Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
After last nights lonely and scary events, I'm woken up with tea and then hot water and as I peer out of my tent I see the clouds below us and the awesome view. I have splendid views of the Shira Ridge to the west with its three pinnacles of the Shira Needle, Shira Cathedral and East Shira Hill. (another Hill!) I look out the other side of the tent to the east and see the Kibo's western breach and its glaciers really well! I still feel terrible and have lost the feeling in my tounge, I might have unconsiously bitten it hard last night, however the views are very motivational and so I take a short video. Then I get up for breakfast via the loo. This camp is on a plateau and is at about 3800m. Porridge, lots of tea, toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I find my vitamin C effervesent tablets and add one to my hydration pack and i'm feeling good and ready to go, despite my swollen tounge which no one else seems to be suffering from. The walk starts off well we are walking directly towards Kibo and Its western breach and I finally feel like were getting closer, but a couple of hours in I start to feel a bit ill. I lag behind the rest and keep burping but I continue on until suddenly I projectile vomit. There goes my breakfast. But suddenly i'm feeling great and after a good swill of water, a rehydration sachet in my water bottle a diamox tablet from Ed and an anti nausia tablet from Kathryn I'm raring to go. I feel great for about 30 minutes then slowly I begin to feel ill again. I lag behind and the guide behind me is waiting for me to step, but I've stoped folowing the feet in front of me and now I have to chose where to put my feet. The rocky terrain is difficult to navigate and it hurts my brain along with the airs pressure to have to stop and think where do I go now. I ask the guide to let me follow him and its such a relief to just follow the feet in front of me. I feel pressure on my head and a ringing in my ears, Everything becomes muffled and the sun is hot today, too hot. I stop and vomit again. It busts from me and again suddenly I'm feeling better. Both Ed and Jack offer to carry my things which is a bit overwhelming and I'm very gratefull but the Assistant guide offers to carry my entire pack. I am moved to the top of the group to walk behind the head guide and I feel ok up until lunch time. I even point out the spiders to my guide, just like in my dream last night but much smaller. We stop and eat our packed lunches and I dont eat more than one sandwich. The assistant guides encourage me to eat more but I dont feel I can keep it down. We're up and walking again soon and within ten minutes I'm too hot. I stop to take a layer off and here it comes again from nowhere. That one I wasnt expecting. I'm surprised. I have no clue whats going on here, but I'm hoping it goes away soon. We're almost at the lava tower now about 100m more to go up to 4530m but the head guide tells me that I should take the short cut to camp now because I'm becoming too ill. I actually agree and although I'll miss out I'm begining to feel that I don't mind missing out on this bit, as long as I can rest for a bit. In my head I figure I'll be there before the others and will be able to have a kip before they get back. I can ask them about what I missed at dinner and hopefully they'll say not much. Two guides walk with me and one carries my pack. We see pome porters along this route. This may be the short cut but the route seems a lot rockier and its difficult to navigate again. We pass a sign that says Kibo route and I'd take a picture but its just enough to keep my legs going one after the other. I go through waves of headache pressure and it makes me sick twice more, mostly just with the water that I've been drinking. Eventually we head down to a stream to cross where 2 other porters are boiling up some water. Its hot in the afternoon sun and I stop and sit whilst the four of them talk. They seem to be talking about their different groups and my guides mention Machame Hotel. They manage to get a hot cup of tea for me from the other two. They find me a biscutey cake in the lunch box. and I say to share the rest out, I was never going to keep it all down anyway. The tea tastes great and I'm very slowly biting tiny bits from this cake. They encourage me to eat and I see how everything is being shared and how grateful I am to these guides for helping me. They give me a lemon or an orange I can't tell which to eat but I cant manage much. I decide to give them my KitKat. I know its worth 4 other chocolate bars in money value and they are reluctant to take it, But I have another and I want to show my appreciation. They are all rather happy to have a stick of kit kat each and I'm pleased to have been able to show my gratitude in this small gift. I dont even know these guides names.... This is a nice place to stop, I wish I could enjoy it more and even take a picture. We must have been there for about 40 minutes and I asked how much further to Barranco. 