Posts
I woke up at 5:30am so I went ahead and took another shower and went down to breakfast. John got up when I got out of the shower and was rushing around thinking he was running late until I told him it was barely 6 and we weren't leaving until 9. He stayed in the room for a bit and finished organizing his stuff.
The dining room was mostly empty except for a table of two guys who were obviously in town to climb Kili. I was listening to their conversation being worried about altitude sickness. I decided to mind my own business and not tell them anything.
John arrived at breakfast and then Jeanne and Jeff joined us. It was nice to spend some time with Jeanne since we hadn't been together much on the mountain. She's a teacher and has known Lori since college. It sounds like they adventure together quite a bit with a third friend of theirs. It takes us about an hour to get a cup of coffee after asking six different people. It starts to be kind of funny. They bring cups but no coffee. We search around but no coffee. Finally we get a prized cup but it is quickly gone. Nathan joins us and we wonder how long it will take him to get a cup. Its hard to believe the climb is over but we are all excited for the safari.
I sit in the lobby surrounded by luggage trying to catch up on my journal from summit day. There is so much to remember. Will I get it all down? I don't want to forget and I know if I don't get it written down soon the details will start to fad. The team kids me for all my writing - every chance I get I am sitting with my little journal. I wonder how others will remember all the details. Maybe they won't. I will share my journal but the experience won't be the same for every person.
Eric comes to send us off, again, without much fanfare. We later learn he was up drinking late in the bar so maybe he's running a little low on juice. We are to be in cars of 6 and we won't rotate. This probably makes sense so that drivers don't miss people or luggage but I am sad because I want to pop around from car to car talking to different people in the group. There are still people I don't feel like I've had enough time with.
We load in to the "Car of Contagion" with our Bushbuck Safari tire covers on the two spares in the back (we will need them later). By this time Doug's cold has spread to Nan, Monique and Sierra. John, Sean and I are also in the car and I am wondering how long it will be before we are sick. I am taking loads of Coptis Chinesis and Emergency and it seems to be warding it off but who knows after 3 more days in a car. I am paranoid. Sanitize, sanitize.
We head off down the road to Tarangerie - we should arrive at the lodge around 2 for a late lunch. Our guide is Usia (pronounced U C Uh). He is very knowledgeable and I ask a lot of questions because John is in the back. He's the one who really likes to talk to the guides/rangers and ask questions. I am sitting up front next to Usia to avoid car sickness. We drive back along the road that we took from the airport and also to the Machame road. The landscape is dry. Corn and sunflowers are growing but they look pretty parched. We pass a military training installation and bombing range. He says all of the area from here to the Tarangerie is owned by the government but can be used by anyone. You have to apply for a permit but they can take the land back later if they need it. So no real private property rights in this area. I think more than half the country is a game preserve/park of some sort. The Masai use this area during the rainy season. This dry time of the year most have taken their cattle up to higher more fertile ground. They have left the older people and some women and children down in this dry area. The land is dotted with their huts - called mayatta. Mayatta are made of sticks covered with cow dung used as a plaster. There is a small hole at the top to let the smoke from cooking out. This construction allows these to be put together and taken apart easily so that the sticks can be moved to build in another location. The Masai are nomads.
Usia tells me in is circumcision time for the Masai. This only happens once every 7 years, if you miss it or chicken out you have to wait another 7 years. You have to be circumcised before you can get married. All the women watch and there is no anesthesia. They are watching to see if a boy flinches, cries or shows any fear. They use the same knife to do them all and don't sanitize it. They cut the skin around to the bottom where the vein is and the they time something around the skin - string or something- tightly to make the skin die and fall off. Kind of like we do the umbilical cord. Anyway, the boys paint their faces and wander around in the wilderness for about 3-6 months until they are healed.
Masai cannot marry unless they have a cow. The number of cows you have determines how many wives you can have. Cows mean wealth.
Usia also tells me about the Masai's eating habits. They mostly eat meat - goat and sometimes beef and they drink blood from the cows. They poke a hole in their neck and drain blood to drink without killing the cow. They don't really eat any vegetables and not much grains. Their gene profile must be modified to handle this sort of diet otherwise I don't see how they could survive with such an unbalanced diet. This makes me understand why Romley asked me on the mountain if I drank blood and also his question about whether or not I had any cows or goats. I guess in his mind we must be rich to afford such a trip and that means we must have lots of cows and goats.
The landscape becomes more barren as we approach Tarangerie. We stop at the Park entrance somewhere around 12:30. There is a bathroom and we all get out and mill around while the guides go to pay the park fees. We have no idea that this takes 30 minutes or longer. Everything is a slow process here. We hear that the TseTse Fly is here and decide we should put on our insect repelent. Later Usia tells me that the smell actually attracts the fly. I guess Deet is only good for mosquitos.
Patience again - finally, we load back in to the trucks and we are off to the lodge doing a game drive as we go. As soon as we enter the park we start seeing our first wildlife - elephants, Masai giraffes (my favorite), and zebras galore. The landscape is dotted with acacia, Boabob and agave. The Baobob Tree is the tree from my favorite book - The Little Prince. I have never seen one before. We see lots of birds along the way as well and I ask about them. We see Magpie Shrike, weaver's nests clustered in the trees, superb starling (beautiful deep blue bird with a red breast), a lilac breasted roller,ground hornbill, absinian (spelling), blacksmith plover, ringed plover, grey headed kingfisher, black-winged stilt, orange bellied parrot and a masai chicken (guinea fowl). I am fascinated by the birds. We find out later that some of the guides make fun of people who ask about the birds. Usia has several great guide books and one has birds in it so I use them to read to the car about what we are seeing. We are trying to rush to get to the lunch buffet before it closes but then we see a mother lion and her cubs on the right side of the road resting under a tree with their kill nearby. We stop for a few minutes to look and take photos. Its exciting to see our first lions. As we leave, driving down the hill and around the bend Usia spots an Eagle Owl up in the tree. We stop again but its hard to get a good picture. We see lots more wildlife in our rush to get to the lodge but we finally quit stopping because we have another game drive at 4.
At the lodge locals are dressed in colorful outfits greeting us at the door. They hand us a warm wet wash cloth to wipe the dust from our face and hands - this is the most common theme of Africa - wiping dust off yourself. We get our room assignments and quickly drop off bags. The buffet is closing in 30 minutes we are told. We are dining outside by the pool. The buffet food is covered with nets to keep the bugs away. We have another delicious meal and a beer. John decides to go to the room and take a nap - I try to catch up on the journal again. Next thing you know it is 4.
We load up again and head out. It seems like there's been no time to rest. We see 2 dik dik - tiny deer like animals that mate for life. They are precious. We see ostrich, male and female. The males are turning pink because it is mating season. We see more zebras, elephants, another family of lions, a steinbok (slightly larger than a dik dik), a jackal, impala everywhere, wildebeast and some buffalo off in the distance. As the sun is setting he takes us around so that we can get a good shot of the sun setting through the acacia tree - the classic African sunset. It is beautiful. Its after 7 when we get back.
Now its back to the room to wash up and get ready for dinner at 8. We clean up and head down to the bar for a drink and some relaxation, we hope, before dinner. We form a big circle as more and more of the group come down and join us. I order the local mosquito repellent drink - something with gin and honey and something I can't remember. It has ice cubes in it which I forget are made with water. Suz points that out and I run outside to dispose of my ice. Bad idea - stick with beer and wine from the bottle! At 8 we head in to the dining room. We have two large tables and one smaller one. We end up at the smaller one with Nathan, Daniel, Monique, Sierra and Tina. More good food. At the end they bring us some sort of chocolate torte cake in the shape of Kilimanjaro and they sing us a song. Its a lot of fun. We are tired after dinner and we turn in.
As we enter our room we are engulfed with the toxic smell of mosquito spray. I am so paranoid about pesticides with John's PD. It freaks me out that we will be sleeping with this fresh fumigation floating all around us. The nets have been pulled around the bed. We climb in and turn out the lights. In an instant we are swallowed by complete darkness. This is something rarely experienced in our world of constant light and activity back home. There is no real darkness. This is a dark that is impenetrable. I can't see my hand in front of my face. Then I say to John, "Listen". He says, "What?" and I say, "Nothing. Its completely silent. There is no sound at all." We are in the middle of nowhere in total darkness and total silence. I savor the moment. I may never have another moment like this in my entire life. Imagine that.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The long way down - aka - Stairway to Hell
We woke at 5 am, an hour before wake up. We had gotten a good nights rest thanks to our level of complete exhaustion and the fact that I was still so dehydrated that I didn't have to get up and pee at all during the night. We were packed and ready just as some of the group were rising. I was ready to get down the mountain to a shower. 7 days of caked on dust was starting to take its toll. My teeth, though I had been brushing them, felt like they had a thin layer of fuzz on them. Nasty. I hated to think how I smelled. The good news is that we all pretty much smelled the same so I don't think we noticed. We smelled like the porters. Its kind of a musky scent, if you know what I mean. Earthy.
April was in a LOT of pain this morning so the decision had been made to take her down on a stretcher. This contraption was a rather frightening looking vehicle. We were about to descend 6,000 feet over very difficult terrain. It would take us about 6 hours. We were told the porters would get April down in under 2 hours. The prospect of her journey was utterly unimaginable. The stretcher was made of metal and had one large wheel under the center of it. There were something like 4 porters/guides on each corner. They were going to "run" down the mountain. I am not sure this pace was really necessary but that's how they do it. Later in the day after making it down April said they if there is someone with a broken bone or some other painful thing that they should just ask to be shot at the top. It was a completely crazy ride down to the bottom. The porters were running in to bushes and shoving people to the ground all the way. It was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to the power of 10. I only wish she'd had a video camera running all the way down. We should have thought to put Sierra's action cam on her head to get the film. Oh well.
