Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 6 - Summit Day Descent (19,341' to 10,150')

“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” - Ed Viesturs

We were allotted only 20 minutes at Uhuru Peak, mostly due to the cumulative affect of high altitude. We were not acclimated to linger at 19,000' for a long period of time. It would have taken more days we didn't have. There are those who actually camp in the Kibo Crater, although I'm not sure why someone would want to do this in such a foreboding environment. After a well orchestrated barrage of photo opportunities among the group and individuals, we began our descent back to Barafu High Camp.

Barafu Camp in the far distance from Stella Point

Our first milestone was Stella Point which we easily reached after 30 minutes or so. The sun was out and the temperature had risen to the 30's. The down coat, balaclava and heavy gortex gloves came off. Barafu Camp was in site most of the way down although quite far away. You can see Barafu if you zoom into the photo above. The goal of reaching the summit had already been accomplished and the apex of our suffering is now in the past. Most of our worries had dissolved and we're using the euphoric feeling of the summit to fuel our descend back to Barafu.

On our descent to Barafu High Camp

The 2.5 hour, 3,500' descent through the scree and pea gravel on the Umbwe Route to Barafu was somewhat difficult but not too unpleasant. This was the wall that we ascended through the night. It seemed much less scary during the descent. Each foot of descent brought more welcomed oxygen and I began to feel somewhat normal again. We learned to use the scree to aid our descent by sliding on top of it. The group splintered based on their varying paces of descent and Joe stayed at the back to make sure everyone made it off the mountain.

Barafu High Camp - A welcomed sight

When we arrived at Barafu High Camp there was a small celebration of high-fives and congratulations. George and Laurel where there looking fresh as daisies, well rested and fed. When I looked back up the wall to Stella Point the mystery of it had vanished. Now it was a known entity and not so intimidating. Isn't that a metaphor for life? Many fears come from the unknown and often prove unwarranted.

Umbwe Route from Barafu High Camp

We were originally allotted a couple of hours at Barafu for lunch and resting before the next 5,000' descent to Mweka Camp, however that time was cut short when new arrivals were looking for places to set up camp. Level ground was not plentiful so we reluctantly surrendered our spots. We had to pack up our duffles and abandon our tents in a fog of exhaustion. Joe warned us the previous day that we would all want to stay at Barafu and he warned "it would not be an option". He was right. I would have given him $100 to stay for just one more hour.

"Its funny. I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder, ascending or descending? He said without a doubt descending, because ascending you were so focused on reaching the top, you avoided mistakes. The backside of a mountain is a fight against human nature, he said. You have to care as much about yourself on the way down as you did on the way up." - Ranger Mem Junior

So we began our long slog to Mweka Camp. The need for acclimatization is over so we will get off the mountain quickly. The first 3,000' below Barafu would continue to be through high alpine desert and then we would enter the Moorlands where there is vegetation, but trees are scarce.

Slogging through mud on our descent to Mweka Camp

This is when we begin entering cloud cover and therefore potential for moisture as evidenced by the nearly dry creek bed that would become our trail for the next 2000' of descent. The lower we descended into the rain forest, the more muddy the creek bed became. It became so treacherous that I was legitimately fearful of breaking a bone when I inevitably slipped and fell on a rock. This coupled with the ridiculously long day (15 hours of hiking so far) that we had already endured and our extreme exhaustion, brought the first real frustration during this trek. As if this day wasn't hard enough already, we had to slog through slick mud for 2 more hours. There were no more shouts of "Koochay, Koochay". Of course, the porters had no trouble whatsoever navigating this impossible trail and our guide had to keep stopping to let us catch up. It baffled me how they could walk on the mud and rocks carrying 50 lbs. without hiking poles nor a care in the world.

Mweka Camp after 9,000' of descent

After 17 hours of hiking since beginning our summit bid the night before, we finally hit Mweka Camp at 5:30 pm. I barely had the strength to put air into my sleeping pad and roll out my sleeping bag. My big toes were numb and my legs ached. I'm confident to say I burned more calories on this day than any other in my life (approximately 13,000). Today, I truly appreciate and marvel at the endurance capability of this amazing body in spite of the its' copious consumption of beer, BBQ and bacon.

