Tagged With: hiking
Kilimanjaro, day 7
Start: Barafu Base Camp; 4,680 meters End: Mweka Hut; 3,100 meters Hiking time: 2:25 We got up from our post-summit naps to have lunch and then hit the trail once more. We had another fifteen hundred meters to descend before the day was done. It was a steady and steep downhill hike that took … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro summit!
Start: Barafu Base Camp; 4,620 meters Summit: Uhuru peak; 5,895 meters Ascent time: 6:20 Descent time: 2:00 At 11:30 pm, the four of us stumbled out of our tents, had a snack, and were on our way towards the highest point in Africa. The moon was out but it was still unbelievably dark and, … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 6
Start: Karanga Valley; 3,930 meters End: Barafu Base Camp; 4,620 meters Hiking time: 2:50 I opened the tent flap this morning fully expecting to see frost covering the ground. Instead I found myself looking upon a silent sea of clouds with pink crests and blue shadows so impressive that I mumbled an instinctive, “Wow,” … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 5
Start: Baronko; 4,000 meters End: Karanga Valley; 3,930 meters Hiking time: 3:50 Another cold morning, this time because Baronko Wall cast a huge shadow over our entire campsite. In fact, Baronko Wall was our first obstacle. For well over an hour, we made our way up the wall, using two hands to steady ourselves … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 4
Start: Shira 2; 3,850 meters Midpoint: Lava Tower; 4,600 meters End: Baronko; 4,000 meters Hiking time Shira 2 to Lava Tower: 3:27 Hiking time Lava Tower to Baronko: 1:20 It’s getting much colder every morning! The good news is my sleeping bag is keeping me generally warm enough at night but that makes it … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 3
Start: Shira 1; 3,600 meters End: Shira 2; 3,850 meters Hiking time: 3:25 What a cold morning! We awoke to find our tents and the ground covered in frost. It was hard to coax myself out of my sleeping bag, but I made it to breakfast and the sky was bright and clear by … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 2
Start: Camp 1; 2,600 meters End: Shira 1; 3,600 meters Hiking time: 5:12 The sun woke us before Bob could knock on our tents. We washed up with bowls of hot water before sitting down to a big breakfast of tea, hot chocolate, millet porridge, eggs, bread, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, bananas, and sausage. … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro, day 1
Start: Lemosho gate; 2,200 meters End: Camp 1; 2,600 meters Hiking time: 2:21 It was a busy and nervous morning as Viraj, Kerry, Shailey, and I prepared to set off on our Kilimanjaro hike. Our guide, Gilbert aka Captain G, met us along with our assistant guide, Jimmy. We drove for about two … Continue reading
Kilimanjaro or bust!
Earlier in the year, a friend casually asked if anyone was up for a trip to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Several months later, four of us have made it to Moshi and we are now about to head out to Kilimanjaro! We will be doing the eight day Lemosho route, which is the slowest … Continue reading