We accessed Kilimanjaro summit following the Machame route taking 6 days to reach the summit.
The hike to the top crosses five distinct ecosystems going from lush equatorial forest to a barren alpine landscape at the summit. At the base you are greeted by a number of blue monkeys, ready to snatch your food at the first chance! As you transit from the equatorial forest to an increasing glacial and alpine landscape one can’t help but marvel at the fact that you are indeed reaching an oasis of the cryosphere right at the equator and think how life has adapted to make a living to the extremes at the top of this mountain. The middle elevations are inhabited by very peculiar plants, among which, the one that mostly caught my eye was undoubtedly Dendrosenecio kilimanjari, an endemic giant groundsel found only on Kilimanjaro. Their eerie trunks stand out in the mist at the end of the climbing day. During the last day of the climb you leave behind any vegetation and enter the barren and periglacial realm of the summit.
Our sampling occurred at the edge of the Southern Icefield, very close to the top of the mountain.
Summit day lasted something like 21 hours for us, from climbing start, summit reaching, sampling and back down to Mweka camp. Under present conditions, rapid glacier shrinking at the top of Kilimanjaro will continue unabated and the entire summit of the mountain is expected to be devoid of ice for the first time in 11000 years by mid-century. As glacier recession continues, understanding the biodiversity and function of organisms in these glaciers and periglacial soils is of utmost importance, before these ecosystems are changed forever.
The hike to the top crosses five distinct ecosystems going from lush equatorial forest to a barren alpine landscape at the summit. At the base you are greeted by a number of blue monkeys, ready to snatch your food at the first chance! As you transit from the equatorial forest to an increasing glacial and alpine landscape one can’t help but marvel at the fact that you are indeed reaching an oasis of the cryosphere right at the equator and think how life has adapted to make a living to the extremes at the top of this mountain. The middle elevations are inhabited by very peculiar plants, among which, the one that mostly caught my eye was undoubtedly Dendrosenecio kilimanjari, an endemic giant groundsel found only on Kilimanjaro. Their eerie trunks stand out in the mist at the end of the climbing day. During the last day of the climb you leave behind any vegetation and enter the barren and periglacial realm of the summit.
Our sampling occurred at the edge of the Southern Icefield, very close to the top of the mountain.
Summit day lasted something like 21 hours for us, from climbing start, summit reaching, sampling and back down to Mweka camp. Under present conditions, rapid glacier shrinking at the top of Kilimanjaro will continue unabated and the entire summit of the mountain is expected to be devoid of ice for the first time in 11000 years by mid-century. As glacier recession continues, understanding the biodiversity and function of organisms in these glaciers and periglacial soils is of utmost importance, before these ecosystems are changed forever.