Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Day three. Today is easier than yesterday with not so much uphill climbs over rocks and stepping up. That is the killer especially as we are climbing up to 4600 metres today. 4 hours walking with several half hour jaunts uphill but it was a very slow pace. My favourite position is tail end Charlie with the last guide Peter. Oxygen is becoming less and my breathing deeper and the up hills were steep but not long. The landscape is all lava rocks, alpine daisies, tussock grass and dirt, dirt and more bloody dusty dirt. Insidious stuff gets into and through anything. I gave up caring how dirty I got during the day, on day one! In most parts the track is only about four mattock blades wide which makes for difficult walking at times. Porters loaded to the hilt pass by regularly carrying their loads mostly on their heads if there is only one big item, otherwise it is on their head and shoulders and back! Amazing fellows. My breathing is not laboured for which I am most thankful, so long as the pace is slowly steady and I can keep my rhythm going. Unfortunately it doesn't happen often as we give way to porters. So we arrive at camp Moya which is in a valley with a lot less climbers. Again, dinner is soup which is supposed to be leek but strangely tastes and looks exactly the same as the cucumber soup from the night before. Pasta with a chicken and vegetable stew sauce. The food is really good or maybe it is the environment and we don't have to cook or clean up or wash dishes! Deedee is our official evening Games Mistress and decides what we will do dinner each night. She is blonde and 40 with an adopted Ethiopian son aged six and comes from South Carolina. She is a great girl and a real character who opens her mouth and comes out with the most unexpected things. For instance we were on the trail and stopped for a photo. She recognised a logo or something worn by a person from another group. "Are you from South Carolina" she asked. " ii lived at Bald Rock for a year" he said. You could tell by the look on Deedee's face that this was not a sought after place to live. "What made you live there?" "I was dating a girl there". And in her strong southern drawl she said "oh! I am soooo sorry!" I suppose you had to be there! Getting back to our game tonight, each person had to tell two truths about themself and one lie. The rest of us naturally had to guess the lie. Much hilarity and also learning more about each other. We are such a strong bonded group from day one. Quite incredible but true! It is 8pm and time for bed. Ice covers the tents, so believe me when I say it is cold!
- comments