Day 8: Ascend to Baranco Camp

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

Today, the trail runs through a black lava desert past millions of boulders. From the Shira Plateau, the group will go up a ridge, past the trail to the peak of Kibo, to Lava Tower (known by locals as Shark’s Tooth). During their lunch break, they can take in the snowline above the Lava Tower. After lunch, they’ll descend to the Barranco Camp at an altitude of 13,000 feet. The black lava desert fades into heather and moorland. From Barranco Camp, they’ll see the Barranco Wall, the Western Breach of Kibo, and the South Glacier. This is where their hike ends – and they rest and have dinner. Because their bodies are exposed to such a high elevation at lunch, this is one of the most important days for acclimatization and will prepare our climbers’ bodies for summit day.

MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS

Starting elevation 12,500 feet

Ending elevation 12,900 feet

Elevation gain 400 feet

Distance hiked 6 miles

Average hiking time 7 to 9 hours

JOURNAL ENTRY BY GRANT ALDERMAN

After waking up at Shira Camp, we once again were greeted by a delicious breakfast and hot coffee. After that we set off for our destination Lava Tower, elevation 15,000 ft. We were blown away by the views of the alpine desert, views of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the wind! After eating lunch, we reached the top of Lava Tower, right at the base of the mountain. We then set off for our final destination, Baranco Camp. The wind was blowing, but moral was and still is high. We are looking forward to ascending Baranco Wall in the morning.