Day 1- Londorossi Gate to Big Tree Camp (9,000'/2650 m)

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Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, formed by three volcanoes over 750,000 years. The collapse of two of the volcanoes, Shira and Mawenzi, followed by the final eruption of Kibo, created the Shira plateau, the Saddle (a flat lava plain), and the characteristic solidified black lava boulders and terrain. Two main peaks remain, Kibo and Mawenzi. Uhuru Peak, the tallest part of Kibo's crater rim, is 19,340 feet (5895 meters). The summit of Kilimanjaro has 15 glaciers and three icefields, which have shrunk 82% since the first survey of the summit in 1912 and may be entirely gone by 2015.

Because Kilimanjaro is a national park, you must follow one of six established routes: Shira, Lemosho, Marangu (Coca Cola trail or tourist route), Machame (Whiskey Route), Mweka, or Umbwe. Regardless of the route chosen, all hikers must be accompanied by an official guide and must enter the park at one of three gates, where hiking permits are issued: Marangu, Machame, and Londorossi.

We hiked the Lemosho Route (7 nights/8 days), which is longer and less traveled than the other routes. The Lemosho route eventually merges with the Machame route, where hikers can reach the summit via the more challenging crossing of the Arrow Glacier and the Western Breach.

Our first day began with a 2 1/2 hour drive from Arusha to Londorossi gate, where we registered, then another hour's drive over a very rough dirt road to the trail head. At the trail head, we met our porters (all 13 of them), our cook (Kambona), and our assistant guide (Raymond). Our guide, Victor, had joined us just out side of Arusha. We donned our gaiters and did a final gear check. I felt a little guilty because I thought my duffle bag weighed too much (~25 lbs), but it was promptly stuffed into the bottom of another bag, then another 20 or so pounds of supplies were added on top of that! I am still in awe of our porters, who carried 40-50 pounds each.

The hike to Big Tree Camp was a delightful one through the lush vegetation of the forest, where we spied Colobus monkeys, saw signs of elephants, and admired the Kilimanjaro impatiens. We were completely unprepared when we rounded a bend in the trail to find a table, complete with tablecloth, laden with delicious fruit, vegetables, and sandwiches--the first of many such lunches. Staying hydrated is important while hiking at any altitude, so each lunch (and dinner, as we later found out) began with soup, acccompanied by copious quantities of tea. Fortunately, Louise and I liked both!

After several more hours of hiking, we reached Big Tree Camp, so named for the big tree in the middle of the clearing where the porters had already pitched our tent, their tent, the guide's tent, the mess tent, and the cook's tent. Our favorite tent, though, was the "potty" tent, which came complete with an "occupied" flag, a wooden toilet seat, and a shovel, where we could 'visit the ancestors' in private, rather than seek an appropriate place behind a tree on the trail....

Here are a few of the pictures we took today, June 12, 2003. Clicking on the small photos will bring up a larger image.

Londorossi Gate	Trail head, Lemosho route	Gear check	Starting the adventure
Ascent through the forest	Lunch break	Mess tent at Big Tree camp	Our sleeping and 'potty' tents