Click here to return to the main Pictures index.
Click here to return to the General 2010 Piccies Page, or click on one of the links below:
Page 1: 15th August 2010 - Kilimanjaro Approach (7)
Page 2: 16th August 2010 - Karama Lodge and Safari (77)
Page 3 (This Page): 17th August 2010 - Trek Day 1: Start to Machame Camp (51)
Page 4: 18th August 2010 - Trek Day 2: Machame Camp to Barranco Camp (72)
Page 5: 19th August 2010 - Trek Day 3: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (110)
Page 6: 20th and 21st August 2010 - Trek Days 4 and 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp and Shabbat (91)
Page 7: 22nd August 2010 - Trek Day 6: Summit Day (53)
Page 8: 23rd August 2010 - Trek Day 7: Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp (58)
Page 9: 24th August 2010 - Trek Day 8: Mweka Camp to Exit (33)
Page 10: 25th August 2010 - Kilimanjaro Exit (10)
Total: 562 Pictures
Location | Altitude (m / ft) | Distance | Altitude Gained / Lost |
---|---|---|---|
Machame Gate | 1,811m / 5,942ft | ||
Lunch Stop | 2,409m / 7,904ft | 598m / 1,962ft Gained | |
Machame Huts | 3,021m / 9,911ft | 612m / 2,007ft Gained | |
Total | 10.75km | 1,210m / 3,969ft Gained |
I woke up at 5AM and snoozed until 5:45AM when my alarm was scheduled to go off. I watched a beautiful sunrise, had breakfast, checked out and we left our travel (i.e. airplane clothes) bags in a secure place and was ready by 7AM. Having picked up my rentals (a rather thick cosy warm sleeping bag and a rather useless 'face mask' which actually turned out to be a rubbish (and too big) version of my balaclava that I had brought with me), we watched all our gear loaded onto the bus and set off at about 7:30AM. We drove out through Arusha and eventually came off the main road and headed north. After an age driving past countless banana trees we eventually arrived at the Machame gate. We then had a long wait while the porters unloaded our gear, prepared it so they could carry it to the first camp site, and had each sack weighed to ensure regulations were adhered to.
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Early in the morning all my gear is repacked and ready to go on trek. The blue bag is travel clothes to leave behind. | A beautiful sunrise at Karama Lodge. | Loading the gear onto the bus. | Boaz, Yedidya, Anne, Bob, David, Misha and Mike. | Looking at Mount Meru as we drive East along the highway from Arusha. | Approaching the Machame Gate. |
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Waiting at the gate for all the gear and porters to be sorted out. | Looking downhill to the lower huts and the sky and plains below. | Park regulations and estimated times between camps. |
Eventually all the gear and porters were ready, and we set off through the gate and almost relentlessly uphill. The four wheel drive track was pretty nice. That eventually ended and became a simple but well kept path that continued up through the Montane Cloud Forest. We found a nice spot to stop for lunch before we continued upwards on a ridge. As we got higher the trees thinned out a little and we started to get glimpses of Kibo and its glaciers, quite a striking background to the jungle. Meanwhile in the undergrowth there were lots of flowers, including the endemic and beautiful Kilimanjari flower. It was a pretty tiring walk but soon enough we cleared the tree line and the path suddenly opened up into giant heathers and other heath land bushes. Behind us I could see the inversion at about our height or just below with cumulus sitting on it, and in front the view to the summit became a panoramic vista.
