A Few Tidbits

Mount Kilimanjaro, Mwenga Route, Tanzania
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

I feel like I haven't shared some Kilimanjaro info that I would normally include in previous posts. You'll have to forgive me..... I feel I was a little distracted by the epic climb. So let me share a few things now (since the climb is almost over). Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and the highest free standing mountain in the world. It ranks 4th among the most prominent peaks (behind Mount Everest, Aconcagua in Argentina and Mount McKinley in Alaska). The mountain is made up of 3 volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. The highest peak is Uhuru at 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) which is found on Kibo's crater rim, which is of course the peak you climb to if you ever decide to tackle the mountain. Interesting to note that Mawenzi and Shira are extinct volcanoes, while Kibo is simply lying dormant.....which means it could still erupt again.

Arshad of course was also a great source of information of all things Kilimanjaro. Throughout the entire hike he usually used dinner time to share with us. Did you know that Mount Kilimanjaro was originally in Kenya? I didn't until my final dinner on the mountain. In 1961 and 1962 Tanzania and Kenya gained independence. In 1965/66 Kenya gave Mount Kilimanjaro to Tanzania in exchange for the city of Mombasa. You see Kenya had no ocean port city at the time and Mombasa filled that need. I think getting Kilimanjaro in exchange was a pretty good deal. The tourism dollars that the mountain brings into the region are very important. In 1973, Mount Kilimanjaro became a National Park.

Now back to the hike.

Julie

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peaks_by_prominence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro