Tamara
03/08/2006, Austria Camp, Mt. Kenya

Jamie's message today was from the high camp, Austria Camp. He reports that everyone is doing well and that the weather has been good. Tomorrow, they will be leaving for the summit before dawn. Nelion, one of Mt. Kenya's twin summits that require technical rock or ice climbing, is the route they are traveling. Jamie said that he most likely will not leave a message tomorrow so there will not be a posting tomorrow. We will all have to wait in suspense to hear about the summit day!

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Tamara
03/07/2006, Shipman's Camp, Mt. Kenya

It's Tamara back at the helm after a brief hiatus for a trip to Utah. Here in Colorado Springs, it feels like we've leaped into summer with 70+ degree temperatures. This should change tomorrow, however, as much needed rain/snow are forecasted.

Jamie sent a quick update this morning from 13,500 feet at Shipman's Camp on Mt. Kenya. All are well and plan to move up to the Austria Camp tomorrow. Weather permitting, they will summit 17,000+ foot Mt. Kenya on Thursday.

A few facts about Mt. Kenya...it is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa after 19,340 foot Kilimanjaro. Ancient tribe members who viewed Mt. Kenya from a distance thought that it's peaks resembled the plumage of an ostrich and named the mountain "Kirinyaga," a name meaning "the area of the ostrich." The name was pronounced differently as "Kiinyaa" by the people the first European explorers encountered. This became Mt. Kenya and the country was later named from the mountain.

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S. Lombardi
03/02/2006, Africa

Flights are out tomorrow just after midnight. During the day we will relax then dine at Carnivore's, a Nairobi restaurant made famous by the meat eaters. When you're finished you hold up or set down the white flag set as the center piece. (It may be PETA folks who made this place famous. "People Eating Tasty Animals".)

Before leaving for Carnivore's there should be more posts about each camp in between Machame trailhead and the Mweka Camp exit. I have a story to tell that began five years ago and includes an old friend, Thobious Kundaell that travelled from the Gates of the Maranga in Africa to see Jamie and in the process to see once again his old friend from the 2000 and 2001 summit attempts. Until tomorrow I remain .... Steve

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