day6 Karanga camp to upper base camp

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Day 6 is sometimes referred to as a mini summit. It's basically the start of the summit push as you get up at 6, and simply straight hike to base camp. This day was cold and rocky as well as very sunny. The terrain is pretty straightforward, as you aim towards the ridge that takes you to the summit. The hike up is a little easier than going to the lava tower because of acclimitization, but still difficult. As you achieve the ridge, you get to the lower base camp, Barafu camp. This is where most people set base camp, and it usually gets very crowded. There are some permanent structures here, but not many.



My group kept hiking a little higher, in order to not cross some scrambling terrain at night. There is a little scrambling after Barafu camp that can be difficult to do at night. Once at basecamp, you get great views of Mawenzi peak. The 'other' mountain in the area. You can climb this mountain as well, but it's a little ore technical than Kilimanjaro. We had a quick lunch, a nap for 2 hours, and then dinner, before another quick nap to start hiking to the summit at 11pm.

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