Dec 29, 2022 – IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock called to report that Aconcagua Team 2 departed Mendoza this morning bout for Uspallata. Tonight, the team will prepare and stage their climb before departing for the trailhead tomorrow morning. All is well in Argentina!
IMG Aconcagua Team 2 poses for a group photo before departing Mendoza (Jonathan Schrock)
Dec 29, 2022 – IMG Chief Guide Justin Merle called this morning to report that the IMG Vinson team landed safely at Union Glacier. The conditions were windy in Punta Arenas, but the Boing 757 bound for Antarctica soon took off shuttling the team south. The team will wait at Union Glacier until weather allows them to fly to Vinson Base Camp via a smaller Twin Otter plane. All is well in Antarctica!
The large plane that takes passengers from Punta Arenas, Chile to Union Glacier, Antarctica (Justin Merle)
The 2022 IMG Vinson Team (Justin Merle)
28 December, 2022
In the morning Aconcagua Team 2, lead by IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock, will be flying out of Mendoza to begin their climb of Aconcagua. The food in Mendoza is worth enjoying before the trip as Mendoza is well know for it’s amazing steak and wine,
28 December, 2022
IMG Chief Guide Justin Merle checked in to let us know that team team is in Punta Arenas and they are planning to fly South to Union Glacier in the morning, as long as the weather holds. The team is ready to go and excited to climb in one of the most remote places on earth.
28 December, 2022
A huge congratulations is in order for our Kilimanjaro team as they arrived back in Moshi today! They received their summit certificates and had a well deserved celebratory dinner. IMG Senior Guide Phunuru checked in to let us know that everyone was happy with their summit success and looking forward to a relaxing few days of safari after the snowy summit day that saw 100% summit success from our team!
Photo: The Team celebrate their summit certificates back in Moshi! (Phunuru Sherpa)
Photo: the teams enjoys a well deserved dinner after many days of hard work climbing Kilimanjaro (Phunuru Sherpa)
Dec 27, 2022 – IMG Senior Guide Phunuru Sherpa checked in from high on Kilimanjaro to report that the entire team made it to the summit. The team awoke early this morning to obscured skies and several inches of snow on the ground. They put on their climbing gear and began the climb through the windless snowy night, eventually making it to Uhuru Peak, the true summit of Kilimanjaro soon after first light. After taking summit pictures and a round of hugs and high-fives, the team descended safely back to Mweka Camp at about 10,000ft. They will rest there tonight and descend back to the nearby Moshi tomorrow and celebrate their success before embarking on their Serengeti Safari.
Congratulations to the team!
The IMG Kilimanjaro team approaches the crater rim early morning on Dec 27th (Phunuru Sherpa)
The IMG team poses at the true summit at 19,341ft (Phunuru Sherpa)
Dec 26, 2022 – IMG leader Phunuru Sherpa reports that the team had a nice day yesterday traversing from Barancco to Karanga, for their third night in the 13,000 ballpark, which is great acclimatization! The weather was foggy at times but there was no rain. Later in the day it cleared up allowing great Christmas evening views down to the twinkling lights in the town of Moshi.   This morning the team moved up to the Barafu Camp at about 15,000 feet, arriving in time for a nice lunch. The afternoon was spent resting and getting prepared for the climb. Then, after an early dinner, the team settled in for some sleep. Everyone is doing well and the team is planning to depart for the summit about 1am. We’ll keep you posted!
The IMG Kili Team reaches Barafu Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
The IMG Team enjoys a scenic lunch at Barafu Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
The team heads up and over the Barranco Wall on their way to Karanga Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
Dec 24, 2022 – The IMG Kilimanjaro team reached Barranco Camp at nearly 13,000ft today. Senior Guide Phunuru Sherpa reached out to report that the team was treated with stellar views and beautiful weather as they reached this lofty camp. The team enjoyed a warm meal and was off to bed soon after, resting and acclimatizing for their upcoming days climbing towards the summit. Tomorrow the team climbs over the famous Barranco Wall, a steep rocky outcropping that team will pass in order to reach their next camp, Karanga.
Phunuru Sherpa and the team hike towards Barranco (Phunuru Sherpa)
The team enjoys a late lunch at Barranco Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
The team gathers around one of the famous Dendrosenecio Kilimanjari trees, a tree unique to Kilimanjaro (Phunuru Sherpa)
All is well on Kilimanjaro!
Dec 22, 2022 -Phunuru Sherpa reports that the team had a good day of hiking today, punctuated by several hours of rain while they were in the rain forest. Go figure! Once they reached Machame Camp it cleared up and they were able to get dried out during the afternoon. Everyone is doing well and they are looking forward to climbing higher tomorrow. The Machame Camp is about at tree line (around 10,000 ft), and above this camp they enter a much drier climate zone, with the fantastic high altitude plants that only grow at high altitude on the Equator!
The IMG Kilimanjaro team reaches Machame Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
The IMG team hikes to Machame Camp on Day 1 of the Kilimanjaro Expedition (Phunuru Sherpa)
IMG’s camp at Machame Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)
All is well in Tanzania!
Dec 21, 2022 – IMG Senior Guide Phunuru Sherpa checked in from Moshi after the team’s dinner to report that all is well and logistics are in placed for the upcoming Kilimanjaro expedition. The team will wake up early in the morning of the 22nd and drive to the trailhead and begin their climb.
The last Kilimanjaro team of 2022 enjoys a meal in Moshi (Phunuru Sherpa)
All is well in Tanzania!
Interested in joining us in 2023 on Kilimanjaro? We’ll be running 5 trips in 2023:
February 13-25, 2023
June 19 – July 1, 2023
July 17-29, 2023
September 18-30, 2023
Dec 20, 2023 – Jan 1, 2024
Give us a call at 360.569.2609 or email us at office@mountainguides.com for more information!
