Fischer Camp

Senecio at Fischer Camp

Noel tells me his given name is Mchili, the name given to chiefs. His great-grandfather was a chief of the Pare tribe of the Pare Mountains near Kilimanjaro. Noel's mother is a Masai and loves to talk. They all love to talk, Noel says, and Masai will talk for hours, asking each other about their little spotted cows and crops and distant relatives. Benhadad (Ben), our top guide, whistles again today as we hike. The trail is very easy, only slightly inclined as we cross the Shira Plateau. Our route is the least traveled, but we'll soon connect with the trails of other hikers (Machame--aka The Coca-Cola trail). We walk pole pole (slowly) today because the effects of the altitude are already evident.

They really do say "Hakuna Matata," for "no worries," so I sing a little of the song from the Lion King movie. Noel's favorite movie is Mary Poppins so we sing "Chim Chiminey," "Spoonful of sugar," and "supercalifragilistic...." I had nearly 12 hours of sleep last night while everyone is getting around 4 hours each night. They resent me for being able to sleep so well. Last night, I had two very violently graphic nightmares ; effects of the anti-malarial drugs. Once rested in camp today, we hike 100 yards or so to a plaque inset into a rock, in honor of Scott Fischer, one of the founders of Mountain Madness. Shira Camp is also called Fischer Camp since Scott and a partner started the Shira Trail in the 80s. Scott died on Everest in 1996.

Nazareth and Hamisi escort us to the plaque. Nazareth is tall and handsome and his English is good. He begins to call me "Dada" (sister), so I call him Kaka (brother). Lunch is Oxtail soup, guacamole, tunafish salad, bread and fresh fruits. The pineapple is heaven. Balthazar, our cook, is tall and skinny at 51 years. The guys tease him about his age, but he carries a huge pack up the mountain (with a radio attached). Ben whistles a Celine Dion song today. Diamox makes us more sensitive to the sun and because I was not wearing sunscreen yesterday, my hands and forearms, as well as the back of my knees, are sunburnt. I didn't realize it until this morning. We can see the glaciers on Kili from camp and marvel that we will be up there in a few days.