February 8, 2017
The before photo…standby for a week for the after photo!
IMG senior guide, Emily Johnston, checked in via sat phone last night. The team had just finished breakfast and were loading up the duffel bags and backpacks to begin the drive to the Machame Gate where they will start the hike. Its about a 45 minute drive from the hotel to the Machame Gate. Its interesting scenery passing through coffee fields, groves of banana trees, and small villages.
Once at the Machame Gate there is usually some down time while all the porters and crew are sorted with their respective loads. All the preparation is behind you at this point and all thats left to do is hike slowly up the mountain. Today, that hike will be through the rain forest. If the team is lucky they might sneak a peak at Kili as they get close to camp. But, they don’t call it a Rain Forest for nothing…. Its about 5 hours of hiking today up a fairly consistent but not too steep trail. Destination for the day is Machame Camp at around 10,000 feet. High, but still in the forest. The team is off and hiking and everyone is super excited!
Dustin Balderach