Eric told us this trail was a real knee tweaker. What an understatement. 6,000 vertical feet of pure hell. You could not design a trail that would be worse for a person's knees. We started off with Aloisein the lead with a a large group and were told to stay together - no spreading out like on other days. Later I realized this was because they wanted us to come through the gate at the bottom together where all our staff would be singing for us. In the beginning Gina, Jeff and I were at the front. Jeff was telling me about his two girls. Its funny how all these days climbing there is so much focus that we often didn't talk much about our families back home. One of his girls works as a ranger, I think, in Alaska, in an area he took her as a little girl when he was doing a book on Alaska. He really fostered a love of nature in her and she's is a wilderness girl. His other daughter is an actress/theater lover - just like my daughter, Mary Mac. We talked a little bit about that until the pace was getting too much for me and I dropped back with John and Daniel. Daniel talked a lot about the work their foundation is doing and how we might work together when we get back. We have some formed some great bonds on this trip. We finally make it through the last rocky part of the Heather and drop in to the rainforest at Mweka camp. We have to sign the book again. It starts to rain a little bit. Tina and I cover our packs and put on our rain jackets. As we leave this camp I walk along with Tina, Monique and Sierra. We talked about John's biking program and helping him finish getting it going when we get back to Denver. I think the critcal thing is getting people on a bike first. If they can't ride at the pace of Jay's program that's not as important as the fact that they are riding, eventually, they may be able to get there. Sierra tells me that Jay's protocol will exclude 90% of the people with PD. So we talk about how to do something that is more inclusive but will help more people eventually reach a higher level and maybe be able to do the 80-90 rpms. I think it is possible to be too rigid and exclusionary with things and alienate people from things that would really help them. John and I will talk about it when we get back.
I really start to struggle with the slippery, muddy, uneven steps. I am concerned about throwing out my SI joint and that makes my steps more tentative. We joke about being on the Battan Death March. John starts calling it the Stairway to Hell. He is way ahead but they keep having to stop to wait for me. I am going too slow and that makes it hard for Sierra so she pops ahead for a bit. I try to pick up my pace.
Finally, we are off the steps and just on the slippery, muddy road - this is better but still not good. Our gators are getting caked with mud. Paula drops back with me and Stephanie and Ben catch up from the group behind. Ben goes on and its now just Paula, Stephanie and me. Stephanie starts walking down backwards and says it is really helping. Paula and I hobble along with our painful knees. We round a corner and the group is waiting for us at a bridge. We wade in to the stream and wash our boots and gators off a little bit and continue on. We are almost there - they have told us that several times now - so I no longer believe them.
Finally, we make it to the gate at the bottom and all our support crew is there singing to us. The funny dancing guy (orange jacket at Shira Camp) is out in front jamming. He is pulling the girls out one at a time to dance with him. We each get a lei of orange and yellow flowers. Suz is jamming away with him and I scramble for my camera but miss the opportunity. Tine dances with him and get her on video. Then its my turn. I think John got it on camera. I wonder how long my knees will last with the moves this guy is having me do. It is fun and we are laughing but my legs are killing me.
The singing winds down and they take us over to the "holding area" where there are chairs and the food buffet is set up. The porters, guides and kitchen crew are standing around watching us. Our boundary bags have been washed and they are set aside in the lush green grass. There are chairs sprinkled around. We sit and enjoy a beer. Two guys are washing our boots and gators. I take mine off and hand them over, only to find out that I have handed them over to a scammer who has slipped in to our little coral. He brings them back and wants $2. I light in to him - telling him I am not going to pay him, its his problem if he wants to run a scam on me, I am not going to pay him and he better not mess with me because I have just climbed the mountain and I am in no mood to mess around. It think I shock everyone with the vehemence of my protest. This is a side of me they haven't seen on the mountain. It only comes out when I pushed too far. This is the side I was holding back on the night at Pepe's when Tina asked John if I was praying. Oh well, after seven days the guard starts coming down. We will all see aspects of each other on the safari that we held back on the climb. We have another delicious meal and a Kili beer while we are waiting for Nan, Doug, Lori and Neil. They send a truck up the last bit of trail to pick them up. They arrive and we are all together again.
We have to sign out in the hut and I see August is signing some certificates. We will get a summit certificate at some point later tonight. We are then scurried out to the cars and mayhem ensures as everyone tries to find a truck. John and I hop in with Nan, Doug, Sarah and our driver Usia. Turns out he'll be our driver/guide throughout the safari and he is great! I tell him there's money it for him if he gets us their first - I want a shower BAD. Little do I know that he's been instructed by Eric not to arrive before Eric's truck. We leap frog around a few cars that are ahead of us but trail behind one that we never pass. He pretends a few times that he is going to pass it but never does. Turns out it is Eric. I think it was a couple of hours back to the Arusha hotel. Sarah is an astrophysicist and is studying at Harvard. John is fascinated by this and asks her a million questions on the way back. It makes the time pass quickly listening to them banter about science and the stars and life beyond the earth. I think she's looking for life on other planets using light waves - sounds pretty cool to me.
At last we are in the drive at the Arusha Hotel. Eric is standing there giving out room keys. We grab our key and point the porter to our safari and boundary bags. Our room is on the second floor all the way at the end. I am not sure if my legs will go up stairs but I force them. My calves are burning. It not good to have the kind of exertion we had and then sit in a car for 2 hours without moving. We get to the end of the corridor and open the door to find TWIN BEDS! How is it possible that one only a handful of couples gets the twin beds. I complain but decide I want a shower more than I want to hassle with trying to change rooms.
I dig through my bag for shampoo and climb in the shower. I start washing my hair and the grey dust pours out on the shower floor. Its gross. I was it again and again - 4 times. Finally the water looks like its running clear. I start on the rest of my body. There is no wash cloth so I use the hand towel because scrubbing is necessary to get off the layers of dirt. I scrub and scrub and the white hand towel gets grayer and grayer. John's got an interview at 5:30 so he jumps in the shower too and we try to maneuver around each other. He had pile driven his toes on the way down the mountain and is in excruciating pain. I accidently tap his toe and he just about comes out of his skin. This tiny shower isn't big enough for two dirty people trying to scrub themselves clean. I decide I am clean enough and leave the shower to John. I wrap my hair in a towel and start sorting through my bags. I want to get sorted and repacked before heading down for dinner. I don't realize at this point that I am supposed to be in the interview as well. John finishes up and rushes down to the interview. I continue my packing frenzy getting a call to come down for the interview just as I am finishing.
We are doing a group interview with PD folks, sans Glen, who is still packing, and Sierra and Monique who are really responsible for getting the PD folks included in the trip. They really have an amazing philosophy of healthcare. I wish more doctors would consider their model. it was a nice interview. I hope we will get access to it because I want to put together a PD documentary from some of this footage and various photographs. The documentary that is being done is focused on MS but I think we should be able to get access to the footage on the PD group if we pay for it. I will work that out when I get home. Then I think we can do follow up interviews with Glen, Nan, John and Nathan. After our interview we had to wait while they did a group interview with the MSers. This was a big group so it took quite a bit longer. Eric wasn't aware of this and he was hungry and starting to get frustrated. Not sure if there was really any better way to do it though. It was just a tight schedule all the way around. We finally got ready to head out to the restaurant - The Baobob Tree Restaurant. It was going to be a buffet so less of an issue than Pepe's. We got there and they did not have a large table set up for us. We were going to have to sit at separate tables. Eric was upset but at this point we all just wanted to eat and we didn't really care. There wasn't much fanfare again. I thought there might be champagne and a toast or something. I wish I had thought to order some bottles and make a toast - fatigue really impacts brain power. John and I sat with Nathan and Daniel. We had really enjoyed being with them on the trail off and on this past week so it was a fitting way for us to celebrate. We ordered a bottle of wine and enjoyed the buffet. After diner I wandered around to some of other tables to talk for a minute or two. We didn't have time for much of a safari briefing. Eric handed out the itineraries and said a few brief words and it was over. We loaded back in to the bus and back to the hotel. Off to safari in the morning!
April was in a LOT of pain this morning so the decision had been made to take her down on a stretcher. This contraption was a rather frightening looking vehicle. We were about to descend 6,000 feet over very difficult terrain. It would take us about 6 hours. We were told the porters would get April down in under 2 hours. The prospect of her journey was utterly unimaginable. The stretcher was made of metal and had one large wheel under the center of it. There were something like 4 porters/guides on each corner. They were going to "run" down the mountain. I am not sure this pace was really necessary but that's how they do it. Later in the day after making it down April said they if there is someone with a broken bone or some other painful thing that they should just ask to be shot at the top. It was a completely crazy ride down to the bottom. The porters were running in to bushes and shoving people to the ground all the way. It was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to the power of 10. I only wish she'd had a video camera running all the way down. We should have thought to put Sierra's action cam on her head to get the film. Oh well.
