A beautiful backdrop...also a great climbing destination.
Its name means mountain of caravans.
The mountain is composed of three volcanic cones. Two extinct...one dormant.
The last time lava flowed from one of the smaller parasitic cones on the side was the early 1900's.
Roughly 150 miles of the top is covered with glacial ice. This is shrinking rapidly and being studied related to global warming. It is estimated by 2030 to 2050 the glaciers will disappear completely.
The mountain has five distinct climate zones
- Bushland / Lower Slope:, 800 m – 1,800 m (2,600 ft – 5,900 ft);
- Rainforest: 1,800 m – 2,800 m (5,900 ft – 9,200 ft);
- Heather / Moorland: 2,800 m – 4,000 m (9,200 ft – 13,100 ft);
- Alpine Desert: 4,000 m – 5,000 m (13,100 ft– 16,400 ft);
- Arctic: 5,000 m – 5,895 m (16,400 ft – 19,300 ft).
and the top gets from 9 to 19 inches of snow annually.
The oldest man to reach the summit was 85 years old...the youngest a mere 7.
Today, you must be at least 10 years old for a climbing permit.
View from The Summit
Climb to the Summit
https://youtu.be/znB4BQwFm3w
Climbing Kilimanjro from the base to (almost) the summit
https://youtu.be/7MZoIN9I8oU
And there we are for today's virtual adventure...
And before we go...an update on what I have come to call our Birdseed Beer.
Fermenting nicely now...and the smell is fantastic.
Grainy...alcoholic and sweetly banana.
This must be the scent that permeates Tanzanian pubs that brew the stuff on site!
It will be ready to strain off by Sunday, and we will chill it and taste Monday.
Next time: Tanzanian Art Style.
Until then...
