Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb

Two of Summit’s team members traveled to Tanzania, East Africa, last week to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa with an elevation of 19,341 feet (5,895 meters). This is the largest free-standing mountain in the world and is one of the seven summits.

The route that the climbers had embarked upon was the Machame route, which was named after the village located in the southwestern region of the Kilimanjaro Mountain, This route had taken climbers from the Machame Gate to Shira Camp, to Lava Tower, to Barranco Camp, to Karanga Camp, to Barafu Hut, and finally to Stella Point/Uhuru Peak. The Machame Gate begins with a tropical rainforest, and as climbers ascend to the Shira Camp, the trees begin to disappear and are replaced with lower lying plants. The climbers then disembarked to the Machame Gate by following the Mweka Route, where they went from Barafu Hut to spend the night at Millenium Camp, and reach the Machame Gate the next morning. The Lava Tower is reached at around 15,000 feet, and gets its name from being a rock formation that was formed from lava when the mountain was formed. The Lava Tower is then proceeded by the Barranco Camp, which is actually closer to Sea Level than is Lava Tower, which allows the climbers to acclimatize to the higher altitude. Once at Barranco Tower, the climbers spend the night and prepare for another busy day  where they climb to Karanga Camp, which is where all of the different routes intersect before the last day of upward climbing. Once the climbers reach the next camp site, the Barafu Hut, climbers can be assured that they have successfully overcome the threat of Altitude Sickness, and now must muster up the courage for Summit Night, where they will trek for approximately 10 hours to reach the Uhuru Peak in time for the morning sun.

The climbers on this journey raised over 17,000 British pounds, equivalent to 20,000 dollars, for a local charity that offers education, clothing, shelter, and food for underserved children in Tanzania. This charity is funded solely by other organizations and have expressed their appreciation for every donation that has allowed them to provide support for the children.

Follow their journey with this travel map and check back for pictures from the Summit!