Day 1 - Machame Gate (1830 m/6000 ft) - Machame Huts (3030 m/9940 ft)

We start our challenge with a relatively short day of trekking, around 6 hours starting from the Machame gate. After a few photoshoots on the gate itself, we waited while our porters and guides arrived, weighted our kit, and we were signed into the park.

After taking on some water and picking up a pack lunch we were off.

Remember pole, pole, slowly slowly. The pace was slow, although it was up hill from the start.

We trekked through the rain forests with porters carrying the camping kit and our night bags.



The forest is beautiful, a real fairytale forest, lush and deep and green. Moss and lichen are dangling from the tall branches, tree ferns shelter underneath and impatiens and violas are flowering on the ground. The path was easy to follow and we spent the morning chatting among each other, and happy that the trip was now properly underway.

An hour or so in, we saw our first monkeys, long white tailed variety, jumping from branch to branch. So this was the reason for the rabies jab and if they were going to bite me they would need very long teeth at that height!
It was about two and a half hours to a lunch stop in a clearing near a stream. Here we opened up our pack lunches that had been provided earlier. It was clear that chocolate and other sugar products were a stable component.

After lunch the same format again through the same terrain, however the descent did get steeper and the path became dustier. We arrived at the first camp mid afternoon, where we signed into the camp and then went in search of our tent and overnight bags.

Camp was basic, two to a tent, just enough room for a sleeping bag each and our overnight bag between. In addition there were two mess tents for hot drinks and dinner which mainly consisted of soup followed by rice.

After setting up our kit for the night, it became apparent how dusty everything was, and how dirty everything became real quick. A small bowl of warm water allowed us to wash our hands and faces, but within two minutes my hands were covered in thick black dust again !

Night comes in quick, so armed with head torched we made our way to the mess tent for dinner, a quick briefing of the following day, and we were in our tents by 8.30.