Eric told us this trail was a real knee tweaker. What an understatement. 6,000 vertical feet of pure hell. You could not design a trail that would be worse for a person's knees. We started off with Aloisein the lead with a a large group and were told to stay together - no spreading out like on other days. Later I realized this was because they wanted us to come through the gate at the bottom together where all our staff would be singing for us. In the beginning Gina, Jeff and I were at the front. Jeff was telling me about his two girls. Its funny how all these days climbing there is so much focus that we often didn't talk much about our families back home. One of his girls works as a ranger, I think, in Alaska, in an area he took her as a little girl when he was doing a book on Alaska. He really fostered a love of nature in her and she's is a wilderness girl. His other daughter is an actress/theater lover - just like my daughter, Mary Mac. We talked a little bit about that until the pace was getting too much for me and I dropped back with John and Daniel. Daniel talked a lot about the work their foundation is doing and how we might work together when we get back. We have some formed some great bonds on this trip. We finally make it through the last rocky part of the Heather and drop in to the rainforest at Mweka camp. We have to sign the book again. It starts to rain a little bit. Tina and I cover our packs and put on our rain jackets. As we leave this camp I walk along with Tina, Monique and Sierra. We talked about John's biking program and helping him finish getting it going when we get back to Denver. I think the critcal thing is getting people on a bike first. If they can't ride at the pace of Jay's program that's not as important as the fact that they are riding, eventually, they may be able to get there. Sierra tells me that Jay's protocol will exclude 90% of the people with PD. So we talk about how to do something that is more inclusive but will help more people eventually reach a higher level and maybe be able to do the 80-90 rpms. I think it is possible to be too rigid and exclusionary with things and alienate people from things that would really help them. John and I will talk about it when we get back.
I really start to struggle with the slippery, muddy, uneven steps. I am concerned about throwing out my SI joint and that makes my steps more tentative. We joke about being on the Battan Death March. John starts calling it the Stairway to Hell. He is way ahead but they keep having to stop to wait for me. I am going too slow and that makes it hard for Sierra so she pops ahead for a bit. I try to pick up my pace.
Finally, we are off the steps and just on the slippery, muddy road - this is better but still not good. Our gators are getting caked with mud. Paula drops back with me and Stephanie and Ben catch up from the group behind. Ben goes on and its now just Paula, Stephanie and me. Stephanie starts walking down backwards and says it is really helping. Paula and I hobble along with our painful knees. We round a corner and the group is waiting for us at a bridge. We wade in to the stream and wash our boots and gators off a little bit and continue on. We are almost there - they have told us that several times now - so I no longer believe them.
Finally, we make it to the gate at the bottom and all our support crew is there singing to us. The funny dancing guy (orange jacket at Shira Camp) is out in front jamming. He is pulling the girls out one at a time to dance with him. We each get a lei of orange and yellow flowers. Suz is jamming away with him and I scramble for my camera but miss the opportunity. Tine dances with him and get her on video. Then its my turn. I think John got it on camera. I wonder how long my knees will last with the moves this guy is having me do. It is fun and we are laughing but my legs are killing me.
The singing winds down and they take us over to the "holding area" where there are chairs and the food buffet is set up. The porters, guides and kitchen crew are standing around watching us. Our boundary bags have been washed and they are set aside in the lush green grass. There are chairs sprinkled around. We sit and enjoy a beer. Two guys are washing our boots and gators. I take mine off and hand them over, only to find out that I have handed them over to a scammer who has slipped in to our little coral. He brings them back and wants $2. I light in to him - telling him I am not going to pay him, its his problem if he wants to run a scam on me, I am not going to pay him and he better not mess with me because I have just climbed the mountain and I am in no mood to mess around. It think I shock everyone with the vehemence of my protest. This is a side of me they haven't seen on the mountain. It only comes out when I pushed too far. This is the side I was holding back on the night at Pepe's when Tina asked John if I was praying. Oh well, after seven days the guard starts coming down. We will all see aspects of each other on the safari that we held back on the climb. We have another delicious meal and a Kili beer while we are waiting for Nan, Doug, Lori and Neil. They send a truck up the last bit of trail to pick them up. They arrive and we are all together again.
We have to sign out in the hut and I see August is signing some certificates. We will get a summit certificate at some point later tonight. We are then scurried out to the cars and mayhem ensures as everyone tries to find a truck. John and I hop in with Nan, Doug, Sarah and our driver Usia. Turns out he'll be our driver/guide throughout the safari and he is great! I tell him there's money it for him if he gets us their first - I want a shower BAD. Little do I know that he's been instructed by Eric not to arrive before Eric's truck. We leap frog around a few cars that are ahead of us but trail behind one that we never pass. He pretends a few times that he is going to pass it but never does. Turns out it is Eric. I think it was a couple of hours back to the Arusha hotel. Sarah is an astrophysicist and is studying at Harvard. John is fascinated by this and asks her a million questions on the way back. It makes the time pass quickly listening to them banter about science and the stars and life beyond the earth. I think she's looking for life on other planets using light waves - sounds pretty cool to me.
At last we are in the drive at the Arusha Hotel. Eric is standing there giving out room keys. We grab our key and point the porter to our safari and boundary bags. Our room is on the second floor all the way at the end. I am not sure if my legs will go up stairs but I force them. My calves are burning. It not good to have the kind of exertion we had and then sit in a car for 2 hours without moving. We get to the end of the corridor and open the door to find TWIN BEDS! How is it possible that one only a handful of couples gets the twin beds. I complain but decide I want a shower more than I want to hassle with trying to change rooms.
I dig through my bag for shampoo and climb in the shower. I start washing my hair and the grey dust pours out on the shower floor. Its gross. I was it again and again - 4 times. Finally the water looks like its running clear. I start on the rest of my body. There is no wash cloth so I use the hand towel because scrubbing is necessary to get off the layers of dirt. I scrub and scrub and the white hand towel gets grayer and grayer. John's got an interview at 5:30 so he jumps in the shower too and we try to maneuver around each other. He had pile driven his toes on the way down the mountain and is in excruciating pain. I accidently tap his toe and he just about comes out of his skin. This tiny shower isn't big enough for two dirty people trying to scrub themselves clean. I decide I am clean enough and leave the shower to John. I wrap my hair in a towel and start sorting through my bags. I want to get sorted and repacked before heading down for dinner. I don't realize at this point that I am supposed to be in the interview as well. John finishes up and rushes down to the interview. I continue my packing frenzy getting a call to come down for the interview just as I am finishing.
We are doing a group interview with PD folks, sans Glen, who is still packing, and Sierra and Monique who are really responsible for getting the PD folks included in the trip. They really have an amazing philosophy of healthcare. I wish more doctors would consider their model. it was a nice interview. I hope we will get access to it because I want to put together a PD documentary from some of this footage and various photographs. The documentary that is being done is focused on MS but I think we should be able to get access to the footage on the PD group if we pay for it. I will work that out when I get home. Then I think we can do follow up interviews with Glen, Nan, John and Nathan. After our interview we had to wait while they did a group interview with the MSers. This was a big group so it took quite a bit longer. Eric wasn't aware of this and he was hungry and starting to get frustrated. Not sure if there was really any better way to do it though. It was just a tight schedule all the way around. We finally got ready to head out to the restaurant - The Baobob Tree Restaurant. It was going to be a buffet so less of an issue than Pepe's. We got there and they did not have a large table set up for us. We were going to have to sit at separate tables. Eric was upset but at this point we all just wanted to eat and we didn't really care. There wasn't much fanfare again. I thought there might be champagne and a toast or something. I wish I had thought to order some bottles and make a toast - fatigue really impacts brain power. John and I sat with Nathan and Daniel. We had really enjoyed being with them on the trail off and on this past week so it was a fitting way for us to celebrate. We ordered a bottle of wine and enjoyed the buffet. After diner I wandered around to some of other tables to talk for a minute or two. We didn't have time for much of a safari briefing. Eric handed out the itineraries and said a few brief words and it was over. We loaded back in to the bus and back to the hotel. Off to safari in the morning!
Summit Night and Day
We have dinner at 5:30 with the final instructions on tonight's climb. Eric says there will be three groups. We are surprised that he doesn't assign people to groups rather letting them select for themselves. This leaves us with only Sarah in our group as everyone else selects group B or C. At first we are a little sad at our small group -there are people we have climbed with most of the week that we were hoping would be in our group for the summit. In the end, it is only important that we are together as we struggle to the top. Eric checks everyone's oxygen saturation - I think there are some people who should go ahead and take the Diomox but he doesn't tell them to so they don't. I wonder later if this affected some of the group's ability to make it to the top. Would they have made it with the Diomox - I think maybe so. I've still been taking the 1/4 of the 250mg and I feel great with oxygen above 90. I think the Diamox has got to have something to do with that.
We head off to bed with little hope of falling asleep at this early hour. But first we have to make sure all our gear is ready for the climb. This will be the first time climbing at night and with all our heavy jackets, balaclava, extra hats and gloves. We go through it all a couple of times just to make sure we have everything and know where it is. We close our eyes and try to rest whispering to each other off and on about the climb. John gets up to go to the bathroom after a while. He hears rumblings in one of the tents - we speculate about who it is. Later we hear that Daniel heard it too and he thought is was us. We drift back and forth into and out of a half sleep. Finally we hear some rustling around. Group C will leave at 10:30, an hour 15 minutes before our scheduled time. They are up and getting ready but we can't continue to rest with the bustle and excitement. We get up and start getting ready. By the time we are ready to head to the breakfast tent Group C is getting ready to launch and Group B has just finished breakfast and is heading to their tents for final prep. I grab my camera and head out to take a few pics of the group as they leave camp. The excitement is palpable. Off they go, ready for the final assault.
I force myself to eat some porridge and a piece of toast. My stomach still isn't great and I am worried about having to go #2 on the way up the mountain. Eric told us at last night's meeting that he shit in his pants on the way to the summit once. You can imagine how comforting that was! Finally, its our turn - just John, Sarah and me, along with our trusted guide, August, at the front and Aloise at the back. We had been with August every day and I knew that he would get us there. I was ready. We walked outside. I was taking a bottle of water to the tent because Eric said we only needed two. August stopped me and took the bottle and put it in his pack. Then he lifted my pack and said, "too heavy". He looked inside and took one of my two waters to lighten my load. I hoped someone was doing this for the others but I doubted it.
