We were up at 12:30 - yes, half an hour after midnight! Most of our kit was packed already, so we tucked the last few things in, drank a cup of tea and set off about 01:15. It was pitch black, of course, so we had head torches, but even so I could only see a small circle around my feet and Cyrus' boots just ahead. That was OK to start with, the track was stony but stable. When we got onto the small, loose scree, it was much more unnerving - I had no idea where we were or, if I fell, how far I might fall/slide/roll. Cyrus was great - keeping a close eye on me and occasionally a steadying hand. We arrived at Harris Tarn and had a short rest, then on up the corrie to the summit rocks. Once we got on the rock I left my sticks so I had both hands for scrambling. It was becoming a bit lighter, and we could see what we were doing, but it was really cold.
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| Cyrus at Harris Tarn on the way up |
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| Me at Harris Tarn - wishing I could see more! |
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| Getting lighter - looking westwards |
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| Nelion and the moon |
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| Flags at the summit |
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| Mark and Steve at the summit |
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| Mark and me at the summit |
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| Mark, Steve and me at the summit |
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| Sunrise!! |
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| Sun risen!! |
We reached the top - 4985 metres above sea level! - at about 05:30. It was almost daylight and it was very, VERY cold. As predicted, my water bag tube was frozen up, but fortunately my water bottle still contained some water, though there was ice clonking around inside it! I put my down jacket on over everything else, and my waterproof trousers went on too. That made it just about bearable for taking photos and just gazing around. Then the sun came up - even more photos! It was stunning and even the first rays seemed to make us feel warmer.
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| Nelion at sunrise |
Even so, we set off down quite soon; Cyrus set off first, then Steve and I, an Elijah and Mark followed on behind. It was so much easier in daylight -it doesn't look anything like so dangerous. OK, you might fall, but not as far as I'd imagined in the darkness.
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| Steve going down to Harris Tarn |
We caught up with Cyrus at Harris Tarn, and this is the point where the routes separate, so it's goodbye to Mark and Steve as they head back to Shipton's camp with Cyrus, and Elijah and I go down to Simba Tarn. There's more steep, frozen scree, but I only sit down once! At the bottom, there's a bit easier ground across the flat corrie floor, past some strange volcanic rocks. Then there's another drop and then we go across a marsh that was a lake until 40 years ago. The scenery is just stupendous! I'm so glad I opted to come down this way!
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| Frozen scree |
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| Simba Tarn with the promontory and gorge beyond |
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| Rocks near Simba Tarn |
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| Signposts on the way to Minto's Hut |
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| View towards the promontory - Elijah with his load! |
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| Looking back - Pt Lenana on L, Nelion and part of Batian on R |
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| The swamp that was a lake |
The route is up and down until we reach the Minto Hut on top of the huge promontory that has dominated the view down the valley since above Simba Tarn. Charles is already there and has breakfast waiting for us - strange porridge, fried egg sandwich, pancakes and lots of tea, but I'm too excited/tired/emotional to eat much. I shed the thermals, but it's still not actually very warm, being at 4297 metres. We met a group of Australians who were heading up the mountain and intending to camp nearby. It sounds as if I've chosen the right combination of routes - it seems it's harder from this side.
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| The gorge |
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| Breakfast at Minto's Hut |
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| Looking back to the summit from beyond Minto's Hut |
Setting off again, we cross a couple of volcanic craters as we head towards "The Temple". The rock scenery is spectacular, with lava flows and chunks of lava all around. Down below in the gorge we see Lake Michaelson, and after a while we get onto a long undulating ridge from which we have fabulous views.
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| Crossing a crater |
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| The Temple |
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| Mushroom-shaped rocks |
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| Alpine flowers |
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| The gorge and Lake Michaelson |
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| Lake Michaelson |
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| Wild gladiolus |
The vegetation has gone from none at the top, through small succulents and mosses, to giant lobelias and tussock grass with gorgeous wild flowers, and before long the giant heathers and proteas reappear.
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| Fabulous rock scenery |
From our lunch spot on the ridge we could see a huge waterfall and the place where a small plane crashed in the '70s. Lunch was chilli pot noodle - not ideal with sunburnt lips... Anyway, Charles went on ahead to prepare camp as Elijah and I took a break. We've been on the go for 14 hours and I'm creaking!
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| We've come all that way! - the summit, Pt Lenana on L, Nelion and Batian on R, the promontory, the gorge and the waterfall from the lunch stop |
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| Moss campion |
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| Alpine flower |
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| Protea in giant heather |
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| More flowers... |
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| Elijah disappearing in the giant heathers |
We carried on and just as I was saying it was time for another break, Elijah pointed out an orange blob half a mile away - the camp! We rolled in about 17:00, I was very tired!
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| The river just before the camp |
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| Chogoria Road Head signboard |
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| Bed at last, but no midges! |
The loo here at the Chogoria Road Head is a long drop - the first we've had to use on the mountain - but it's OK, reasonably clean. So next, dinner - I can't remember what it was - and into bed, ZZzzZZzz.
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