December 24, 2016

Max Bunce called on the sat phone to report the Kili team are all back down to the Mweka Camp, enjoying the thick air at 10,100 feet after a big day at high altitude.  Congratulations!  After their dinner everyone crawled into their tents for some well-deserved sleep.

Looking back at Kilimanjaro from Mweka Camp (photo: Eric Simonson)

Tomorrow they have a couple more hours of downhill hiking to the Mweka Gate trailhead.  We have several people flying in today to join the safari, and they will be able to come up to the Mweka Gate to meet the descending team tomorrow.  Then, it’s down to Moshi for showers, beers, and a celebration BBQ dinner.  The following day they will fly to Serengeti for their safari.  We’ll keep you posted!

Eric Simonson

December 23, 2016

IMG Guide Max Bunce called on the sat phone from the summit of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. The weather is good and everyone is doing well.

The view looking from Uhuru Peak back across the Crater with Mawenzi Peak in the background (photo: Eric Simonson)

After some photos, they are starting their descent to Mweka Camp.  We’ll look forward to hearing from them this evening (Tanzania time) after they get down to the camp.  So far, so good.  Well done team!

Eric Simonson

December 23, 2016

It’s game time! IMG senior guide, Max Bunce, just checked in from Barafu High Camp on Kilimanjaro, and the entire team is super excited! The team enjoyed a short day today hiking from Karanga Camp (13,300 feet) to Barafu High Camp (15,200 feet) — a really nice hike on good trail and with amazing views! The team had excellent weather today and reached camp in under 4 hours which allows plenty of time to enjoy a hot lunch, some incredible views, and get some rest this afternoon. This camp is unlike any other on Kili. It’s rugged. No vegetation in sight. Perched on a ridge with the summit of Kili right in your face. It’s wild. And there is a terrific buzz about camp because everyone is excited for summit night!

Kili from Barafu High Camp (Dustin Balderach)

After lunch the team will repack their bags for the summit push tonight. Food, water, and lots of warm clothes. They’ll try to get some time off their feet and enjoy the view and buzz of high camp. Then, after an early dinner, they’ll try to get a few hours of shut-eye. It’s difficult to get much sleep this night because you are so excited about the summit, but time off your feet and on your back is really all you are looking for here, as well as staying hydrated and fed for the big day.

Looking down on Barafu High Camp (Dustin Balderach)

The team plans to wake up at 11pm and be hiking by midnight. A dark, cold, but beautiful night following the glow up headlamps up the mountain filled with all kinds of emotions. I love it! It’s a slow, steady pace resting briefly every hour to eat and drink. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work they’ll hopefully be standing on the summit between 7 and 8am. We wish the team luck, and we’ll be looking forward to a phone call from the summit. Go get ‘em Team!

Dustin Balderach

December 22, 2016

Another spectacular day on Kili. IMG senior guide, Max Bunce, just checked in from Karanga Camp. The Team had a great time today tackling the Barranco Wall. They were up early, after sunrise but before the sunlight hit their camp (remember, this camp is tucked into a valley). Most people say that this day is their second favorite day of the climb (after summit day of course). The Barranco Wall looks intimidating from afar, but once you are hiking up it you find out its not so bad. Some scrambling (use of hands) in places but with no big exposure  (the porters are doing this with a duffel bag of gear on their heads!).  After 1,000 feet of steep hiking, you top out on top of Barranco Wall (~14,000 feet) and are greeted with a tremendous view.  The weather today was excellent and the team had great views of the Southern Glaciers.  It’s a pretty easy hike down to Karanga Camp down at 13,300 feet from here. Another great acclimatization day and a shorter one than the previous, with a delicious hot lunch awaiting the team when they arrived. Now this is climbing in style! The team had the afternoon to relax at camp, enjoy the view and rest those feet before dinner. I absolutely love the view from Karanga Camp. The summit of Kili often appears as the afternoon clouds dissipate. It’s stunning. Another short and fairly easy hike tomorrow up to Barafu High Camp. Hey, we are getting closer! Stay tuned.

Dustin Balderach

December 21, 2016

Approaching Lava Tower (Dustin Balderach)

IMG senior guide, Max Bunce, called in from the sat phone at Barranco Camp on Kili just now. All is well and they enjoyed another great day of hiking. After leaving Shira Camp this morning, they climbed to over 15,000 feet to enjoy a lunch break at Lava Tower. The views from here are as good as they get! Then they dropped back down a couple thousand feet to their camp for the night at Barranco Camp (~13,000 feet). This is a great acclimation day – climb high, sleep slow – and a long one at that. In fact, its usually the second longest day of the climb. But the trail is good, not too steep, the pace is slow and the views are hard to beat! The group will sleep well tonight after a filling dinner. Barranco Camp is really scenic. Tucked into a steep sided valley, the sun sets early and rises late here. Tomorrow is another great day on Kili, and a shorter one than today’s. The Team will tackle Barranco Wall in the morning! Stay tuned.

Dustin Balderach

December 20, 2016

IMG Senior Guide, Max Bunce, just checked in from Shira Camp on Kili at about 12,600 feet. I love this day of the hike. After a couple hours of steep hiking leaving Machame Camp you break out of the forest and get your first real good view of the mountain. You see super interesting flora. And the hiking is a ton of fun too. A little steep in places, but a good, fun hike. An all-around terrific day by any standard. This afternoon (Tanzanian time) the group got to relax at camp and gaze at the gorgeous views. Kili is staring you right in the face on one side and Mt. Meru (Kili’s little sister and the second highest peak in Tanzania) is looking at you from the other side. I love it at Shira Camp. Tomorrow they head to Barranco Camp. They will spend the morning staring right at Kili as they hike up to Lava Tower before dropping back down to Barranco Camp. A great day for acclimatizing and one of my favorites!

Dustin Balderach