We got a wake up call at 11:30PM last night and had breakfast at midnight this morning. We started our summit bid at 1AM. Nico says that he knew it was going to be gruelling 2 minutes after we started. I reached the same conclusion about three minutes later.  At this altitude it was possible to take 5 or 6 steps before needing to rest for several minutes. I could either choose to walk or talk, I could not do both at the same time. Until we paused at Hans Meyer Cave (pictured here) at 4AM for a snack, I did not have the energy to get my camera out. The picture is blurry because it was everything I could do to stand still without shaking. The wind chill was in the twenty below range. Nico was totally exhausted and we still had the most difficult part of the climb ahead of us.

We arrive at the Kibo Huts by noon and for the first time encounter other climbers. Those on the decent warn of treatcherous switchback and ice covered paths on the rim. One seems hell bent on convincing me that the ascent is too dangerous for Nicolai and that we should turn back. For the first time Nico has lost his appetite and it takes some coaxing to get him to eat enough carbs for the gruelling climb ahead. After lunch/dinner we spend several hours getting our clothing and gear in order for the summit attempt. Nico has now learned the importance of having exactly the right gear for the conditions we will face and is fully engaged in the 2 hour process of preparing for the climb. We will sleep as much as we can before our wake-up call at 11:30PM. This amounts to little more than three hours for each of us. The outside air temperature is now below zero and we must bring our water bladders and bottles into our sleeping bags to keep them from freezing.

Although the air is cold, the sun remains hot and it is important to keep drinking throughout the day.

The saddle, largely devoid of vegetation, possesses a different kind of beauty.

One last look at Mawenzi as we head down to traverse the saddle which resembles the lunar landscape.

In a little over 24 hours Nico and I will be walking on the glaciers at the top of Kibo. If you look closely you can make out the trail to the top of Kibo’s crater rim and you can see the 3/4 moon which will help illuminate the way for us.

Today we bid farewell to the beautiful Mawenzi Tarn and begin a six hour, 9km trek to the Kibo Huts. There, at an elevation of 4713m, we opt to remain in our tent rather than the less appealing huts.

Nico finishes the day perched at 4600m on Mawenzi. Tommorrow we will traverse the saddle and tomorrow night we will make our summit attempt on Kibo. 

Looking back as we begin our acclimatization climb you can see that our camp is right at the base of Mawenzi.  The green tent is the cook tent and where the porters sleep. Nico and I are in the blue tent to its left while our guides are in the smaller one to its right.

Mawenzi Tarn is a tiny but beautiful lake surrounded by moss and lichen covered boulders. It is our most serene camp site of the trip and once again we are the only climb team to occupy it on this day.

Nicolai looks on as the clouds disperse to reveal the sharktooth like ridgeline of Mawenzi. Although climbing Kibo will take us much higher than Mawenzi, the later remains a much harder mountain to climb. 

Climbing today becomes significantly more difficult with large rock formations to traverse. The guides repeatedly offer to carry Nicolai over difficult sections but he insists on doing it himself. Nonetheless, notice how carefully they position themselves to catch Nicolai should he fall. I could not be more impressed with how attentive our climb team was to our safety.

Temperatures continue to drop as we ascend and we add warmth layers to compensate. Nico has reverted to his soccer shoe for climbing as it is one fourth the weight of his boot. This makes covering long distances much easier for him. He will go back to the boot when we make our bid for the summit.

Nico sees another photographic opportunity to make a self portrait of his reflection in my sunglasses.

Today’s destination is Mawenzi Tarn at 4330m, a tiny little lake at the base of Mawenzi. We are now hiking above the clouds and it is amazing to look down on them moving in below us.

Nico and I with the Scenecios to add a sense of scale.

On our acclimitaztion walk, we enter the valley of Giant Scenecios. These beautiful trees grow only on Kilimanjaro and only in a few places. They are absolutely stunning.

Jeanine will be proud that Nicolai is diligent about completing his summer reading assignment while resting between climbs.

White-necked ravens can be found at almost every camp site cleaning up the little morsels left by climbers.

Beauty abounds and I am overwhelmed with subjects without having to hike more than 5 minutes in any direction.

We arrive at our 3600m high camp site at Kikelelwa Cave by 1PM. By now you will recognize our tent. The large tent is the mess tent and where all the porters sleep. The dome shaped blue tent is where the guides sleep, and the green rectangular tent is our portable out house. There was an additional fee for the later but it was worth every penny, affording us a small measure of convenience and comfort. Almost every day begins with clear skys and then by late morning the clouds roll in. Generally by late afternoon the skies clear again.

During a snack break, Nico offers his father a soft lap in an environment of hard rocks. My knee has been holding up fairly well until today. One missed foot plant and I tweaked it rather badly. It will bother me for the next two days but will not hurt on the day we attempt to summit.

Assistant guide Zablon. Everyone calls him Marieson.

Even though our destination is Kibo, we will climb for two more days to reach the base of Mawenzi pictured here.

The flowers remain exquisite and I only wish I had noted the names for each variety.

Assistant guide Last. Everyone calls him Lasti (Lastee).

Our main guide, Charles. 

On the path our assistant guide Lasti spots chameleons left and right. Here Nico poses with one that is in the process of molting. 

Today’s climb is only about 4 hours but very rugged over difficult rock terrain. Before we start, I take a telephoto image of the Kibo crater rim. Click for a larger view and see if you can find the path we will use to climb to the top.

Each day we each receive a small allotment of very hot water with which we do our best to stay clean and groomed. By the end of the trip we will both be craving a hot shower and soft bed above all else.

Just before midnight I make a visit to the latrine and am treated to a crystal clear night sky with more stars than you can imagine. Despite the frigid temperatures I go back for my camera and tripod to make several long exposures with Kibo as a backdrop. Unfortuanately, the small camera I am using for this trip does not do well with this type of photography and you will have to trust me when I say that you could see millions of stars on this evening.