The Barranco Wall is one of the most dreaded – if not feared- segments of the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Machame Route. People often ask how hard is it to do the Barranco Wall. I was blissfully oblivious to the question before I went on this adventure. Blessed ignorance! While I had researched my trek and prepared for it, I had mostly focused on the training, clothing, gear, and altitude sickness more than on the intricacies of the climb or route itself.
Looking back, I am glad I did not know about the Barranco Wall before I met it that morning… How hard was it to climb the Barranco Wall? Was it like wall climbing or walking along a steep edge? How wide was the path along the Barranco Wall? How high was the Barranco Wall? What would I feel? I am sure the questions would have been endless. And, if you are reading this, perhaps you are asking yourself those questions and seeking answers. I will get to my answers to those questions, but let me take a step back in the narrative here…
Starting day 4 on the Machame route
There is a morning routine to camp life in Mount Kilimanjaro – at least I concocted one all of my own. This routine started with getting my “person” ready (dressing, brushing teeth, etc..). Then it moved to those activities that were about packing up (rolling up the pad, etc.). And the routine ended with getting ready to go (putting on the layers, filling water bottle, etc.).
While I was a little more leisurely about the first set of tasks (I woke up early enough), I usually felt rushed on the latter. I worried every day that I would slow down the group’s departure. Sure enough, I was often the last or second to last person to be ready. Not really sure why, I got up early enough! But I didn’t get voted off the mountain so I guess it was all A-OK!
Day 4 on the Machame Route up Kilimanjaro began like every other day: get out of the zipped-up sleeping bag, figure out where the full pee bottle was to not accidentally crush it, find the camp shoes, put on some warm clothes, have some water, take any of the daily meds required, etc. I executed the full morning routine as if nothing special was about to happen…
Meet the Barranco Wall: A mental and physical wall?
But on day 4 I did wake up with something else on my mind beyond my routine: the Barranco Wall. I had on purpose not read every detail about the Machame Route before I left for the trip as I mentioned earlier because I figured leaving some element of surprise would be good. I did not want to be anticipating what came next but, instead, enjoy each moment in the present (and not dread the next moment…).
Then, the night before we went on the Barranco Wall, I was told about this well-known feature of the trail we were taking. I was not sure what what was shared really meant but I had seen the wall on our way in from a distance and I got a little worried about what it would take to get through it for this amateur. Clearly it was going to be a narrow path with the wall on one side and the “fast” way down on the other… I tried to not think about it because there was no sense in over-processing it. But I was hoping it was not wall climbing with a cliff’s edge right by my feet…
It should be called the Barranco Wait, not the Barranco Wall
Of all the things to have worried about, wall climbing was not it. No mental or physical wall there (that does not mean there were not a couple of tricky moments!). The real “wall” was the wait to cross the Barranco Wall! See, normally trails are wide enough to walk two people side-by-side which allows for letting porters pass you without you having to stop or get out of the way. We appreciated porters because they make the trek possible for the hikers (more on the porters here). So we always let them pass if we were walking side by side at any point.
However, the trail on the Barranco Wall narrowed to single file for most of it. The wall did require some times pulling yourself over rocks but always with the trail on either side of it (that is, never floating over empty space below). So porters would be trapped waiting for hikers to work their way through these points.
Our group stayed off to the side right before the Barranco Wall started to let as many porters pass but it became rather tedious as we ended up sort of waiting for like a good 30 minutes or so. Other than that the wall should take an hour or two depending on your fitness level and the traffic ahead.
Finally, the wall
Wondering what lay ahead of me in the trail for this day, I was quite eager to initiate the hike (instead of pondering what lay ahead). I sensed others around me were ready to go for whatever reasons of their own.
We finally got started and I found the wall was actually quite doable. Yes, the trail narrowed at certain points to widths not comfortable for everyone but this actually did not bother me – but I still made sure I was closer to the wall than to the trail’s edge 🙂 The Barranco Wall is between 200-300 m high and, while not trivial, it didn’t hit me as scary from an altitude standpoint though people are very different when it comes to altitudes and ledges so keep that in mind.
