February 9, 2015
Mike & Kilimanjaro Team
And they’re off! IMG Senior Guide, Mike Haft, collected his Kilimanjaro team over the weekend and got them ready to climb the mountain. They rendezvoused at the Keys Hotel in Moshi, did all their gear checks, saw a bit of the town and got ready to go for a little walk. Each climber has a duffel with 15 kg of their personal gear which gets sent with one of our porters. They’ll have access to that bag each evening and they carry only the gear needed for that day – rain jacket/pants, water, snacks, etc.
They put in their first day on the trail today. Remember, it’s 11 hours later than Seattle time in Tanzania. So, when we hear from the team in the morning (our time), they’ve already completed their day’s activities. Mike called from Machame Camp to let us know that the first day went off without a hitch. A 4,000 vertical foot gain today, ending at 10,000 feet. That’s a good day’s work and everyone took it in stride.
They should wake up to great views of Kilimanjaro tomorrow and will have those views from now on, assuming no clouds, of course. A little less altitude gain tomorrow and another 2,5000 ft. increase in sleeping altitude. No hurry, they’ve got 6 days to reach the summit.
Phil Ershler