Day one on Kilimanjaro!  We left the comfort of Rivertrees Inn at 8 AM under cloudy skies.  The bus ride to the Machame Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park took about two hours.  It then took us fully ninety minutes to jump through the administrative hoops of completing the permitting process and getting admitted to the park. But then we were off.  Twelve climbers and fifty one local staff.  We were still under cloud cover and then sometimes in the clouds, but it never actually rained as we worked steadily uphill in the rainforest.  The team made it up 4000 vertical feet to 10K in 5 hrs and twenty minutes. All were happy to come into a fully built camp and to take tea and dinner in a spacious dining tent. Tomorrow is another big day, perhaps we’ll even get to see the mountain.

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team