Mt. Kilimanjaro - my picks
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Kilimanjaro hike - Lemosho route , day 1
Day 1 of the Lemosho route - through the lush green rain forests
Kilimanjaro hike - day 3
Day 3 of the Lemosho route. Instead of the proceeding to the Lava hut camp, we detoured to the Moir hut camp site. This was the weather there that evening. When we reached the campsite there was barely any snow. In the matter of a few minutes while we were unloading gear in our tents, the show showers had started and then tents were slowly transforming into igloos. Stepping out - the view was this beautiful
Kilimanjaro hike - Day 6
The view of Kilimanjaro from the base camp - Barafu hut. We had timed our hike to summit on full moon night. Though it was foggy, the sight was still spectacular. On a clear night, the mountain would have shone like a diamond on the earth, probably like this http://www.hashwinphotography.com/Personal/Machu-Picchu/Machu-Picchu/i-GNChZTz/A
Kilimanjaro hike - Day 7
At the summit... The sky was clear and the first rays of the sun fell on the glaciers to give a golden glow. But this lasted for just a few minutes when the fog rolled in.
Kilimanjaro hike - Day 7 - Summit
At the summit... The sky was clear and the first rays of the sun fell on the glaciers to give a golden glow. But this lasted for just a few minutes when the fog rolled in.
Kilimanjaro hike - day 4
Among the 'Giant Groundsel' also known as 'dendrosenicio kilimanjari'. This is one of types of vegetation unique to the hill. This grows at altitudes around 14000 ft. These giant groundsels evolved from the common goundsels about a million years ago and have moved up higher in the mountain over the years through the seeds being dispersed by winds. They have natural survival mechanisms that help them through the winters where the temperatures fall well below 0.
KilimanjaroLemoshoMoir hut to BarancaGiant groundseldendrosenicio kilimanjari
Kilimanjaro hike - day 3
This is at the Moir hut camp. This was again the day of unpredictable weather where we had rain and as we gained altitude, briefly it turned into a hail storm and then snow at the camp site. What you see here is the portable potty tent.
Kilimanjaro hike - day 5
This is the barranco wall - The wall of friendship - Day 5 of the Lemosho route starts with climbing this wall or rather scrambling. Hiking poles are not usable in this section as it is pretty steep. You need to use your hands as well to climb. One unexpected aspect in this section is traffic jam ! There are a couple of spots which are very steep. At such spots the traffic backs up. The positive side is you get a break. This difficulty is only for the hikers. The porters go around these traffic jams on rocks where there is no trail - with 60+ pounds on their heads and shoulders !
Here is a pic of the porters : http://www.hashwinphotography.com/Personal/Mt-Kilimanjaro-my-picks/i-Dt2MDqH/A
