitals were flawless, heart rates normal, oxygen saturation perfect, our sleep and sustenance were the issues.
"Okay my friends, you need to sleep tonight," Juma said, looking at us with concern.
"We’re trying, we’re exhausted, so hopefully tonight's the night," I replied.
We did the Horombo Shuffle (hut to toilet, toilet to hut) several times before bed.
"Tomorrow morning, I’m going to bypass Martin’s water and fill our bladders directly from that stream we passed on Day 2," I whispered to Ben. "Get some fresh mountain water into our systems." Ben just gave a grave nod and zipped up his sleeping bag.
I laid wide awake in the pitch black because we were now higher than our altitude chamber training and my brain decided to enter a spiral of irrational panic. Ben is asthmatic so I became entirely convinced that the thin air was going to trigger a silent, catastrophic asthma attack and he was going to die right next to me in his sleeping bag. I spent the night hyper-focusing on the sound of his breathing, which is always really useful when you are trying to sleep.
Beside me, I could hear him tossing and turning too. We lay there in the dark, completely exhausted, wishing for sleep that never came, knowing that tomorrow we had a tough march into the alpine desert and our first real taste of altitude
Top tips:
Today you push your body up into the thinner air to force your lungs to adapt, and then return to a lower altitude to sleep. It feels counterintuitive to walk up just to walk back down, but it really does make a difference. If you have the time and money to do 6 days instead of 5 then do so. If you have signed up for 6 days and the guides say you can do 5, it is not worth it in my opinion, stick to your plan.
Do not panic if you develop a dull throbbing behind your eyes or a wave of mild nausea today. It is your body adapting to the lack of oxygen. Take some paracetamol, tell your guides, slow your pace, and keep sipping water. It will pass once you head back down.
If you suspect the kitchen crew's water is not particularly clean and are concerned that it might be beyond your treatment medications capabilities, take matters into your own hands. Locate the streams flowing behind the camp and fill your hydration bladders directly from the source.
The white-necked ravens and four-striped mice at Horombo Huts are seasoned criminals. If you leave your cabin door open for even two minutes, they will raid your packs, steal your snack wrappers, and ruin your gear. Lock your doors.
Use this acclimatisation day to scout the camp layout. Find the toilet units closest to you hut.
If you have done altitude chamber training back home, do not let it make you cocky. Stay humble and keep your head down. GO SLOW.
Your hydration bladder mouthpiece will become covered in grit. Wipe it clean before you suck on lungful of mountain dust.
Your appetite may be completely non existent today and until you come down . The thought of eating will actively annoy you or make you feel sick. You must treat eating like a chore, shove the dry biscuits and juice boxes down your throat if you cannot do a proper meal. You can try to tackle the summit with nothing at all but I would not recommend it. You are seriously reducing your chances of summiting with no food whatsoever.
Today offers some of the most breathtaking, panoramic views over Kenya, Tanzania and the surrounding peaks. Take your photos now while the weather is clear and you aren't fighting for your life on the summit hike.
DO NOT skip acclimatisation day if you have already booked and planned for it.
Do not blackmail the guides. Obviously. The guides all talk about everything that goes on.
If you dislike mice do not look down in the canteen
Ensure you take Cholera medication before you leave for Tanzania, I dread to think how bad we would have been if we had not.
Do not focus on the other people around you or overtaking you. Stay in your lane and focus on yourself
Navigating unexpected physical hurdles, altitude sickness, and mental fatigue on a major expedition requires absolute resilience and a smart pacing strategy. If you want a coach who helps you build the exact physical strength and mental grit needed for your biggest mountain goals, click here to learn more about my 1-on-1 Bespoke Endurance Coaching.
Comments