Kilimanjaro Summit Success
Successful Summit for Kilimanjaro Team
Our Kilimanjaro team had a successful summit of Kilimanjaro on Saturday, July 13. But before we get to summit day, let’s pick up where we left off.
Kibo Hut – 15,500’/4724m
Leaving Mawenzi Tarn camp at 13,000’/3962m the team walked across the saddle towards the alpine desert eco zone. Guide Will Sperry reported that walking across the saddle and moving from one eco zone to another was a breathtaking moment for the team. At the Kibo Hut, the team felt good after a few folks recovered from a little bit of a gastrointestinal bug bit them. They spent a day acclimatizing at the Kibo hut by hiking around a bit and getting their heart rates up.
After a delicious and filling meal, the team turned in for the night to get a few hours of sleep. The plan was to wake up at 11pm for a 12am summit bid the next day.
Summit Day on Kilimanjaro
Waking up in the middle of the night for a long day is never easy, but with the lure of the summit pulling the team out of their tents they found themselves hiking in the dark with the dream of standing on top of the highest point in Africa. Lead guide Will Sperry writes “From camp, the moon was nearly full and illuminated the route ahead of us. While we picked away at our climb slowly, we pondered the southern hemisphere constellations. The Tanzanian guides and summit porters singing songs as we climbed.”
Sperry continues “6:19am found the majority of our team at Gillmans Point admiring the breathtaking sunrise bringing light to the the glaciers on the top of Kilimanjaro. Traversing the rim of the crater brought us to Uhuru peak at 8:19am, 8:23am and 9:00am in respective groups.”
Wow, he sure can paint a picture can’t he!! Congratulations to the team for a successful summit on Kilimanjaro!
Victory Dinner at Horombo
Again, from Will Sperry – “At Horombo last night the team shared a very special victory dinner. Despite the fatigue and hunger we all talked about our motivations for facing the challenge of a mountain and taking that lens into our daily lives. The normal zzzz of the zippers was silent last night as the whole team slept their deepest sleep of the trip. This morning we woke early for our 12 mile hike to a beautiful sunrise above a blanket of clouds. We arrived at the Marangu gate to our team of porters and a hot lunch, while we listened to other teams’ celebration songs. Our closing ceremony and celebration was a beautiful moment for the whole team, with Simba leading the songs with style. With high fives, hugs, and smiles we departed for the next leg of our journey 🤘”
Climb Kilimanjaro
For more information about climbing Kilimanjaro or any of our international expeditions, check out our website. For any questions call our office at 877-873-5376 or send us an email info@alpenglowexpeditions.
