February 11, 2017

Top of the Barranco Wall (photo: Emily Johnson)

I just received word from IMG guide Emily Johnston over on Kili. “All is well here at Karanga camp. Strong healthy clients!” Those were her words. That really says it all and is good news. The team continues to make good progress up the mountain and have just finished up their fourth day of hiking. They started at Barranco Camp at 13,000 feet earlier today (Tanzanian time), climbed up to the top of Barranco Wall — some fun scrambling with no exposure — at 14,000 feet, then descended back down to Karanga Camp at 13,300 feet. Another excellent day of acclimatization, and a shorter one at that — about 4 hours of hiking — which means a hot lunch in camp! Tomorrow will be another short day, only 3 or 4 hours up to Barafu high camp which sits at 15,200 feet.

IMG team descending from the Lava Tower (photo: Emily Johnson)

IMG team in Karanga Camp (photo: Emily Johnson)

Karanga Camp is beautiful. It sits on a ridge staring right at the upper mass of Kilimanjaro. Looking the other direction, you can see over to Mt. Meru. The lights of Moshi pop out in the valley below as it gets dark. A really stunning place. Over dinner tonight they will probably start getting into the details of summit day: what to pack, how to dress, wake up time. They are getting close now, and I know the team is excited!

Dustin Balderach

February 10, 2017

IMG senior guide, Emily Johnston, checked in via sat phone late last night (our time). They were getting ready to leave Shira Camp and head for Lava Tower. The third day on the Machame route on Kili is a perfect one for acclimatization. The team will leave Shira Camp at 12,600 feet, climb up to Lava Tower at just over 15,000 feet, then drop back down to Barranco Camp for the night at around 13,000 feet.  This is a solid day of hiking (about 7 hours) with the emphasis on going slow and steady.  You’ve probably heard it before – “climb high, sleep low” and that is exactly what the team is doing.  It will help tremendously with their acclimatization. Lots of great scenery along the way, with some very strange Giant Groundsel plants . All continues to go well for Emily and team over on Kili.

Dustin Balderach

February 9, 2017

Got a call last night from IMG guide, Emily Johnston, who is leading our first February Kili trip. The team is eating breakfast at Machame Camp and about ready to hit the trail. The goal for today is Shira Camp up on Shira Plateau at around 12,600 feet just above tree line. This is really a great day on Kili. Its about 5 hours hiking like yesterday, but the trail is a little steeper today. We typically get our first good view of Kili on the hike today as you break out of the forest into the heather and moorland zones. Interesting plants will be seen today including the Giant Groundsels (Giant Senecio) which are native to the mountains of East Africa. Since its only about 5 hours of hiking today, this means the team will get into camp fairly early and have the afternoon to relax and enjoy the view. Probably enjoy some tea and popcorn in the afternoon too. The theme for the afternoon and evening will be to continue acclimating by resting, eating and drinking! Another great day on Kili for Emily and her team!

Dustin Balderach

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

February 7, 2017

Kili from our hotel in Moshi (Dustin Balderach)

IMG Senior Guide Emily Johnston checked in with us to let us know all clients and bags arrived in Moshi, Tanzania without any hiccups. Always great to start a trip this way! The team was quite tired after all the travel so they hit the sack as soon as they got to the hotel last night.

Today is a nice relaxing day for the team. It starts with breakfast at the hotel followed by a thorough briefing from the Emily about the climb. Then, its time to dig into those duffel bags, sort all the gear and make sure everything is in order with the gear and duffels. The important part here is making sure everyone is under the 15kg/32lb weight limit — typically not a problem. This usually takes a good portion of the morning. Then, after lunch, the team will head into the town of Moshi to change money, pick up a few last minute items, and explore the town a bit. Maybe grab a milkshake at Cafe Union and some souvenir shopping. Then, its back to the hotel to finish working off the jet lag before dinner. I always love the dinner before the start of the climb because everyone is so excited.

In short, all is well in Tanzania!

Dustin Balderach