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Going through the start gate and a nice 4 wheel drive track uphill. | Vieds of the montane cloud forest on the lower slopes. | Tree fern. They look straight from the Jurassic! | The cloud forest continues. |
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The 4 wheel drive track eventually ends and becomes a well kept footpath. | An Impatiens Kilimanjari flower. | As we get higher the ferns dominate the forest more and more, as does Old Man's Beard, the moss hanging from all the branches. |
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An Impatiens pseudoviola flower. | Dierama pendulum flowers. TODO: Verify as not sure. | We found a nice spot to stop for lunch. We had been given lovely packed lunches too. | Another tree fern. |
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The first view of the summit glaciers through a gap in the trees. | As we get higher the trees thin a bit and Old Man's Beard gets ever more prevalent. | Another view of the summit. | Looking behind as we reach the tree line. We are climbing up through an inversion dividing the murky air below and the crystal clear air above. |
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Old man's beard! | Now above the tree line, a panoramic view across the giant heathers towards the summit opens up. |
Soon after clearing the tree line we reached Machame camp. First thing we did was go to Machame hut to sign in. They also had some T-shirts on sale for a great price. (I bought one and glad I did as after the trek nothing anywhere near as good was available.) We then found our way to our pitch and were shown to our tents, already set up by the porters and containing our large overnight packs. They were 2 man tents and most people were sharing. But I had one tent to myself as I had paid the single supplement, and glad I did as it would have been a bit cramped without all the space to myself. There were also dining and kitchen tents, and a big tent that all the porters slept together in. But the biggest surprise and bonus was a sit down loo tent. With all the loos on Kilimanjaro being dodgy pit latrines to squat over, the sit down loo was an excellent luxury. Basically a loo seat over a bucket of water which was periodically emptied by the porters.
Then with a glorious view of the summit, Kibo and its tropical glaciers, we had tea and settled in. I was tired but happy. It was also a pleasant surprise to be given a bowl of hot water and soap to refresh myself with. Then we had a delicious supper back in the dining tent, while Kibo glowed a vivid red with the sunset. After dark the night sky stars were glorious even with a half moon present. My LED torch and headlamp both did a great job in letting me find myself around in the pitch dark (no street lights up here!). By 8pm I was off to sleep in a cosy sleeping bag as it got rather chilly outside.
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Checking in at Machame hut when we arrive at camp. This is where I bought my Kilimanjaro T-shirt. | The Kilimanjaro T-shirt including a zoom in on the logo on the back. | View of the summit from the camp site. Chef's tent in the middle of the first shot. Black and yellow tents were our sleeping tents. I had one to myself. |
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Inside the dining tent. For a popcorn welcome, the view of the summit from within, and setting up for supper. | To the East Mount Meru appears as if it is floating on the haze in the evening twilight. | One last look at camp in the deepening twilight. |
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Cool! We even have a sit down loo tent. A luxury compared to the regular pit latrines everyone else has to use. | The summit lit up by the sunset. We lower down are already in shadow. |
An exciting first day then, and a good start to the trek. One of the things en route I noticed was how friendly everyone is. Whenever any porter overtook us we almost always said 'Jambo!', or hello, to each other. Same when overtaking resting porters. Other climbers were also friendly, since we all had the same purpose in mind. So it almost felt like a club environment. The bowls of warm water and soap at the tents and the sit down loo tent were also great bonuses and much appreciated. This theme continued throughout the trip which just added to the great atmosphere of being on such a famous and challenging mountain.
Click here to return to the main Pictures index.
Click here to return to the General 2010 Piccies Page, or click on one of the links below:
Page 1: 15th August 2010 - Kilimanjaro Approach (7)
Page 2: 16th August 2010 - Karama Lodge and Safari (77)
Page 3 (This Page): 17th August 2010 - Trek Day 1: Start to Machame Camp (51)
Page 4: 18th August 2010 - Trek Day 2: Machame Camp to Barranco Camp (72)
Page 5: 19th August 2010 - Trek Day 3: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (110)
Page 6: 20th and 21st August 2010 - Trek Days 4 and 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp and Shabbat (91)
Page 7: 22nd August 2010 - Trek Day 6: Summit Day (53)
Page 8: 23rd August 2010 - Trek Day 7: Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp (58)
Page 9: 24th August 2010 - Trek Day 8: Mweka Camp to Exit (33)
Page 10: 25th August 2010 - Kilimanjaro Exit (10)
Total: 562 Pictures