Mount Meru

So 5 of us decided to conquer Mount Meru - a 4-day climb from 1500m altitude to 4600m at the summit. This is us (from left to right: Joe, Andy, Peter, Arabella, Niall) on 'little Meru', a second peak of the volcano, at 3800m, with the rest of Meru in the background - and we're already above the clouds. We reached this on the second day - and at this height slight altitude-related headaches can already kick in.So early the next morning (1am) we start the 6-7 hour moonlight ascent to the peak from the Saddle hut (3500m) going over Rhino Point (another peak, 3800) then down and up to the big Meru, or 'Socialist Peak' as the sign states. This is my silhouette at sunrise, with Kilimanjaro in the background. The view is awesome!


And here we are at the top! At this height 3 steps and we were out of breath, and headaches were felt a little, but it was well worth it!
Another 6-7 hours downhill and we reached Mirikamba hut (2500m) where we got some sleep before saying hi to the local giraffes, buffaloes, Pumba's and baboons on the way down and then got back to Arusha.

Anyways. The rest of the group (Zoe, Simon, Chris) spent some time in Arusha while we were on the mountain. Tomorrow we go to Nairobi and the next day we take the flight home. So, that's it! The 6 weeks passed quickly.

Slightly more photos (I took 1800 so far) are to be seen later.

Joe