Since we had time and days on our side, we decide to skip the traditional mid-night push for the summit and  even passed up on a start at 4 am as Daniel had originally suggested. While the day did start earlier than most, it was not by much. At 7 we had some breakfast, but in all the excitement, I barely got through half of it. At 7:45 we were finally off.

(side note: the skin that had scraped off my hand 2 days back i believed some re-bandaging. Horror of horrors, when i tried peeling off the bandaid, the centre had stuck to the loose skin. And when i finally got it off, the wound looked much worse than when i had gotten it. the skin was soaked and white all around and right at the centre were missing a good number of layers of skin - I could almost count 3 layers. I decided to air it out! And walked to the summit with a hand in my pocket and the other gloved!)
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Daniel, Jackson and myself, took up extremely light day-bags with just some water and food.

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Right off the cuff, we were climbing rocks. It’s was a hard hour and a half and it took its toll on my breathing. Not only that, but we met one of the stronger couples who had made a push for the summit at mid-night, on their way down. They looked exhausted. They had turned around from Stella Point. (This last bit Daniel had kept from me till we got back).

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Post the crazy climb up, the path turns into a nice long straight walk and gradually the slope increased.
 

In two hours from us starting with great weather, the sun played spoilsport and the mountain got windy, cold and wicked. The zig-zag walking uphill slowly turned into just zig and no zag, and that only made things more difficult. Suddenly I needed to catch my breath every 15 minutes. It was embarrassing, but the body needed what it needed.
 

We finally got up to Stella Point, 100m shy of Uhuru peak in elevation, and we did it in about 3 and a half hours. Another half hour and a very scenic walk and we are at the top of the continent of Africa. Thanks to the late start, extended rest and wholesome breakfast, we summited alongside an American group that had left camp at 4am.

 
Now while it is not advisable to stay at the top for more than a couple of minutes. We stayed for over a half hour. We savored it. There were photographs and various levels of undressing and redressing on my part. I just had to get a snap with my shirt off at over 19k feet!



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The Way down
 

The path back down is a little bit different than how you go up.
 

While you trace the same route you took up for the first 15-20 minutes, you soon break away onto the scree slope. And it continues for almost the better part of an hour.

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The technique used commonly to get down from the scree slope takes a little getting used to, but once you do it’s like you are four all over again. In a word its, fun. There is even a part of the slope where it is not just lose gravel but almost soft black sand, that bit is the best part of the slope. You can just dig into that soft sand while you stomp your way dawn.

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Overall it is one of the more fun things you could do, just make sure you do it right. I was even a little disappointed when it ended and we went back to trekking down the regular way. Downhill is always easier and quicker, but it usually takes its toll on the knees. I seemed immune thus far. We were back down in an hour and a half.
 

I was back in my tent at 2:15 pm. It had been a great summit. But the day was still not over.

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Some rest and more food later, we packed up from Barafu and descended to the High camp at 3790m.

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It is amazing how crossing an elevation of 2000m in the space of a day allows you to see complete contrasts in vegetation and scenery. As we got back to the ranger’s cabin and camp for the night, plants were all around us. The trek down had taken a little over an hour and I was expecting it to be warmer.

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It wasn't. Infact, the night was colder than what Barafu was. But it did not matter. Having over 15 km and 2000m, the day had its perks. I was tired and I would sleep like a baby.

Having planned the trip for 7 days and finishing it in almost 5 also had its merits. It meant i got to get a warm shower, sleep in bed and grab a beer a whole day earlier than planned.

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Tomorrow we would pass Mweka camp and head to the park exit gate. I already had my 'Summit' photograph, at the exit gate, I would get my 'Official' certificate of having summited the highest mountain in the continent of Africa.