Geobulletin alpha

Source info:

Author:	Wayne Ranney
Date:	2014-08-27 01:11:00
Blog:	Earthly Musings
URL:	http://earthly-musings.blogspot.com/2014/08/running-out-of-ground-trekking-to-roof_26.html

Summary:

There are shorter routes to the top of Kilimanjaro but I was not interested in a 'burn-run' to the top of a mountain - I was not interested in "bagging a peak." Some people here are there for that reason and their success rate is much lower because they sometimes climb too fast. The top of Kilimanjaro was never really a "goal" for me and I was happy just to be traversing day after day on such a grand edifice. With these thoughts in mind, I was surprised that learn that failure to reach the top never really crossed my mind. We had a great guide who was invested in our success and he made the pace reasonable so that it was not only doable, but actually not that hard. The cold and the dirt were hard, the climb was not. Such is the reward of good pacing!Day Six - Karanga Camp to Barafu CampKaranga morning camp scene.Sunrise light on Kilimanjaro from Karanga Camp.This was not our ascent day but we could clearly see the our route up on the mountains east (right) shoulder.White necked ravens waiting to pounce on unattended food.Check out this view of the mountain from about 14,000 feet. Only one mile up is the top.Helen feeling no pain at 14,000 feet.Chris H-N. taking photos on the mountain.George A. was the best dressed man on the mountain. Here he is communing with the rocks.The trail from Karanga Camp (background) to Barafu Camp (foreground).The many moods of Mawenzi are shown here in the next three pictures. This is the third volcano in the area.Mawenzi.Late afternoon light. I just loved seeing this 16,893 foot peak from Barafu Camp. This is a big mountain!Late evening shot back to Mt. Meru.Day Seven - The Pay-Off - Barafu Camp to Stella Point and Uhuru PeakSunrise over Mawenzi on our ascent day, August 19.The initial climb out of Barafu Camp. I was expecting dread at the thought of climbing 4,000 feet in 2.4 miles, between the elevation of 15,000 and 19,000 feet. But climbing Kili is as much of a mental exercise as it is physical. There simply was no time to think of dread, just one foot in front of the other and keep moving, Po-le. po-le (slowly, slowly).A quick break for water and a snack. Mawenzi in the background.Climbers making their way upward. We had a beautiful, exquisite day for the climb.We passed this group heading up the mountain. I didn't think of it at the time but passing another group was kind of a miracle. The average age of our group was 53 years and if you exclude the two 30-somethings our average age was 59.5. In fact, our guides repeatedly called us 'babu's' (grandfather's).Upwards toward the sky.Nearing Stella Point, the lip of the crater rim. Look at the smile on Helen's face!Sign at Stella Point. To a man, we were all surprised that it only took us 4.5 hours to climb the 4,000 feet.Chris and Wayne at the top.Helen and Wayne at Stella Point.It is another 300 vertical feet up to Uhuru Peak. Along the way we pass the warm edge of the Rebmann Galcier.The glaciers face is about 50 feet high. They obviously are declining with age.James celebrating getting the whole crew to the top.Approaching Uhuru Peak on a gentle grade. The air was quite thin but the sun was out and relatively warm.Wayne and Helen on the Roof of Africa.This is what is left of the Furtwangler Glacier on top of the mountain. Note the tents pitched at the base of the cliff in Crater Camp for scale.Remnants of the Ratzal Glacier on the eastern lip of the crater rim. Note Ash Pit on the left. See an aerial photo from a jet of this feature taken from one of my previous blog postings here.I noticed numerous fulgurites on the top of the peak where summer lightning had melted the rocks. This one is about 4 inches across.Unbelievably, the descent down was equally as hard as the ascent! We took a parallel trail in the cinders and it was a lot of work to descend 4,000 feet on the same day.Back at camp the crew sang Swahili songs for us celebrating with us in our accomplishment.

Content analysis:

Geographic context:

Location	Country	Latitude	Longitude
Bole	CN	44.9017	82.0667
Kilimanjaro	TZ	-3.74288	37.6619
Malta	MT	35.9021	14.4481
Africa		2.07079	15.8005

Keywords:

19.The initial climb, aerial photo, afternoon light, Ash Pit, average age, Barafu Camp, big mountain, CampKaranga morning camp, Crater Camp, crater rim, dread, eastern lip, feet, feet.Chris H-N., foot peak, Furtwangler Glacier, gentle grade, good pacing, grand edifice, great guide, group, Karanga Camp, Karanga Camp.This, Kilimanjaro, Late evening, Mawenzi, mental exercise, mountain, mountain.George A., numerous fulgurites, parallel trail, Po-le. po-le, previous blog postings, quick break, Ratzal Glacier, Rebmann Galcier.The glaciers, rocks.The trail, shorter routes, shoulder.White necked ravens, Stella Point, Stella Point.It, success rate, summer lightning, Swahili songs, Uhuru Peak, Uhuru PeakSunrise, unattended food.Check, vertical feet, volcano, warm edge