Day 1 Machame Gate Machame Gate Date: 04/04/2006 This is where we arrived after driving to Mount Kilimanjaro from USA River. The drive up was pretty cool, you go from dusty and hot africa, through some banana plantations, and arrive in the rain forest. On the drive up, our driver bumped a cow out of the way that was crossing the road. The gate is at 6,000 ft elevation.
Day 1 Machame Gate Machame Gate Date: 04/04/2006 Another photo of the Machame Gate. This is basically the entrance to the park, similar to any state park in the USA, except there is a guy with a machine gun at the gate.
Day 1 Blurry Nathan Nathan Date: 04/04/2006 A blurry photo of Nathan. If you look at this full size, it looks kinda cool.
Day 1 Rainforest Day 1 Rainforest Date: 04/04/2006 Nathan and I getting some trailside advice. You can see me in my floppy, wide brimmed tourist hat. I looked ridiculous, but it save me from the sun. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Rain Forest Kilimanjaro Rain Forest Date: 04/04/2006 This is what the Kilimanjaro rain forest looks like. We didn't see any animals except a monkey that was way up in the trees.
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Rain Forest Kilimanjaro Rain Forest Date: 04/04/2006 We're still in the rain forest, but we're coming to the top, and the end of our first day of hiking. That's our guide, Aloyce in the photo.
Day 1 Machame Camp Day 1 Machame Camp Date: 04/04/2006 These are the glades by the Macahme Camp.
Day 1 Machame Camp Nathan And Dave Day 1 Machame Camp Nathan And Dave Date: 04/04/2006 Nathan and Dave at the Machame camp. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 1 Dave Jon And Nathan Day 1 Dave Jon And Nathan Date: 04/04/2006 Our guide loved using Jon's camera. This is Dave, Jon and Nathan at the Machame camp. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 1 Machame Camp Day 1 Machame Camp Date: 04/04/2006 Some trees n stuff. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 1 Machame Camp Dinner Day 1 Machame Camp Dinner Date: 04/04/2006 Our guide taking more pictures of us. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 1 Machame Camp Day 1 Machame Camp Date: 04/04/2006 This is where we camped after our first day of hiking. This was an easy day, and it was where it first started to get kinda cool and misty, a pleasant break from being hot and dry. The camp is at about 10,200 ft elevation, and the habitat is known as the Montane Forest. Very, very strange. This is the first part of the hike where you start to feel like you on another planet.
Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 Lots of clouds and mist rolling by.
Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 You don't get to see too much of Kilimanjaro at once. Clouds and mist are constantly blocking your views.
Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 I think this is Jon.
Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Hobo Dave Day 2 Hiking To Shira Camp Hobo Dave Date: 04/04/2006 I bought this emergency rain poncho for like 2 bucks. Luckily, it only rained out once the whole climb, and it wasn't that windy. I looked like i was wearing a trash bag, but i kept me relatively dry.
Day 2 Shira Camp Day 2 Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 This is where we camped on day 2. Shira Camp, 12,600 ft, Moorland habitat. Again, this place seemed like a different planet. I think this is where Jon got sick, he did not have a fun night.
Day 2 Dave At The Shira Camp Day 2 Dave At The Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 This is me at the Shira camp. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 2 Shira Camp Day 2 Shira Camp Date: 04/04/2006 It stopped raining by the time we made it to camp. We did get a chance to hike around the camp and check out some caves. This is where i noticed that someone from our company would follow us if we wandered away from camp. The dude did not speak English, and we really didn't even know he was following us around to check on us. Weird.
Day 2 Snack Time Day 2 Snack Time Date: 04/04/2006 We'd have hot tea and snacks awaiting us when we got into camp.
Day 2 Shira Meru Views Day 2 Shira Meru Views Date: 04/04/2006 Mount Meru is on the left, which is kinda far away. It's by Arusha. The peaks on the right are Mount Shira. Kilimanjaro is made up of 3 volcanoes, and Shira is one of them.
Day 2 Shira Camp Sunset View Of Mount Meru Day 2 Shira Camp Sunset View Of Mount Meru Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 2 Mount Meru Views Day 2 Mount Meru Views Date: 04/04/2006 Sunset views of Mount Meru from the Shira camp. We're already above the clouds.
Day 3 Kilimanjaro Sunrise View Day 3 Kilimanjaro Sunrise View Date: 04/04/2006 Again, didn't get to see too much of the mountain at once. Sunrise was good because most of the clouds were gone. This is from the Shira camp.
Day 3 Aloyce Day 3 Aloyce Date: 04/04/2006 Our guide, Aloyce.
Day 3 Hike To Lava Tower Day 3 Hike To Lava Tower Date: 04/04/2006 I think we're still in the Moorland habitat. This may be called the Shira plateau, but I'm not sure.
Day 3 Lava Tower Day 3 Lava Tower Date: 04/04/2006 This is a giant lava tower. I hit Jon, who was sick the night before, in the head with a snowball. I guess more precisely, in the eye. I felt really bad. I think the last 50 snowballs I've thrown, they land 20 feet away from whatever I'm throwing at. Not this time. I'm an ass.