Dinner was quiet as everyone was beyond exhausted. I couldn't decide which I wanted more; food or sleep. I decided food was probably the prudent decision, so I choked down all the food I could as fast as I could. After leaving the mess tent, I couldn't get into my tent fast enough.

As I settled into my sleeping bag, Stuart told later told me I said, "Hardest day ever..... by far" and began snoring immediately. I do not recall saying it.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 7

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 5 - Barafu High Camp (13,250' to 15,360')

Although we were allowed to "sleep in" this morning until 7:00 am, today is when it starts getting serious. We've grown accustomed to Joe sticking his head into our tent each morning asking about our physical and mental states. As for me, I feel good and anxious to get this day started. 

Breakfast at Karanga Camp

We begin by having our typical breakfast sans mess tent below our ultimate destination. The sun has already warmed the temperature up to the low 40's and we're looking forward to a half-days hike to Barafu High Camp. The weather continues to be completely cooperative and we hope that this trend continues for a bit longer.

Day 5 Hike to Barafu begins - Summit Route is up the right side of Kili

The hike was 3 miles of mostly a gradual incline crossing over a couple of ridges until our final steep ascent into Barafu High Camp. The sun stayed out most of the day and everyone is dealing well with the altitude.

Our Group

In the picture above, you can see tonight's summit ascent route on the right side of the mountain above the three guys' heads on the right. This is the 3,500' ascent known as the Umbwe Route that we will be climbing with headlamps in the dark.

The final ascent to Barafu High Camp

We arrived at Barafu around 12:30.  It was a busy place with many teams either staging for tonight's summit departures or vacating camp having completed last night's summit climb.

A look back to where we came from



Barafu High Csmp - Mount Mawenza to the South

Barafu actually has public toilets with holes in the floor and some other permanent structures in place. I haven't showered in 5 days, but neither has anyone else so it's OK. I'm feeling the affects of 15,360' mostly through shortness of breath. This is the highest elevation this body has ever experienced. I feel mentally agile, but that's probably how someone with diminished reasoning would feel. I may be reasoning at a 5 year old level. How would I really know?


Around 1:30 we ate lunch. We were then advised to take it easy for the rest of the day and get as much sleep as possible prior to dinner at 6:30 pm. I spent part of the afternoon prepping my gear and clothing for tonight's climb.
 

My last photo before tonight's summit attempt - Fat faced and worried

 

Dinner was an exercise in caloric consumption. There was fried bread, rice, a beef stew and lots of bananas. I was only able eat about 800 calories. I'm sure much thought is put into what the best foods are on summit night.

I once wore my Polar heart rate monitor to track the number of calories burned during my climb of Half Dome in Yosemite. Polar is supposed to be the most accurate method for measuring caloric expenditure as it even uses your VO2 Max which I once had measured at 42 (low end of athletic). When the 12 hour day was done I had burned 8,500 calories which I use as my benchmark for arduous days. Using simple math, I assume that in the next 18 hours I will probably burn in the ballpark of 13,000 calories. It may be considerably more since the top of Half Dome is only around 8,000'.

 

After finishing dinner, darkness and cold had swallowed Barafu High Camp and the summit briefing began. The mood surrounding this briefing was quite serious and intense. Our four local guides were brought into the mess tent and formally introduced. Theo is our lead guide. He is a large man built like an NFL lineman and has summited Kilimanjaro over 75 times. Filbert (FBI) is a charming, charismatic, confident soul. Everyone seems to really like him. Atile is the more contemplative of the group and our ever cheerful Shira hike companion Joshua is the newest guide.

To begin the briefing Theo says, "Our job is not to get you to the summit. It is to get you off the mountain alive. The summit is just a bonus." Yeah, I can get behind that mission statement.

Joe explained that if and when he decides that you need to turn around and go back down, there will be no discussion or argument and his decision would be final. I'm so worried that it may be me that gets turned around.

Why do we begin our summit bid at midnight? Our guide Joe says, "if you saw it, you wouldn't do it", but there are other practical reasons for the early departure. By leaving at midnight you summit around 7:00 am leaving the rest of the day to descend 9,000' to Mweka Camp. If you waited until morning it would add an extra day to an already extended 7 days on the mountain. By comparison, the effort involved thus far has been mild and stress free. Once we summit we will aggressively descend 13,000' in about 30 hours to get off the mountain at Mweka Gate around noon the next day.

