These photos don’t tell A story, but they help to tell THE story.
From our compound in Moshi, to the unscripted moments along the hike and at camp, to playing around on a glacier.
A great group, great fun, and a great experience.
Tusker Trail
Tusker’s logo on our Toyota Land Cruiser
Bristol Cottages
A square of heaven in the middle of the dusty, dirty, smelly mess that is Moshi.
The Business End
You don’t want to stare down a Land Cruiser on this end.
Moir Scrub
Low, sparse scrub covers all of the mountainside around Moir Camp.
Hiding in the Shadows
Our tents nestled in the shadows at Barranco Camp
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Yes it is. Clay.
The Doctor Is In
Ashley looking fresh and ready to tackle the mountain.
Yucca Valley
These Giant Lobelia remind me of monstrous Yucca plants
African Spanish Moss
There is this crazy moss hanging from the trees around 8000 feet, and sure enough – they call it Spanish Moss there. Not African Moss, nothing creative – plain old Spanish Moss but at high altitude.
Worth the Wait
Nemes and Dave take a break while waiting for the others to finish up a photo op.
Intrepid Explorer
Clay strikes his best "intrepid explorer" pose.
Black and Blue
Kilimanjaro in Black and Blue.
If everybody added a rock…
Clay destroys the natural mountain environment by adding a rock to a cairn
Living the Good Life
Ashley and Clay pose with the Karanga Camp sign.
Meru Sunset
A beautiful mountain sunset over Mount Meru.
Grizzly Pete
Dave looks like Grizzly Pete here.
White Out
A sudden cloudburst brings a complete whiteout to Barafu Camp
Off The Ledge
The sudden cloudburst at Barafu Camp creates a total whiteout. Our tents sit at the edge of the mountain – don’t make a step in the wrong direction!
Moon over Kili
The moon shines high above Kili after sunrise at Barafu Camp.
Long Way Down
Watching the group hike up the last stretch to Stella Point shows the vast expanse of mountain behind us.
Heights
Dave is dwarfed by a Giant Lobelia
Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
A Moment of Reflection
Dave stares at the Rebmann Glacier and reflects on the highest high of his life.
Furtwangler and the Northern Icefield
The Furtwangler Glacier and the Northern Icefield are visible from Uhuru Peak
The Back Way
A loose scree path up the backside of the mountain from Crater Camp to Uhuru Peak. We were going to do a second summit in the morning up this path.
Lots of Dirt
A typical campsite – a dirt clearing in the middle of a bunch of mountain scrub.
Mountainscape
A typical expanse of scrub plain around the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Through the Scrub
Our group presses on through the tall scrub.
Pushing Forward
The group pushes forward towards the mountain.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Hiking between the hills and the trees
Pushups
The group keeps the mountain from falling down
Desolate
A campsite in the middle of a desolate environment.
Picking Your Way Through
The trail winds its way through a boulder-strewn landscape.
Through the Cut
Making our way through a narrow cut down to a valley
Wide Open
A wide open walk to the mountain
Mawenzi from Barafu
The clouds rolling over Mawenzi Peak look like Mordor from the Lord of the Rings.
Watching the Clouds Rolling In
The group watches a huge cloud blow in across the trail.
Bathroom Run
What it looks like when you’re making your way back to the tent from the latrine at 3am.
Up and Up
Porters carry their loads up some steep mountain trail.
Almost. There.
Almost. There.
Sheets
Sheets and sheets of ice
Ice
High walls of ice on the Rebmann Glacier
All By Myself
A lonely chunk of ice from the Furtwangler Glacier.
Perspective
Yes, I know that I’ve probably titled 20+ photos "Perspective", but this one shows the relative size of the Furtwangler Glacier.
Between the Sheets
Dave between chunks of the Furtwangler Glacier
Deep Blue
The vivid blue colors deep inside the Furtwangler Glacier are amazing
Little Big Man
Clay in front of the Furtwangler Glacier
High and Dry
Dave on the Furtwangler Glacier
Icy Group
Our group at the Furtwangler Glacier
Smiles on Ice
Dave is all smiles as he poses in front of the Furtwangler Glacier.
Big and Little
Not sure which is bigger – Clay or the cairn
One Last Chunk
A solitary man inspects a large chunk of the Furtwangler Glacier sitting far away from the main sheet.
Bad Day on the Mountain
It’s a very bad day on the mountain if you get wheeled down on one of these stretchers. Basically a motorcyle front end on the bottom of a big metal cage, it’s the only way to get people down from this inhospitable environment.
