February 14, 2017

We just received more good news from IMG guide Emily Johnston and her team over in Tanzania. They are all back at the hotel in Moshi now, clean and happy! They made short work of the hike out this morning and enjoyed lunch, showers, and clean clothes back at the hotel. They spent their afternoon relaxing and packing up for the safari. Right now, they are celebrating their climb over dinner and drinks. Sharing stories and talking about the safari. They have certainly earned it after their past week of climbing!

Tomorrow the fun continues, this time without much work! After breakfast they’ll head to the city of Arusha a couple hours away to catch their early afternoon flight to the Serengeti. Once the wheels of the plane touch down, the game-viewing will begin. Most people are surprised how quickly they are engulfed in the safari. One minute you are taking off from a city of 1 million people, 50 minutes later you are spotting wildlife out the window of the plane on the final approach. It amazes me every time. You know this crew is having a good time from all the smiles in the photos Emily just sent us. And I know the team will really enjoy the next 4 days and they have earned it! Congrats again Team!

Dustin Balderach

February 13, 2017

We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston late last night and it was just the news we were hoping for. The entire team were standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro and feeling great! That is fantastic news and we’d like to congratulate everyone on making the summit. All the hard work has paid off for this team. Emily called in again just now to report the team had made it all the way down to Mweka Camp in good form. She said this team was super strong and fit and “styled it” today. Nice job team! They were getting ready to have a quick dinner and then crawl into the tents. They will sleep great tonight after that long day. Mweka Camp is at about 10,000 feet down in the forest. After spending several nights up higher, the thicker air and humidity here are a welcome feeling.

Tomorrow is an easy hike out and they will be back at the hotel in time for lunch! Then the team will shower, repack for the safari, and toast their hard work at the celebratory dinner tomorrow night! Congrats Team!

Dustin Balderach

February 12, 2017

The Kili team just rolled into Barafu High Camp, and IMG senior guide Emily Johnston checked in with us. Another good day hiking on Kili, and this team is in great shape. There is always an exciting buzz around this camp as you have finally reached the highest camp on the mountain and everyone will soon be making their summit push. The team enjoyed a shorter day today which is all part of the plan to prepare for the summit day tomorrow!  After pulling into high camp and getting their tents organized, the team had a hot lunch and finish up getting packed for the climb, followed by a few hours of afternoon snoozing.  They will have an early dinner tonight before they get horizontal again in the tents and try to get some sleep.   While it might be tough to sleep, it’s the time off your feet and on your back that counts. Then next thing you know its 11 pm and the alarm is waking you up. By midnight, you are off hiking into the night following a stream of headlamps slowly climbing up the mountain. It really is exciting.

The team is in for a long day; no way to sugar-coat it.  They will normally reach the summit shortly after sunrise, then spend a half hour or so on the summit, taking photos and taking in the views. Then it’s back down to Barafu high camp to pack up and have another hot lunch. Finally, they’ll descend a few more hours to the Mweka camp for the final night on the climb. A long but extremely rewarding day.

We wish the team luck and look forward to hearing from them late tonight or tomorrow morning!

Dustin Balderach

February 11, 2017

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.

 

 

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