Day 3 Barranco Camp Day 3 Barranco Camp Date: 04/06/2006 This is one of the views from the Barranco camp, 12,700 ft elevation, Semi-desert habitat. This place was crazy, photos don't do it justice. You get views of this valley, and of the glaciers on Kibo peak. This was the camp where Jon almost threw in the towel. He barely made it into camp, and couldn't keep any food down. Luckily, George Clooney and the entire staff of ER were hiking the same route we were, and they were 10 times more prepared then we ever could be. The doctors came over to Jon's tent, and hooked him up with all sort of good stuff. Nausea and diarrhea are no good anywhere, but on Kilimajaro, they will end your hike. Jon was all better the next day. Nathan and I hiked around this camp and found these waterfalls that reminded me of the ones in Ithica, New York, only with frigid glacier water.
Day 3 Kibo Views Day 3 Kibo Views Date: 04/04/2006 This is where we really got to see Kibo peak, which is the top of Kilimanjaro.
Day 3 Kibo Views Day 3 Kibo Views Date: 04/04/2006 A little better view of the Kibo peak.
Day 4 Porter Day 4 Porter Date: 04/04/2006 This is how the porters carried everything up the mountain, except most of them did not use their hands at all. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 4 Hike To Karanga Day 4 Hike To Karanga Date: 04/06/2006 A stop on the hike to Karanga. Saw some rocks falling down the mountain around here as well, but really far away.
Day 4 Bones Day 4 Bones Date: 04/04/2006 Something that died on Kilimanjaro. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 4 Hike To Karanga Day 4 Hike To Karanga Date: 04/04/2006 I think one of the other climbing routes come up this valley. There are a bunch of ways up the mountain.
Day 4 Dave Nathan And Jon Day 4 Dave Nathan And Jon Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 4 Hippie Rock Formations Day 4 Hippie Rock Formations Date: 04/04/2006 You can see Mount Meru in the background.
Day 4 Plants Day 4 Plants Date: 04/04/2006 Some plants on Kilimanjaro. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 4 View From Karanga Camp Day 4 View From Karanga Camp Date: 04/04/2006 You could see Moshi from here at night. You can also see the outhouses. These things were horrible.
Day 4 Karanga Camp Day 4 Karanga Camp Date: 04/04/2006 This is the Karanga camp, 13,800 ft elevation. Alpine Desert habitat. The hike to the top of Kilimanjaro is along the ridge to the right of the peak. Looked pretty simple from here. This was our optional stop for an extra day of acclimatization to the altitude. I'm glad we did, cause the hike to this camp was kinda hard.
Day 4 Sunset From Karanga Camp Day 4 Sunset From Karanga Camp Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 4 Sunset From Karanga Camp Day 4 Sunset From Karanga Camp Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 5 Barafu Camp Day 5 Barafu Camp Date: 04/04/2006 This is a view of Mawenzi from the Barafu Camp, 15,100 ft. Alpine Desert habitat. This is also a view of Jon, deep in contemplative thought. From here you could also see one of the other routes up the mountain. It looked really boring. The route we took, the Machame route, wraps around the mountain and you get all sorts of views and habitats.
Day 5 Barafu Camp Day 5 Barafu Camp Date: 04/04/2006 We camped on the side of this ridge. Super rocky, I thought we were going to be crushed by boulders.
Day 5 Summit Hike From Barafu Camp Day 5 Summit Hike From Barafu Camp Date: 04/04/2006 So, on day 5 of the hike, we leave camp at 11:30 PM and head for the summit. We all just blindly followed our guide up the mountain, and this was our view for about 6 hours of hiking. I figured out that you can sleep and hike at the same time. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Kibo Summit Uhuru Peak Day 6 Kibo Summit Uhuru Peak Date: 04/04/2006 When we got to the summit, it was still dark, and really cold. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Kibo Summit Uhuru Peak Day 6 Kibo Summit Uhuru Peak Date: 04/04/2006 Nathan, Jon and Dave on the summit. I have no idea what I'm trying to do with my arms, don't ask. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Dave On Top Day 6 Dave On Top Date: 04/04/2006 I'm pretty cold and tired here. 19,340 feet up. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Sunrise On Kibo Summit Day 6 Sunrise On Kibo Summit Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Sunrise On Kibo Summit Day 6 Sunrise On Kibo Summit Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Date: 04/04/2006 I wanted to walk over by these things, but our guide said they sometimes collapse. Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Day 6 Kibo Summit Glacier Date: 04/04/2006 Photo by Jon Cannon.
Day 6 Mweka Hut Day 6 Mweka Hut Date: 04/05/2006 We were supposed to camp here at the Mweka Hut, 10,200 ft elevation, but the lure of a shower, and eating something other than camp food was too much. Our guide said it was a 2 to 3 hour hike to the Mweka Park Gate and our ride to the hotel in Arusha. We decided to go for it and walked to the Mweka Park Gate. I was pretty much delirious the whole time, I don't remember much of it. We hiked from the summit (19,300 ft) to the gate (6,000 ft) in one day. Walking down a mountain is much worse that walking up. The next 3 days or so, we were all completely broken.
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