We loaded our packs on our backs making all the necessary adjustments to get them on over the additional bulk of the thick coats. It was actually a surprisingly warm night. However, we knew as we climbed higher the temperatures would drop and the wind would start to blow. It wouldn't be this nice all nice and it was still cold. We started up the mountain. We could see the headlamps of the other two groups ahead of us on the trail. The guides from the three groups call out to each other. Its strange how close they look when you are looking straight up - but they aren't really close. Group C had already been going for almost an hour and half when we left camp.
Not sure how long but not long after we leave camp we find Brandis sitting on a rock trying to drink water. She doesn't look well. She's had the toughest time with altitude of anyone on the trip. She hasn't been able to hold down food or liquids for three days. I wonder how she managed to have the strength to get up and try. That takes a lot of courage. Later in the day we will hear her saga. What a tale. She really wanted to go but her body just would not let her. I think she will go back and try again and make it.
We plod along at a very good pace. August and Aloise sing softly as we ascend. This is actually very helpful. I know they will reach a point where singing won't be possible - not enough air. I want to get a recording of them singing or at least find a recording of it after I get back home.
Before too long we pass group C at one of their breaks. Lori asks us to think of a team name because she doesn't like the letter names. We say the "cheetahs". The group seems to be doing well at this point. They've been at it for a maybe a couple of hours. I am not sure what the altitude is at this point but its the highest any of us has every been in our lives - so that's already a big accomplishment. At this point Jeff, our wonderful photographer, joins us. He will try to leapfrog around, if its possible, to get pictures. Right now its just too dark. So now we are four in our group with our two guides. We continue up the mountain and my stomach starts getting angry. We pass group B. They all seem to be doing well too. I ask if we can stop to go to the bathroom. Not sure if I can do it but my stomach is telling me I have to. I have major issues with going #2 if anybody is around but we'll see - this seems to be at a critical stage. We all head over to the rocks. John and Sarah finish and head back to the guide. Jeff finishes but stands not far away looking up at the beautiful stars. My body won't cooperate with his close proximity. Oh well, I am just going to have to tough it out all the way up the mountain wrestling the tiger in my stomach all the way. What fun!
We figure out before too long that taking breaks is a challenge. The temperatures are getting colder. It takes to long to take off packs and get water out and then you start getting really cold. If you take your gloves off to open the water then its hard to get your hands warm again. They won't let you use a camelback because the tubes freeze up. There must be a better way. I will have to think about that - later. Somewhere between 16,500 and 17,000 I hit an emotional wall. Not sure why but I started wondering if I was really going to make it to the top. We stopped for water and honey stingers. I think the food help but I was really starting to get emotional about this climb. My stomach was also in knots and I was really doubting I was going to make it without going in my pants. Every 20 minutes or so a wave would hit me and I would say, "oh please, dear God, please don't let me poop in my pants." I wondered if it was appropriate to pray something like that but it seemed to work every time so he must be listening.
As we press forward my doubts loom larger. I decide to call on the spirits of my dead parents to help me up the mountain and I ask each of them to take one of my arms and carry me up. My eyes fill with some badly needed tears - the air is too dry - as I feel them each by my side lifting my weight so that I feel lighter. I feel a sense of relief. I remember this prayer my mother used to say all the time, "I can do all things through him who comforts me". I think its from Matthew but I don't know. Anyway, I decide to recite that little prayer in my head with each step. It takes my mind off the difficulty ahead and amazingly makes it much easier to go on. I am not that religious in a formal sort of way. I am blown away at how much this simple prayer, along with the visualization of my parents, is able to lighten my burden and get me up this mountain. Each step gets a little closer and little bit better. We are getting close to Stella Point now.
We reach Stella Point at 5 am. This is where we are supposed to have hot drinks. I think we should have opted for cocoa but we only asked for hot water. We sit down on a ledge while August gets the hot drinks. I am overcome with emotion and say to John, "Did you ever think nine years ago when you were diagnosed with PD that we would be here on top of this mountain?" He says no and we both cry at the enormity of the accomplishment and the hope it represents. We aren't even there yet but we feel as though we'll make it now.
Sarah's foot warmers are wearing off and she decides to put a new pair in her boots a this point. In retrospect it seems a little bit nuts to take your boots off at this point but she only had 5 hour foot warmers and she really needed the warmth. One of her MS symptoms is cramping feet so keeping them warm was going to be critical. We don't drink as much fluid here as we should since we are taking some extra time. We should have been chugging the liquids.
Live and learn.
We get back started toward the summit. It is still pretty dark but the sun will rise in a little over an hour. We want to make it to the top for that. This last 1,500 vertical feet take about an hour to an hour and a half depending on your pace. We left Stella around 5:15am. As you make the turn you can faintly see what you think is the peak in the distance. This is deceiving as there are about 3 false peaks ahead before Uhuru. Most of the time I am never looking up to see what's ahead. My eyes are steadily focused on August's Viking boots and each plodding step. I walk directly in his foot steps mirroring his gate and pace exactly. He keeps a perfect rythym just as he always has throughout the last 6 days. But as we rise higher I notice that his usually steady pacing was wobbling a bit. At one point he lifts his foot and then puts it right back down. I wonder if the altitude is affecting him too. It must be. But he recovers and goes on. Finally, Sarah begs for a water break. I don't want to stop because I don't want to get cold - the wind is blowing terribly and the moisture from my breathing and my nose is freezing around the edges of my nostrils. I just want to get there but I know that we need water. We stop for a minute for her to drink but I don't drink at this stop. We keep getting to these false peaks and John is cracking jokes - sort of - about it. It seems we will never get there. Finally I can't go on anymore without a drink and I have to stop. Sarah and Jeff go ahead the 300 yards or so to the summit. I drank a little - the water was really getting frozen in the bottle. Feeling a little bit quenched we head forward to the summit. I am shocked at the overwhelming emotion I feel as we arrive with the sun just edging up to the horizon ready to burst forth. I begin to sob uncontrollably. I can't stop myself. This really isn't good for breathing. Jeff already has his tripod set up and Sarah is sitting at the edge waiting for the sunrise. John and I are standing arm in arm looking out at the sun rising. Mu eyes are filled with tears. Jeff takes a photo. I hope it will come out. I think it would really capture the essence of what I am feeling.
We want to get our picture at the summit sign and get the hell down off the mountain. I am just to cold and emotional to truly savor the moment and linger. I put down my pack and dig for the ETA flag. John gets out the PFP flag. We head over to the Uhuru Peak sign. Its a little crowded but not bad. After a minute or two we get our shot. Sarah doesn't want to get up yet because the sun hasn't broken the horizon yet but she comes over for the photo - Me, John, Sarah and August are holding up the ETA flag. It is emotional again. Then John and I hold up the PFP flag. We wrap them back up and put them in John's pack so that we can had off the ETA flag to the first person we see on the way down. We turn to see the sun breaking the horizon. It bursts forth across the horizon in glorious brilliance but there is no warmth with this light. I start to shiver and think it is time to start moving again. I realize I haven't taken any pictures with my camera so I take a quick photo of John with the sunrise in his background and one with the peak sign in the background. He quickly takes the same two photos of me. I think we've been here for about 10-15 minutes. It hard to say but I can't stay longer. Sarah wants to stay and Jeff will stay to photograph the next round of the team. Aloise is instructed to stay with them and come back when they are ready. I don't think he is crazy about hanging around at the top too long. Who would be?
I turn around and August has already picked up my pack and hooked it on to his own. He will carry it down for me. I think he's not sure what to make of my sobbing off and on. Up to this point I have been totally unemotional in my climbing. He probably thinks I am crazy. Oh well. He says we will feel much better after dropping down just 500 meters. We start to walk down quickly. Honestly, I just want to run but I can't. To our right is the beautiful glacier. Its majestic and I wish I could take a picture but I can't. I just want to get moving down. We quicken out pace. Somewhere about halfway back to Stella Point we see Sean. He is leading Team B - which has broken in to two groups. We congratulate him, get the flag and pass it off. We are thrilled for him. Next we see Nathan, Daniel, Tina, Stephanie, Suz, Gina and Paula. We congratulate each of them and are thrilled they are going to make it too. Tina says that she thinks Inez will make it but she was getting to cold at that pace and had to go on in the first group. We are so excited for them and we are starting to feel better. John tells them about the "3 false summits" ahead. I tell them they are almost there. Then we see Monique and Sierra. We can tell they aren't feeling very well but they are going to make it. We hug them and cheer them on.
Going on a bit we see Susie Weber trudging along like the walking dead. John sees the guide and tells him to take good care of her. I start crying again knowing that she is going to make it. She brushes us away - doesn't want her concentration or pace broken. She is determined. You can see it on her face. Her lips are bluish - lack of oxygen, I guess.
We make it to Stella Point and there is plenty of light now. We see some of our team just below the point but can't make them out. At first I think its April and Jeanne but then I realize its not. It in Inez and Connie. We cheer them on and continued our trek down. In just a few minutes we ran into Lori and Nan. Lori told us that April and Jeanne and her Dad turned back. She also said that Doug had turned back because he was having trouble breathing - I think that's what she said. His cold had really not gotten any better and that was surely a factor. It said at the bottom of the mountain in the rules not to go above 3,000 meters if you had a cold. He made it way above that. Lori said her father probably could have made the summit but she was worried about whether or not he would have the stamina to make it down the long decent past high camp. So he turned back. Nan had clear determination on her face and I knew that she would make it. I was so proud of her. She really has a lot of internal strength. Amazing. She was carrying a hand-made banner of encouragement that was beautiful. She was determined to carry it to the top and have a photograph taken. Jeff had been waiting at the top for over an hour at this point. He had decided to go back down. We heard that when he got close to Stella Point and heard that there were still team members coming he turned around and climbed back up to get their photos. What an incredible guy. I can't say that I would have had the stamina to do that. He said there was one point while he was up there waiting that he was the only person at the top of Africa. It was amazing in the silence and enormity of it. I wish I could have experienced that but it was enough just to get to the top.
