After traversing the Shira Plateau in our bid for Uhuru, Kili’s summit, we were in great spirits.
We set out for Barranco camp, which was slightly higher at 13,000 ft. On the way, we would climb to Lava Tower, which at 15,210 feet, is higher than either of us had ever been (visible in the picture below to the right).
We had a boxed lunch at Lava tower… 
And did a little light rock climbing.
We then had to descend back down to Barranco camp. This was the story of our lives – trek up a hill, down a hill. The rationale for it was the mantra “climb high and sleep low”, which helps with altitude acclimatization; However, it still made us want to cry giving up each meter of hard earned elevation. As we descended we walked into an enormous cloud. 
We somehow found Barranco camp in the fog… 
and as the evening came, the cool air dragged down the cloud with it, revealing our tent’s stunning surroundings.
The next morning we were confused about where we would go next, as we were surrounded on all sides by cliffs, except down the river. On closer inspection, there was a path out of camp leading to one cliff. We wondered if perhaps there was some hidden pass through that we couldn’t see. Turns out, we were climbing up that cliff… Look closely at this pic: there is a “trail” with people climbing up it. 
Thinking the trail must be wider than it looks, we started up. I’m not quite sure how the porters all made it up that thing, because this part of the climb was more like bouldering, or an American Ninja Warriors course, than a trail. There are no photos of the dicier bits, as it would’ve been risking camera and/or life to take a shot.
We reached the top of the cliff, and we were happy about it. 
The rest of the way to Karanga camp was easy, and our guides were trying to slow us down so that we wouldn’t get any ideas about trying to shorten our 7 day climb even further to a 6 day. They must have read our minds, because the wheels were turning. Most guides offer the Lemosho 6 day plan, but include caveats like:
“The six day Lemosho route variation is not recommended because it is difficult to cover the distance and elevation in the allotted time.”
We both felt great, with minimal altitude symptoms. We liked the idea of a challenge, and we were having such fantastic weather we didn’t want it to turn before we reached the summit. The clouds were starting to roll up the mountain and we were pretty sure the next camp would be above them at 15,330 ft, while we knew that the next stop, Karanga camp at 13,200, was already smothered with mist. We were also tired of washing up in Tupperware.
When we reached Karanga way ahead of schedule, we were faced with a decision: Stick to the plan or push for six days.
“The final day of the 6-day Lemosho route requires 19-24 hours of demanding walking, at extremely high elevation, with only 4-6 hours of sleep.”
Despite our better judgement (maybe it was the altitude), ultimately we talked ourselves into it. Mathayo cautiously agreed. So, we decided to go for it.
After lunch, we climbed up out of cloudy Karanga.
Were we foolish or did we end up making the summit?
“I always say, decisions I make, I live with them. There’s always ways you can correct them or ways you can do them better. At the end of the day, I live with them.” – Lebron
round the world in sixty days 