We woke up and finished packing. Altezza uses Aishi Machame hotel. I was happy with the hotel. There is a recommendation to have a rest day before climbing which would have been a great idea. Unfortunately flying in the days after Christmas affected our prices. It's doable- but I wouldn't recommend it. We had breakfast and went to check in.
Our meeting time was a reasonable 830. They went over their list and made sure we had everything, and did weigh in. I was 3 kg over the 15 kg limit. Looking back- too many clothes. I had weighed at home but added some stuff. I assumed Will would have space- but he didn't. I made some cuts, then put what I couldn't cut into my day pack. It felt chaotic. We left what we weren't taking with the hotel. We got water, and met our group. We loaded onto the bus and headed to the gate. We had lunch while the guides signed us in, took some photos, and started. Day one was straightforward- gradual up hill on a path. Not the most scenic day. Saw a couple blue monkeys. There was some rain and it was a gain of 3400 ft elevation over 7 miles. We started to get to know the members of our group. We hiked in single file behind one of the guides. The leader changed every day, but the pace was the same- pole pole. That means slowly slowly. The slow pace helps reduce the risk of altitude sickness and single file helps prepare for the hiking during pitch black of summit night.
By early evening we arrived in camp. We went first for pictures, and then to sign in. The camp was set up. They had tea and popcorn waiting for us. My problems really began once we got into camp. I could not find my glasses. I was convinced I left them behind in the chaos. I tore through my stuff. I was panicking. Then I remembered I put them in my front pocket of my backpack. You know- the most convenient place if I needed them in a rush. I then used my wet wipes to clean up. It was going to be an adjustment going with out a shower for a week. I was worried my own smell would get overpowering- but I am happy to say that was not the case with the wet wipes. We had dinner and chatted with the other hikers. We had our first medical check. Pulse ox, heart rate, and symptoms. I rocked that first check at over 9000 feet.
Night started my problems again. First we were taking the diuretic diamox to prevent altitude sickness. Along with the increased fluids we were taking it led to multiple trips to the bathroom overnight. I brought ear plugs, but before bed I didn't get them out. It wasn't loud, but if I can't sleep I listen. I also did not have my stuff organized so when I did get up I couldn't find my light or what I needed. Sleep was hard to come by. It was just as bad for Will. However lessons were learned.
On the plus side we invested $250 for a portable toilet tent. Months prior I had made the decision to splurge on it. I had paid for it ahead of time. I was a bit nervous when the company seemed to have to no recall of this and tried to rent us another one, but we were able to clear this up thankfully. Most of the cost went to hire a porter to handle the needs of carrying and cleaning it. The public facilities were atrocious. If I had to use the public facilities I don't think I would have made it. It is odd to have someone dedicated to your elimination needs, but almost the whole group had one.
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