Meanwhile, John and August and I continued down the mountain as fast as we could. In the daylight the trail seems daunting. I think this may actually be why they start you out in the dark. Otherwise, you might see it and say, "no way am I going to make it up THAT" About an hour from the bottom the trail down branches off from the main trail up and there is a lot of deep, loose scree. After a few tries I figured out that the best way to navigate it was to pretend like I was skiing and just glide down like I was on the ski slope. This worked great and I actually started liking the scree descent. Anyway, it was much better than the packed dirt, steep descent into Barranco that I had hated a coupled of days ago. I was very dehydrated and reaching the point of exhaustion. In the last 30 minutes or so we saw porters carrying stuff up the trail. I asked August what they were doing. He said the Lomosho Trail climbs to the Crater at 18,000 and spends the night, going the last 1,500 vertical feet the next morning. He said its a very expensive trip because the porters who carry to the crater get $50/US a day. This is way more than they get for our entire trip. I imagine how crazy it must be carrying up the tents and food to Stella Point. Nuts - there is no way I could do it. We looked up behind us several times and could see some of the folks from Group B coming down. They looked so close but I guess they really aren't that close. I kept thinking the were right on top of us but it was probably an hour or more before they came in to camp behind us. It is really deceiving how close people look when you are looking straight up.
We finally make it back to high camp to ZERO FANFARE. I was really expecting some singing at this point but there was none. There were some porters sitting around on rocks waiting for us to get our stuff out of the tents I imagine. Ramso was there with some juice but there wasn't even any applause. This was a little bit disappointing but I was too tired so I didn't really care. I went to the tent chairs and just sat down and took my boots off. I started drinking fluids and realized out dehydrated I was. I only drank about a liter on the trek up and down. We made it up in 6hr25 min and down in just under 3. It was about 9 o'clock but it felt like it was late in the afternoon. There were seven who didn't summit and some of them were sleeping in the tents. After a few minutes April came over and told us about her ascent. She had to turn back at 16,500 but she was genuinely thrilled to have made it so high. She and Jeanne were together and Jeanne had bad nausea from the altitude. She said they looked at each other and nodded that it was time to turn back. April's shots had started to wear off and she was starting to feel a lot of pain. Jeanne was resting in the tent. Mickey, Neil and Doug came over and sat down with us. Mickey had just had trouble breathing and one point and had to turn back. I wondered if she had taken the Diamox if she was one of the one's that could have made it. I think so. I am not really sure how Eric decides to tell people to take it or not. I took it and am sure it helped. Maybe I would have been alright without it but I wanted to make sure I could tell the different if I was having blood pressure issues. Doug was visibly disappointed. Its too bad he caught a cold on the trip over. I wasn't sure if it was the cold or his knee that ultimately did him in.
We continued to sit around in a circle outside our tent waiting for others to come in. Kristy was having some severe problems with her asthma and Mickey went to help her. We decided that it would be better for her to sit up in the dining tent than to lay down in her warm tent with no ventilation. They gave her oxygen off and on but were waiting for Eric to come down to make the call on what to do. I personally thought they should have gotten her down the mountain ASAP. I know how scary asthma is because my son, Jack , has it. The Docs made it in - feeling rotten but headed in to the tent to help Kristy. Sierra had caught Doug's cold and her lungs were killing her all the way up the mountain. She was feeling awful but her sheer determination got her there. Monique is severely dehydrated - much worse than I am and she doesn't have any treated water ready. I give them some of what I have left with electrolytes until theirs is ready. She is laying down in the hot tent and I think that's not a good idea.
Susie Weber makes her way down in to camp and a few of us run over to congratulate her. She was just amazing. I really wished someone had been singing to her as she came in to camp. She deserved a choir of thousands. In another 30-45 minutes nana arrived and we went over to hug and congratulate her. She was a real trooper. At this point the camp was all a bustle trying to get packed up. We were set for lunch at 2 but moved it to 1:30, thankfully. Eric said we had 2-4 hours going down to the next camp depending on pace. I was rested as much as possible but not enough - but I really wanted to get down there as fast as possible. I asked August if we could try to go fast. We loaded up and started out with Romley at the front while August finished some other things in camp. The group included John, Gina, Nathan, Daniel, Sean, Jeff and a few others. Gina was at the front full of what seemed like boundless energy. Nathan's meds had gotten a little out of whack on the overnight saga up the mountain and he was experiencing quite a bit of dyskinesia. It quickly became apparent that he was going to struggle to hold himself back from the force of gravity. Romley dropped back and took his pack and his arm to try and help him. Another guide came to the front with us. We made our way down over the rocks through Barafu camp and off to the side trail leading down the Mweka trail. Not sure of the name of the camp we were going to - its not on the map that I have. Eric had decided that we should stay at this camp at 12,000 feet instead of trying to decide all the way to Mweka. It was a good decision. After seeing the trail the next day there is no way we would have all made it without trouble after the summit day we'd had. August showed up and moved to the front of the group - we splintered off and it was Gina, Jeff and me walking down with August at a pretty good pace. Then Jeff dropped back taking some pictures and it was just Gina and me. We continued on but my legs were starting to need to slow down. The downhill can really be a big issue for me. We are getting close to camp and it won't matter if I don't have a guide with me. I let Gina and August go on ahead and I slow waiting for John and Sean to catch me. We walk along together for a bit but my pace slows even more. They go on ahead. The sun is starting to drop lower in the sky and I can see a cloud has descended on the camp ahead. I walk along alone enjoying the solitude and thinking about the amazing day. It is the first time I have been alone in over a week. I savor it. Another guide comes along who has just taken a client across the Western Breach. He stops to talk to me for a minute and ask about our summit. I tell him we made the summit in 6 hrs 25 minutes. He says, "You are very strong." That makes be feel proud. I come to the bottom of the trail and John is sitting there waiting for me. It feels good to see him there. A heavy fog is settled over the camp. We have to go sign in at the ranger hut. They sell beers here and we decide we'll come back for one or two. Eric and Brandis were there and he congratulated us on the day. We made our way over to the tents and found the only one that was level. The guides ran over and told us it was taken. August was saving it for Nan - which was a good idea - she was going to need some rest. We picked another tent and it turned out to be right next to Eric's. I realized at this point that I had never known on any other day where his or Ben's tents were. I think maybe he told us but I never really noticed.
John wanted a beer and Mickey and I decided to share one. Then we started forming a circle of chairs outside our tent to share beers and talk about the day - Stephanie, Mickey, Brandis, Eric, Ben, Pattie, Daniel, Sean and Nathan - others stopped by off and on. We sat around drinking beers and Stephanie showed us how to use a lighter to open and beer. Most weren't talented enough to figure it out but Brandis finally got it. Pattie had chex mix so we passed around the bag and pretended like we were having a real happy hour. It was the first feeling of relaxation in many days. It was starting to get cold with the fog and the sun dropping low in the sky. I decided I better get my bag unpacked before dark so I started unloading while John continued to entertain. This is pretty typical - John would have a part at our house every night if he could. I laughed to myself that it was the same on the mountain and wondered if and when he was going to get to unloading his stuff. The laughter and chit chat continued outside the tent and I enjoyed listening from the warmth inside.
Finally it was time for dinner and we headed down - getting there late. We had another great dinner with some traditional Swahili food but I forgot to write down what the dishes were. By this time the journal is really starting to suffer from lack of attention. After dinner they bring out two cakes which a porter has obviously had to drag up the mountain. I don't think there is any way they could have baked these cakes on the mountain. They are our celebration cakes. There is a fierce wind blowing outside the tent and porters are rushing around opening up the windows to let the tent breathe. I am wondering if its going to blow away. They slice the cake and serve us each a piece. After the second bite the wind picks up so much that I am sure the tent will blow away. The porters rush to the ends of the tent and open up the doors. A huge wave of billowing dust rushes in to the tent making it hard to breathe. Everybody gets up and rushes out of the tent.
Our summit day comes to an abrupt end. Its time for bed anyway. We have what Eric describes as a knee tweaking trail from hell in the morning.
John still hadn't unpacked and he was a little frustrated rummaging around in the dark to get his sleeping bag and pad set up. Once in the tent we snuggled up to get warm. He leaned over to give me a kiss but his pointy beard was just too painful on my sun- and wind-burned face. So much for the mile high club.
We head off to bed with little hope of falling asleep at this early hour. But first we have to make sure all our gear is ready for the climb. This will be the first time climbing at night and with all our heavy jackets, balaclava, extra hats and gloves. We go through it all a couple of times just to make sure we have everything and know where it is. We close our eyes and try to rest whispering to each other off and on about the climb. John gets up to go to the bathroom after a while. He hears rumblings in one of the tents - we speculate about who it is. Later we hear that Daniel heard it too and he thought is was us. We drift back and forth into and out of a half sleep. Finally we hear some rustling around. Group C will leave at 10:30, an hour 15 minutes before our scheduled time. They are up and getting ready but we can't continue to rest with the bustle and excitement. We get up and start getting ready. By the time we are ready to head to the breakfast tent Group C is getting ready to launch and Group B has just finished breakfast and is heading to their tents for final prep. I grab my camera and head out to take a few pics of the group as they leave camp. The excitement is palpable. Off they go, ready for the final assault.
