Elevation: 9,495 ft to 11,420 ft
Distance: 5.1 miles
Hiking Time: 5.5 hrs
Big Tree Camp – Shira 1 Camp (“Kibo View Day”)
DAY 2 KILIMANJARO CLIMB VIA LEMOSHO ROUTE
Kilimanjaro names
Our guides used “Kili”, Kibo”, “Uhuru” and “Kilimanjaro” names interchangeably, but those names have different meanings. The mountain consists of three volcanic cones, “Kibo” is the name of the tallest cones, “Kili” is just short name for Kilimanjaro and “Uhuru” is Swahili name for highest point of Kibo. Confused? I was too.
After breakfast, we picked up out water bottles and camelbacks filled with very yellow filtered creek water. Our porters and guides used MSR water filters. MSR filters are very reliable, many of my hiking friend use those filter on their multi-day adventures, so I had no doubt that the water was filtered. I observed filtering process myself, but, oh, boy, this water did not look drinkable to me .
So, yes, depending on the season, your filtered water might look nasty, but it is going to be your new reality for the next 5-7 days depending on the trail. You will need to stay hydrated, so you must accept the fact and learn how to drink this water. The taste was ok though, it had a little aftertaste but overall very acceptable. I used water taste enhancers for first couple of days it helped.
Day 2 Hike
We started our 5-mile climb to Shira Hut 1 around 9 am. First hour or so we hiked in the rain forest, the trail became much steeper as it got more exposed, the vegetation changed completely.
Half way through the hike, at around 10,000 ft we stopped for lunch, the table was already served. We had spaghetti with meat sauce and traditional ginger tea with biscuits. Great lunch with amazing views.
Accent to Shira Plato
The hike continued after lunch with its gradual accent, the vegetation changed again, and we were hiking on volcanic rocks. The trail then descended onto Shira Plato and the snow cap of Kilimanjaro showed itself, it was the first view of the mountain on the trail and it was breathtaking.
Read More:
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Climb via Lemosho route
Day 3 Kilimanjaro Climb via Lemosho route
