Mlima (Mountain)

Every day when I get up, this is what I see:

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the fourth highest of the Seven Summits (the highest mountains of each of the seven continents, the highest being Mount Everest). It is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, with Uhuru Peak rising to an altitude of 19,341 feet. Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is an inactive stratovolcano and the last major eruption was over 360,000 years ago and the most recent activity was over 200 years ago (so now you can stop worrying Mom!). There are six official climbing routes: Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe, and Machame. Machame is the most scenic, but it is steeper.

Sooooo.....

On April 3, I'm climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! I'm taking the Machame route for 7 days! Even though this route is steeper, it follows the "climb high, sleep low" to help with altitude acclimation.

Day 1 - starts from Machame Gate and travels upwards through the rainforest to Machame Camp.

Day 2 - continues through trees and bushes and finishes with Shira Camp on a small plateau where you can see Kibo and Mount Meru and Shira Caves are also nearby.

Day 3 - starts in the moorlands and moves into the alpine desert with few trees and more rocks. The highest point is Lave Tower, and then descends into the Barranco Valley. The area before the campsite is called the “Garden of the Scenecias.”

Day 4 – starts with the ascent of the Barranco Wall and then crosses the Karanga River to the Karanga campsite.

Day 5 – follows the path up and across a rocky zone to Barafu camp.

Day 6 (Summit) – starts around midnight because it takes about 5-7 hours to climb and be there for sunrise. The first milestone is Stella Point, which is usually reached around dawn, and then it is about 30 minutes to the summit – Uhuru Peak. Then it is about four hours to descent back to Barafu.

Day 7 - continue with the descent.