
The start of our journey along the Lemosho Route. Please ignore my nerd hat. And our guide's lack of photography skills.
Here it is. The big day.
Well, the big 8 days.
There are six main routes up Mt. Kilimanjaro to choose from. Each has their pros and cons.
We chose the route with the highest success rate. Some routes only have a 50% chance of completion! Don’t like those odds at all!
The downside is, our hike would be longer than the other hikes by a few days. But we’d have more time on the mountain to acclimate to the crazy altitude and therefore have a better chance to succeed.
The Lemosho route is also less popular and very scenic; a few other reasons we chose it.
We had an afternoon and evening to relax at the luxurious and beautiful Mount Meru Hote prior. We spent most of this time playing Yahtzee by the pool or in the dining room for various meals.
Unaware of what lay before us….

Going over the big day tomorrow with our guide Charles and..uh...whatshisface (he didn't end up coming with us)

Room at the Mount Meru Hotel. When we asked for a room next to our friends, we were told no because this was the only room with twin beds. And then we're presented with this.

17 Porters, 4 Guides, 3 Cooks - All catering to Five People (us). Such opulence! (And lots of tipping required, we'd later find)

Ground Carrots! Finding these on the ground, covered in soil, Captain promptly shoved one in her mouth. Our lovely, feral Captain.

Wherever you go, you'll find stacks of rocks. This one made ominous with the added bones of hikers who never made it.

A.K. hesitates before entering his tent for the night - considering the cramped quarters, broken tent zippers, smelly sleeping bag and gassy spouse.
great shots, bryan! your beard looks good! can’t wait to see more pics of the acsent or as you said, “death march” or something like that.