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Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari Tanzania, Africa • 19,340' • 5896m
Trip Report

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

by Alison Howard and Clint Chase,  December 2014

We climbed the Machame Route, led by International Mountain Guides (IMG) Guide Max Bunce and Tanzanian guides Lyimo, Mosha and Robinson.

Day 1: Machame gate at 6000' to Machame Camp at 10,000'

Day 2: Climb to Shira Plateau, 12,000'

Day 3: Climb to Lava Rocks at 14,500'+ and drop down to camp at Barranco, 13,000'

Day 4: Merry Christmas as we cross the Barranco Wall, traverse below the Southern Glaciers and camp at Karanga, 13,000'

Day 5: Climb to Barafu High Camp, 15,000'

Day 6: Summit Day! 12:30 am start to the summit (Uhuru Peak, 19,341 feet) and then back to Barafu and on to Mweka Camp

Day 7: Descend to the park gate

Max, Ken, Evan, Alison, Clint and Dave:

And others... (blue/Sykes' monkeys) at the start:

Jambo. We quickly got used to the sight of porters carrying more, hiking faster and being much better balanced than any of us. Poa:

The views each day were amazing:

Views of Mount Meru in the distance:

Views of the top kept us focused and a bit daunted.

Senecios and flowers welcome us to Barranco Camp:

That's the Barranco Wall, and we have to go over it. Bouldering.

A straight stretch to Karanga. And then a quick climb to the camp:

Cairn field:

Max checking in on us at Barafu High Camp:

CLINT, ALISON AND DAVE AT UHURU PEAK AS THE SUN RISES. 5:45 AFTER LEAVING HIGH CAMP:

Alison at Uhuru Peak:

Clint at Uhuru Peak:

The talented, smart and patient Lyimo and Mosha got us there. Pole pole.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
(I had to say it, even if the Hemingway short story really isn't that great and, more sadly, there won't be glaciers there much longer):

Along the crater. And then back to Stella Point (where it was too cold and dark to take a photo earlier):

36:20 to get up to 19,341' and down again (including breaks). 28:10 up, 8:10 down. I'd rather keep going up.

Trip report authors, Alison Howard and Clint Chase, down safely after the Kilimanjaro Expedition with IMG:

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