The team woke up under the forest canopy at Big Tree camp (9,120ft) to monkeys howling at sunrise, nobody gets to sleep in at Big Tree camp. After a breakfast including porridge, eggs, and toast, they hit the trail towards Shira 1 camp (11,500 ft).

Here’s the dispatch from the team. “We ascended around 2600 ft over 4 km from Big Tree Camp to the Shira Plateau watching the ecosystem constantly change. As we

Climber on the Shira Plateau approaching Shira 1 camp

gained altitude the trees become smaller and the foliage changes significantly.  We had sunny skies for most of the day and broken cloud cover builds most afternoons. Our Tanzanian team does and incredible job with a smile on their face carrying heavy loads to assist us in our efforts to get up the mountain. The team is doing well and is in good health and many laughs were heard along the trail today. Views of the upper mountain are now in sight which adds to the excitement. We’ll call in expedition dispatches as we get further up the mountain, but for now we’ll continue to text updates each day.”