Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

August 10, 2009 – Team Summit Success!

The top of Africa looking down into the crater

Hello, this is Rob calling you from the bottom of Kilimanjaro! On day 7 we left the camp at 8:00 am for our summit attempt. We passed some stragglers from another team being helped down the mountain by their guides as we gradually approached the glacier on a scree slope. After a long hard hike and with the tireless encouragement from Julius, David, and the beckoning of porters we finally reached Stella Point where we could see into the vast crater.

The ash pit on top of Kili

Although exhausted, we headed for the summit and reached it! We were all alone and enjoyed the summit to ourselves. There were photographs and handshakes all around.

Then we made our way down into the steep inside of the crater wall to our camp for the night at 5,780m (18,964ft), where there was little oxygen and the temperature is below freezing. Rob and Amanda suffered headaches and Jan experienced shortness of breath.

Jan: ”We are not going to make it at this pace.” Amanda: ” Why Dad?” Jan:”Because I am standing still.”

On day 8 in the morning we walked across fine ash to the glacier and before trekking across the crater floor we passed the ash cone and smelled whiffs of sulphur gas. We reached the crater rim and began the longest and most difficult downhill walk imaginable before reaching Mweka camp, our last stop.