The stars were unlike anything most of us have ever seen. The North star was, of course, nowhere to be seen amongst the constellations of the southern hemisphere. Exclamations from folks more accustomed to seeing city lights than the Milky Way were shared by all. The stars tonight reminded us all of the incredible universe out there. But, the skies today were not always so clear. In fact, the light drizzle through which we drove up had become a significant rain when we started off. Full Gore-tex was in order as we set off. But luckily, the rain tapered off in the first hour allowing us to lose the rain gear. Temperatures were actually pleasant, letting us walk without sweating too much. Five hours later we were at our first camp. Typical of these trips, our tents were all set up for us and the duffels brought up by the porters ready to be dispersed. This is the luxurious nature of climbing in Africa where a staff of 51 folks support our efforts to climb this beautiful, big mountain. The team walked well today, making camp in five hours and looking good doing it. We were rewarded with an incredible dinner prepared by our chef Tosha. And now for some well deserved down time. Sleep will come easy as we hope that the clear skies of tonight bring us sunny skies tomorrow. Goodnight from 9,890' on Kilimanjaro. RMI Guide Brent Okita