I force myself to eat some porridge and a piece of toast. My stomach still isn't great and I am worried about having to go #2 on the way up the mountain. Eric told us at last night's meeting that he shit in his pants on the way to the summit once. You can imagine how comforting that was! Finally, its our turn - just John, Sarah and me, along with our trusted guide, August, at the front and Aloise at the back. We had been with August every day and I knew that he would get us there. I was ready. We walked outside. I was taking a bottle of water to the tent because Eric said we only needed two. August stopped me and took the bottle and put it in his pack. Then he lifted my pack and said, "too heavy". He looked inside and took one of my two waters to lighten my load. I hoped someone was doing this for the others but I doubted it.
We loaded our packs on our backs making all the necessary adjustments to get them on over the additional bulk of the thick coats. It was actually a surprisingly warm night. However, we knew as we climbed higher the temperatures would drop and the wind would start to blow. It wouldn't be this nice all nice and it was still cold. We started up the mountain. We could see the headlamps of the other two groups ahead of us on the trail. The guides from the three groups call out to each other. Its strange how close they look when you are looking straight up - but they aren't really close. Group C had already been going for almost an hour and half when we left camp.
Not sure how long but not long after we leave camp we find Brandis sitting on a rock trying to drink water. She doesn't look well. She's had the toughest time with altitude of anyone on the trip. She hasn't been able to hold down food or liquids for three days. I wonder how she managed to have the strength to get up and try. That takes a lot of courage. Later in the day we will hear her saga. What a tale. She really wanted to go but her body just would not let her. I think she will go back and try again and make it.
We plod along at a very good pace. August and Aloise sing softly as we ascend. This is actually very helpful. I know they will reach a point where singing won't be possible - not enough air. I want to get a recording of them singing or at least find a recording of it after I get back home.
Before too long we pass group C at one of their breaks. Lori asks us to think of a team name because she doesn't like the letter names. We say the "cheetahs". The group seems to be doing well at this point. They've been at it for a maybe a couple of hours. I am not sure what the altitude is at this point but its the highest any of us has every been in our lives - so that's already a big accomplishment. At this point Jeff, our wonderful photographer, joins us. He will try to leapfrog around, if its possible, to get pictures. Right now its just too dark. So now we are four in our group with our two guides. We continue up the mountain and my stomach starts getting angry. We pass group B. They all seem to be doing well too. I ask if we can stop to go to the bathroom. Not sure if I can do it but my stomach is telling me I have to. I have major issues with going #2 if anybody is around but we'll see - this seems to be at a critical stage. We all head over to the rocks. John and Sarah finish and head back to the guide. Jeff finishes but stands not far away looking up at the beautiful stars. My body won't cooperate with his close proximity. Oh well, I am just going to have to tough it out all the way up the mountain wrestling the tiger in my stomach all the way. What fun!
We figure out before too long that taking breaks is a challenge. The temperatures are getting colder. It takes to long to take off packs and get water out and then you start getting really cold. If you take your gloves off to open the water then its hard to get your hands warm again. They won't let you use a camelback because the tubes freeze up. There must be a better way. I will have to think about that - later. Somewhere between 16,500 and 17,000 I hit an emotional wall. Not sure why but I started wondering if I was really going to make it to the top. We stopped for water and honey stingers. I think the food help but I was really starting to get emotional about this climb. My stomach was also in knots and I was really doubting I was going to make it without going in my pants. Every 20 minutes or so a wave would hit me and I would say, "oh please, dear God, please don't let me poop in my pants." I wondered if it was appropriate to pray something like that but it seemed to work every time so he must be listening.
As we press forward my doubts loom larger. I decide to call on the spirits of my dead parents to help me up the mountain and I ask each of them to take one of my arms and carry me up. My eyes fill with some badly needed tears - the air is too dry - as I feel them each by my side lifting my weight so that I feel lighter. I feel a sense of relief. I remember this prayer my mother used to say all the time, "I can do all things through him who comforts me". I think its from Matthew but I don't know. Anyway, I decide to recite that little prayer in my head with each step. It takes my mind off the difficulty ahead and amazingly makes it much easier to go on. I am not that religious in a formal sort of way. I am blown away at how much this simple prayer, along with the visualization of my parents, is able to lighten my burden and get me up this mountain. Each step gets a little closer and little bit better. We are getting close to Stella Point now.
We reach Stella Point at 5 am. This is where we are supposed to have hot drinks. I think we should have opted for cocoa but we only asked for hot water. We sit down on a ledge while August gets the hot drinks. I am overcome with emotion and say to John, "Did you ever think nine years ago when you were diagnosed with PD that we would be here on top of this mountain?" He says no and we both cry at the enormity of the accomplishment and the hope it represents. We aren't even there yet but we feel as though we'll make it now.
Sarah's foot warmers are wearing off and she decides to put a new pair in her boots a this point. In retrospect it seems a little bit nuts to take your boots off at this point but she only had 5 hour foot warmers and she really needed the warmth. One of her MS symptoms is cramping feet so keeping them warm was going to be critical. We don't drink as much fluid here as we should since we are taking some extra time. We should have been chugging the liquids.
Live and learn.
We get back started toward the summit. It is still pretty dark but the sun will rise in a little over an hour. We want to make it to the top for that. This last 1,500 vertical feet take about an hour to an hour and a half depending on your pace. We left Stella around 5:15am. As you make the turn you can faintly see what you think is the peak in the distance. This is deceiving as there are about 3 false peaks ahead before Uhuru. Most of the time I am never looking up to see what's ahead. My eyes are steadily focused on August's Viking boots and each plodding step. I walk directly in his foot steps mirroring his gate and pace exactly. He keeps a perfect rythym just as he always has throughout the last 6 days. But as we rise higher I notice that his usually steady pacing was wobbling a bit. At one point he lifts his foot and then puts it right back down. I wonder if the altitude is affecting him too. It must be. But he recovers and goes on. Finally, Sarah begs for a water break. I don't want to stop because I don't want to get cold - the wind is blowing terribly and the moisture from my breathing and my nose is freezing around the edges of my nostrils. I just want to get there but I know that we need water. We stop for a minute for her to drink but I don't drink at this stop. We keep getting to these false peaks and John is cracking jokes - sort of - about it. It seems we will never get there. Finally I can't go on anymore without a drink and I have to stop. Sarah and Jeff go ahead the 300 yards or so to the summit. I drank a little - the water was really getting frozen in the bottle. Feeling a little bit quenched we head forward to the summit. I am shocked at the overwhelming emotion I feel as we arrive with the sun just edging up to the horizon ready to burst forth. I begin to sob uncontrollably. I can't stop myself. This really isn't good for breathing. Jeff already has his tripod set up and Sarah is sitting at the edge waiting for the sunrise. John and I are standing arm in arm looking out at the sun rising. Mu eyes are filled with tears. Jeff takes a photo. I hope it will come out. I think it would really capture the essence of what I am feeling.
We want to get our picture at the summit sign and get the hell down off the mountain. I am just to cold and emotional to truly savor the moment and linger. I put down my pack and dig for the ETA flag. John gets out the PFP flag. We head over to the Uhuru Peak sign. Its a little crowded but not bad. After a minute or two we get our shot. Sarah doesn't want to get up yet because the sun hasn't broken the horizon yet but she comes over for the photo - Me, John, Sarah and August are holding up the ETA flag. It is emotional again. Then John and I hold up the PFP flag. We wrap them back up and put them in John's pack so that we can had off the ETA flag to the first person we see on the way down. We turn to see the sun breaking the horizon. It bursts forth across the horizon in glorious brilliance but there is no warmth with this light. I start to shiver and think it is time to start moving again. I realize I haven't taken any pictures with my camera so I take a quick photo of John with the sunrise in his background and one with the peak sign in the background. He quickly takes the same two photos of me. I think we've been here for about 10-15 minutes. It hard to say but I can't stay longer. Sarah wants to stay and Jeff will stay to photograph the next round of the team. Aloise is instructed to stay with them and come back when they are ready. I don't think he is crazy about hanging around at the top too long. Who would be?
I turn around and August has already picked up my pack and hooked it on to his own. He will carry it down for me. I think he's not sure what to make of my sobbing off and on. Up to this point I have been totally unemotional in my climbing. He probably thinks I am crazy. Oh well. He says we will feel much better after dropping down just 500 meters. We start to walk down quickly. Honestly, I just want to run but I can't. To our right is the beautiful glacier. Its majestic and I wish I could take a picture but I can't. I just want to get moving down. We quicken out pace. Somewhere about halfway back to Stella Point we see Sean. He is leading Team B - which has broken in to two groups. We congratulate him, get the flag and pass it off. We are thrilled for him. Next we see Nathan, Daniel, Tina, Stephanie, Suz, Gina and Paula. We congratulate each of them and are thrilled they are going to make it too. Tina says that she thinks Inez will make it but she was getting to cold at that pace and had to go on in the first group. We are so excited for them and we are starting to feel better. John tells them about the "3 false summits" ahead. I tell them they are almost there. Then we see Monique and Sierra. We can tell they aren't feeling very well but they are going to make it. We hug them and cheer them on.
Going on a bit we see Susie Weber trudging along like the walking dead. John sees the guide and tells him to take good care of her. I start crying again knowing that she is going to make it. She brushes us away - doesn't want her concentration or pace broken. She is determined. You can see it on her face. Her lips are bluish - lack of oxygen, I guess.
