Mt. Kilimanjaro Ed's Pack
Picture of the week 43
Pictured here is the Furtwrangler Glacier which we could walk right up to and touch. The breath saving stroll from the crater rim to Crater Camp is all down hill. past the massive 40 to 50 foot walls of ice that have been standing there for thousands of years.
The Furtwrangler Glacier is shrinking from a process called sublimation. This is an evaporative event rather than the ice simply melting and running down the mountain. The other glaciers, especially the hanging glaciers, however, are susceptible to both climatic forces …
Date: October 22nd, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 41
While exploring the surroundings on the crater floor the clouds were rolling past, at our level, like gigantic puffs of cotton. I’d never seen anything quite like it.
Date: October 8th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 39
Kilimanjaro is not known for summit plumes but there it was nonetheless.
Unlike the Himalayan giants, this was not warm monsoon air condensing to ice crystals. Kili was sucking the clouds up the Western Breach from behind us and playfully throwing them off the summit ridge with the same nonchalance used when flicking a bug off your sleeve, unbelievable!
Words to describe the feeling as I set foot on the crater with my son are difficult to conjure. A bliss filled re-affirmation of life, though, comes pretty close.
Our 8 awesome days on the mountain, the scrambling preparation, a dose of tragedy, …
Date: September 24th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 37
Our first real break on the Breach route was at 17,300-feet.
Mt. Meru can be seen off in the distance. Lava Tower camp is the beige patch in the lower right with the Shira Plateau beyond, an outstanding view from any angle.
Pictured is our head guide, Stephen. He’s standing in a spot where I had no intention to venture. I was content to sit with my son, drink water, consume what seemed like our 50th Snickers bar and catch my breath.
Date: September 10th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 35
Dawn, at Arrow Glacier Camp, the morning we would finally attempt our assent of the Western Breach. It was very cold, but the early departure would minimize our exposure to rock fall.
The shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro is draped atop the 12,000-ft cloud layer stretching all the way to Mt.Meru some 30+ miles away.
Although I had the presence of mind to take this photograph, the lack of oxygen at 16,000-ft of altitude prevented me from fully appreciating this wonderfully visual gift until I returned home to 750-ft. It was the very same cognitive limitations, however, that helped us steel …
Date: August 27th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 42
This view of the Reusch Crater is hidden from Kilimanjaro summiteers by gigantic cinder cones. The only way to see this is to include an over-night stay at Crater Camp, walk up the cinder cones and look in. Less than 5 % of the annual trekkers do this.
The majority attempts the climb during the night and, hopefully, times their summit to coincide with the sunrise.
Date: October 15th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 40
I took this minimalist image as we moved slowly across the raising snow slope from the top of the Breach to the rim of the cinder cones protecting the Reusch Crater.
Date: October 1st, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 38
These are the final steps at the top of the Western Breach Route. I’d never climbed anything like the Breach, at that altitude, (16,000-ft to 18,800-ft) in my life. My flatlander perspective saw the task as daunting, challenging and even scary.
I have shared in past articles that I used the porters as motivation and inspiration.
Indeed, surrounding us this day were porters carrying 35 pound loads on their heads. Negotiating the same scree and scrambling sections as we were. These guys do this every three weeks, it’s their job, but even filled with trepidation, I took great confidence …
Date: September 17th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 36
As we inched up the Western Breach Route, I invested most of my limited cognitive and physical resources, rest stepping and breathing. While we were still in the shade provided by our early start, I happened to look to the left and saw the sun just beginning to touch the top of Lava Tower 2500-ft. below.
The only way to arrest the pace of our head guide was to call, “maji” (water) or “photo”. (This was also the technique, yours truly used, to grab a quick rest). At any rate, we stopped and I snapped the photograph. Like …
Date: September 4th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 34
For the acclimation run up the Western Breach, Steven our head guide produced some very cool Sherpa glasses to combat the increasing UV levels at 17,000 feet. My son on the other hand wore dime store aviator shades over his regular glasses. Both strategies worked just fine and remember, big checks don’t always have to be written for gear.
Date: August 21st, 2007 |
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