Title image - BAI takes you to: Kilimanjaro

The Gopal Family Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari Dispatch

August 15, 2012 – The Gopal Family Arrived at High Camp: Part I

This is the Gopal family group on Kilimanjaro. This is day six and we are on our way to Kosovo Camp. The last dispatch was the end of day two. Right after we did the dispatch we got our first sight of Kilimanjaro cresting the ridge on our way to the Shira I Camp. Absolutely spectacular, unlike the other mountain range, you see snowcapped mountains surrounded by other snowcapped mountains, Kilimanjaro stands out as a snowcapped mountain surrounded by brown and green, just the most amazing sight.

We camped at Shira I and of course everyone got a taste of what cold mountain air was like at night dressing very warmly. The next morning we got up and walked up to Moir camp. Shira I is at about 12, 500 feet, Moir camp is about 13,500 feet named after a former Kenyan leader Daniel Toroitich arap Moi.

Moir camp was great, a good evening and everyone slept well because we were expecting the cold. The following day was a relatively short walk up to Lava camp, the base of the Lava Tower. It was really cold. It is about 15,500 feet and it was freezing, absolutely freezing. Everyone really got a taste of what cold mountaineering was like at that point. The kids were freezing, the adults were freezing; we slept with many layers on.

We had to wake up early because the following day was the walk from Lava Tower Camp, eight hour walk, all the way to the Karanga Valley Camp. It was a long an arduous trek…