Things were a little breezy at Shira Camp this morning and it looked like it was nuking up on the crater rim of Kibo, Kilimanjaro's main peak. Our team had enjoyed the sunset at Shira, and the stars in the clear night sky, so a little wind didn't keep anybody from loving the sunrise as well. Our packs were on and we were walking straight toward Kibo by 8:20. As compensation for the breezes, we were granted sparkly blue skies above and a bright white sea of clouds below. We gained altitude steadily as today's walking was much easier than yesterday's rock hopping. In just a couple of hours we were up over 14,500 ft and breaking everybody's previous personal altitude records. We kept right at it, cresting at 15,200 ft beside the "Lava Tower" at noon. By this point we were right up under the glaciers and giant walls of Kibo. We'd climbed right out of the Moorland Zone of vegetation and into the Highland Desert Zone. The team had no troubles coming down the steep trails beyond the Lava Tower and so we got rid of about two thousand vertical feet on our voyage down into the exotic vegetation of the Barranco Valley. We checked out the Lobelias and the Giant Senecios as we went. It seemed the perfect afternoon for taking in a thousand new sights, from waterfalls to dark caves in the Lava and Basalt. Our new camp was already built and waiting for us just on the edge of the cloud sea and we were again amazed at the strength and speed of our loc al staff. Now we are settled in at 13,000 ft below the intimidating Barranco Wall... but the wall can wait until tomorrow. Tonight we'll watch the light change on Kibo's glaciers, rock walls, icicles and towers. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn