Leaving New Pofu Camp, the trail led me to
the Upper 3rd Caves Camp where it intersected with several other trails
such as the Rongai, Kibo Hut and School Hut Trails.
The camp was in a somewhat desolate grey-looking environment devoid of
colour with only some shrubs and tufts of small grasses. Although it
could’ve been perceived as aesthetically displeasing this alpine desert
environment was still fascinating to experience with its raw and barren
wide open space. If the terrain was rusty red you’d almost think you
were on Mars.
With Mawenzi Tarn Camp as my next destination, the most direct route
would have been to take the Rongai Trail. With this approach I would
remain at the same elevation since I began the Northern Circuit and
descended into Mawenzi Tarn Camp at the end. However, I chose to take a
lower route by first descending approximately 1640ft (500m) and swung
my way around the eastern side of the mountain to Kikelawa Camp and the
Kikelawa Caves. The camp is located in a large meadow of tussock
grasses and giant dendrosenecio plants. White-necked ravens were waiting
around the campsite for scraps or unattended food.
The nearby cave was one of many on the flanks of Kili which in the past
were used as overnight shelters but have now been superseded by
designated camp spots with nearby water supplies.
With under two miles (3km) left the trail ascended steadily reaching a
lake at the foot of the rising steep ridges of Mawenzi, the second
highest volcano southeast of Kibo. Mawenzi along with Kibo began
erupting about a million years ago. The two peaks were separated by the
Saddle Plateau. From the western side Mawenzi looked like a single
jagged rock jutting from the saddle which was vastly different from
Kibo’s gentler-looking and trekkable slopes. This western side of
Mawenzi was the highest point reaching 16,893 ft (5,149 m). It was
named Hans Meyer Peak, after the first person to summit Kili.
However, Mawenzi was actually a horseshoe shape with three steep ridges
and two deep gorges in between them. With such steep ridges, Mawenzi
can’t hold any glaciers leaving no permanent snow, unlike Kibo with its
permanent glaciers and year-round snow.
Although Hans Meyer attempted to climb the Mawenzi peak in 1889 after he
summitted Kibo, he did not succeed due to illness. The first
successful summit was made by two German climbers in 1912. Because
Mawenzi is a technical and hazardous climb the peak was closed to
climbers for more than a decade. Although reopened in 2017 climbers and
guides must be experienced rock climbers and can only proceed two at a
time.
Leaving the peaks of Mawenzi to the experts, I will gladly admire its
jagged appearance from the lakeside camp. With a hot cuppa in hand and a
load off my feet I reflected on my journey so far and what is yet to
come.
This is a collection of my writing and correspondence with a few bits of poetry and random thoughts mixed in. I started this blog after learning that some of my letters had an uplifting quality. In the pages of this blog you will find my real life trials and tribulations, the nature of what I think is truth, and the dust and grit of my real life.
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