Day 7: Climb to Kosovo Camp

Click HERE to track the team on the mountain!

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UPDATE FROM THE GROUP

We woke this morning to a beautiful, sun-filled day at Karanga Camp. As has become our daily rhythm, coffee or tea was brought to our tents to start the day—one of those small comforts we already know we’ll miss when this journey ends. 😊

We gathered for a group photo with Mount Kilimanjaro rising behind us, lightly dusted with snow and standing in quiet majesty. Each day we draw closer to the mountain, and each day it feels like we’re being drawn closer to our Father as well. God’s creation has a way of doing that—lifting our eyes and settling our hearts.

Nazareth served as our lead guide today, and we hiked for roughly five to six hours, covering about four to five miles. There was significant elevation gain, including one particularly steep section that tested both legs and lungs. By mid-afternoon we arrived at Kosovo Camp, sitting at around 16,000 feet, where we enjoyed a great lunch before retreating to our tents for rest and a short nap.

Dinner was what you might call carb city: spaghetti with meat sauce, our now-famous soup, and even a doughnut. This is mountain life at its finest. Later tonight, we’ll have “breakfast” at 11:30 PM before beginning our summit push at midnight.

Our pace today was pole pole—“slowly, slowly”—a phrase our guides repeat often. We’ve come to deeply appreciate that wisdom, knowing it helps us acclimate and puts us in the best possible position to summit. There’s a principle from Greg McKeown that says, “Don’t do more today than you can recover from tomorrow.” Our guides have embodied that truth through their experience and care, and because of it, we feel well prepared and confident as we head into tonight’s climb.

We’re excited—not just to reach the summit, but to do it together. This is a special group of people God has brought together for this adventure, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to experience it side by side. Thank you for your continued prayers—they mean more than you know.

~ Marq James

P.S. We shared riddles along the trail today. Here’s one for you to try—answer coming in tomorrow’s blog. Good luck 🙂

Q: If you have a bee in your hand, what does your eye see?

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

As our climbers near the summit, they have another short day for acclimatization today. After breakfast, climbers leave Karanga Camp and make their way across moraine with a view of Mawenzi and Kibo to Kosovo. The alpine desert terrain is full of boulders with lichen and moss. Upon reaching camp, climbers will spend the afternoon resting before packing for the summit and having an early dinner in preparation for their ascent to the summit to start at midnight. Summit begins at 5 PM EST!

MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS

Starting elevation 13,300 feet

Ending elevation 16,000 feet

Elevation gain 2,700 feet

Distance hiked 3.5 miles

Average hiking time 4 to 5 hours