We make it to Stella Point and there is plenty of light now. We see some of our team just below the point but can't make them out. At first I think its April and Jeanne but then I realize its not. It in Inez and Connie. We cheer them on and continued our trek down. In just a few minutes we ran into Lori and Nan. Lori told us that April and Jeanne and her Dad turned back. She also said that Doug had turned back because he was having trouble breathing - I think that's what she said. His cold had really not gotten any better and that was surely a factor. It said at the bottom of the mountain in the rules not to go above 3,000 meters if you had a cold. He made it way above that. Lori said her father probably could have made the summit but she was worried about whether or not he would have the stamina to make it down the long decent past high camp. So he turned back. Nan had clear determination on her face and I knew that she would make it. I was so proud of her. She really has a lot of internal strength. Amazing. She was carrying a hand-made banner of encouragement that was beautiful. She was determined to carry it to the top and have a photograph taken. Jeff had been waiting at the top for over an hour at this point. He had decided to go back down. We heard that when he got close to Stella Point and heard that there were still team members coming he turned around and climbed back up to get their photos. What an incredible guy. I can't say that I would have had the stamina to do that. He said there was one point while he was up there waiting that he was the only person at the top of Africa. It was amazing in the silence and enormity of it. I wish I could have experienced that but it was enough just to get to the top.
Meanwhile, John and August and I continued down the mountain as fast as we could. In the daylight the trail seems daunting. I think this may actually be why they start you out in the dark. Otherwise, you might see it and say, "no way am I going to make it up THAT" About an hour from the bottom the trail down branches off from the main trail up and there is a lot of deep, loose scree. After a few tries I figured out that the best way to navigate it was to pretend like I was skiing and just glide down like I was on the ski slope. This worked great and I actually started liking the scree descent. Anyway, it was much better than the packed dirt, steep descent into Barranco that I had hated a coupled of days ago. I was very dehydrated and reaching the point of exhaustion. In the last 30 minutes or so we saw porters carrying stuff up the trail. I asked August what they were doing. He said the Lomosho Trail climbs to the Crater at 18,000 and spends the night, going the last 1,500 vertical feet the next morning. He said its a very expensive trip because the porters who carry to the crater get $50/US a day. This is way more than they get for our entire trip. I imagine how crazy it must be carrying up the tents and food to Stella Point. Nuts - there is no way I could do it. We looked up behind us several times and could see some of the folks from Group B coming down. They looked so close but I guess they really aren't that close. I kept thinking the were right on top of us but it was probably an hour or more before they came in to camp behind us. It is really deceiving how close people look when you are looking straight up.
We finally make it back to high camp to ZERO FANFARE. I was really expecting some singing at this point but there was none. There were some porters sitting around on rocks waiting for us to get our stuff out of the tents I imagine. Ramso was there with some juice but there wasn't even any applause. This was a little bit disappointing but I was too tired so I didn't really care. I went to the tent chairs and just sat down and took my boots off. I started drinking fluids and realized out dehydrated I was. I only drank about a liter on the trek up and down. We made it up in 6hr25 min and down in just under 3. It was about 9 o'clock but it felt like it was late in the afternoon. There were seven who didn't summit and some of them were sleeping in the tents. After a few minutes April came over and told us about her ascent. She had to turn back at 16,500 but she was genuinely thrilled to have made it so high. She and Jeanne were together and Jeanne had bad nausea from the altitude. She said they looked at each other and nodded that it was time to turn back. April's shots had started to wear off and she was starting to feel a lot of pain. Jeanne was resting in the tent. Mickey, Neil and Doug came over and sat down with us. Mickey had just had trouble breathing and one point and had to turn back. I wondered if she had taken the Diamox if she was one of the one's that could have made it. I think so. I am not really sure how Eric decides to tell people to take it or not. I took it and am sure it helped. Maybe I would have been alright without it but I wanted to make sure I could tell the different if I was having blood pressure issues. Doug was visibly disappointed. Its too bad he caught a cold on the trip over. I wasn't sure if it was the cold or his knee that ultimately did him in.
We continued to sit around in a circle outside our tent waiting for others to come in. Kristy was having some severe problems with her asthma and Mickey went to help her. We decided that it would be better for her to sit up in the dining tent than to lay down in her warm tent with no ventilation. They gave her oxygen off and on but were waiting for Eric to come down to make the call on what to do. I personally thought they should have gotten her down the mountain ASAP. I know how scary asthma is because my son, Jack , has it. The Docs made it in - feeling rotten but headed in to the tent to help Kristy. Sierra had caught Doug's cold and her lungs were killing her all the way up the mountain. She was feeling awful but her sheer determination got her there. Monique is severely dehydrated - much worse than I am and she doesn't have any treated water ready. I give them some of what I have left with electrolytes until theirs is ready. She is laying down in the hot tent and I think that's not a good idea.
Susie Weber makes her way down in to camp and a few of us run over to congratulate her. She was just amazing. I really wished someone had been singing to her as she came in to camp. She deserved a choir of thousands. In another 30-45 minutes nana arrived and we went over to hug and congratulate her. She was a real trooper. At this point the camp was all a bustle trying to get packed up. We were set for lunch at 2 but moved it to 1:30, thankfully. Eric said we had 2-4 hours going down to the next camp depending on pace. I was rested as much as possible but not enough - but I really wanted to get down there as fast as possible. I asked August if we could try to go fast. We loaded up and started out with Romley at the front while August finished some other things in camp. The group included John, Gina, Nathan, Daniel, Sean, Jeff and a few others. Gina was at the front full of what seemed like boundless energy. Nathan's meds had gotten a little out of whack on the overnight saga up the mountain and he was experiencing quite a bit of dyskinesia. It quickly became apparent that he was going to struggle to hold himself back from the force of gravity. Romley dropped back and took his pack and his arm to try and help him. Another guide came to the front with us. We made our way down over the rocks through Barafu camp and off to the side trail leading down the Mweka trail. Not sure of the name of the camp we were going to - its not on the map that I have. Eric had decided that we should stay at this camp at 12,000 feet instead of trying to decide all the way to Mweka. It was a good decision. After seeing the trail the next day there is no way we would have all made it without trouble after the summit day we'd had. August showed up and moved to the front of the group - we splintered off and it was Gina, Jeff and me walking down with August at a pretty good pace. Then Jeff dropped back taking some pictures and it was just Gina and me. We continued on but my legs were starting to need to slow down. The downhill can really be a big issue for me. We are getting close to camp and it won't matter if I don't have a guide with me. I let Gina and August go on ahead and I slow waiting for John and Sean to catch me. We walk along together for a bit but my pace slows even more. They go on ahead. The sun is starting to drop lower in the sky and I can see a cloud has descended on the camp ahead. I walk along alone enjoying the solitude and thinking about the amazing day. It is the first time I have been alone in over a week. I savor it. Another guide comes along who has just taken a client across the Western Breach. He stops to talk to me for a minute and ask about our summit. I tell him we made the summit in 6 hrs 25 minutes. He says, "You are very strong." That makes be feel proud. I come to the bottom of the trail and John is sitting there waiting for me. It feels good to see him there. A heavy fog is settled over the camp. We have to go sign in at the ranger hut. They sell beers here and we decide we'll come back for one or two. Eric and Brandis were there and he congratulated us on the day. We made our way over to the tents and found the only one that was level. The guides ran over and told us it was taken. August was saving it for Nan - which was a good idea - she was going to need some rest. We picked another tent and it turned out to be right next to Eric's. I realized at this point that I had never known on any other day where his or Ben's tents were. I think maybe he told us but I never really noticed.
John wanted a beer and Mickey and I decided to share one. Then we started forming a circle of chairs outside our tent to share beers and talk about the day - Stephanie, Mickey, Brandis, Eric, Ben, Pattie, Daniel, Sean and Nathan - others stopped by off and on. We sat around drinking beers and Stephanie showed us how to use a lighter to open and beer. Most weren't talented enough to figure it out but Brandis finally got it. Pattie had chex mix so we passed around the bag and pretended like we were having a real happy hour. It was the first feeling of relaxation in many days. It was starting to get cold with the fog and the sun dropping low in the sky. I decided I better get my bag unpacked before dark so I started unloading while John continued to entertain. This is pretty typical - John would have a part at our house every night if he could. I laughed to myself that it was the same on the mountain and wondered if and when he was going to get to unloading his stuff. The laughter and chit chat continued outside the tent and I enjoyed listening from the warmth inside.
Finally it was time for dinner and we headed down - getting there late. We had another great dinner with some traditional Swahili food but I forgot to write down what the dishes were. By this time the journal is really starting to suffer from lack of attention. After dinner they bring out two cakes which a porter has obviously had to drag up the mountain. I don't think there is any way they could have baked these cakes on the mountain. They are our celebration cakes. There is a fierce wind blowing outside the tent and porters are rushing around opening up the windows to let the tent breathe. I am wondering if its going to blow away. They slice the cake and serve us each a piece. After the second bite the wind picks up so much that I am sure the tent will blow away. The porters rush to the ends of the tent and open up the doors. A huge wave of billowing dust rushes in to the tent making it hard to breathe. Everybody gets up and rushes out of the tent.
Our summit day comes to an abrupt end. Its time for bed anyway. We have what Eric describes as a knee tweaking trail from hell in the morning.
John still hadn't unpacked and he was a little frustrated rummaging around in the dark to get his sleeping bag and pad set up. Once in the tent we snuggled up to get warm. He leaned over to give me a kiss but his pointy beard was just too painful on my sun- and wind-burned face. So much for the mile high club.
July 17 - Karanga to High Camp via lunch at Barafu
We took off in the first group this morning with Paula, Sierra, Monique, Nan, Doug, Stephanie and Gina. Its nice to be walking with Stephanie as it has been a few days since we've walked together. After the first break Nan and Doug drop back to go at a more gradual pace. At the second break they catch up with us and Nan is really having some bad pain in her neck from the pack. We can all tell that it is really hurting. Stephanie is working on her PHD in Physical Therapy and she starts working on Nan. It really seems to help. She decides to stay with Nan to make sure her neck is okay. It is really wonderful to see this kind of caring between team members who were complete strangers just days ago.
