Keg Spirit Foundation Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

August 10, 2010 – Moir Camp, 13,600ft/4,145m, Closing in on Kibo

After a fairly good night’s sleep, thanks largely to our ridiculously warm sleeping bags, we woke to a frost-covered camp, with frost-covered tents, and a beautiful view of Kibo Crater in the distance. The porters brought our hot tea (heavenly) and we had to get packed up yet again (hellish).

After another great breakfast, Wally gathered the Berg Adventures crew together for what can best be described as a “rally”. There was song and dance, and then Wally told the group a bit about The Keg and The Keg Spirit Foundation, all translated into Swahili. I then had the pleasure of thanking them all for their warm welcome and incredible generosity of spirit. It was very clear that the same service and quality based quest for excellence that we strive for at The Keg is the cornerstone of the incredible culture at Berg Adventures. What a fantastic ceremony to begin our day!! With the sun shining, we began our trek towards the magnificent Kibo Crater which was very far in the distance. Today was to be as much about covering ground horizontally as vertically, and there were mercifully few downhill segments which meant we kept the ground regained. Like yesterday, we came upon a beautifully put together lunch camp where we were treated to fried chicken, french fries, baked beans and all sorts of other treats. Those of us considerate of our tent mates passed on the baked beans. After lunch, we had a shorter segment of only two and a half hours to the Moir Camp at 13, 600/4,145m, much of it very steep.

The camp itself was private and in a spectacular setting, surrounded by a dramatic rock formation characteristic of this part of Kilimanjaro. We rested for a bit, had our tea, settled down to dinner around 7:00 p.m. Much of the dinner conversation centered on the effects of the altitude, which some were beginning to feel, and on how to best deal with that. Dinner itself was outstanding, as we have come to expect from the folks at Berg.

Sleep came easier than many expected at this altitude, no doubt due to the strenuous day of hiking.

So far, so good!

– By David Aisenstat