What to Wear to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro | Day 03

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We woke up at Horombo Hut, feeling well-rested and ready for another day of hiking. After shoveling down another huge breakfast (they feed you a LOT on these treks), we packed up for the walk across the lunar desert toward Kibo Hut. 

​Catch up on the story so far by jumping to >> DAY 1    DAY 2    DAY 3    DAY 4    DAY 5 ...and as always, please don't hesitate to email me ([email protected]) with additional questions. ​

Start location: Horombo Hut
Start time: 8:30 AM 
Start elevation: 12,204 feet (3,720 meters)
End location: Kibo Hut
End elevation: 15,485 feet (4720 meters) 
End time: about 4:00 PM 
Distance hiked: 5 miles (9.6 km) 
Weather: clear blue sky, bright sun 
Vegetation: started in moorland, gradually transitioned to lunar desert (just rocks and tiny plants) 
Water consumed: 4 liters

​​Outfit (pretty much the same as Days 01 & 02):

• ​Salomon Women's Quest 4D 2 GTX Hiking Boots
• SmartWool Hiking Socks 
• lululemon athletica Wunder Under Pants 
• lululemon athletica Power Y Tank 
• lululemon athletica Run: Swiftly Long Sleeve Tech Shirt 
• lululemon athletica Fast Paced Run Visor
• Oakley Latch Sunglasses
• The North Face Women's 800-fill Down Parka - The Summit Series​ (wore this intermittently) 

​Meals: 

• 6:30 AM wake up call: hot tea/coffee
• 7:30 AM breakfast at Horombo Hut: porridge, eggs, toast, sausages 
• 1:00 PM bagged lunch on the trail: fried chicken, banana, muffin, biscuits, boxed juice 
• 4:00 PM snack upon arrival to Kibo: popcorn, cookies & choose-your-own-hot drink powders (coffee, tea, Nido, dry milk, sugar) 
• 6:00 PM dinner: hot cucumber soup, spaghetti bolognese, more hot tea & coffee 

Contents of my day pack, which I carried: 

• Camera 
• Spare lens 
• Tripod 
• full 1.5 L Camelbak 
• trail snacks (nuts, dried fruit) 
• lunch (provided by guide) 
• North Face rain jacket 
• ​bandanna 
• cash/passport/phone 
• journal 
• Kindle 
• toiletries bag 
• camera cards/spare batteries 
• full extra 1 L water bottle 
• Gloves & hat 
• Toilet paper 

Contents of my large pack, which a porter carried ahead and delivered to our hut at the end of each hike: 

• REI Joule Sleeping bag 
• Rain pants 
• Wool base layer 
• Polarfleece jacket (rented at base) 
• Huge down puffy parka (rented at base) 
• 2 pair lululemon Wunder Under leggings 
• 2 lululemon Power Y tanks 
• 1 lululemon Run: Swiftly Short Sleeve tech shirt 
• 1 lululemon Run: Swiftly Long Sleeve tech shirt 
• 1 pair lululemon Base Runner Pants 
• Camp shoes
• 3 more pair wool hiking socks 
• Hand warmers (purchased at base) 
• Head lamp 

The trail across the lunar desert.

Mawenzi (16,893 feet) makes for some stunning photo ops on the trail. 

Just like yesterday (Day 02), our lunch stop occurred over 2/3 of the way through the day's hike, at a little bathroom and picnic area sheltered by a pile of large boulders. After lunch, we only had about an hour/hour and a half walk up to Kibo Hut. 

5:00 PM, Kibo Hut, 15,845 feet --
"The sun has just disappeared behind the crater rim that towers above this sparse stone hut at 4720 m (15,485 feet). As is usual at high altitude, the air is cold but the sun is strong. I'm sporting a 3 out of ten headache and pasty film of zinc sunscreen left over from our trudge across the lunar desert this afternoon. Every time I step outside to visit the bathrooms, a short walk away (and that' pretty frequent), I start out at a brisk walking pace and quickly find myself winded and sucking air. By the time I squat over the hole in the stall, I have throbbing gray spots in every corner of my vision. This is the phase of the trek I remember with the least amount of fondness from 2009. 
Summit attempts will begin at around midnight tonight, so the hours between now and then consist of shoveling calorie-dense dinners into not-so-hungry bellies and packing/repacking/arranging our outfits for tomorrow. 

6:00 PM --
"We sit around the cramped table in our barrack-like sleeping quarters, chatting excitedly about summit day. There are only 5 people from Kibo Hut making summit attempts in the morning. This includes Dusty & me, Sandra & Martin, a 20-something couple from Denmark, and Raymond, a Swiss guy who is studying in South Africa. We five, plus our guides and assistant guides, will don head lamps and down puffy jackets and trudge up the side of Kibo in the dark. Best of luck to us all." ​

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