We were awoken just after 5am (still very dark), had our coffee, wash and breakfast, then started up the Western Breach at about 7am.

"Pole, pole" was now no longer just a good idea, but the only game in town.  The rocky buttresses beside the route were magnificent, and the view back down the mountain as we gained altitude was spectacular, but the going was hard, and as the day went on, we spent less time admiring the view and more and more time just focused on the next step.

The lower part of the trail up the breach was mostly over loose screes.  We crossed snow and patches of ice several times, and here it was important to take very careful steps to avoid stumbling and possibly sliding down - a price we didn't want to pay considering how hard-won was each little gain towards the crater!

Some time between 11am and noon - not sure exactly - we reached a little rocky plateau - very small, but almost flat.  There was lunch awaiting us again - our dependable and delectable lunch!  The only concession to the altitude was the lack of table and chairs, but there was still a tablecloth, and we were able to enjoy the food and the rest.

Another party passed us at lunchtime, and we gave them a head start before continuing up the breach.  Some time later, a shout came up, and some good-size rocks came crashing down the slope towards us - we saw them pass by some yards away.  It was clear now why we were wearing helmets.

Through the afternoon, height seemed to be gained only very slowly.  As always, we tried to drink water frequently, and concentrated on every step.  Ray advised us not to look up, but to focus on each step and keep going.  It soon became advisable not to look down either.

There were some sections of climbing - hand-jams in a couple of spots - but it was not really difficult, and the real challenge was fatigue.  Greg fell back a little, and Fredy stayed with him, but the group got back together for the last hundred feet or so of climbing.  We seemed so close now, but the path kept cutting from side to side and it went slowly.

At one point, Ray had us take a breather before proceeding up a little section of climbing.  At the time, we didn't really think about why he did this, but we suspected later that the exposure here might have been at its greatest and he wanted us at our best.

At last, a little after 4pm, we reached the edge of the crater.  Spectacular! - like a lunar landscape, but with a massive wall of ice ahead of us on the left side.  Although there was still the summit climb ahead the next day, this was really the moment of achievement.

In camp, the crew was purposeful and efficient - no time to waste, dinner was prepared and served quickly, and as soon as possible all buttoned-down for the night.  Although it was very misty in the crater when we arrived, at sunset the mist cleared, there were lovely colours, then a clear sky.

Uh-oh! - a cold night ahead.

Wearing absolutely all our clothes inside our sleeping bags, the night was bearable, but getting out of the bag for the inevitable service breaks was no fun!  Greg made a bit of an error: he considered putting his water supply inside his sleeping bag, but he didn't do it, and in the night the supply froze solid and he was unable to drink until the morning.  He also had a little stomach difficultly and had to make a hasty latrine run at 4am.  He was very grateful for the full moon, since his flashlight was dead.

Barney, meanwhile, had a bad night too, awoken at around 1am by a fast pulse and alarmingly rapid breathing.  He lay in bed wondering if this was the end.  Greg was snoring in the next tent and did not answer his appeals.  He tried to be philosophical: was it a reasonable way to go, to spend one's last days dancing with Maasai and climbing the Western Breach ....?  but all was well, although he still felt rather weak in the morning.