It’s 1:00 AM and we’re layered up with pretty much everything we own. Camp has been buzzing for at least the past hour and we can see the lights of earlier groups already snaking their way up the mountain. the good part about climbing at night is that you can’t see how much further you need to do. Instead, you pop the headphones in, zone out to an e-book, and just put one foot in front of the other. Pole pole.

Every so often we catch up to a group in front of us and, with little room to pass, I feel perfectly content just drafting for awhile. The guides must have heard of Benjamin Button though as, before long, they find an open spot and burst by the crowd. It’s no more than a few dozen quick steps to get by but I’m wheezing by the end and can feel my heart pounding from the effort. Those parts suck.

Finally, with dawn just breaking, we push up the last few yards to the crater rim. It is another 45 minutes to go along the ride to the highest point, Uhuru Peak at 19,341 feet, but the hard part is over and now we can enjoy the views of the glaciers (what is left of them anyway) and the sun rising over all of Africa below us.

It’s an emotional moment getting that final summit pic, not just because I made it to the top but because I got to share it with my son. I’m proud of myself, but I’m so proud of him too.

We hang around for about 20 minutes and then it’s time to start heading down. That goes considerably quicker, perhaps a little too quick even as may 52 year old knees are soon threatening a mutiny. Soon though, we’re striding into camp, just 8 hours after we left.

The team meets us there, singing the Kilimanjaro song and giving us high fives. I’m sure they do it for every group but it still feels pretty special. When did I become such a softie?

We also get some cell coverage and are able to call home to share the news. Then, it’s off to the tent for a hard earned rest before brunch.

As I mentioned yesterday, we still need to get further down the mountain. Nick tries to catch a ride but he brought no money and can’t find any takers to push him.

It’s probably for the best as the trail down the mountain is considerably steeper than the one on the way up and couldn’t possibly be in any worse condition. I can’t help feel for anyone injured enough that that they have to be wheeled out, only to have to suffer being bounced around every step of the way.

And then we see it. After climbing 4,000 feet in the dark of night and then descending 9,000, Mweka Camp comes into view. We made it!

We’ve earned out sleep tonight and after a nice dinner (chicken cacciatore), and a few words of thanks for our crew (and their tips), we head off to bed. Tomorrow, all we have left is a quick six miles and then it’s hot showers and comfortable mattresses for everyone!

For all the gadgets and sensors crammed into my cell phone and watch, one that is missing is temperature. Inside my zero degree bag I’m fully dressed with a fleece jacket and still felling the chill. Fortunately, we have a fairly short hike today and can stay hunkered down until the sun starts to come up. Like most mornings, it is perfectly clear again with views all the way up to the summit.

Since we’re down to our last few days, I figure this is also a good time to get some close up pics of our set up. Here is our home away from home for the past six days:

Our mess test, which doubles as a wash/change room:

The cook shack where Albert works his magic:

The porter’s tent:

And last but not least, the bathroom tent

Our destination is only a few miles away, but we’ll climb about 2,000 feet in the process. The locals have a saying here – pole pole, which means “slow slow” in Swahili. It frustrated me a bit lower on the mountain but, here, where the air is thinner, I’ve become quite a fan. With our steady, methodical pace, we still make good time and my heart rate stays surprisingly low given the activity.

Barafu Camp is back above 15,000 feet and will be our highest camp on the mountain. From here, our plan is to gear up just after midnight and climb the last 4,000 feet in the middle of the night, hopefully reaching the summit around sunrise. After a brief rest, we’ll turn right back around and descend the same 4,000 feet and return to camp in time for a late breakfast and a rest. If that’s not enough, we’ll then pack up our gear and power through another four hours of hiking to descend to 10,000. Summit day is a bitch.

Albert whips up a spaghetti bolognese to load us up with carbs and, after that, there’s not much left to do besides eye up the prize and get ready.

We set off later than usual this morning as our guides hope to let some of the traffic clear. The Lemosho and Machame routes merge together just before Baranco Camp so the number of people jockeying to get on the trail has more or less doubled. Straight away there is an 800 foot wall to scramble up with very few places to pass, so if some of the slower groups can get through it before we head out hopefully things will go a bit more smoothly.

It is a fun section, even though there are a few spots where the trail gets pretty narrow.

Before we know it, we’re at the top. The views here are apparently quite good, but we’re completely surrounded by clouds and can’t see a thing.

The next two hours is probably the nicest stretch of trail so far. A little up, a little down (as F-Bomb likes to say) and perhaps the climb to 15,000 feet yesterday made a difference as I feel almost normal. Before we know it, we’re pulling into Karanga Camp, our second to last one before the summit.

With the cloud cover, it is quite a bit colder at this camp than the previous ones. Great for an afternoon nap, but far less pleasant once the sun goes down.

