December 27, 2010

View of Kilimanjaro

Ang Jangbu called in via satellite phone this morning from Mweka Camp to report that the team had a good summit day,  and all have descended to camp for the night.  Tomorrow they will finish their descent and make their way back to the hotel for some much deserved R&R.  We’ll look forward to hearing from them tomorrow!

Eric Simonson

December 23, 2010

Shira Plateau Camp looking south over Shira Cathedral Peaks.

Ang Jangbu Sherpa reports that the Kili trip is going smoothly.  After the hiccups at the beginning with the missing luggage (all but two of the missing team duffels from the travel chaos in Europe finally showed up just before their departure) the team had a nice hike yesterday up through the forest to Machame Camp (at about 10,000 feet).  They had a little rain during the day (that is why the forest is so lush!) but later in the afternoon the skies cleared and they had nice views of Kili from the camp in the evening.  Today the team took a nice slow 6 hour pace up to Shira Plateau (about 12,500 feet).  During the afternoon the clouds came in, but there was no rain, and again it cleared up in the evening.  Jangbu says everyone is doing well, with only a few minor headaches, which is good news.  If there is one thing we have learned over the years, it is the importance of really taking it easy for the first few days, to ensure good acclimatization!  Tomorrow the team climbs to 14,500 at Lava Tower, then drops down to 13,000 at Barranco Camp.

So far, so good!

Eric Simonson

December 21, 2010

Ang Jangbu Sherpa reports that all members of the December IMG Kili team made it successfully to Moshi, no small feat given the travel disruptions in Europe right now with the heavy winter snow over there.   Unfortunately, several of their duffel bags got offloaded along the way, so today Jangbu and our Moshi agents sourced replacement equipment for those members and we have porters on standby to run their duffels up the hill to them when they arrive.  After getting the gear checked and packed, the team visited the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (www.kiliporters.org) in Moshi, which IMG has supported for many years.  Everyone is in good spirits and is ready to start the climb tomorrow morning.  They will be climbing up through the forest tomorrow to Machame Camp at about 9800 feet.  Jangbu says the weather has been pretty good lately, with only occasional rain.  So far so good!

Eric Simonson