Arrow Camp - What Day is It?

Lingarevo, Me and Lemetu at Arrow Camp

Amazing how we take it day by day. We've been together for seven days now, no privacy or alone time, and it's okay. The guides and porters take excellent care of us. They set up and break down camp, cook and brew tea--all so we can solely concentrate on acclimating, staying warm and making it to the summit! Neal had a raging headache and stomach problems yesterday, but he was photographing on the hike today, which is a good sign his health is improving. Today was short. We ate breakfast and left camp at 9:30. It was a steady climb with an occasional descent to cross a creek. The snow from last week is still on the ground and ice forms in the creek in spots.

We made it to camp in 2.5 hours. Again, we went pole pole, breathing in and out with each alternate step. We're now at 15,700 feet. Tomorrow we'll leave camp at 6 a.m. and expect to hike pole pole for up to 10 hours, all vertical. That will take us to Crater Camp where we'll sleep on the rim of the crater. We expect the coldest weather tomorrow, so we're putting on lots of layers and will sleep in the clothes we'll wear tomorrow. We haven't bathed for three days--too cold. There is no meat at meals because the ice to refrigerate it melts by day three up the mountain. Our meals are good, though, and we have grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches with thick vegetable soup for lunch.

It's important we eat enough to stay warm. We must eat even when we're not hungry. There is hot soup and chai and milk to keep us hydrated. Tomorrow the filter pump will freeze, but we'll have hot water to drink at breaks and lunch and dinner. The water in our bottles is so cold, it's easy to get brain freeze. Neal took a photo of my bottle, to capture the thick ice on top of the water. When we arrived at camp today, and Lingarevo and Lemetu met us to take our packs, it was sleeting. It sleeted steady for about an hour, tiny, white ice balls bouncing off our tent and sounding like rain.

To stay warm, I'm wearing two long underwear tops and a tank top as a shell. On bottom, I have tights, long underwear and fleece wind pants. Tomorrow I'll add the rain gear and gloves (liners, thermal and shell). I've worn this wool hat for three days and nights and will not take it off until we reach the lodge and I can shower. I haven't looked at myself in three days and can only imagine how horrid my hair must be. Last night we camped at Lava Tower, which was created when ancient glaciers carried away everything, leaving the free standing tower.

Our guides give such consideration to going pole pole. They know better than we how the high altitude can take our breath away. I re-learn daily that I cannot just pop out of the tent and walk at my usual rate. When I do, I only get 10 feet and start to breath heavily. It's difficult to recover. So we walk slowly and take short steps slowly. Over time the steps add up. Mike says the last 20 minutes of today's climb are really hard for him. Mike describes himself as a food minimalist, so it's difficult for him to eat lots of food on this trip. He's also a runner and slim. He stays cold all the time and promises to nibble on snacks up the trail tomorrow. Ken, on the other hand, loves to eat. Even though his wife, Licia, is a personal trainer, Ken is overweight. He has two helpings of soup at every meal. Instead of health food snacks, Ken brought candy bars for the climb: Snickers, Kit Kat, Twix. Today, Ken commented that his candy bars are frozen and so much more interesting to eat now!