Kilimanjaro: Current
Update Listed below are summarized reports
received from the team captain via satellite. Click on a highlighted date to
read a detailed report from each team member.
June 7th - The satellite link is up and
running and the vAdventures team has sent it's first email from base camp at
the Swiss Matterhorn!
June 10th - The team is together in Africa
and preparing for the climb.
June 11th - The team is experiencing
technical difficulties. They are having an impossible time acquiring a bird
(Satellite) from the mountain and batteries are dying quickly due to cold
temps. The solar recharging system does not seem to be functioning.
June 12th - The team has spent the day
trying to get the satellite link up. They think that the modem is down but are
not sure. The team is doing well. They are in a high desert out of the rain
forest. The trees are shorter and they have seen just a few animals - - mostly
birds.
June 13th - The team has moved off the Shira
plain and has arrived at the Lava Tower of
Machambe route. The elevation is 4640m, temperature 30f. Tomorrow they head for
Arrow Glacier.
June 14th - The team has reached Arrow
Glacier. They have set up camp and are preparing for their climb to the summit.
It will be a six hour climb, beginning at midnight! From there, they will have
to hike another 9 hours to reach Millenium Camp.
June 15th - Success!
Step-by-step, breath-by-breath and the team has made the summit! They are on
the descent and headed for base camp to rest.
June 16th - The team spent the night at
the Millennium camp site, in an alpine forest. They were very stiff after the
the long summit day. They have completed a 7 hour walk to the gate and caught a
truck back to Moshi. The walk was down hill and through a rain forest. Fom
here, they will head to the Ngorongoro game preserve.
Recap - After everyone returned safely to
their homes, Michael Gorton wrote this recap.
