February 11, 2017
Top of the Barranco Wall (photo: Emily Johnson)
I just received word from IMG guide Emily Johnston over on Kili. “All is well here at Karanga camp. Strong healthy clients!†Those were her words. That really says it all and is good news. The team continues to make good progress up the mountain and have just finished up their fourth day of hiking. They started at Barranco Camp at 13,000 feet earlier today (Tanzanian time), climbed up to the top of Barranco Wall — some fun scrambling with no exposure — at 14,000 feet, then descended back down to Karanga Camp at 13,300 feet. Another excellent day of acclimatization, and a shorter one at that — about 4 hours of hiking — which means a hot lunch in camp! Tomorrow will be another short day, only 3 or 4 hours up to Barafu high camp which sits at 15,200 feet.
IMG team descending from the Lava Tower (photo: Emily Johnson)
IMG team in Karanga Camp (photo: Emily Johnson)
Karanga Camp is beautiful. It sits on a ridge staring right at the upper mass of Kilimanjaro. Looking the other direction, you can see over to Mt. Meru. The lights of Moshi pop out in the valley below as it gets dark. A really stunning place. Over dinner tonight they will probably start getting into the details of summit day: what to pack, how to dress, wake up time. They are getting close now, and I know the team is excited!
Dustin Balderach