Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes me from Kibo Huts at midnight climbing the steep Kibo Crater, eventually reaching the top of the crater at Gilman's Point. From there we follow the crater rim clockwise until reaching Uhuru Peak, the highest summit of Kilimanjaro. We arrive for the sunrise before beginning the long descent around the crater and down the scree slope back to Kibo. After a couple of hours of rest, we leave and continue hiking back to Horombo Huts on the shorter Marangu route.
Today's Journey
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When we depart the hut at midnight, the freezing cold air is perfectly clear. The moonlight illuminates the mountain highlighting its glacial remnants and the stars shine very bright overhead. |
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From Kibo, the climb is moderately steep zig-zagging across a scree slope in the darkness. It is not long before we reach Williams Point at 5000 metres above sea level. |
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We continue hiking through the night as the air temperature continues dropping. At about 4:30AM we reach the crater rim at Gilman's Point at 5681 metres above sea level. A couple of people in our group turn back at this point due to altitude sickness. The air pressure here is about half that at sea level and the air temperature around -15 degrees. |
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We continue heading around the crater along the gently rising track. As the sky lightens, Mazenzi Peak appears small behind us, and remnants of the glaciers once covering this part of the mountain appear below us. |
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Trekking the final section up to the summit shortly before sunrise. |
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The sun rises behind some high clouds hundreds of kilometres away. |
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The rising sun sends out a dark shadow of the mountain extending perhaps 900 kilometres, covering Shira Peak, the third of Kilimanjaro's summits. |
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I successfully reach the 5895 metre high summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. |
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Looking into the barren crater from near the summit as I begin the long descent. Molten lava is just 500 metres below the bottom of the crater. The going is easy along this gentle descent, but a mountain is not conquered until you reach the bottom, so there is a long way to go. |
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After sleeping for a couple of hours at Kibo, we pack up and head down the main track descending 1000 metres down to Horombo Huts where we stay the night. |
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