December 21, 2016
Approaching Lava Tower (Dustin Balderach)
IMG senior guide, Max Bunce, called in from the sat phone at Barranco Camp on Kili just now. All is well and they enjoyed another great day of hiking. After leaving Shira Camp this morning, they climbed to over 15,000 feet to enjoy a lunch break at Lava Tower. The views from here are as good as they get! Then they dropped back down a couple thousand feet to their camp for the night at Barranco Camp (~13,000 feet). This is a great acclimation day – climb high, sleep slow – and a long one at that. In fact, its usually the second longest day of the climb. But the trail is good, not too steep, the pace is slow and the views are hard to beat! The group will sleep well tonight after a filling dinner. Barranco Camp is really scenic. Tucked into a steep sided valley, the sun sets early and rises late here. Tomorrow is another great day on Kili, and a shorter one than today’s. The Team will tackle Barranco Wall in the morning! Stay tuned.
Dustin Balderach