Trek Day 4 - Horombo Huts to Kibo Huts

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Day 4 - Horombo Huts - Kibo Huts (4700 m/15420 ft)
Walking distance: 9.5 km/5.7 miles
Walking time: 5-7 hours
Altitude gain: 1000 m/3280 ft

We woke to a beautiful morning where the clouds were visible like a big cotton blanket only a few hundred metres below our camp. Today we would walk for 5-7 hours up to the final camp where we would have time for a few hours rest before attempting the summit at midnight.

Uhuru peak was now firmly in our sights as we set out from camp. After a few hours most of the vegetation disappeared and the landscape changed to a barren and dry plateau.

We passed the last waterpoint on the route which meant no running water at the next camp. This meant we had to carry extra water for the following day and that we should expect some smelly drop hole toilets!

After passing a small hill called "The Saddle", we could clearly see the challenge that lie ahead as the peak rose prominently up from the ground and above the clouds. The previous few days walking had been fairly steady climbing but now we could see some of the summit routes and they could only be described as vertical!

The walking pace was slow due to the altitude with even a small increase in speed resulting in breathlessness. The path seemed endless as we wandered in the moonscape-like environment and the destination never seemed to get any closer.

A few hours of slow marching later we were in Kibo Camp at 4700 metres and 600 metres higher than we had previously been before. We were now only 7 hours from the summit!

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