Gaspar and Brad got up at 4am to make one last climb before their summit attempt two days later. Instead, I got up just as they left and went out to see the night sky. It is one of the true wonders of high altitude and no words can describe how many stars there are, the brightness of the shooting stars, and the clarity of it all. The Milky Way looks like bright white spray paint.
Brad and Gaspar were two small lights heading up the mountain.
I realized on the equator the Southern Cross should be visible and it was. Funny how it’s a thrill to see it. I’d seen it once before in Australia but never from Kilimanjaro as the mountain was always in the way. I looked north and there was the Big Dipper. I couldn’t keep from crying. It was something about the majesty of it all.
I went up on an outcropping and waited for the sun to come up. It was a spectacularly clear morning. The mist started to roll in soon after.