1. Kilimanjaro Trip 13 Days Day 1: Travel Day Family Schedule & Notes:
Minneapolis, MN – Houston, TX -Amsterdam, Netherlands 7-hour time difference: When it’s noon in MSP, it’s 7pm in Amsterdam!
Bummer that I have to fly south to go north. That’s what you get for a frequent flyer ticket, and I’ll take it!
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Photos provided by and trek descriptions edited from Leopard Tours. Trip designed

2. Day 2: Still Traveling Family Schedule & Notes:
Amsterdam, Netherlands - Arusha, Tanzania
9-hour time difference: When it’s noon in MSP, it’s 9pm in Kilimanjaro!
Hummm…Now I’m flying back down south (really south).
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3. Day 3: ARUSHA, TANZANIA Family Schedule & Notes:
Duff day at a lodge to recover from 27 hours of flying. I’m writing, working, sleeping and repacking. Last chance for WiFi!
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4. Day 4: Arusha – Machame Gate - Machame Camp
6 nights/7 days on the mountain
After breakfast, I meet the guide and listen to a potentially-life-saving presentation about the climb. At 9:00 am, I board a bus for a bumpy 1.5 hour drive to Machame Gate. I sign my name into a book, so rescuers know that this Very-Important-Person is on the mountain. I gear up and begin a 12-mile, 5-7 hour hike that starts in the mist on a 4x4 dirt road. The road ends (yeah!), and a trail continues up through the forest. I hear exotic birds and may see black and white colobus monkeys and sykes monkeys. Today is long, but not steep (that comes later). Machame Camp is just above the forest zone, in the heather zone. I can see the summit.
MACHAME GATE (5,950 ft.) - MACHAME CAMP (9,850 ft.)
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5. Day 5: MACHAME CAMP ~ SHIRA CAMP (12,600 ft.)
Breakfast in bed! I awake to a steaming cup of coffee delivered to my tent. Today is a STEEP 4-5 hour trek. I hike through a savannah of tall grasses and trees of giant Heather and Erica with views of the Western Breach and the glaciers which mark the summit – Uhuru Peak. I scramble around large boulders and enter the moorland zone, marked by the bizarre lobelia and senecio plants and volcanic rocks draped with lichen, which protect wild alpine flowers growing at their bases.
Overnight at Shira 2 Camp.
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6. Day 6: SHIRA CAMP ~ BARRANCO CAMP (12,950 ft.)
Follow the ridgeline! I hike 4 hours through the high desert and break for lunch at about 14,500 feet. After lunch, it’s up to Lava Tower, a 300 foot-tall volcanic plug, which marks an exposed pass at 15,000 feet. Once up, I go back down the STEEP track into the Great Barranco Valley. Barranco Camp is set on a col (flat area) and enclosed on three sides with steep valley walls and the Kibo massif itself. I see hanging glaciers amidst the landscape of plants such as the giant groundsels (Senecio Kilimanjari) and the uniquely endemic Giant Lobelia. Overnight at Barranco Camp.
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7. Day 7: BARRANCO CAMP ~ KARANGA CAMP (13,100 ft.)
This day is proven to be very important for acclimatization. I scramble up the steep ‘Barranco Wall’, then traverse up and down the valley slopes, which have carved their way into the mountain’s southern face. Kibo’s glaciers loom above to my left and the jagged peaks of Mawenzi jut into the African sky at just under 17,000 feet straight ahead. I reach the Karanga Valley after 3-4 hours of trekking and have a hot lunch. I have the afternoon to relax or take excursions from camp. Overnight at Karanga Camp.
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8. Day 8: KARANGA CAMP ~ BARAFU CAMP (15,200 ft.)
STEEPER still. I’m cold and the landscape is more sparse as I hike 4-5 hours to Barafu Camp, where I have a hot lunch. Barafu Camp is set on a small, exposed flat area on a ridge, acting as base camp from which the summit attempt will be made at midnight. I spend the day resting and preparing for the long night/day ahead and have to eat and drink as much as possible before retiring early for rest and sleep.
Overnight at Barafu Camp.
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9. Day 9: SUMMIT DAY!!! Family Schedule & Notes:
Another cup of coffee is delivered to my tent as a midnight wake-up call. Today is hours of trekking. It is just below freezing when we start and it is zero just before dawn at the summit. I wind through a path of endless switchbacks. The Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers and the spires of Mawenzi are silhouetted against the red glow of the sun from beneath the clouds. After 6 hours of walking, I come to the edge of the crater, Stella Point at 19,000 feet, which is the end of the steep track. From here, I climb up a gentle slope for 1 hour to Uhuru Peak. I’m not at the summit long because it is cold, and I need to descend the steep trail back to Barafu Camp for some rest. I descend further to Mweka Camp for the night. Overnight at Mweka Camp.
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10. Day 10: MWEKA CAMP ~ MWEKA GATE – Arusha
Around 7:00 am, I descend straight to the gate. I takes 2-3 hours, and I enjoy lunch at the gate. After lunch, I go back on a bus for the return bumpy ride back to the lodge for a SHOWER and RUNNING WATER!!! Yes, per the custom, Mom will have a Kilimanjaro beer.
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11. Day 11: Depart Arusha at 9:45pm - Amsterdam
I sleep on the plan and dream of you!
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12. Day 12: Amsterdam – Atlanta – MSP
After another 29 hours of travelling – Mom is home! I’m so happy to be back with the best people and dog in the world!
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