After dinner, while discussing the plan for tomorrow, our guide tells us we are doing really well. Even better than he imagined, he says. I’m not really sure how to interpret that. Nick looks like he’s in pretty good shape, so why would he have been worried about him?

One of the unpleasant side effects of altitude is that, with less pressure, all of the gas in your body expands and needs somewhere to exit. Combined with some other intestinal problems, this leads to one of the riskiest maneuvers on the mountain – venting the system without spray painting your shorts. There are a few close calls during the night, and it’s stressful enough that I finally break out the [azithromycin] (for reasons I’ll never understand, the doctor prescribed only two tablets so I’ve been hoarding them like [the one true ring]).

After our wake up tea and hot chocolate, we step out of the tent to clear skies and the sun just starting to light up the mountain. Nick, trooper that he is, sticks with the porridge but I feel like I’d rather go hungry or eat grubs so I’m tapping out.

We climb quite a lot today, passing by the Lava Tower at roughly 15,000 feet (higher than the summit of Mount Rainier). It will be two more days before we get to this altitude again so we rest for thirty minutes of so to get a bit of acclimatization.

From there we start down towards Baranco Camp, back at 13,000 feet. Doing so, we pass through another unique ecosystem, full of trees straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.

After a dusting off by Thumsif, we’re back in the tent for a nap. When I first saw the itinerary and noticed how few miles we’d hike some days, I wondered what else we’d do to fill the time. Turns out, we fill it all with sleep. Putting in ten hour nights plus two to three hours in the afternoon, our schedules are actually pretty full.

Dinner is more of the usual (soup, salad, and some kind of entree). The guides say it is pretty common to lose your appetite as you get higher and I wonder if that is finally starting to happen, or if meals are just getting a bit monotonous. Probably the latter as I feel like I’d pay top dollar for a freeze dried Phad Thai right about now.

We’re both looking good on the health check (heart rate rising, oxygen levels dropping, but no big swings that would indicate a problem) and apparently, if you stand on just the right pile of rocks, you can get cell service here so we set off to give that a try. Internet is a no go, but we do get a voice call through to let everyone back home know that everything is OK.

They are probably getting a little boring by this point, but I can’t stop taking pictures of the mountain. Maybe I’ll end up with enough that I can put them all together when I get hope and make a flip book.

While on a pee run, sponsored by Diamox, I also try a few shots of the Milky Way. For an iPhone camera they turned out not half bad.

Like an approaching thunderstorm, rumbling in the intestines generally means rough times are coming. Part way through the night, something I ate decided to fight back and, despite hitting the medicine bag, it made for an eventful morning. Sorry, Peter.

The porridge pot is full again but, wiser, I scoop only enough to hopefully not offend our cook while holding out for the second course. It’s early, but apparently not too early for to fly your drone around the camp, thoughtfully breaking the unbearable silence of being far out in nature. What an a-hole.

We spend the first few hours of our day walking leisurely across the floor of a caldera, the remnants, our guide tells us, of a volcano that was once taller than Kilimanjaro itself. Once the sun rises, the layers quickly come off until we are down to t-shirts.

Our pace is quite good (or so we’re told) and instead of arriving at camp early with very little to do, we take a detour to Shira Peak, the highest remnant of this former mountain at a little over 12,700 feet. Unfortunately, our timing matches that of the incoming clouds, spoiling the views of the caldera below.

From the peak, it is another fairly flat walk (downhill a bit, actually – woohoo!) to Shira II Camp. All in, we’ve covered a little over six miles and while the terrain has not been difficult, I am definitely starting to feel the change in altitude. Even resting in the tent my heart rate stays higher than normal and every once in a while I need to take a few deep breaths just to catch up.

The clouds have cleared away (above us anyway, below us there is a layer that is still quite thick) and we can see our goal getting closer. Off in the distance we can also see Mount Meru, the fifth highest peak in Africa.

After a quick health check – they monitor our vitals here everyday to make sure we aren’t getting altitude sickness – we settle in for a fancy dinner. There are no dehydrated meals here, everything has been hauled up fresh by porters. It isn’t always great (who makes pizza with green beans?) but I’m still amazed at what they manage to pull off this far away from town. Perhaps my crew back home in Redmond would have made the journey if they knew they wouldn’t have to eat Ichiban noodles and OvaEasy for eight days straight.

The sun is setting as we head back to our tent and the views are spectacular. Quite the ending to Day 3 on the mountain.

We started taking Diamox yesterday as it helps prevent altitude sickness as we ascend. Unfortunately, it is also a pretty strong diuretic, making for some active traffic in and out of the tent throughout the night. It is below freezing outside which makes crawling out of a perfectly warm sleeping bag even more of a chore. Not exactly how I envisioned by first night on the mountain.

