February 24, 2017

IMG senior guide Emily Johnston checked in from Shira Camp and reports “All is well! It rained much of the day, but no one seemed to mind! There’s a cribbage tournament going on in the dining tent. Everyone is happy, and feeling good!” A little rain is pretty typical at some point on Kili, since it is surrounded by rain forest and is 3 degrees south of the equator.  Today was another great day for the team and a big milestone to make it up to the Shira Plateau at about 12,500 feet. Tomorrow is a big day. They’ll hike from Shira Camp up to Lava Tower (~15,000 feet) and then drop back down to Barranco Camp (13,000 feet).  It is a really beautiful day of trekking, and great acclimatization.  The trek to Barranco is the second longest after summit day, but the views of Kili and the southern glaciers are more than worth it. All continues to go smoothly for this strong Kili Team!

Dustin Balderach

February 23, 2017

We received another update from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston over on Kilimanjaro. The Team was all settled in for the night up at Machame Camp. They had a great day hiking up through the forest. It was raining when they arrived at Machame Gate but stopped just before they started hiking! Great news there! The Team is fit and strong and enjoyed their first day on the trail. To quote Emily, “all is well at Machame Camp.”

In the morning after breakfast, they’ll start their hike up to the Shira Plateau. This is a super fun day on the trail and one of my personal favorites. Towards the later part of the day you break out of the forest and get some nice views of Kili. You also start seeing some very interesting, indigenous flora like the Giant Groundsel trees. This isn’t a super long day and the Team will get into camp in the early afternoon and have some time to rest and relax. From camp on the Shira Plateau you have amazing views of Kili right in front of you. Behind you, you gaze out to Mt Meru and the Shira Ridge. A splendid spot to spend the afternoon. It’s a nice feeling to relax at camp, snap some photos of Kili and enjoy some hot drinks and popcorn before dinner. Shira camp is at around 12,600 feet and just above tree line. It’s a neat spot any way you slice it.

Dustin Balderach

February 22, 2017

Kilimanjaro Team at the Machame Gate, Ready to Go! (Emily Johnston)

We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston over in Tanzania late last night (in USA). Emily is leading our second February Kilimanjaro climb and safari, and the team was just finishing up breakfast and getting ready to load up in the vehicles for the 45-minute drive up to the Machame Gate where they will begin their trek.  Yesterday, they spent the morning getting everyone organized and duffels weighed and packed into porter loads, and then during the afternoon they took the short ride into Moshi to have a look around the town. Overall a nice, relaxing day to help the team recover from jet lag and have everyone get to know each other better.

While we were sleeping over here in the USA, Emily and team made their way up to the Machame Gate and started the trek to Machame Camp.  Before departing, she sent a trailhead photo of the team.  At around 10,000 feet, Machame Camp is high, but still in the forest on Kilimanjaro. Its a nice walk up through the rainforest where they might spot some monkeys if they are lucky. If they are really lucky, they’ll stay dry and might get a peak at Kili as they get closer to their camp. We are glad to hear things are off to a great start for the Team over in Tanzania, and we wish them a great climb!

Dustin Balderach