Mt. Meru - Post 1.0

Ok here is my entry to the blog for day 1 climbing Mt. Meru. It was written on my trusty Nokia E90 on the mountain side, and while wrapped up in a bunk house on the mountain side, so I apologise in advance for the lack of spell-checking, or cramped keyboard. – If there are any other problems, I’m just going to put it down to lack of oxygen up here – That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Arrived at the Meru camp car park and before we have even started, we've been given lunch. Pancakes, sandwiches, drinks, eggs, pasty, bicuit, apple and banana. Not a bad start to the food, this might be a tasty trip

I’m also walking with 3 Americans, they seem very nice, but occasionally i have to stifle a smile at their "local yocal" accents. Lunch boxes were promptly devoured under a little tin roofed lean to, keeping the mid-day sun from our backs, then biscuits and other left over’s from the boxes squirreled away into our bags for later on the mountain – was intending to nonchalantly call it a hill, but having seen it, its not a hill – by any stretch of the imagination.

The guide has been surprised at my insistence that I want to carry my own pack - the Americans have gladly off loaded their big packs and just opted only to carry their little day packs. Hopefully I’m not been foolish trying to carry a 17kg pack up the 5th highest mountain in Africa. But time will tell - and heck i always like a challenge. Once the porters have finished their packing we can be off, and to be honest I’m raring to go.

Ok its now 10 mins later and we are still waiting. My raring bordering on becoming a little impatient – its not an the anticipation is killing me!

2038m above sea level. Just stopped for a break in the shade of a tree and to be fair we need it. We've been going for about 1:45hrs, and its heavy work. There is part of me that wishes that I had not opted to carry my own pack. But for two points i) the break we are taking will make things better (or so I’m hoping) and ii) while very embarrassing, one of the porters just passed us as we paused for a break. Sweat was running of him, a small day pack on his back and a giant basket on his head. Having seen that I'm glad I’m carrying my bag, as i wouldn’t want to give them any extra burden. That said, with the sweat which is pouring off from us, i might regret not bringing that extra t-shirt that I decided was simply extra weight. We are going to smell by Monday

Arrived at first camp for about 1530, frankly to call it a camp is to insult the place, an open compound would be better, there are 3 bunk houses, each sleeping 30 people, with four bunks to a room. A gents and ladies shower block and separate toilets, a kitchen building, and a huge mess building which can easily seat the 30 people and frankly still have space for, for well something big. One of the best surprises here was the balcony; yes a balcony from the mess.

Now to clarify on the word balcony, it is a crude wooden platform, with a wooden handrail built upon 3meter high wooden posts, looking out over the forests and down to the plateau containing the Arusha national park. While it might only be a rough construction, it certainly is a great place to sit and enjoy a boiling glass of water. All of our water up here has to be boiled, to which the only options are hot chocolate powder, tea, coffee, and the option for most of us, gladly wait for it to cool have the water we constantly crave.

- Ok I have to put in an edit here, I happened to actually look at the water we were drinking the following day – I’m pleased that I was boiled but even that might not have been enough – there was a distinct brown tinge to it, and I’m sure that I saw at least three bodies floating about in my steel bottle!