Day 2 started off much cooler and much earlier, but was a beautiful and short day.
Every morning the crew knocks on your tent at wakeup time (6am this morning) and provide two bowls of steaming hot water for washing. I loved the steaming hot water given the temperatures outside were normally cold and the water felt wonderful. It was also the only way to get all the dirt off of your hands (although we lost the bar of soap after this morning).
Then breakfast is supposed to start 30 minutes later and we were supposed to be on the hike an hour after waking up. This never happened. Breakfast was always a little late and my group wasn't a prompt, fast moving group. We normally started the hike about 30min to an hour after we were supposed to. Anyway, breakfast this morning included porridge, toast, omelets, and hot dogs (almost like sausages). I always enjoyed my meals as I was always hungry. Also tea was the perfect way to wake up and warm up. As we ate breakfast, the porters would pack up our tents and get started on the trail.
Side note: The porters are incredible. They carry their own gear that they need and then so much more. They all carry at least one bag on their heads and they still manage to maneuver up a hard trail. The best is they normally do it with a smile, chatting with friends, and sometimes singing. None of us spoke much/any Swahili (although the sheet that our friend Juma gave us did help), but we were happy to say "Jambo" and smile as they passed.
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Juma provided us a helpful list of words we should learn. |
We had time to relax and nap after lunch before we did a short hike to the caves. Corinne and I enjoyed the relaxation time and left the tent open for the slight breeze. The sun warmed up the tent perfectly so it was a very nice relaxation time.
Finally we went down to enjoy tea time and dinner. Dinner consisted of carrot soup, pasta with creamy vegetable sauce, donuts, and pineapple. I honestly loved most meals they served and loved it even more when I had some fresh pineapple. I do feel bad for the porter that had to carry those up the mountain.
This day was about taking it slow and getting used to the pace of the hike. My Fitbit told me I only walked 18,511 steps, which isn't that many. We did climb over 3,000 feet in 3 miles though so the morning wasn't easy. We slept around 12,000 feet. We also learned an important lesson this day. Private bathrooms are worth every penny. Most of us didn't even think about it, but Eilis was smart and rented one. It is $100 for the whole hike and worth every penny. It is a small tent that holds a small toilet, which they wash before moving it each time so it doesn't get disgusting. Despite wondering why she would do that on a rugged hike, we all ended up using it and thanking her profusely for getting it. The public bathrooms (aka a stall with a hole in the ground) get very dirty quickly and are not much fun to use. Her decision made the trip much more comfortable for the girls in the group.
Finally we ended the day with a beautiful sunset and incredible moon. The moon was so bright all trip, which is exactly what we wanted. The views, sunsets, and moon were stunning all hike. I was so excited about the physical hike that I didn't really think about the views and beauty of it all before I started.