Everyone was excited for the climb to start, even though we were sitting around the dining table waiting for breakfast and it wasn't yet midnight. The sky was clear and the air a little chilly. Winds were fairly light at camp. As we climbed up into the darkness we could see we weren't alone in our desire to reach the sky. About 1,000' up the wind started picking up and would not relent. Between the cold and the wind blowing we were experiencing some pretty challenging conditions. 40 mph winds blowing scree and dirt all over our bodies and into our eyes was not fun. As dawn broke out we took heart in the beauty of the coming morning, though of anything the wind got fiercer. Dust and dirt would just blast your face and eyes. But, summit we did, marking the midpoint of a long 16 hour day. Right now we're at 10,000' at our last camp on Kilimanjaro, Mweka Camp. I've been up for about 24 hours now, so will bid you all goodnight for now. RMI Guide Brent Okita

On The Map