IMG Senior Guide, Phunuru Sherpa, just called in from Barafu High Camp (~15,200 ft) on Kili with more good news. All is well with the team and they will leave Barafu at midnight for the summit. That will be around 2pm for us here on the west coast of the US. The report from Phunuru is that the weather continues to be great and there are a lot of other teams at Barafu who will also be climbing tonight. Barafu is a very interesting camp strung out along a rocky ridge with amazing views all around. The team will likely be too excited to get much sleep tonight, but thats just fine. Eating, drinking and resting is all that the team needs to be well prepared for the big day. And it will be a big day! About 4,000 feet of elevation gain to the top before descending all that and more down to the thick air of their last camp at around 10,000 ft. Probably a 16+ hour day but, wow, it is amazing! And so worth the effort! We look forward to hearing from Phunuru from the summit sometime this evening. Good luck team!

Dustin Balderach

August 3, 2016

IMG Senior Guide, Phunuru Sherpa, sent us more pictures overnight.  You can see a few things from the photos right away. First, the weather is perfect. Can’t really improve on that! Second, this group is having fun. Lots of smiles all around. While we were all sleeping over here last night, Phunuru and Team climbed up to Lava Tower at around 15,000 feet, then descended down to Barranco Camp at around 13,000 feet. The views on this stretch are amazing. The first half of the day you are walking straight towards Kili. Then you get up to Lava Tower and have lunch. Then you start traversing the upper mountain passing underneath (but not directly) some of the upper glaciers. On top of all that, this an excellent acclimatization day adhering to the mountaineer’s adage of ‘climb high and sleep low.’ That is one of the reasons that make the Machame route our preferred route on Kili – its excellent for acclimatization. Add an extra day in there – we do 7 days while most groups squeeze it into 6 – and this is a recipe for success! Tomorrow is one of my favorite days on Kili, the Barranco Wall! Stayed tuned.

Dustin Balderach

August 2, 2016

We received several pictures from IMG Senior Guide, Phunuru Sherpa, overnight. The pictures really tell the story on this one. All is well at Shira Camp on Kilimanjaro. Fabulous weather makes for fabulous views as you break out of the forest and get your first glimpse of the mountain in route to the Shira plateau. At around 12,500 ft, Shira camp is one of my personal favorite camps on Kili. Its seems there is always at least a peek of the mountain when its cloudy. And when its clear… wow, the views are fantastic. Kilimanjaro is right in your face. Opposite your view of Kili itself are views of Shira Ridge and Mt Meru in the other direction. Truly a great spot to spend an afternoon and evening. The hike tomorrow to Barranco Camp is equally impressive. We wish the team continued good weather!

Dustin Balderach