In the morning, a porter appears at our tent with hot tea to help get us started for the day. From there, it is over to the mess tent for breakfast, a sour smelling porridge and slices of papaya, neither of which I’d ever choose myself. We need the calories though and, by mixing them together, I find a combination that is at least somewhat palatable. Not good, but palatable.

After choking down the whole pot, our porter reappears with a plate of toast, a few hard boiled eggs, and some sausages/wieners. With a stomach now full of gruel I feel like the kitchen crew is probably laughing hysterically in their tent.

Our goal today is Shira I Camp, roughly four miles and 2,500 feet of elevation away. The bulk of the trail is still below the tree line and we are able to mostly stay in the shade. Throughout the trip, porters constantly blow by us, bags of gear balanced on their heads as they race to get to camp and set things up before we arrive.

Not far from camp, we break out of the forest and get our first clear glimpse of the mountain.

We cover the last mile or so in the sun, arriving at the check in station shortly after noon. We’re at 11,481 feet, roughly equivalent to the summit of Mount Hood.

We have a few hours to relax before 3 o’clock tea. A nap feels in order but with no tree cover the tent is a little on the toasty side. It takes a concerted effort on my part to fall asleep, but what is Kilimanjaro if not an opportunity to push yourself?

Before dinner we take a few moments to meet the whole team. In addition to Aloyce and Nesto (our two guides), the squad includes:

• Our cook, Albert
• Praygod, who serves our meals
• Tumsif, who sets up all of the tents and welcomes us at the end of each day’s hike with a couple of camp chairs and a damp cloth to clean the dust off our boots
• Renata, Benson, Tony, Ally, Elia, Anold, and one whose name escapes me, who haul all of our equipment and fetch water
• and perhaps most important, Peter, overseer of the private toilet.

After introductions, the team shares a couple of local songs. It is a very cool experience, even though we only understand a small handful of words (although Nick is managing to develop quite the Swahili vocabulary).

It is another cold evening but the sky is perfectly clear. Without any light pollution we have a great view of the Milky Way. A small consolation for the frequent trips to the bathroom tent. This Diamox better be worth it.

Enough with the appetizer, it’s time for the main course.

Our day begins at 8am with our driver and crew waiting in the parking lot. In a full on bus. Joining us on this climb (or shepherding us up the mountain some might say) are a guide, a junior guide, a cook, and ten, yes ten, porters. Thirteen support staff to move two people up to 19,341 feet. That sure feels like a lot since three guides led ten of us up Mount Baker but, when in Rome…

We make a stop in town to stock up on provisions and most of the crew bellies up to some plastic tables for a quick bite from a street cart. We’re tempted, but halfway up a mountain seems like a bad place to discover something might not have been cooked quite long enough, so we decide to defer until we’re safely back at the hotel and near modern plumbing.

Our base takes us two hours up to the trailhead of at 7,800 feet. Of the several routes up Kilimanjaro, we have chosen Lemosho, one of the longest at 42 miles but, supposedly, one of the most scenic as well. As the porters unload the bus and divvy up the gear, we partake of a quick box lunch (burger and fries?) before setting off.

It is a fairly short two and half miles to our first camp at Mti Mkubwa. At this elevation, we are still in the rainforest and spot a bit of wildlife along the way, mostly colobus monkeys cruising through through the trees.

By the time we arrive, our porters have already set things up and it quickly becomes clear why we need ten of them. In our little pod are two mountaineering style tents (one for Nick and I and one for the two guides), an army style cook tent, a mess tent, a tent for the porters, and the pièce de résistence, the tent with our private toilet. We were strongly advised to invest in this upgrade by friends who had climbed previously and, curious lad that he is, Nick can tell you why.

On past adventures, we’ve packed pretty much everything we needed on our back so this is definitely a new experience, not that I’m complaining one bit.

After a hearty meal we’re off to bed. It gets dark fairly early here so even though I try to get through a few chapters on my Kindle, I soon feel myself nodding off to sleep. By 8:30pm, I’m down for the count.

In my half-asleep state, I’m not quite if sure if the crunching sound next to my head is real or part of dream. As the head fog clears, I realize that it is indeed coming from just outside the tent. Slowly zipping open the flap, I stick my head out to find that a herd of these guys has moved in during the night and is snacking right in the middle of camp.

They are gone again by morning, with just a few stragglers off in the distance watching as we pack up our gear and head down into the crater. Technically a caldera more than a crater, the terrain here is like a condensed Serengeti but with permanent sources of water meaning the animals don’t need to migrate. There are zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and gazelles everywhere.

Lions, hyenas, and warthogs? Check. Check. And check.

Far off in the distance, we also spot an elusive rhinoceros. It is standing in pretty tall grass and you definitely need binoculars to see it but we’re going to count it anyway, ticking the last of the “Big Five” off of our list.

