December 24, 2014

Barranco Camp and Breach Wall (Eric Simonson)

The Barranco Camp at 13,000 feet is one of the most spectacular places to pitch a tent on Kili, with the Breach Wall above and plenty of strange plants in the area. Max called to say that the team reached here today. They had a little rain along the way, but it cleared up by the evening. Tomorrow they will get an early start to get up the lower Barranco Wall before the clouds come in. There is a great viewpoint up there of the glaciers which descend from the south side of the mountain.

Eric Simonson

December 23, 2014

IMG guide Max Bunce called in to say the the team had reached over 12,000 feet up on the Shira Plateau.  The weather was nice today and they had a good hike up from the Machame Camp, starting at the top of the forest zone and then traversing the heath and moorland zone with lots of moss in the trees and brush.  We also start to see the lobelia and groundsels, among the strange plants on the edges of the alpine desert above.  This wide expanse on the west side of Kili is actually part of another older volcano, with the Cathedral Peaks also being a remnant of this volcanic activity.

Now they are getting the big views of Kili, and tomorrow it gets even closer (they will hit 14,500 ft at Lava Tower before dropping down to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft).

Eric Simonson

December 22, 2014

Sign at the Machame Gate (about 5800 feet) at the beginning of the climb (Eric Simonson)

IMG guide Max Bunce called on the sat phone to report that the team all made it up to Machame Camp, at the treeline just below 10,000 feet.  They had a nice hike up today through the forest, and everyone is doing well.  He said they had a few showers during the afternoon, but did not get very wet, and that now in the evening it was clearing up and looking good.  Tomorrow they will climb up to the Shira Plateau, and get the first big views of Kilimanjaro from “up close”!

Eric Simonson