Day 3 on the mountain at Barranco Camp, 13,035 feet. Today was the most beautiful so far, with clear skies all day and very little wind. We left Shira 2 at 8:00AM and made it the 15km past the Lava Tower at 15,279 feet and down into a beautiful valley further south. My neighbor Jose wasn’t copasetic with the Polay Polay pace of his guide and set out at his own strong pace with his guide following behind. If I make it that far, I hope I’m like him at 65. Manase and I went slow and steady, but I was used to it today, and aside from getting the occasional waft of his B.O., it was a really nice day. As it is, we got to camp at 1PM.

We made our way up the first gradual ridge and were treated with great views of Mt. Meru rising out of the clouds. The cloud bank got stuck trying to penetrate the rim around Shira Plateau and sat there like a bowl of cotton. At the crest of our ridge the headwall to the summit stood solid and imposing, catching small wisps of cloud among its glaciers, its vertically ridged cliffs showing through the mist. After a little over three hours, we were on top of the Lava Tower, a 150 foot tall formation just under the steep rise of the Western Breach. There used to be a guided climb up the face of this incredible wall, but the route has been closed since rock fall killed four tourists and two porters. Rock fall killed them but it was melting glacier that let the rocks go. “How long until they are gone?” I think to myself. At the lava tower I ate my lunch packet and especially enjoyed the pineapple juice drink box. Our descent to Barranco offered great views of the terrain—ridges littered with boulders and scree softened to allow the Dr. Seuss looking trees and flowery shrubs to mix in. The Barranco wall, the steep ascent we will make in the morning came into view, the trail visible from the bottom to the top. Looks like a thigh buster. We kept walking down and water collected on the trail in places and in one, formed a little waterfall.

At camp I enjoyed tea and coffee with popcorn and peanuts then laid out my towel and a sweaty t-shirt to dry in the sun. Inside my tent, the greenhouse effect made it toasty so I unzipped the vestibule on the downhill and enjoyed my view above the clouds. On the uphill side I could glimpse the Western Breach. This is definitely the most attractive spot on the climb so far. I chatted with the guys about the climb and their curiosity about what Senegalese women look like—they especially like my description of jaayfonde. I had to laugh when I look over and Robert is having Katete wash his back. “I take a bath!” he yells over to us.

Later, I eased into my tent and enjoyed reading a copy of Harper’s I brought, even if the articles were about the over-reaching power of Wal-Mart and prospects of war with Iran. I put my Ipod on shuffle and Bob Marley’s “Crisis” comes on fro Bob to put it best: “No matter what the crisis is, live it up, live it up, live it up, live it up!” I couldn’t agree more relaxing at 13,000 feet.