Above the clouds

Good morning!  I received two brief emails and photos from John early this morning. The first email read as follows: "Our day two campsite. Days are still nice, but last night got pretty cold. We slept at about 11,050 feet."


Doesn't look like the coziest place to sleep, huh?

The second read as follows:  "Also from near our campsite, which is by a cave formed when Kilimanjaro's volcano erupted (long ago).  The lava came to rest on thick sheets of snow and was cooled by it.  Eventually, the snow melted and left the caves.  As you can see (hopefully), we're above the cloud line now, which is pretty surreal.  Everybody's handling the physical exertion and the altitude very well so far.  All say hi and thanks for the well wishes and prayers."

Here is the photo from the second email. Amazing to see that they've climbed above the clouds!

I am relieved to hear that everyone is feeling well and handling the climb and elevation well. Last night I looked up info on the specific trail they are taking, and although I'm not sure that this is the company they chose to guide them, the schedule is probably close to what they are doing. 

http://www.climbingkilimanjaro.com/rongai-route-kilimanjaro.php

It is Friday evening in Tanzania, so they are likely finishing dinner at their day three campsite.  I believe that they will reach the summit on day five, which would be Sunday.  In reading through this website last night, I learned that the summit day climb typically starts around midnight (yikes!) and it takes 6-8 hours to reach the summit.  The length of the climb depends, in my understanding, on which part of the summit they attempt to reach.  After reaching the summit, they will descend for about six hours to a warmer/safer elevation to sleep for the night. 

They are doing so well and I couldn't be more proud of them.  I will update again tomorrow!