Denali
July 3, 2012
Greg Vernovage reports that he’s been pretty darn happy with the progress and the crew. They’ve now carried above their Camp 3, which is at the base of Motorcycle Hill (11,000’).
Weather’s been good, group’s been good, route’s been good – that’s all we need to know.
Phil Ershler
July 3, 2012
IMG Climbers and the Chagga Crew at the end of the climb (photo: Eben Reckord)
IMG guide Eben Reckord reports from Moshi that the team had a nice final day coming off the mountain.  After a great sleep at Mweka Camp, they had a few hours of pleasant hiking down through the forest to the Mweka Gate, where they tipped their Chagga crew and said their thanks and goodbyes.
Then, after a picnic lunch, it was time for the team to head back to the hotel in Moshi for showers, beers, repacking and a celebration barbeque dinner in the evening. Tomorrow morning the team will head to Arusha for shopping and touristing, before catching the afternoon flight to Serengeti.
Congrats to everyone for a job well done!
Eric Simonson
July 2, 2012
Kili team on the summit (photo: Eben Reckord)
IMG guide Eben Reckord reports that the team did a great job today. They started from Barafu about midnight, with everyone reaching Uhuru Peak (the highest point on Kili). The weather was good and the team had a nice trip.
He said there was some snow as they got up near the crater. For the descent, they were able to make it all the way down to Mweka Camp, where they will all sleep like babies in the thick air at 11,000 feet.
Eric Simonson
July 1, 2012
IMG guide Eben Reckord reports that the team had a nice night at Karanga, including a spectacular sunset. Check out Mt Meru to the west (near Arusha) in the photo that Eben sent.
Today the team hiked from Karanga (at 13,000 ft) to Barafu (at 15,000 ft) and reached the camp in time for a nice rest this afternoon, a big early dinner and then an early bedtime. They are planning to start for the summit about midnight. If all goes well, they should be hitting Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. We’ll be looking forward to hearing from them!
Eric Simonson
June 30, 2012
Eben Reckord reports that the IMG Kili team had a good night at the 13,000 ft Barranco Camp. Nice! The next morning it was time to ascend the famous Barranco Wall, which involves a steep trail and a little scrambling in a few places. The top of the Barranco Wall is one of the best views of the mountain, looking up at the glaciers!
The team’s hike to Karanga Valley, again at about 13,000 feet was perfect, with great views and the interesting vegetation along the way.  Everyone is feeling good and the acclimatization process of the ups and downs along the trail is making them stronger each day.
Eric Simonson
June 29, 2012
IMG guide Eben Reckord reports that the team had another spectacular day today, hiking from Shira Plateau to over 14,500 feet near Lava Tower, before dropping back down to the Barranco Camp. Barranco camp is situated in a valley below the famous Breach Wall, with the glaciers hanging down. Everyone is acclimatizing well and feeling good. The acclimatization profile of our 7 day Kili climb via the Machame Route is perfect in this regard, with ample time to get well acclimatized before the summit day.
June 28, 2012
The weather allowed some flying yesterday. Mike Hamill was able to fly off with his team and Greg Vernovage was able to fly on with his. Nice for everyone. Mike’s team will be anxious to get cleaned up and celebrate their success while Greg’s team is anxious to get to the project at hand.
Even if weather isn’t perfect, it’s normally quite possible to travel down low in marginal weather. That’s important. If you only move during perfect weather, you’re going to need either to be incredibly patient or incredibly lucky. Better to move when you can and put yourself in position to take advantage of that good luck when it’s needed up high.
Phil Ershler
June 28, 2012
Eben Reckord reports that the IMG Kili team has been enjoying fantastic weather. Yesterday they had a nice hike up through the forest to the Machame Camp (just below 10,000’) and today they had gorgeous day hiking up to the Shira Camp (a little over 12,000’). Everyone on the team is doing well and their Chagga team is doing a great job with the camps and meals. Tomorrow the team will be heading for the Barranco Camp, at about 13,000 feet. So far, so good!
Eric Simonson
June 27, 2012
IMG guide Eben Reckord reports that our first summer season team is on the way to Machame Camp. For Kilimanjaro (3 degrees south of Equator) there is not really a summer and a winter, just two wet and two dry seasons a year (June-early Oct is one of the dry ones).  There were some clouds this morning in Moshi, making a team photo in front of the real mountain impossible, so they used a mural at the hotel!
Today they will head to the Machame Gate, where they meet their porters and crew, before heading into the forest for a nice hike up to the Camp, located at about 10,000 feet at the timberline.
Eric Simonson
June 26, 2012
Denali Team hanging out, waiting for The Call (photo: Greg Vernovage)
Yesterday was a classic ‘hurry up and wait’ scenario – hurry up to get on the airplane, go for a quick ride down the taxi strip and then turn around and shut down the engines. That’s OK – no guts, no glory. Today, all the gear is still in the van and we are on standby. Pilot Paul says – “be ready to roll in 5-10 minutes, IF we call”. Expedition climbers need to be patient.
Greg Vernovage
