Day 8 - December 18 Up 6am and a 3 hour, relatively easy hike to camp, however, Zak was sick (ha) so shut up for once. The rest of us were slow because my legs, quads were starting to seize up. Once we made it to the bottom (best site ever!), there was an hour bus ride to Springlands Hotel. However, we stopped on the way because the young Army pukes needed money for tip. c Didn't ask if anyone else needed to get their bank card first. Afew hou...

Day 7 - December 17, 2013. Up at 11:30pm and start our ascent at midnight. Unbelievably, the moon is out and bright, no clouds and about -10C. This is doable. The hike up is very Pole Pole. Several folks are suffering from some sort of altitude discomfort. Cat was sick to her stomach and couple of times in the night. Poor kid, I was so worried she wasn't going to make it, but she is one tough cookie. It seems one of the Army guys, Dave, and I were the only...

Day 5 - December 15, 2013 No rain to wake up and leave to - yeah! The route was up and down, however, did not realize it was like rock climbing! Thank goodness it didn't rain through the most difficult bit. Jesse (one of the army guys wives) had 'a moment'. Her husband stood there and told her not to be so selfish because she was holding us up. Whoa…..So I shooed everyone away and got her to breath and talk. She was not used to difficult hikes, never min...

Day 4 - December 14, 2013 Chambo strongly advised us to drink 3 liters of water per day. So I have. I also had to get up in the night 2X to pee. The most wonderful sight gave me hope. The stars were out, the sky was clear and the almost full moon was shining on HER - there she was in all her glory. Bloody magnificent, both times! We awoke to clearer weather but today, I was prepared. I had dry socks, my ankle supports, gaiters, Gortex rain ...

Day 2 - December 12 I've included a description of the Lemosho route. I selected this route for acclimatization - which turns out I really did not need. Hindsight. Could have used less camping in the rain. See below for my day 2. The 8 day Lemosho variation is the ideal schedule for this route. On the 8 day Lemosho route, the trek from Barranco to Barafu is broken up into two days, allowing for a short day just prior to the summit attempt. This is important ...