Kilimanjaro Expedition January 2008
January 23, 2008

This page is dedicated to following the progress of our Kilimanjaro Climb that began on January 21, 2008.

Click here to see a few photos of our climbers, from the Photo Gallery drop down, choose Kilimanjaro January '08

The Climbers
The Guides
Day 1 Day 2
Day 3 Day 4
Success at the Summit!
Last Night on the Mountain

The Climbers:
Holly & Brian Foster
Eva & Hal McMillan
Staci & Jake Smith
Wendy Kirschner
Chad Troska
Heather Sussman
April Waller

The Guides:
Andy Nachman
Abi Harte
Mussa Kijua
Bruno Mkerenga
Godbless Swai
Saumu Burhani
Timba Kileo

Day 1, January 20, 2008 10:15 pm MT (8:15 am 1/21 in Moshi) Gear has been double checked, packed, and our climbers left their cushy hotel in the town of Moshi. After a few hours drive, they arrived the trailhead of the Rongai route, near the Kenyan border. A quick lunch stop and then they began their trek at 6,400'.

End of Day 1 Trek, January 21, 2008 10:00 am MT update (8 pm on the mountain) The Day 1 trek was short, just 3 hours. During their trek, our climbers saw a troop of black & white Colobus monkeys. After reaching Simba Camp (8,500'), our climbers enjoyed a hot dinner and hit the sack early under clear skies and a beautiful moon, in order to get a good night's sleep before a much longer day tomorrow.

End of Day 2 Trek, January 22, 2008 9:45 am MT update (7:45 pm on the mountain) The day started clear with incridible views of the snow capped Mt. Kilimanjaro. Throughout the day the weather was partly cloudy and starting to get chilly. Our climbers made very good time. After only 6.5 hours, they made it to Kikelewa Camp at 11,500'. All of our climbers are still feeling and eating very well.

Back in our September '07 climb, our climbers were followed up the mountain by wild fires. Today, on Day 2, our '08 climbers crossed through this burn.

End of Day 3 Trek, January 23, 2008 9:00 am MT update (7 pm on the mountain) The day was a shorter day and the weather was a bit rainy and foggy. All of our trekkers made it to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the jagged sister peak of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s summit peak. They arrived at camp 3, Mawenzi Tarn (14,000') around midday.

End of Day 4 Trek, January 24, 2008 8:45 am MT update (6:45 pm on the mountain) All climbers have made it successfully to the high camp, Kibo Hut, at 15,000'. Everyone is in pretty good spirits although appetites are starting to wane. The weather during the day was mostly clear with some clouds moving in, in the afternoon. The moon was out as our climbers finished dinner and headed to their tents to get as much rest as they can before starting their midnight summit climb.

Success at the Summit! 8:28PM MT, January 24, 2008 the call came in, but not from Gilman's as I was expecting. The call came in from the SUMMIT! All of our climbers, 10 total, made it all the way to the top - UHURU! 6.5 hours from high camp to the summit and everyone was in excellent spirits - AMAZING! They reported that it's really cold and clear and they were on the roof of Africa to view the most spectacular sunrise of their lives. Congratulations to everyone, guests and guides!

The "Gut out" award goes to: climber Jake Smith! And to Jake, I can officially pass the trophy. For those who don't know who's posting these updates, it's Katy, Andy's wife and owner/operator of Northwest Voyageurs. Until now, I held the "gut out" record of 6 shall we say, stomach clearing episodes, on summit day. I have now passed the award to Jake who is up to 8.

Last Night on the Mountain, January 25, 2008 9:45 am MT update (7:45 pm on the mountain) After their summit, our crew made it down to the Kibo Hut with plenty of time for a snack and rest before beginning the rest of their descent down the Marangu Route to Horombo Camp at 12,200'. With each step down our climbers are enjoying more oxygen and feeling better. The weather from the summit to Kibo Hut was great, but the rain set in on the walk to Horombo. They made excellent time again, and made it to Horombo by about 3:30. Again time to rest, eat, and they are now off to bed.

Today is the last of our reports as it's all downhill from here. Our crew will be down to the park gates by late afternoon tomorrow, sleeping soundly in their cushy hotel beds by tomorrow night (9am MT 1/26).

Thanks for following along - it's been great!

Congrats team!

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