Happy Kili Climbers at Shira Camp

December 19th, 2017

Phunuru just checked in from Shira Camp over on Kilimanjaro and reports that the Team had a great day on the trail and are now resting comfortably in camp. Situated on a broad plateau at 12,600 feet, the views from Shira are simply terrific. To the north looms Kilimanjaro’s upper reaches and to the west you look out to Shira Ridge and Mt Meru off in the distance. Wide open views in all directions from here and the nights will be a bit colder now as well. The Team has a great hike up from Machame Camp today. They broke out of the forest and enjoyed not only their first real glimpse of Kili, but also some amazing plants such as the Giant Groundsel and Giant Lobelia. Its a pretty neat day on the trail and I really enjoy the hike up to Shira. They arrived to camp in the early afternoon and were able to rest, enjoy the views, and – most importantly – hydrate! Tomorrow is another superb day on the trail. They will hike up to the base of Lava Tower (15,100 feet) for lunch and then descend down to Barranco Camp (13,000 feet). It a long day but the views are terrific and its a perfect acclimatization day. We’ll hear from Phunuru when they get to Barranco Camp tomorrow.

Dustin Balderach