They had a short day today moving up from Lava Tower to their high camp at the toe of the Arrow Glacier.  This is where they leave the standard Lemosho Route and start up towards the summit through the Western Breach which will put them on the floor of the summit crater.  Arrow Glacier is a remnant of the snowy past of Kilimanjaro, but there is still some glacier remaining and water flows from the toe of the glacier.  This route is far less traveled than the standard approach and summit from the Barafu camp. It is a bit steeper up there with a bit of a scramble through the rocks to get to the rim, but it is a really nice way to get to the summit and our teams are typically the only ones going up there on summit day.

The move today from Lava Tower camp up to Arrow Glacier is the shortest day of the trip, just 1 mile of distance and about 800 ft of elevation gain. This allows them to have a pretty relaxing day and get some good rest and acclimatization before waking up at midnight tonight and heading for the top.

The team is doing great, still a bit rainy on Kilimanjaro, but they’ve been staying dry and having a great trip.  Here’s Marcus again with the afternoon check in from Arrow Glacier camp on Kilimanjaro…

Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch from Arrow Glacier High Camp