Joe says on every climb he goes from everyone's hero at the summit to the most hated man on the mountain during the descent. The 9,000' descent from Uhuru Peak to Mweka camp will be the most punishing part of the trek. The summit bid will be difficult, but has a reward at the end. The descent is just difficult with no real reward other than arriving at your destination and finishing this inhumane day of exhaustion and suffering. 

At 8:00 pm we're sent back to our tents to attempt to get more sleep prior to 11:30 pm. At this point, all of my clothing, gear and water is organized and ready to go. I had spent the afternoon diligently thinking about every contingency. The camelback bladder in my pack was filled with 3 liters of water and an extra one liter bottle was included for the inevitable moment when the camelback hose is frozen solid. My many layers of clothing are laid out and the pack is organized. I'll be wearing as much clothing as possible as the temperature is expected to be 0 degrees tonight. I've replaced my headlamp batteries and placed backup batteries into the pack. Sleeping is next to impossible, but I probably managed an hour or so.

 

At 11:15 am the camp begins to come alive with low talking, zippers and the sound of artificial performance fabrics rubbing together. It's time to exit the relative comfort of this sleeping bag, dawn my gear and step out into the cold for the adventure of a lifetime. The moment I've been waiting for is here and I'm ready to get started. There is an ominous feeling to the proceedings, but I attribute that to the plethora of unknowns that we have yet to experience on this night.

I look up onto the Umbwe summit ascent route and see the scores of headlamps lighting the nearly vertical wall above us. This is a surreal site and sadly I have no photo of it. I steel myself for the long 7 hour slog to the summit. The guides yell "Twende" which is Swahili for "Let's Go" and our summit bid unceremoniously begins.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 6 (Summit)

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 4 - Karanga Camp (12,900' to 14,500' to13,250')

After yet another cold night in the 20's, we woke at 5:45 am in the Barranco Valley knowing how our day was to begin.  The dreaded Barranco Wall looms outside our tents waiting for our attempt at ascent.  We received our expected morning visit from Joe inquiring as to our mental and physical states.  Thankfully, I still feel remarkably well.  No headaches or nausea. Wouldn't this be an unpleasant experience if you were not feeling well?

We woke early to get ahead of the other groups camping in the Barranco Valley. The various tour groups tend to stack up on the Barranco Wall and if we get there first we won't be part of the traffic jam unless we cause it ourselves.

Breakfast was a friendly affair complete with the daily coffee substitute called Africafe, an instant coffee that's not half bad. I'm just thankful that the caffeine addiction is being kept at bay during this trek. The last thing I need is a throbbing head due to caffeine withdrawals.

After assembling the group with their back packs we began our walk to the wall around 7:00 am. Fear can cause you to make mistakes, so it's important to be calm and collected during the climb. Without looking down, you can mentally reduce the effort to small chunks of scrambling over boulders.  There were plenty of hand holds and lots of instruction from our guides on foot placement.

Scrambling up the Barranco Wall

One of the steeper parts of the Barranco Wall

FBI assists Laurel up a difficult step of the Barranco Wall

Hugging Rock - The scariest section of Barranco Wall

The toughest part of the wall was called "hugging rock". There was only one way around and it was to place your chest on the rock and coax your body around it without letting your center of gravity get behind you.  Everyone safely navigated this obstacle without issue.

Close to the top of Barranco Wall

Barranco Wall - Walking on the edge

It took us two hours to reach the top of the 1,600' Barranco Wall and we were glad to have this section of the climb behind us. Personally, I found the experience of climbing the wall quite exhilarating. There was no time I felt scared or unsafe. If you remain methodical and mindful of each step's placement, there is really no need for concern or fear. What good would it do anyway? 

Frequently, one of the local guides will yell "Koochay, Koochay" (forgive the spelling).  Loosely translated this means "Happy in Adventure". To which the correct response is "Koochay" tagged with some kind of joyous "woo-hoo" or yodeling or whatever. If the team ever gets quiet, the guides would prod us with "Koochay, Koochay" to remind us that this endeavor is supposed to be fun.  At times, this reminder would prove to be important. 

