Gary, Kendal and Arthur left on July 2, arriving in Tanzania on July 3 to begin their climb up Mount Kilimanjaro via the Machame Route. Getting up the 19,341' (5,895 meter) peak and back down required 7 days and 6 nights of hiking and camping. Gary and Arthur have the advantage of living at 5,000' and Kendal spent a week in Bozeman doing several training hikes before we left. They all coped well with the altitude, although Arthur may have had a sinus infection and experienced some difficulties during the climb. The final part of the ascent is done in the dark; the goal is to be at or near the summit at sunrise. At the summit Gary and Kendal sealed empty disposable water bottles so they could take fresh air from the summit down to friends at sea level and show them what they missed. It's a good way to demonstrate what one is breathing at the summit (where the air pressure is less than 50% of sea level).

See drafts of our Kilimanjaro pictures and videos at Gary's YouTube Channel. There is also a rather lengthy prose entry in Gary's Climbing Diary.