It seems like a good idea

Well, it's October and time to travel again. Actually this idea was hatched about five years ago by Cory Flummerfelt and Jeff Carpenter-I was just an innocent bystander, when they began talking aboutもっと詳しく
We've arrived

After a stop in Minneapolis (having enjoyed a flight with singing Mennonites), and a four hour layover in Amsterdam, we arrived safely at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. We got in at about 8pm,もっと詳しく
Sightseeing in Moshi

I slept like a rock last night. I think it was sheer exhaustion after being awake for 30 hours straight. We got up around 8 and had breakfast at the hotel. We were slowly joined by the other membersもっと詳しく
First day

We were having breakfast at the hotel, when we noticed the peak of Kilimanjaro right out our window. It looks really big. Just a note to self. After breakfast, we loaded into a 6-wheel vehicle, withもっと詳しく
Through the rain forest

Sure enough, before sunrise the tree hyrax started chirping, which sounded more like a bird to me. I think it's a rabbit like thing, but I'm not sure. That was nothing compared to the sound of theもっと詳しく
Across the Shira Plateau

We walked from one side of the Shira Plateau to the other today. Somewhere between 6-7 hours. We saw a couple being evacuated from the mountain, which gave me an uneasy feeling. When we got into Moirもっと詳しく
Close Encounters

Today was supposed to be shorter (3 hours) and somehow I equated that to easier. We climbed up from Shira camp, then it flattened for a while. We again climbed into the alpine desert and walked up toもっと詳しく
Barranco Wall

We got out of camp around 9am and worked our way out of the Lava Tower area to the Barranco Wall. The fog had set in, so we couldn't see what was ahead. That was a good thing. The Wall required someもっと詳しく
So close

The peak of Kilimanjaro seemed so close this morning. It was a beautiful sight to awaken the tired soul of this hiker. It is getting cold in the mornings and harder to get out of bed, especiallyもっと詳しく
Straight up

The wind did not relent and was blowing hard when we woke. The climb today is basically straight up from 15K to 18,500, then we go into the crater. It was very difficult hiking, as the wind wouldもっと詳しく
Summit day

We woke early and had breakfast. No one felt particularly well, but it didn't stop any of us. The hike was almost straight up on loose gravel and dirt for about 600 feet. It took over an hour to getもっと詳しく
Elephant knees

We had descended a little over 6000 feet yesterday and were in for the same again today. It was literally all downhill from the summit. I was a little sore from going downhill yesterday, but nothingもっと詳しく
Safari in Lake Manyara

We were picked up for our safari after having breakfast with our fellow (very sore) climbers. The Land Rover, driven by Rama, took us through Arusha to Lake Manyara Park. It was about a 4 hour driveもっと詳しく
Ngornogoro Crater

We awoke this morning to a cacophony of bird songs. As we were staying in a tent (really a canvass room) we could hear the singing clearly. After lingering in bed a little longer than expected, I gotもっと詳しく
Our last day, but not KLM's

We got up early and had a final breakfast with our friends Nick and Barbara. They will be in the crater all day, but we will leave around 11 to head for Arusha. We got a better view of a male lionもっと詳しく
Did you ever see Ground Hog Day?

This day has gone on and on and on. We've had the same morning four or five times today. We finally got out of Arusha on Sunday, leaving the hotel around 3pm. It was nothing but a mess - DON'T EVERもっと詳しく