Top of Barranco Wall (14,500')

Top of Barranco Wall (14,500')

After topping the Barranco Wall we descend down into the next valley. Because we are horizontally crossing over the front of Kilimanjaro we will have to traverse multiple large valleys cut by glaciers and snow melt.

Throughout the day, Stuart would pull out his harmonica and play some familiar melody that added a very interesting, simple sound track to the experience. I often forget how powerful the most basic music can be in transforming an experience. I found myself starring in my own movie complete with sound track which made the landscape around me all the more poignant. 

After 4 days on the mountain, the grandeur of the experience tends to retreat and fade into normalcy. However, there would be moments where the larger self would wake to the reality of what was actually transpiring. Even Analytical Jeff would chime in to say "Hey Jeff! You're climbing Kilimanjaro. You need to take this in and enjoy it to the fullest." and for a time I would appreciate my surroundings and contemplate it's context and meaning. States of awe and wonder are still fleeting, even in an environment like this. The human mind has the uncanny ability to be amazed for a time before categorizing the experience as a new normal.

This is looking back at our descent trail from 14,500'...

...and we ascend again into Karanga Camp

At the bottom of the final valley is a stream that contains the closest water for Karanga camp on the ridge above.  All required water for camp had to be retrieved from here by the porters and boiled.  This meant they were making this descent and ascent multiple times throughout the day. Even though we are paying the porters and they're grateful for the work, it's hard not to feel guilty for all they do to support our climb. Get your own water you lazy American bastards!

Kilimanjaro from Karanga Camp (13,250')

The inevitable question arises, "where do you relieve yourself"? Within camp, it's a simple matter of a tented outhouse pictured above. Yes, the porters would even haul this thing up for the lazy spoiled Americans. On the trail, the remedy was less accommodated. For number one, a rock or bush would have to suffice. For number two, one always had TP in the day pack just in case. At higher altitudes there were no trees and it was impossible to cover the expenditure due to the lack of top soil. Luckily, I was spared this indignity throughout the trek.

After a day of acclimatizing by ascending and descending between 12,900' and 14,500', we reached Karanga Camp (13,250') at around 1:00 pm. Of course, the porters had already been there for a while, had set up all the tents and were preparing dinner. Prior to dinner, Stuart and I decide to explore some nearby caves and take some photos at sunset. 

Kilimanjaro from above Karanga Camp

Karanga Camp in the distance

Facial Edema (swelling) sets in

Since there were no mirrors around, I didn't realize this was occurring at the time, but my face was quite swollen. The technical term for this phenomenon is Facial Edema and is basically harmless. It's caused by a combination of cold air and decreased pressure from high altitude. I'm surprised that no one commented on my appearance.  It looks like I gained 30 lbs. Maybe I need just to layoff the fried bread.

As the sun sets, once again the temperature drops into the low 20's. To keep myself from freezing at night it's a matter of long johns combined with another layer of clothing and then slipping into my 20 degree sleeping bag outfitted with a liner.  I even wear thin gloves and my stocking cap.  With all that it's reasonably comfortable sleep inside a nice tent.  Luckily as soon as the sun rises the air warms again.

We are now at Karanga Camp working our way to Barafu

We are now staged for our half-day trek up to Barafu High Camp tomorrow which will serve as our launching pad for the final summit bid at midnight. We've come a long way in 4 days and I'm not feeling any physical symptoms as of yet. I grow more confident that I'll be able to make it to Uhuru Peak (19,350'). I shouldn't be too surprised. Time after time, this big body has risen to the challenge of whatever I choose to put it through. Laura calls me a "mountain", because nothing ever seems to physically phase me among other reasons. It's kind of why reason I do things like this. Part of me wants to know where that breaking point is, so I keep testing for it. Of course, I may get my wish and find it at any moment in this environment, but so far I'm adapting quite well, swollen face not withstanding.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 5

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 2 - Shira Camp (9,900' to 12,500')

The 2nd night's sleep was sporadic.  I discovered the importance of covering your head when the temperature drops below freezing. We woke at 6:30 am to Joe poking his head in the tent to make sure we were properly dealing with the altitude. "Any headaches or nausea?", he asked.  "No, feeling great", I replied. The porters brought coffee to the tent along with warm water for rinsing off our face and hands. It wasn't a hot shower, but every bit helps.  There will be no shower for the next 6 days. The temperature is around 30 degrees.  Since there is no cloud cover, it promises to warm up through the day.

