Climb day 4

Today we set off for Mawenzi, one more night of sleep till summit night! It has been so exciting the closer and closer we get to Uhuru Peak. I aim to beat my mum’s record! The only part that really scared me today was when we were about an hour from camp, it became extremely steep and since I am afraid of heights I was walking with my back to the edge. This went on for a while but the path finally levelled out and we could see camp. We were even able to see Kibo Hut, our target for tomorrow’s walk.

The view of Mawenzi when we got to camp was/is so beautiful! I am really looking forward to waking up early in the morning and seeing the sunrise. On one side of camp, there is a deep valley and we are literally above the clouds. On the other side is the towering Mawenzi.

After lunch we took a short conditioning hike in 2 groups: we had the option of running; or just a slow walk. Of course, most of the elite mountain athletes on our climb chose to run. I chose the slower group. I was pretty amazed to see that as we were going up, they had already started coming down. Our group was fun because one of the porters was playing music, so we were entertained most of the way up. It was also lovely to catch up with the other youth since I didn’t see much of them till we reached camp. We continue to motivate each other. We also talk a lot about our past experience in the plains and how it had a positive impact on us. It has certainly prepared us for the mountain.

I am feeling anticipation and excitement. The only thing I am really worried about is the cold as I do not handle well in cold weather. It will be such a beautiful moment when we all climb towards the summit together.

– Akinyi Obama-Manners, 22/10-21