What could be better than a timelapse of an incredibly starry night? How about a timelapse of an incredible starry night over one of my favorite places. In this case, Kilimanjaro – the tallest mountain in Africa. The mountain makes a dramatic backdrop as the celestial light show plays out over head. Quite beautiful. I hope you enjoy.

A Starry Night of Mt.Kilimanjaro from kwon, o chul on Vimeo.

Up until recently, mountain biking on Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in all of Africa, has been strictly prohibited. In order to protect the environment there, not to mention the people both hiking and attempting to ride the mountain, the Tanzanian government has been opposed to opening Kili for biking. But that all changed when a team of trekkers, led by philanthropist Doug Pitt, received special permission to both climb to the summit and descend on mountain bikes, which obviously turned into the ride of their lives.

Doug shares his experience on the Eddie Bauer Blog, providing some nice thoughts on what he calls the "greatest mountain bike descent of all time." But first, he stresses the reason that he and his teammates went to Tanzania in the first place was to raise funds for clean water projects, something that they were able to accomplish to the tune of $250,000. That money will be put to good use in easing the suffering in remote villages and other regions of the country and it was because of this that President Kikwete agreed to allowing the ride.

And what a ride it was. Doug says that it was a tough and technical descent that kept him on his toes all the way down. The nasty scree fields, which often had to be navigated on foot, eventually gave way to better trail, and it was a rocket ride all the way back to the departure gate. It isn't every day that you get to ride one of the Seven Summits, and Pitt relished it all the way, even as he screamed past a porter who told him "you crazy" as he flew by.

Reading the description of the descent had me wide eyed, but it also had me thinking "I sure hope he wore a GoPro on the way down!" I'd love to see some footage of this ride! Lets hope he did and we will.

Congrats to Doug and his entire team. Great job on raising funds for such an amazing cause and for riding the mountain.

Google Maps continues to push the boundaries of where they'll go with their awesome Street View technology adding two new galleries earlier today. One of those galleries is likely to be of interest to readers of this blog as it takes us to four of the Seven Summits without requiring long flights, expensive gear or lots of training.

The new "World's Highest Peaks" gallery allows us to use the interactive Street View technology to explore Everest Base Camp and visit the summits of Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Aconcagua. Images captured at lower altitudes on those last three mountains provide a sense of what it is like to climb each of them, with stops in various camps along the way and visits to specific landmarks, such as the famous Lava Tower on Kili. The gallery also contains a virtual climb of Everest's neighbor Kala Patthar and a visit to the interior of Tengboche Monastery. Google has even given us the opportunity to stroll the streets of Namche Bazaar, the largest town in the Khumbu region of Nepal.

If you're looking for a bit of a virtual escape from your day, head on over to the Google Street View Collections. Not only will you be able to take a virtual walk up these mountains, but you'll also be able to visit Italy, the Grand Canyon, famous UNESCO World Heritage sites and much more. Be warned however, these little field trips can suck up a lot of time and you may just wonder where your day went. Totally worth it though.

Tanzanian ultrarunner Simon Mtuy has always wanted to raise awareness of his homeland's fantastic trail running opportunities and in 2012 he finally got his chance. Last year, Simon led a group of endurance athletes that included ultrarunning legend Krissy Moehl on an 8-day, 160-mile run around Kilimanjaro. The group crossed through difficult terrain, dealt with plenty of heat and ran trails that see very little traffic as they completed the first circumnavigation around Africa's highest mountain. They also encountered breathtaking scenery and the interacted with the wonderfully friendly Tanzanians that live along the base of the mountain.

While they were off on their trail running adventure a film crew captured the experience from start to finish. The film, which is entitled Mountain of Greatness, is set to make its debut at the Trails In Motion Film Festival in March, but you can check out the trailer below. It gives us a sneak peek at what the runners experienced while on this epic run along the base of Kili.

If after watching this trailer you should happen to find yourself motivated to make this run for yourself, you're in luck. Simon is organizing another Kilimanjaro Stage Run for 2013. It will take place from October 19-29 and comes with an all-inclusive price of just $2125 per person. Seems like a bargain for this kind of adventure.

Thanks to Andrew King for sharing this great story and video!


Mountain of Greatness - Teaser from D4 PRODUCTIONS | Andrew King on Vimeo.

Last week I told you about a group of young celebrities that had traveled to Africa to attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for a cause. At the time, the team was just preparing to set out on their expedition which was being undertaken in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of clean drinking water in developing parts of the world. Today we received word that the expedition was a success, with all the members of the squad reaching the summit.

The expedition, which is called Summit on the Summit II, was led by Grammy Award nominated musician Kenna, who organized a similar climb back in 2010. This time out, Kenna was joined by actors Justin Chatwin (Shameless) and Beau Garrett, (Tron: Legacy) as well as singer Mark Foster (Foster The People),  amongst others. The group was led by experienced mountain guides Melissa Arnot and Dave Morton, each of whom has years of experience on mountaineering expeditions.

At 5895 meters (19,341 ft), Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing peak in the world. Each year, it draws thousands of climbers who attempt to make their way to the summit along mostly non-technical routes. A Kili climb is, in a sense, a tough hike that is made all the more challenging due to the altitude. The celebrities spent seven days on their ascent, which was along the very scenic Marangu Route.

Kenna formed the Summit on the Summit organization as a direct response to witnessing the water crisis first hand in his homeland of Ethiopia. But rather than just contribute to a cause that was already spreading the word about the water crisis, the musician wanted to do more. So he formed SOTS and rallied some of his friends to the cause, creating a global buzz about the importance of clean drinking water. The first Kilimanjaro climb was big success, garnering all kinds of media attention. That has directly led to this second climb, which has been a good reminder that this issue continues to be an important one.

Congratulations to the climbers on a job well done.

A few years back a team of celebrity climbers came together under the Summit On The Summit banner to make a charity ascent of Kilimanjaro in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of clean drinking water to developing nations around the planet. Their efforts were very successful, garnering plenty of media attention for the cause as people like Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch and Jimmy Chin lent their support to the project. Fast forward three years and the water crisis across the globe has probably only become more pressing as global climate change alters the planet even further. With that in mind, a new team of climbers has gone back to Kili to remind us once again about this important issue.

The Summit On The Summit program is the brainchild of musician Kenna, who led the first expedition to Kilimanjaro back in 2010. Now, he is returning to the 5895 meter (19,341 ft) peak once again to lead a new team to the top. Joining him on this outing are actors Justin Chatwin and Beau Garrett, as well as singer Mark Foster, amongst others. Mountain guides Melissa Arnot and Dave Morton are also part of the team.

The group will be following the popular Marangu Route, spending seven days on the expedition. You'll be able to follow their progress on Facebook and Twitter of course, but they've also put a considerable effort into revamping the SOTS website to include more social elements while incorporating new ways to engage with the audience following along at home. By registering for the site, we can not only get updates on the team's progress but also get the opportunity to win prizes from sponsors such as HP and KLM.

I was a big supporter of the original Summit On The Summit expedition in 2010 and remain so today. The issue of clean drinking water is such an important one and it holds potential consequences for all of us. Good luck to all the climbers as they head up Kili in the next few days, and don't forget to enjoy the walk!