Kilimanjaro: Hahn and Team Climb to Lava Tower
We were in clouds from daybreak at Shira Camp today. We could still see Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak, from time to time but mostly we saw clouds and more clouds. It was not necessarily bad for walking though. We got on the trail just before 8 AM and walked up gently inclined slopes toward Kibo. The trail was much less steep than yesterday’s workout, but we still gained altitude steadily. By noon we’d reached our intended high point for the day, 15,200 ft at the base of the “Lava Tower” we were denied the big views as the clouds were particularly thick and a little cool there. That did not stop us from enjoying a picnic lunch provided by our amazing kitchen staff.
We were certainly ready to get lower, so we followed Omar down the steep track leading to the Barranco Valley. Omar is one of our five local guides. Yesterday we followed Happyson and the day before that Godlove. It didn’t take the team long to go from the “Alpine Desert” vegetative zone to the Moorland. We came down into a garden of Giant Senecios and Lobelias. Dropping to 13,000 ft we rolled into Barranco Camp at about 2:30 PM. Eventually the clouds parted to reveal Kibo with its hanging glaciers and ice fields as well as the Great Barranco Wall -our challenge for tomorrow morning.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
