The conditions at the time were -20C and 60-70kph winds, providing a Wind Chill Factor of -51C. It was so cold and windy that we were not able to get photos for many people that we has promised, including a planned 360 degree Video of the summit - which would have been a first of it's kind. Although we took all of this camera gear with us to the top, we were actually able to get only a few blurry photos using a standard point & shoot which I have Jerry-Rigged an image of above (it's an iPhone photo of the LCD screen on my Canon camera).
As we indicated in our last blog posting, we left High Camp by 11:30pm the night before and climbed by headlamp and by the light of the full-moon. The night started out beautiful at 0C and calm. Unfortunately, the higher we climbed, the more warm clothing we had to put on. By the time we stepped onto the Crater Rim we were literally wearing all of our clothes and we were still frozen. We reached the summit plateau by 6:30am, and descended almost immediately due to the cold. The Team encountered no issues with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), although there were some worries about Frost Bite that were kept in check by keeping everyone moving steadily.
Our arrival on the summit coincided perfectly with the sunrise this morning so we all have a few truly beautiful photos of the sunrise and of the clouds covering Tanzania and Kenya below us. We are considering a Digital Slide-Show within the coming weeks so if you are interested, just let us know.
After descending, we broke up our high camp and moved it to Mwenka Camp at 3,00m, which is almost 3,000m below where we stood this morning. This camp is in the Cloud Forest on Kili and it is such a contrast to were our tents were yesterday: Lifeless Alpine vs Lush, Alive and Humid. This will be our last camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro and we have a little festivity planned with our Guides and Porters. I heard a rumor that they will do a special traditional Swahili song/dance dealio so this should be good. We have some gifts planned for them as well.
Before flying back to Canada we have a few opportunities planned to sample the local culture and scenery. On one day we will visit a Maasai Tribe and participate in their daily routines of livestock herding and food production, and then we are off for a 2-Day Safari in Lake Manyara and the famous Ngorongoro Crater, which has the greatest concentration of African Mammals on the entire continent. I will post a little more about this on a later date.
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ReplyDeleteWOW !! How exciting and fulfilling for the "Tireless Trio" !! Now it is time to head home. Take good care.
ReplyDeleteSo proud from Calgary! Well done boys - a very special accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteWay to go guys! Enjoy the warmth of your cruising days and have a safe journey home.
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