Twice we have been to Tanzania. Both times we drove for hours around Mount Kilimanjaro without seeing more than the lower slopes because clouds hid the summit. I still desire seeing it rising up from the African plain. Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa by Michael Moushabeck with photographs by Hiltrud Schulz increases my longing.Actually climbing to the summit would make sure I saw it. Moushabeck tells how they made their way to the top, a feat that is not beyond imagining. No special gear is needed on several of the trails up. You just walk and walk and walk. The difficulty is the cold and altitude sickness. It took Moushabeck and his wife Schulz six days of hiking with a guide, companions, and porters to position themselves for the final ascent. Then starting just before midnight they made their dash to the top (actually going slowly to adjust to altitude), arriving at sunrise. Then they descended by a route that got them off the mountain in two days.
The views from the top of Africa are not the only reason to go. Schulz's vivid pictures show many unusual plants that I would like see. She also photographed black colobus monkeys, the main animal that we missed on our two trips. Just looking at this photo-filled book makes me want to book a flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport outside Arusha. Adventure beckons.
Moushabeck, Michael. Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa. Interlink Books, 2009. ISBN 9781566567817.
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