Kili - Day 1

On Saturday, June 5, I bid farewell to my friends at CCS, and headed off for the weeklong challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro.

We did the 7-day Machame route, known to be one of the most scenic routes up the Mountain.  Day 1 consisted of hiking from the gate (1950m - 6400ft) to the Machame camp (3000m - 9800ft).  Day 1 is through what they call the "cloud forest" where rain, fog, and clouds are the norm amongst the the tall trees. 

We started our climb, stopped for a quick lunch 1/2 hour into the hike, and then continued through the jungle.  We started the day off in rain gear, but soon found that getting a bit wet was better than overheating in a rain jacket.  Highlights of day 1 were seeing w couple waterfalls, and watching Mel get eaten by red ants! :)

Our guides, Antipas and Macho, were great!  They encouraged us through our first day.  Macho even carried 4 dozen eggs along with him!

By the time we reached Machame camp, it was dark.  We signed in, dropped our day packs off in our tents, and ate a candle-lit dinner.**  Day 1-  in the books!

**Meals were all fantastic!  Eggs, crepes, porridge and fruit for breakfast.  Soup, chicken, rice, pasta, stewed veggies, fruit, etc for dinner.  And tea, coffee, milo, and nido.  Yum!

Pre-climb Video



Lunch Video



Climbing Video



First View of Kili