2 hours, but with me? 3 hrs.... Weve been walking for about three hours alone already. I havent had any of the power shots yet, but I decide now is as good a time as any to give me the boost I need. I'm already exhausted. As soon as the gel hits my mouth everything comes back up and I vomit between two rocks. I rest my head on one and have a little cry and my guide holds my body up. I am so tired. I have three hours to go. I vomit again and again till its just bile. I have no energy and I have three hours to go. well. theres only one way to get there. "Twende" I say, lets go. I use my walking poles and head off up the path away from the stream and try my best to think about that camp site and its bed waiting for me. After an hour I have to stop. My hearts beating fast again. I set off again and the guides talk between them. I am out of energy and I still have two hours to go. I begin to just focus on putting one foot in fron of the other. I begin to stumble with my poles so I end up dragging them behind me. I hear something like "la madame e choka" which I take to mean the lady is tired and I say yes. One guide scares me by taking me by the arm and taking my other walking pole, but hes come to assist me, we walk together him supporting me as I slowly go step after step. I stop one more time and cry. The last hour is horriffic, my head is lolling with every stap. I have had no food or water since I last threw up and my body is begining to shake. Its begining to get darker and I am not looking forwards to doing this in the cold dark. Finally as theres a chill in the air I can see the camp and we make it step by painful step to the camp. My head feels ok by now, I guess because were now at 3900m but the sickness has taken its toll on my body. My guide takes me straight to my tent and the others had arrived ten minutes earlier. They have laid out my bed stuff already and I'm so grateful. Andy hugs me and says "Difficult day for you" to which I nod and cry a bit. They're all there to greet me and I'm just so touched that they care but I get a bit sad and just want to lie down and rest. They leave me to it and I get straight into my sleeping bag and then I start to shake a little. I'm spent totally spent. I'm done, Ive had enough now. I want to go back please. I want my warm bed and the comforts of my home. I want a flushing toilet and a shower! my kingdom for a shower! But here I am, half way up. I'm half way up. IM HALF WAY UP! wait a second. That was terrible, but you've made it here. Its incredible but your here Rachel. You've made it to camp. Your not sick anymore and your head is better. Yes your tired, yes youve been ill, yes you feel like crap. But if you had to go to work tomorrow after a heavy night out on the town, you would do it. If you had to go through three days of feeling awful with gastro, you'd have no choice because there's nothing you can do about it. This isn't a holiday anymore Rachel. Its your job. Your mission is to take the next step. Then the one after that and then the one after that. These are the words going round in my head which make me get up and go to dinner. Even though every part of my body wanted to stay snuggled in the comfort of that sleeping bag I got up and went to work. In the dinner tent there is some slices, lime or lemon which is for me to eat. Apparently that helps with the sickness. I manage some tea and soup as well. I am shaking quite a bit and Phil looks at me like he can't quite believe I'm really there. Perhaps he thinks I'm not all there upstairs after my ordeal, but guess what I'm a fighter when I need to be. Funnily enough they do tell me that I didn't miss much at the Lava Tower. Just some interesting rock formations. Being as none of us are geologists, its not that interesting, but maybe theyre just saying that to make me feel better! Ed kindly offers up some of his Diamox, hes got 40 tablets, and your not meant to take more than three a day so he has plently to supply me with. I gratefully accept, even if theres no feeling better with them, I doubt they will make me feel any worse. I get to the "american pancake" which is a bit of spiced patty and as soon as I bite down I rush out of the tent. I stumble to my knees in the dark and vomit over the dust. Kathryn the doctor who hates vomit comes out after me and checks on me, bless her heart! I go to my tent and after about 20 mins she brings me a Diamox, some plain rice and a cup of tea. I take two spoon fulls of the rice and two sips of the tea. I want more but theres no way I'm risking it. Tara brings me a bowl incase I need to vomit in the night and I make sure my head is uphill before I go to sleep.
- comments