Today is the day we climbed the infamous Barranco Wall. Other than the summit, it would be the most challenging day of the trek because of the 845 foot high steep rock face that you have to climb/scramble up.
Not only would this day require the most technical skills, but the most patience. Barranco Camp is where all the routes converge before taking the same path to the summit. So instead of ~35 climbers on a route (plus their associated porters and guides), we’d now had closer to 150 climbers to contend with.
This five-fold increase in traffic had a huge impact on the feel of the trip. We no longer felt like we were the only people on this mountain. And the commercial aspects of tourism on this mountain was readily apparent in the groups around us.
Climbing the Barranco Wall
Making our way up the Barranco Wall with all these new people around us meant that every step along the way was crowded, and we endured several choke points. All it took was one unsure climber to hesitate, and we’d all be standing there waiting for minutes on end as we zig-zagged our way up the face of the wall.
It was mostly an exercise in frustration, but that also somehow made it easier in dealing with any fears. After all, if all these yahoos in the other groups could make it – there was no reason we should be afraid of the drop off, right?
There was also a noticeable difference in the noise level on the route now. We encountered a South African group that can only be described as rowdy. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they’d been drinking and partying their way up the mountain. Perhaps it was just a cultural difference, but it was shocking how different they acted than rest of the groups.
After reaching the summit of the Barranco Wall, we were headed back down to our original elevation again so we could “sleep low” one last night. Unfortunately, this descent meant we’d definitely need to rely on our trekking poles because the backside of Barranco had tons of scree.
Down and up again
Once back at 13,000 feet again, we could see our camp for the evening. There was only one problem. I was on the other side of a deep gorge that dropped down to the river – 1000 vertical feet below us.
So we slowly picked our way down the very steep, rock-laden route down to the river. The descent was jarring on my knees and I was definitely starting to feel every single one of my 42 years.
The ascent back up from the river wasn’t any easier. After the morning’s climb on the Barranco Wall and then picking our way down to the river, my legs were feeling the burn. This steep incline back to camp may be giving us the most physically demanding hike up of the trip yet.
We also learned the river gorge we crossed on the way to camp would be the last water source along our route until after the summit. Since there isn’t any water near tomorrow’s camp, the porters will have to carry extra water up this insane incline to tonight’s camp AND then another four kilometers to Barufu Camp too. I am humbled at their dedication, because that climb is no joke!
Wet gloves
On a more humorous note – today was my first clothing mishap. We stopped near the end of the day to use nature’s latrine. I was wearing light gloves, but took them off and tucked them into my pants pocket while I squatted behind large rock. As I pulled my pants back up, the gloves fell out, and right into the wet area where I’d just peed. Oh for crying out loud!!
I washed my gloves at camp, but I’m not overly optimistic they will dry in these chilly conditions. I’m hoping if I can get them to a damp level over the next few hours, I can put them in my sleeping bag overnight and use my body heat to finish drying them.
I know I’m definitely going to need them too, because the temperatures are definitely dropping quickly. I have a pair of windproof gloves to go over them as a second layer on summit day, but I’m 100% sure I’ll need both pairs to keep my hands warm.
