Today I found quite difficult mentally. I think because I did not drink enough water, combined with the fact that the hot spots I got on day 1 have now turned into blisters on both of my heels.
The day began as normal at 6 am we packed, at 6:30 we washed and at 7 we had breakfast. plasters and gaffa tape strapped to my heels. The sunrise when we woke this morning was stunning! The tents were covered in sparkling ice from the low temperatures in the night and the sun rose over the summit of the mountain. I have to say it was one of the best ways of waking up ever!
We left camp a little later today as we had to wait to be given our lunch boxes, we left camp at 8:15. The beginning of the trek was quite flat, but I could feel my feet rubbing a tiny bit despite the blister
Before lunch we trekked up a peak called Shira Cathedral, the views from the top were spectacular. We were above the clouds and could see Mount Meru in the distance. The route to the top was quite narrow and rocky but we saw a lot of other groups on their way down who said the climb was well worth it.
Once we got back down we had our packed lunch, again with breath taking views and continued to camp, which we could see in the distance.
The walk took a total of 7 hours today, it didn't feel like it went as quickly as previous days. Tomorrow, I will drink more water, (because surprisingly it is still really warm during the days because we haven't had much cloud cover), as we are going up to around 4500m and then back down. I am feeling a little apprehensive about tomorrow, because of how I have felt today, but I am sure that it will be ok. I really hope no one feels the impact of the altitude tomorrow as we are going higher than many people on the trip have ever been.
We had reached camp at around 3:15, organised our tents, had a cup of tea and a wash. I also sorted out my feet and my blisters currently have padded blister plasters, gauze and gaffa tape on them and I will do my boots up firmly tomorrow to prevent my heels from slipping at all in my boots as tomorrow there is a lot of up and down hill hiking.
For dinner we had pumpkin soup and pasta bolognese which was lovely. My tent mate is not feeling 100% but the Doctor on the trip has given her some Diamox which should help her to feel better tomorrow and help her to get some sleep tonight.
The view from camp is outstanding. I am going out in a minute to go to the toilet before bed and I am sure that the stars will be wonderful. It truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The conversation at dinner was hilarious. It managed to get onto the top of the male anatomy and what the British call certain parts. The only Canadian on the trip did not know what one word meant, which caused the rest of the group to carefully explain what it was. She has just shouted across camp that she will see one tomorrow, I am pretty sure she is still unclear of the meaning of the word. The laughing gave me a headache as the air is thinner up here.
It is very chilly at night here. It is windy and above the cloud cover. There is also so much dust. Before I came on this trip I thought I would get dirty without having a proper shower for the duration of the trek but I had no comprehension of just how dusty it would be and how ingrained the dust gets even when it is freezing at night.
Ok, I am off to the toilet and to brush my teeth. I have got to add some more layers before I go out though I am nice and warm in my sleeping bag in the tent.
Night x
