February 22, 2018
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- Kili team at Machame Gate (Tye Chapman)
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- Kili team at Machame Camp (Tye Chapman)
IMG Guide Tye Chapman just called in from Shira Camp over on Kilimanjaro. He reports that the team had a great hike up from Machame camp this morning. They saw some of Kilimanjaro’s very unusual plants today and got their first view of the upper mountain – always a nice site! This is a fun day and a tough one, although not super long. They only had to gain a couple thousand feet of elevation, but the trail is steep in places. No problem for the team though as we always move slowly up the mountain. “Pole Pole” is a Swahili phrase which means “slow”. It is spoken often on Kili and is both encouragement and a reminder to move slowly to conserve energy and acclimate properly!
Sitting at 12,600’, Shira Camp is a neat one. The Shira Plateau has unobstructed views of the upper mountain and plenty of space to move around. It can also get cold here at night! Nice views over to Mt. Meru and the Shira Ridge off the other side of the plateau. Our schedule puts us in camp in the early afternoon with plenty of time to drink, eat, rest, and take in the amazing views. Hot drinks and popcorn awaited Tye and the team when they arrived.
Tomorrow they will head over to Barranco Camp at 13,000 feet after first climbing to over 15,000 feet at Lava Tower. Climb high, sleep low is the name of the game for the next couple days.
Dustin Balderach