The Kilimanjaro team had a leisurely three hour hike up to camp at the base of the famous Lava Tower on the Lemosho Route.

Located a little over 15,000’ up the mountain along the Lemosho and Machame routes, Lava Tower is a large rock formation that was formed back when Kilimanjaro was still an active volcano–Kilimanjaro is dormant, and hasn’t had a major eruption in about 150,000 years. Lava Tower is a formation known as a volcanic plug; at some point in the distant past, lava shot out a vent at the base of where Lava Tower now stands, cooled, and hardened, thus stopping up the vent beneath. On active volcanoes, plugs like these can increase pressure below the surface, leading to more explosive eruptions, like a cork of sorts stuck in Kilimanjaro.

The team has had no issues with the altitude so far, and everyone is feeling great. We will continue to post InReach updates from the team as they ascend, however, please keep in mind the old adage of “no news is good news” as the team continues along the route. They hope to move up