Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

February 23, 2011 – Summit Success!

Greetings from Dave and Joanne Genyk. We woke up at 6:00am and after a nutritious breakfast we left camp at about 7:20 and started climbing. Mount Kilimanjaro was ahead of us and very daunting. Traveling with us were our guides Julius and Eric, and three of our porters.

The air was very thin. We climb and climb. Our guides are assisting us all the way, giving us tips on moving properly. We climb to Stella Point arriving at about 12 noon. When we stopped for a break we could see Uhuru Point in the distance, about one mile away. When we looked around we could see the crater on one side covered in snow and the glacier on the other side massive, with different colored layers. The snow is between us and the point.

With success, we reached the summit - Uhuru Point - at 2:00pm. We all celebrated and took pictures before starting the journey down. We arrived back at camp at 5:30 pm, exhausted, but extremely happy. A much needed hot meal was waiting for us.

Uhuru Point, the Summit of Kilimanjaro and Africa’s highest point, stands at 19,340ft/5895m. Congratulations to the Genyk’s from all of us at the Berg Adventure office!

Hiking to the summit, Mount Meru in the background

Passing the Kibo glacier, almost there

Standing on the summit

Welcomed by the famous Uhuru Point Summit Sign