This morning, we caught our first partial glimpse of the peak since starting our climb.  It is still quite far away and above.  I'm trying to not think too much about summiting and concentrating on getting through each day's climb.

Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Peak

 

Machame Camp was inhabited by white-necked ravens looking for scraps of food discarded by the hoards of people in camp.  After packing up our sleeping bags and organizing our day packs, we ate a quick breakfast and hit the trail for today's half-day climb at around 8:00 am.  

The group prepping for Day 2



Today's destination is on the farthest visible ridge

The 5 mile climb was steep and slow up and over a few different ridges which required some scrambling over large boulders.  Our destination was the top of a final ridge that would allow us to traverse the mountain from West to East over the next three days.  We hit Shira camp at 12,500' well above the clouds at around 1:00 pm and had lunch around 1:30 pm.  The temperature was a balmy 70 degrees and thankfully, I'm still feeling no ill-affects from the altitude.


The first break of the day

A section of the trail to Shira Camp

A look back at the trail that brought us to the ridge

Some light scrambling to get us to Shira Camp

On top of the ridge with Kilimanjaro in view

A look back to Machame Camp and today's climb

The group is still in high spirits on Day 2

During lunch, the inevitable differences of opinion between members of the group arose into an ill-advised religious discussion.  The discussion was mostly broached and driven by Tim, the youth pastor from Bristow, OK, and his wife Becky.  Our guide Joe wisely stayed out of it, while two camps verbally sparred over various topics from gay marriage, drinking and Marijuana. Fortunately, the discussions remained mostly mature and respectful.  Although it bares mentioning that the conservative camp from Bristow did refer to the gay lifestyle as a "fad" and drinking alcohol and smoking weed as a "degradation" always ironically proceeded by the disclaimer, "I'm not judging anyone".  Within this particular group, the Oklahoma brand of conservative Christianity with which I am personally familiar, was relegated to minority opinion, exposed as out-of-touch with reality and out-dated. Bristow was not the only Christian representatives within the group, but they were isolated as the more extreme conservative view points regarding gay marriage and alcohol.  The rest of the group were quite progressive when it came to the idea that people are indeed born gay and have every right to love who they want to love equally. I do believe that this American microcosm represents the trend of what is happening in the larger American culture, an overall acceptance of those that are different from ourselves. It's sad to me that there are people that view this trend as a bad thing.

Intense faces during our discussion on religion

Religion was naturally avoided for the rest of the trip which I greatly appreciated. I didn't come on this trip to learn about people's views on religion, unless it was coming from the local culture. The discussion made me ever more grateful that I allowed the beliefs instilled by my Christian Oklahoma upbringing to be questioned and evolved in spite of religious teachings dogma. I now see much of what I believed about race, religion and culture as a young Oklahoman as grossly misinformed and unfortunate. The good news is that nothing expands a persons appreciation for diversity than traveling and seeing cultures different than your own. I hope that the Okies will embrace a more progressive view of the world as I have, but a commitment to the ministry makes that possibility very unlikely.

Since we had some time to kill, Stuart and I had so much energy that we hiked over to Shira Camp II over 2 miles away with a guide named Joshua.  Along the way, Joshua gave us lessons in Swahili.
 

Our side hike to Shira Camp 2 - Stuart strikes a pose

Shira Camp sits in the climate zone known as the Moorlands.  It consists of mostly shrubs and no trees over 8 feet tall.  It has a mostly arid desert feel.  The clouds tend to stop around 12,000' depriving this area of the moisture afforded to the lower elevations.  We can now see the crown of Kilimanjaro in all it's glory from the Northwest.  We will spend the next few days traversing across the mountain between 12,500' and 15,000' to the southeast side of the peak.  No one has experienced negative affects from the altitude.  The acclimation must be working.

The sun is a real concern from here until the trek is complete.  Since Kilimanjaro is so close to the equator and the high altitude removes much of the atmospheric protection you would enjoy at lower elevations, the sun is quite strong.  Covering my lily-white Irish skin is essential on Kilimanjaro.

