Christmas Eve!  A fairly clear morning and snow was visible higher up on the mountain.  The guide had told us there is a lot of snow and ice on the trail at the higher elevations and gave us each some micro-spikes to carry.  That’ll be interesting!  Before breakfast I walked back up to my favorite little opening/overlook and could see 15,000 foot Mt. Meru clearly – the second tallest mountain in Tanzania and third in Africa after Mt. Kenya.  Another huge meal and we were off again.  Today was up, up, up – pole, pole (slowly, slowly in Swahili).  The trail was a jumble of volcanic rocks the entire way.  A giant staircase through the ecological zone they call the moorlands.  After a few hours the misty clouds rolled in.  It limited views but kept it cool for climbing which was nice.  The scene reminded me of Lord of the Rings with moss covering rocks and dripping from trees.  Surreal plants, trees and flowers surrounded us and burbling streams cascaded off the mountain.  At 1:00pm we made Shira Camp. 

          With our tents and gear all set up, we enjoyed a big hot lunch then rested for a bit (okay I fell fast asleep).  I awoke at 3:15 and got up for the “meet the porters” session, then camp registration and a short hike to the actual Shira Cave.  In the old days, porters had to bring their own tents and those that didn’t slept in the caves and lit fires to keep warm.  I had a bit of a headache but not bad.  Hopefully it doesn’t persist.  After dinner I handed out little Christmas presents to everyone in the group and our four guides, Baraka, Jerome, Amadeus, and August (the lead guide).  Just something simple – a little gift bag with some Ghirardelli peppermint bark chocolate – a little something Christmassy from California.  Chris and Ursula had a string of Christmas lights on their tent as well which added to the holiday cheer.  Tomorrow, up to 15,000 feet, then back to 12,000 to acclimatize!