Kilimanjaro Traverse – Camps of the Lemosho & Mweka Trails – Part Four

Lava Tower Camp – 14,950 ft., one night

Made famous by the IMAX movie, this iconic stopping point was the first time I really noticed the clouds drifting by below us. Because we were climbing the Western Breach, scrambling to the top of the tower was mandatory…our final test if you will. Had we failed, the suggestion would have been to climb the “normal” route through Barafu Camp. The frightened Cheeseheads from flatland, however, negotiated the pitch with sufficient alacrity to earn the privilege to climb the Breach.

The camp was comfortable, beautiful and relaxing. As with every morning, our “waiter”, August would shuffle over to our tent and greet us with, “good morning, I have hot water for washing and breakfast ready”. On this day, our frozen water bottles had us digging to the bottom of our packs for the warmest gear and there were still two camps to go before the summit.

The photograph above was taken from the top of the Tower…it was as close as I was prepared to get to the 300 foot drop.

Next, Arrow Glacier Camp