Janaury 1, 2013 Summit Day

Happy New Year!

Trek 6‐ Barafu camp (14,928ft) ‐ Uhuru Peak (19,341ft) ‐ 4,412.7 vertical feet

> Mweka Camp (10,171ft)

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak – 7‐8 hours to descend to Mweka camp

Distance: About 4.3 miles ascent ‐ 14.3 miles descent

Habitat: Stone scree and ice‐capped summit

We will rise around 11:30 PM and have some hot tea and biscuits before we shuffle off into the night. We will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6‐hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trip. At Stella Point (5685m) we will stop for a short rest and we are told we will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise will in our lifetime (weather permitting). From Stella Point we will normally encounter snow to Uhuru Peak (2 hour ascent). The time we will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. We do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue.

This will be a day to remember for the rest of our lives. The walk back to Barafu from the summit will take about 3 hours. Here we will have a short rest. We will then collect the rest of our gear before heading down to Mweka hut (3100m).  This route is not difficult and will take we down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be

expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared. We will celebrate with a nice beer!