Point Lenana, at 4989 meter, third highest point in Kenya at 6:15 am.

The alarm was set for 1:00 am, we got up quickly to pack the rest of our gear and to have a quick cup of tea with some biscuits. At exactly 2 am we were outside the barrack at Shipton's camp. It was a cold, and clear night, no moon though. We started hiking up the mountain in silence, no other groups seemed to be up at that time, and I wondered whether we would be the only ones on this particular night going up. We climbed about 200 meters in altitude per hour, and you could feel the temperature dropping rapidly once we gained elevation.

About half way we saw another party coming up the mountain in a much faster pace than us, they did over take us in the end, but by then we were so close near the summit that we all had to wait in the dark for awhile before we had to do the final push to reach the top. We left our bags at the spot where the real climbing started, it was hard work and I was glad our guides gave a helping hand on the more treacherous parts of the climb. Just before six we reached the point where we had to traverse a small portion along the via ferrata and the metal steps to the top. Climbing over the edge to reach the summit and seeing the first glimpse of light, it just takes your breath away. Our timing had been perfect, we spent about 20 minutes at the top. I could have stayed there much longer, not minding the cold, however we had a steep descent and other climb on the other-side of the mountain ahead of us.

* when you zoom in, you can actually see Austria Hut in the far distance. We had to trek the long route to get there instead of the via ferrata route which was covered in snow.