Kilimanjaro: Day 5 | Barafu Camp

Date: Feb 8, 2024

Distance Covered: ~3 Miles/5.0 Kms Moving Time: ~ 3 Hrs (Total time taken ~ 5 hrs)

Elevation Gain: ~ 2450 ft, Elevation loss: 300 ft

Hike 1: 13,100 ft to 15,300 ft Hike 2: 15,300 ft to 15,550 ft. then back to 15,300 ft

Blood Oxygen: 76

This was the last day before the summit night and we did two climbs that put our legs to the test. First climb was as straightforward as it gets: all uphill, no descends. We kicked off at around 13,100 feet and called it a day just shy of 15,300 feet. A solid 2100 feet of ascent over a bit more than 2 miles. That's an average incline of almost 19%.

The second climb was fun with some big rocks and it was focused on familiarizing with the route for the upcoming summit night.

I got curious about the name. In Hindi, "Baraf" means "Ice," and after a quick chat with a porter, turns out it's the same meaning in Swahili. Seems like the camp is named due to its proximity to the glacier.

It's also known as the Base Camp. Ironically, there wasn't a single flake of ice in sight at Barafu. But what it lacked in ice, it made up for in bone-chilling winds. As the day slipped into evening, those winds only grew stronger.

With the number of trekking groups making camp, campsite spread up the ridge quite a bit.

You could feel an energy in the air at the Barafu camp.

We passed through the lower tent sites, making our way towards the ranger's hut and then after some walk we saw our tents. We had our lunch before Summit night. My blood oxygen was 76. something I

was not excited for. My neighbor who is a doctor calls this getting close to code blue.

After the acclimatization hike, we decided to take a couple hours nap to get ready for the big summit night. Amidst all the excitement and broad daylight, it was hard to get any sleep. i tried some sleeping meds, but that only lasted for max one hour. Since I was struggling with blood oxygen level, our lead guide asked me to start one hour early and take it extra slow.

Hike to Barafu Camp

Acclimatization Hike

Kilimanjaro: Day 6 | Summit Night...