 

Dinner was pleasantly quiet and uneventful.  Each night after dinner Joe gives us a briefing of what to expect during the next day's trek regarding weather, terrain, duration and exertion.  When the sun goes down the air gets cold immediately. The wind also kicked up to 20 - 30 mph on this night making it difficult to take in the unbelievable starry night.  At 12,500' with zero light surrounding us, there were more stars than I had ever seen. Unfortunately, the cold and wind allowed me only 30 seconds to admire them before I dove into my tent for the night. Stuart bundled up and braved the cold to gather some time lapse exposures of the sky before retiring to the tent.



Machame Route

Here you can see the full scope of the Machame Route.  We started at Machame Gate on the left and have climbed to Shira Camp.  You can see how the next three days will be spent crossing the mountain over to Barafu High Camp at 15,000'.

Day 2 is complete and I'm still here.  It looks as though the dream of summiting Kilimanjaro is still within my grasps and seemingly more likely to become real.  The real tests are still ahead of me, but I'm quite hopeful that Uhuru Peak is possible.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 3

Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 3 - Barranco Valley Camp (12,500' to 15,250' to 12,900')

We woke at 6:30 am from a cold windy night in the 20's as the sunlight began to fill the tent.  The porters once again brought coffee and warm wash water. Joe poked his head into the zipper door and asked us the obligatory questions. "Any headaches or nausea?", thankfully our responses were all "No!". The mornings already feel somewhat routine. At 12,500', packing up the sleeping bag and pad into our duffle bags and organizing our day packs is becoming fairly laborious and enough to bring shortness of breath.

The view from our tent in Shira Camp

 

The day warmed quickly after breakfast. Today's acclimatization hike would be 6.5 miles of gaining and losing altitude all day with the top of Kilimanjaro in full view. Our initial ascent to 15,250' on the shoulder of the main mountain was gradual and scenic with constant views of the top of Kilimanjaro.

We begin our day hiking toward Kilimanjaro

Boulder field in front of Kilimanjaro



Kilimanjaro is getting closer

Throughout the trek, Stuart, the team's unofficial documentarian, would hike ahead of the group, climb up on a rock and get a video clip of the team hiking over various terrain. He received passage from his friend Nell who couldn't follow through with the trip due to a knee injury. He decided to put together a video for her to show his appreciation for the opportunity.

When we arrived at the 15,250' pass at Lava Tower, the porters had miraculously erected the mess tent and prepared lunch for us. Sleet began to fall and the temperature was around 30 degrees.  This was the highest elevation of today's hike. Aside from progressing around the mountain, the purpose of this hike is for acclimatization. The body is shocked at 15,250'  to encourage production of even more red blood cells to counteract the decreased oxygen.  

Looking toward Lava Tower.  These boots have a lot of miles on them.

The Zara mess tent erected at Lava Tower for lunch

After lunch we spent the afternoon descending from 15,250' down into the Barranco Valley at 12,900'.

Leaving Lava Tower to begin our descent

Scrambling down from Lava Tower

Kilimanjaro

Our local guide Filbert (FBI)

Our American guide Joe Koehly

As we descended into the clouds that covered the valley we came to the first Giant Groundsels (Dendrosenecio) trees.  These trees are like nothing I've ever seen. They grow only between 11,000' to 15,000' and retain their spent foliage for insulation from the cold.

The entrance to Barranco Valley Camp - Giant Groundsels Trees

 

As happens every day, the porters broke down camp as we left Shira Camp and would pass us on the trail only to have the new camp set up prior to our arrival at Barranco Valley Camp. It seemed rather inconsiderate to complain about the arduous hikes when they were doing them faster with far more weight on their backs. Again, so impressive.
 

It was a full day of hiking, climbing and descending. We were very glad to have completed the task at hand for Day 3. 

Barranco Valley Camp

Kilimanjaro from Barranco Valley Camp

Kilimanjaro from Barranco Valley Camp

The much anticipated Barranco Wall

After a full day of hiking, we dine, sleep and gather ourselves for tomorrow's much anticipated climb of the Barranco Wall, a 1,600' steep, scrambling ascent with the most dramatic exposure on the Machame Route. You can see the faint line of the trail in the image above.  We're all a little concerned about what awaits us on the wall. Ironically, I'm not a fan of heights, so another adventurous test awaits.

Next Entry: Africa 2014 - Kilimanjaro Day 4