December 23, 2010
Shira Plateau Camp looking south over Shira Cathedral Peaks.
Ang Jangbu Sherpa reports that the Kili trip is going smoothly. After the hiccups at the beginning with the missing luggage (all but two of the missing team duffels from the travel chaos in Europe finally showed up just before their departure) the team had a nice hike yesterday up through the forest to Machame Camp (at about 10,000 feet). They had a little rain during the day (that is why the forest is so lush!) but later in the afternoon the skies cleared and they had nice views of Kili from the camp in the evening. Today the team took a nice slow 6 hour pace up to Shira Plateau (about 12,500 feet). During the afternoon the clouds came in, but there was no rain, and again it cleared up in the evening. Jangbu says everyone is doing well, with only a few minor headaches, which is good news. If there is one thing we have learned over the years, it is the importance of really taking it easy for the first few days, to ensure good acclimatization! Tomorrow the team climbs to 14,500 at Lava Tower, then drops down to 13,000 at Barranco Camp.
So far, so good!
Eric Simonson