July 2, 2018

I received two calls from Phunuru in the past 9 hours. The first call came in at about 11:30PM PST, it was the call I was waiting for… 100% on the summit of Kilimanjaro!

The second (and most important) call came in just a few minutes ago at (8:30am PST) when Phunuru said the team was all safely back at their camp for the night. He said it was a long day but everybody did awesome! Their plan is to crush some calories, swap a few stories from the climb, then jump into their sleeping bags pretty early to get some shuteye. It’s a pretty good feeling to lay your head down at night knowing you just summited Kilimanjaro!

Tomorrow will be an early (and rough) wake-up call, but the time on the trail back to the trailhead will certainly be overshadowed by the hot showers & a cold beers that are awaiting the team back in Moshi!

Great work team!

Tye Chapman

July 1, 2018

All smiles at Barafu Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)

All the winter workouts and spring training hikes will be put to the test tonight when Phunuru and his team leave Barafu Camp on their summit attempt of Kilimanjaro!

When Phunuru checked into today he said the team did really well on the hike up to Barafu Camp and were eager to get an early dinner and some shuteye, knowing that their 11:30pm wake-up call was going to be a rough one!

We’ll hear more from Phunuru later today, hopefully from the summit! If all goes as planned they’ll summit around 8am Tanzania time / 10pm tonight here in Seattle.

All is well at Barafu Camp on Kilimanjaro!

Tye Chapman

June 30, 2018

“Another great day on Kilimanjaro” is the report I got from Phunuru Sherpa today. The team absolutely loved the climb up the Barranco Wall this morning. It’s truly a fun climb and a great way to start the day. Once on top of the wall they took a nice break and then made their way to Karanga Camp (13,000ft.).

Tomorrow they’ll make their way from Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (15,000ft.), which will be the team’s high camp. The summit is almost within reach!

Tye Chapman

June 29, 2018

The team at the Lava Tower. (Phunuru Sherpa)

Phunuru called in this morning my time here in Seattle, after dinner his time in Tanzania. He reports that all continues to go well for him and his team. Today they departed Shira Camp and made it up to the base of the Lava Tower (14,500ft) and then descended down to Barranco Camp. Today is a pretty big day, and a good barometer on how the team is doing. This team crushed it!

Once in camp, they settled in and enjoyed some vegetable soup and a nice pasta dinner. Barranco Camp sits right at the base of tomorrow’s objective, the Barranco Wall. It looks pretty intimidating from camp, but for most climbers it’s usually one of the biggest highlights of the climb. Right now it’s all about getting some rest; tomorrow will be here soon enough!

Tye Chapman

June 28, 2018

Phunuru checked in again this morning (7am PST / 5pm Tanzania) reporting all continues to go well with his team on Kilimanjaro. Today they left Machame Camp (10,000ft.) and climbed through the zone of weird plants and up onto the Shira Plateau. The zone of weird plants has been compared to the high desert on LSD. Two prominent plants they surely saw today are the Lobelia and Groundsel plants. Once in camp the team had a hot lunch, played a little bocce ball and then made their way over to the Shira Cave.  I’m not sure who brought bocce ball along for the climb, but a big tip of the cap to them!

Tomorrow the team will get back to the business at hand and head to Barranco Camp (13,000ft.). The biggest test of the day will be getting up to the Lava Tower (14,500ft.) for lunch. Climb high // sleep low = great acclimatization!

All is well at Shira Camp on Kilimanjaro!

Tye Chapman

June 27, 2018

IMG Guide Phunuru Sherpa checked in this morning (10:30am PST / 8:30PM Tanzania) reporting all is well. The team enjoyed a nice hike in good weather up to Machame Camp (10,000ft.). Once at camp they got settled and walked around a bit exploring their new surroundings. Dinner was pumpkin soup followed by spaghetti with a beef or vegetable sauce…and lots of water. Calories and H2O are super important on this program. This team did just fine in both departments.

Tomorrow they’ll have breakfast at 7:30 and will hit the trail shortly thereafter. They’ll leave the forest behind and camp on the Shira Plateau (12,000ft).  The hike tomorrow also takes them through what we call the zone of weird plants.  More on that tomorrow.

For now, all is well at Machame Camp on Kilimanjaro!

Tye Chapman

June 26, 2018

Phunuru Sherpa checked in reporting that the team’s gear checks are done and that they’re all packed up and ready to go. The hardest part will be getting some sleep tonight!

Their private transportation to the trailhead is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Once at the Machame Gate, they’ll get checked in and hit the trail, with their goal tomorrow being Machame Camp (10,000ft.). It’s almost go time.

All is well in Moshi!

Tye Chapman

June 25, 2018

Kilimanjaro from outside of Moshi. (Phunuru Sherpa)

IMG Guide Phunuru Sherpa checked in from Moshi, Tanzania this afternoon (1am local time) reporting that all climbers have arrived with their duffel bags! Just the way we like to start a Kilimanjaro program. The team is in bed sleeping and doing their best to adjust to the time change.

Tomorrow is a big day for the team. Phunuru will give the team a briefing after breakfast, then jump into the all-important gear checks. Once gear checks are done they’ll head into town to run some last minute errands and likely check out the local market.

All is well in Moshi!

Tye Chapman