With the altitude and all of the water, the temperature is much cooler here than on the Serengeti and the hippos take full advantage, sprawling themselves out on the ground to get a little sun.

The lake is also home to a few species of flamingo and our driver pulls over to make sure we can get a few photos. But flamingos I’ve seen before, rhinos I have not so we’re quickly back on the hunt for a closer sighting.

Sadly, it was not to be. We have a long drive back to Moshi ahead of us and after a few hours of searching, it is time to get on the road. By the time we finally pull up to the hotel, we’ve been in the jeep for more than 12 hours and I’m constantly shifting in my seat to find the on part of my butt cheeks that don’t hurt.

It has been a great (and somewhat unexpected) four days, but a hot shower and a real bed sound pretty good right about now. No rest for the weary though as tomorrow we’re right back at it. Kilimanjaro, here we come.

It is another early morning start as, leaving before the sun rises, we hope to catch up with more of the big cats while they are still in hunting mode.

Not far from camp, this guy has managed to take down a buffalo right next to the road during the night and is now keeping a watchful eye on his prize as hordes of tourists poke their heads out of the top of their jeeps to take pictures. I have a few pictures of the buffalo as well but won’t post them here. Safe to say it is pretty messed up.

Continuing our search, we tick off another item from our “must see” list, hippos. They are not a glamourous bunch, soaking themselves in the same water they poop in, but I guess there isn’t really anyone out here to impress.

The big find of the day is leopards. We spotted a few yesterday way up in the rocks, but even with binoculars they were hard to make out and didn’t seem to move at all. If some enterprising tour company just put a stuffed one up there to make sure their clients were happy we’d be none the wiser. These two are much more active though, patrolling their territory a bit before climbing up in a tree to wait for an unsuspecting meal to wander by. Unfortunately, it all happens a bit too far off for our basic iPhone cameras, but we gave our email addresses to our Italian friends who said they would share their photos once they are back home. If so, I will add a few here as an update.

After a quick bite back at camp, we set a course back through the park towards Ngorongoro. It is another four hours in a jeep we have already been sitting in for six, but the good news is that the roads are so bumpy my phone is giving me credit for more than 15,000 steps!

Not far from the park entrance we pull over to take a look at this fellow and his friend right behind him. They are casually posted up under a tree right next to the road, close enough that if I had a five iron I could give them a few gentle pokes. Yes, the same kind of wild animal that ripped the back end off a buffalo. Right outside my freakin’ window.

The rest of the drive is uneventful and close to dinner time we pull into our campsite up on the rim of the crater. Tents are quickly set up and our cook gets busy whipping up another three course meal while we take advantage of the hot showers and bathrooms with toilet paper instead of just a bum gun (basically the spray nozzle from a kitchen sink).

As is quickly becoming our M.O., by 9 o’clock we’re in bed and fading off to sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of our safari so soon all of this sitting will be over and the real work will begin.

If you’ve seen the Lion King recently you probably know how this post turns out so feel free to jump ahead. No, the animals don’t talk, but everything else feels pretty familiar and no matter how hard you try, you can’t get Hakuna Matata out of your head.

It is a three hour drive from Lake Manyara to the Serengeti National Park, so we break camp fairly early and hit the road, stopping a few times on the way when we spot something close to the road, like this lanky fellow.

Overall, it is long, boring drive over some fairly sketchy roads so as the park entrance comes into view, you feel some hope that the monotony is coming to an end.

Nope. There’s not even a gatehouse here as it another 45 minutes in the jeep just to get to the visitor center. Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word for “endless plain”, and they pretty much nailed it. With the exception of some random rock outcrops (think Pride Rock) that bubbled up from the surface millions of years ago, there is nothing but flat grassland here for miles in every direction.

After a quick lunch we get down to business. The guides all have radios and at least some are willing to share what they are seeing as in no time we are flying down a dirt path towards a cluster of jeeps. A lion is slowly creeping up on a gazelle that looks a lot like this one, hoping to take down a tasty snack.

For 20 minutes we watch the gap slowly close and then, suddenly, the lion pounces. And finds nothing but air. Gazelles are speedy little buggers and pretty easily dodge the attack and dash off to safety.

It’s getting hot and big cats are mostly nocturnal so after a few more hours of scouting we start hitting pay dirt. First, a group of female lions and their cubs stretched out under a tree.

Not far off, a male keeps an eye on things, making sure nobody tries to move in on his ladies.

We then stumble across this pair. They don’t look that fast to me.

After a few more hours the sun starts to set so we call it a day, heading off to find our camp. It is a bit more rustic than last night and we’re sharing the area with about about 1,000 African buffalo, but hey, we’re in a tent in the middle of the Serengeti!