Kilimanjaro: Hahn and Team Scale the Barranco Wall
We took on the Great Barranco Wall today. It was a wonderfully clear night and calm clear morning at Barranco Camp. We got all ready for some rock scrambling and set out behind Thomas - our lead guide - at 8 AM. Naturally, everyone else in Barranco Camp took off at the same time. Before long we were rubbing shoulders with an extremely diverse mix of climbers and porters as we reached for lava holds and footholds connecting the various ledges. Inevitably, there were some traffic jams and bottlenecks at the spicier features of the route. We were patient and eventually we were through the crowds and moving well.
Our staff beat us to the top of the wall and had a table set with tea and snacks when we topped out. Since Karanga Camp wasn’t so far away, we lingered at the top of the wall, people watching and mountain gazing. We used the final hours of today’s journey to practice some efficient techniques for our hill climbing. By 2 PM we were eating lunch in another perfectly constructed camp - Karanga at 13,200 ft. We rested and ate our way through the afternoon.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
