September 23, 2013
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- Chris Meder and his team at the Machame Gate about 6,000 ft. (Chris Meder)
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- Camp in the forest . (Eric Simonson)
IMG guide Chris Meder called on the sat phone from Machame Camp (about 10,000 ft) to report that they had a nice hike up through the forest today.
After breakfast at the hotel in Moshi (about 2.500 ft) they loaded up the four wheel drive vehicles and headed up the slopes of Kilimanjaro, driving uphill through several small villages and coffee and banana farms.  The end of the road is the Machame Gate, at about 6,000 feet. After taking care of the permit paperwork, it was time to hit the trail.
The team took five and a half hours to reach Machame Camp, which is almost at the top of the forest zone. The weather is good and everyone is doing well. Tomorrow they head for the Shira Plateau.
Eric Simonson