Kilimanjaro, Credner Glacier. What started out as a centennial commemoration of Hans Meyer’s first ascent of Kilimanjaro 100 years ago evolved into an exploration of the westernmost ridge and a new route up the remote Credner Glacier. The team was composed of Norwegian Odd Eliassen, Swiss Christoph Jezler, Englishman Richard Palmer, Americans Lane Gregory, Rob Taylor, Timothy and Nicholas Wiedman and me as leader. We proceeded up the southeast route to the Mandara and Horombo Huts, tarried for three days of medical research on descending climbers and then continued due west. During three more days we traversed the Karanga valley past the Arrow Glacier cut-off to the Great Barranco under the Breach Wall. Continuing into the Shira Plateau, we camped at the base of the Lent Group at 4250 meters. Part of the team then elected to return through Machame to the standard route. The rest of us followed the southwest ridge leading to the bergschrund of the Credner Glacier to camp at 5150 meters. We ascended the Credner Glacier on crampons on 30° alternating blue ice and crust to its top at 5690 meters. A 30-meter abseil off the ice cliff at the crater rim took us to the crater floor. We traversed the crater to the southeast through sharp-knived nieves penitentes down to the standard route. We met the rest of the party at Horombo. With Timothy and Nicholas Wiedman and Lane Gregory, we all reascended the next day to Gillman’s Point and Uhuru.

Michael Wiedman, M.D.