Given we had to go very slowly, I had the time to look back at the direction of the Barranco Camp and the entrance to the Barranco Wall… And the ever-important photos…
In the end, there were a couple of “tight” spots. One was a little jump, where help was necessary and useful (from a physical and mental block standpoint). It was better to have one’s hands free along the path to be able to hold on to things. So the hiking poles helped me most by being packed away versus in my hands. The physical exertion was a non-issue for me along the wall and I was glad for that – but there was more ahead, post wall… The Barranco Wall, for someone not afraid of heights, was not a hard thing to do. I suspect it is a different story for someone afraid of heights.
The trail after the Barranco Wall: a trail of doubt for me
With the wall behind us, I felt relief that now we were going to be back on a more “normal” trail – I had this! Well, we were not quite back to one of those normal trails. The trail after the Barranco Wall required climbing over a lot of rocks (without a cliff around) and the exertion of climbing over large rocks actually left me quite winded. I could see myself lagging the group a bit more with every passing section of the trail and I was not happy. Frustration and doubt started to creep in…
Our Trekking for Kids lead reassured me that the extra exertion of the legs would definitely have this impact (picture, if you will, the difference between walking uphill vs. walking up the same incline using stairs: it is harder on the latter). Still I was disappointed, I wondered if my fitness level was not up to par (I should have hiked more…) and – furthermore- what did this presage about summit night??
Our lead hiking guide, checking in on me at the next break, told me that an accelerated heart rate is also caused by altitude and may not be necessarily a statement about my fitness level. I appreciated the support of the TFK lead and our lead guide. It helped me muster enough strength to get me past this stage of the trail – but just barely…
Onwards and upward on Kilimanjaro!
Mercifully, after that stage, the trail become more the normal up and down hills so I was OK on those. Occasional rocks along the way were further apart from each other so the issue did not re-surface. I once again believed I could do this! My first moment of doubt since entering the mountain had lasted maybe less than an hour. But, mentally, it had been huge. So this is what people mean when they say climbing Kili is both a physical AND a mental challenge…
Along the way, the weather was seemingly taking a turn for the worse. So, we made a quick stop to put on our rain gear but it really did not rain much or for long at all – whew! While it would not have been terrible, it is just not fun…
We arrived at the Karanga Camp (13,800 ft; 4,200 m) after a 4 mile (7 km) hike that took us around 5 hours. We were very pleased that it was another nice camp on a sloping hillside with great views. The tents were on a little bit of a slope. But after one slightly uncomfortable night on Day 2, I learned the trick to make the sleeping bag as horizontal as possible. Just put stuff under the sleeping pad to even it out – simple solution!
Getting the best sleep in Kilimanjaro – sleeping pad
It is worth explaining that we used sleeping pads under the sleeping bags for two reasons:
- Further insulate you from the cold ground, and
- A little more comfort in sleep with the extra padding.
For me, though, it was more about the comfort question as my zero-rated sleeping bag did a great job with the temperature.
My sleeping pad was an inflatable one (but not self-inflatable). I had not brought a pump with me to avoid the extra weight (the pump and then all the batteries). Given the altitude and diminished oxygen levels, I was worried this would be an issue. But it actually was no trouble at all. I just inflated the pad sometime before dinner so it was ready for bedtime. Plus it helped me practice my pressure breathing – good exercise for my lungs at altitude!
Folding the sleeping pad in the morning after deflating it to slip back into its tight packing sleeve was actually THE worst moment of my morning routine… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I should have traded sterilizing someone’s water every morning for folding up and packing my sleeping pad…
It’s all in the views…
Like many moments on this climb, neat views delight when they appear. After the Barranco Wall waiting room, the post-wall stage which slowed me down and brought doubt, and the slight rain we experienced, it was the nice views that really motivated me to continue with every day and every step. Such motivation was, for me, this view on Day 4…
Back to Day 3…
… or on to Day 5!!
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Pin this image of the Barranco Wall to your board – you will make it OK through it – even if you have to wait!
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Other posts about my Mount Kilimanjaro trek experience:
– Preparing for the hike is more than training and gear
– Clothing required for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
– The Machame Route: our way up
– 7 things you will not see me without as I climb Kili
– Day 1 of the hike: and away we go!
– Interview with fellow Kili climber and Ultimate Global Explorer Len Stanmore
