Day 2

On Day 2 of Kilimanjaro buns-of-steel Bootcamp, we awoke early at Machame camp and set out for Shira camp, 6 hours away and at a final elevation of 3,800 meters (12,467ft) above sea level.  It was a "pole, pole" day, ie it was slow goin' up the steep, rocky path.  We passed through the Mooreland, leaving the larger, low elevation trees behind, but still the landscape was dotted with shrubs and hearty flowers.  Right when we really felt that our legs couldn't possibly take us one more step up, the path turned down a bit and we caught a glimpse of Shira camp in the distance.  We practically ran the rest of the way to camp where we were welcomed with a hot lunch and a sun warmed tent.  As evening approached, the winds picked up and the cloud- tide rolled in.  Pablo about froze his fingers off waiting outside for the sunset, but his efforts paid off and he got some great shots of the beautiful night.

**Also, on a totally separate note, regarding the recent attacks on the US embassies in Egypt, Yemen, and Libya, my heart goes out to all of the ex-pats living in these countries and most importantly to the families of the injured diplomats.  So far, Saudi Arabia is safe.  I was just at the US consulate in Jeddah yesterday to pick up my new passport and everything seemed to be running smoothly.  The triple layers of barbed wire fences were standing, security was no less nor no more than usual, and I managed to get my passport in about five minutes.  As of now, at least, all is quiet on the Eastern Front.**