Tag Archive for: Roof of Africa

Kilimanjaro weather can be great, weather on mountains can also not be great. As we tried to sleep in our tents in preparation of our 11pm wake up for our summit bid, our tents folded like tacos in the wind and sounded like chip bags with snow and hail. Needless to say, I don’t think anybody slept. We got up, ate a light breakfast and started our ascent. About 5 inches of new snow had fallen overnight and the wind had increased, we climbed higher and higher in the dark bucking a serious wind, steady and unrelenting. By around 5:15AM we stood at Stella Point, the bulk of the climbing below us the sun rose and illuminated Africa and the clouds below. We made the final stroll to the summit and at 6:40AM we all celebrated. The descent was straightforward if not muddy due to the melting snow and the wind had abated. We were in high spirits as we strolled back into camp until we saw what remained of much of our camp. The winds throughout the night had taken their toll on our cook tent, our dining tent and our porters sleeping tent leaving them destroyed. What would generally be a celebratory lunch turned into a rush to pack and head down the mountain. As the icy winds began again we hurriedly packed our gear and hightailed it down the mountain. After a 4 hour hike we finally got to relax at McKay high camp where we are, drank water and tea and slept like baby rhinos.
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The last day of any trip is bitter sweet. On one handed we long for cold beer, new food and hot showers while on the other we have to leave a place we have given so much for. We came out here and climbed the mountain and the trip is over. Now we all go back to our lives and have the memories and pictures. This was on all of our minds as we hiked the 10 kilometer hike out to the gate, through the rain forest we saw more birds and monkeys than we could count. We arrived at the gate to our team singing and dancing and congratulating us on a great climb. We feasted on a fantastic buffet lunch, thanked our staff, said goodbye then loaded up in the van back to the hotel. We are all sad to be going home, but psyched for the pool.
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Our Kilimanjaro climb concluded as we just arrived back in Arusha, Tanzania. We had a fantastic adventure on Mount Kilimanjaro, culminating in our summit of the peak on October 6th. All members of our team reached the top of the mountain, this was a magical moment as the sun rose over the plains below, and the weather was perfect! This was especially appreciated by our group as we had a couple of days of inclement earlier in the climb. We had the appropriate clothing and equipment to wear in the rain, hail, and snow, but it was still challenging weather conditions to climb in. Our climbers pulled together and supported one another as we climbed higher on the mountain throughout the week, and especially on summit day as we left our high camp at midnight and climbed through the dark, to reach the summit of Uhuru peak at 6 AM. All members are now on their way home now or spending a few days on safari here in Tanzania, savoring the experience of reaching the roof of Africa! –Garrett Madison

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To review our climbing team’s summit route you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Beautiful pictures by Madison Mountaineering adventure photographer Petr Jan Juracka from Charles University in Prague! Enjoy 🙂

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At 11:30pm last night our Kilimanjaro team departed for the Roof of Africa and made it to the summit at 6am for a beautiful sunrise. After a safe descent the team is now resting at lower elevation enjoying a well deserved hot-tub at the resort. Way to go team!

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To monitor our climbing team’s summit route you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

Processed with Snapseed.

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Audio dispatch by Dante (climber) after their successful summit!

At 11:30pm last night our Kilimanjaro team departed for the Roof of Africa and made it to the summit at 6am for a beautiful sunrise. After a safe descent the team is now resting at lower elevation enjoying a well deserved hot-tub at the resort. Way to go team!

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To monitor our climbing team’s summit route you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

Processed with Snapseed.

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Audio dispatch by Dante (climber) after their successful summit!

Today is Wednesday, October 5th and we had a great day today, beautiful weather and sunny skies as we climbed from Karanga Camp up to our high camp at Kosovo on Kilimanjaro. It was wonderful after yesterday’s rain and clouds to have such a beautiful day today. We were able to see the cloud layer well below us and everybody on the team is doing great and feeling strong. We are very lucky to be able to go for the summit tonight when everyone is feeling well and the good weather and route conditions. We have our fingers crossed that the weather holds and we make it to the top tomorrow morning. We will be checking in tomorrow, stay tuned! -Garrett Madison
Start: Karanga Camp, 13,220’
Finish: Kosovo Camp, 15,700’
Distance Traveled: 3.5 miles

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To monitor our climbing team’s route to the summit you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Audio dispatch by Garrett Madison:

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After breakfast we left Barranco Camp and began our ascent of the Great Barranco wall! This scramble provided us with a great acclimatization workout as we topped out at 14,500’ with spectacular views of the clouds below! Then we descend to the Karanga river and hiked up a short distance to Karanga camp. Team had some rain today but team is dry and excited for the ascent to high camp tomorrow.  – Garrett Madison

Start: Barranco Camp, 12,750’
Finish: Karanga Camp, 13,220’
Distance: 3 miles

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Audio dispatch by Garrett Madison.

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To monitor our climbing team’s route to the summit you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Today we left Shira Camp and traversed the mountain, working our way up to the base of “Lava Tower” at approximately 14,800 ft. Lava Tower is a fun scramble up with great views from the top! After lunch we then descended down to Barranco Camp. The weather today was mostly cloudy with a few patches of sun. From our camp we have a great view of the Great Barranco wall, our challenge for tomorrow morning!
-Garrett Madison

Start: Shira Camp, 12,450’
Finish: Barranco Camp, 12,750’
Distance Traveled: 6 miles.

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Audio dispatch attached here by Garrett Madison.

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To monitor our climbing team’s exact route to the summit you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Lava Tower on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

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Today our Kilimanjaro team left Machame Camp and trekked through a hail storm before reaching the warm shelter of their next camp. Garrett and team are now enjoying a beautiful night under the stars where they can see the impressive Milky Way Galaxy. Onward!

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Audio dispatch attached here by Garrett Madison.

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To monitor our climbing team’s exact route to the summit you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Team photo

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Today is Saturday October 1 and our team is currently preparing to leave Arusha, Tanzania where they will travel by car to the Machame entrance (5,900 feet) and begin the adventure through the lush forests. After a nice trek through the jungle our team will arrive at Machame Camp (9,950′). Our climbers will trek  alongside local Tanzanian guides and explore the rich culture of Tanzania.

Our team plans to summit the peak on October 6th. To the top!

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Garett Madison calling in for the Kilimanjaro team:

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To monitor our climbing team’s exact route to the summit you can view our LIVE RainOn mapping platform here.

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Fred, Dante, Stefano, Ken, Joao, Braulio, Garrett, Jayme and Petr relaxing at their hotel in Arusha before departing toward Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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Climbers from around the world are in route for Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania! Our team’s route up Kilimanjaro, the Machame, will be a non technical adventure through five very distinctive climate zones, allowing ample time for acclimatization. Our team will ascend Kilimanjaro in style, enjoying the incredible views, camaraderie, and sense of accomplishment in climbing one of the famed “7 Summits”  at an elevation of 5,895m / 19,341ft

On this great adventure we will have Fred, Dante, Stefano, Ken, Joao, Braulio, Jayme, Petr and Garrett joining us. To the top team!

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To monitor our climbing team’s exact route to the summit you can view our RainOn mapping platform here!

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