February 1, 2006: The Rain Forest

Our trek begins. We enter the rain forest which starts as a wide jeep trail before narrowing into a single track path sheltered by the canopy of trees overhead. This alpine rain forest apparently accounts for 96% of the water on Kilikanjaro. As a result of the moisture, thick cloud cover is the norm, as it was today. The winds carry this moisture upward where they contribute to glacier formation. One contributing factor to the rapid disappearance of the Kilimanjaro glacier cap of its summit is the deforestation of the cultivated zones below the forest. Less vegetation...less moisture.