The gradual incline gives way to a rocky climb up to a plateau. We think this is going to be Barafu camp and lunch but its just another "false" summit. There are some folks camped at this point but we later figure out why - Barafu is really over crowded and there are no good places to put tents that are flat. We finally make it up the next set of rocks to Barafu and August directs us to the tent where we have to sign in. We walk by the public toilets on the way to the sign in and it doesn't smell very good. We make our way around the sign in hut and see out blue dining tent hanging on the edge at the far side of the camp. There is no room for them to set up our bathroom tents so anybody who can't wait is stuck with the public toilets. I decide to wait. I am feeling great at this point. Nathan's shoulders are bothering him so I give both him and Inez a quick shoulder rub while we wait for lunch to be ready. Paula is looking like she doesn't feel well and I think either the altitude or the pace or both are getting to her. I think she needs some rest. Lunch is ready and we head in to the tent which is getting too warm from the sun. I eat some soup and a few chips quickly and decide that is probably enough at this point - don't want to upset the stomach. I look over and Paula looks like she's about to throw up. Monique is chowing down on her favorite Pringles - we joke about it because she never eats chips at home. We head out to high camp as soon as we can, anxious to get there and start "resting". I am also anxious for one of our potty tents now that I have eaten and once again the demons in my stomach are calling out.
Its a scramble up to high camp over some rocks. We pass the Germans that we'd seen several days earlier. They are on their way back from the summit and they look pretty good. We congratulate them and they tell us it is really, really cold at the top. Some of their lips are a funny bluish red color. I wonder what that's all about. We get up to high camp joking about who is going to get to the bathroom first.
The porters are setting up tents and one almost blows away. We speculate about who goes without a tent if one blows away. That would be terrible at this camp. There are no bowls of water to wash up at this camp. There is no water source close by and all of the water had to be carried up here today so there is none to waste on washing. We get our tent set up and try to relax for a bid while we wait for the others to arrive. We are getting anxious - tonight we will start for the summit. I wonder how we can possibly sleep at all tonight before we leave.
The gradual incline gives way to a rocky climb up to a plateau. We think this is going to be Barafu camp and lunch but its just another "false" summit. There are some folks camped at this point but we later figure out why - Barafu is really over crowded and there are no good places to put tents that are flat. We finally make it up the next set of rocks to Barafu and August directs us to the tent where we have to sign in. We walk by the public toilets on the way to the sign in and it doesn't smell very good. We make our way around the sign in hut and see out blue dining tent hanging on the edge at the far side of the camp. There is no room for them to set up our bathroom tents so anybody who can't wait is stuck with the public toilets. I decide to wait. I am feeling great at this point. Nathan's shoulders are bothering him so I give both him and Inez a quick shoulder rub while we wait for lunch to be ready. Paula is looking like she doesn't feel well and I think either the altitude or the pace or both are getting to her. I think she needs some rest. Lunch is ready and we head in to the tent which is getting too warm from the sun. I eat some soup and a few chips quickly and decide that is probably enough at this point - don't want to upset the stomach. I look over and Paula looks like she's about to throw up. Monique is chowing down on her favorite Pringles - we joke about it because she never eats chips at home. We head out to high camp as soon as we can, anxious to get there and start "resting". I am also anxious for one of our potty tents now that I have eaten and once again the demons in my stomach are calling out.
Its a scramble up to high camp over some rocks. We pass the Germans that we'd seen several days earlier. They are on their way back from the summit and they look pretty good. We congratulate them and they tell us it is really, really cold at the top. Some of their lips are a funny bluish red color. I wonder what that's all about. We get up to high camp joking about who is going to get to the bathroom first.
The porters are setting up tents and one almost blows away. We speculate about who goes without a tent if one blows away. That would be terrible at this camp. There are no bowls of water to wash up at this camp. There is no water source close by and all of the water had to be carried up here today so there is none to waste on washing. We get our tent set up and try to relax for a bid while we wait for the others to arrive. We are getting anxious - tonight we will start for the summit. I wonder how we can possibly sleep at all tonight before we leave.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Saturday - July 16th - Barranco to Karanga
Last night we had a big dinner and I ate way too much for someone who is starting to have stomach trouble. I will need to watch it today. It was beautiful this morning with the sun coming up as we headed over to Barranco Wall. Yesterday August told us that it is nicknamed the Breakfast Wall because a lot of people "lose their breakfast" climbing the wall. It looks pretty steep from the Blue tent. This turned out to be my favorite part of the climb so far. We were really scrambling up the wall for about an hour and a half. A few areas were a little dicey, especially for the folks afraid of heights. It was great to see the sense of accomplishment on their faces when they overcame their fears coming up the wall. All the while Kili was our backdrop getting closer and closer. It was chilly in the morning because the shadow of the mountain was on us. As we climbed up to the top of the wall we came to a little plateau and the sun was shiny. We peeled off a layer at the break and took pictures of the glacier. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day.
On our second break Suz jumped up on a big rock with Kili in the background and started singing More Than a Mountain - the song that Gina's friends wrote for our trip. It was so moving my eyes filled with tears of emotion. It was just amazing. We weren't ready for it but Tina managed to grab her camera and get part of it on video. When she finished several of us had tear filled eyes but the moment quickly evaporated as the group started talking about all the gas they were passing all night and Suz made a wise crack that she almost "sharted". About that time Ben rounded the corner and caught up with the group. He said he heard the whole thing - the song and the shart comment. We all got a another good laugh. We were at the halfway point and the group was making good time. We had to go down two more sections and up one and then we would be at camp. The elevation gains on some of the segments don't really tell the story since you go up and down and up and down again. Its generally more elevation gain that the basic stats tell you. We had a pretty large group for most of the day - Gina and Sarah were up at the front with me and I was learning a lot more about MS from Sarah. April was up with us too and she was telling us about the various symptoms she's experienced over the years. I am still in awe of the courage it has taken for her to attempt the adventure.
The last down hill is pretty tough and April tweaks her knee a little bit. There is some scrambling required to get down and a few icey patches. As we make it to the bottom we see the trail going uphill to the camp. There are two choices - one straight up to the camp looks pretty short and another that is winding and gradual and looks about twice as long. Sarah and I ask August if we can go up the steep route. We are looking for a challenge. He takes us that way and the rest of the group stops to rest before heading up the other trail. John, Nathan and Daniel stop briefly and head on up the trail while the rest of the group is still taking a break. The straight up route ends up being a lot easier than it looked from our vantage point at the bottom. We are up the trail in about 15 minutes and greeted by Ramso with a tray of juice. Ramso is the young guy who serves in the food tent and we always see him on the trail carrying up kitchen supplies and the plastic flowers from the dining tables. For the first three days he kept forgetting my name and I kept calling him Rambo. We've finally figured out each other's names now.
Sarah and I pick our tents and a few minutes later John, Nathan and Daniel come popping over the hill from the other trail. This is our shortest day and we will have plenty of time to soak up the sun and relax. Karanga camp is very dusty but beautiful. It is fairly spread out and the top of Kili is right on top of us. Below us is a blanket of clouds and the view is majestic once again.
We got camp set up and I washed my face and my trekking shirt which was covered in dust at this point. I hung the shirt inside the tent which was getting very warm. It didn't take it long to dry in there. My stomach is starting to feel worse and I am going to the bathroom way more than it seems should be necessary. Time to eat less food! Every time I eat it just wants to hurry up and come out the other end. I think this is one of the most common problems on the mountain. Its funny but everybody is starting to talk about their gas and bathroom habits. Topics that would normally be taboo are the subject of constant chatter. I guess that's just how it goes on the mountain.
We have a delicious lunch of french fries (two helpings), deviled eggs, fried fish, mixed veggies, cabbage and fruit salad. After the tent cleared out I stayed behind and talked to Eric for a while. This was really the first time I had spent with him since we started the trip. I asked him about how he learned to make wine. One of his good friends from college attended the wine making program at UC Davis. He traveled the world learning the art of wine making and eventually landed at a big winery inviting Eric to come work there and learn the business. Eric travels with Alpine four months out the year - so I guess he primarily does Kili in the summer and winter seasons. The rest of the year he's working on his winery. He'd like to turn it in to a profitable venture if he can do it without it taking over his life. Isn't that the trick with everything - maintaining the balance. Its why I quite working - it had taken over my life to the point that I no longer had one. I love my life now - otherwise, I would never have had the time to train for and do this climb. I would hate to ever give my lifestyle up again for the ball and chain of corporate life. But sometimes I miss the excitement and challenge of the old work world.
After lunch we sat around outside our tent in the sunshine. Sean was sunning on a big rock and I took a picture of him to send to the "planking" website. As the sun started to drop in the sky we headed back to the blue tent for popcorn, tea and another briefing on the climb to high camp and then the summit. People are starting to feel worse and many have my stomach issue. I am not sure if it is the exertion, the water supply or the fact that the body knows its going to shut down digestion at high altitude and its just trying to dispose of everything in anticipation. Tomorrow we will hike until 1 or 2 and then we will rest fro a few hours, eat dinner, rest again and then leave for the summit before midnight. That seems like a really exhausting schedule. Eric will assign summit groups tomorrow.
Suz sings the More than a Mountain song again before dinner and several of us tear up again. She sings so beautifully and the song has so much more meaning now that we are here and climbing together. I ate light and left dinner early because the "free super colon cleanse" was about to get started. Who knew that this trip included a daily clay mask exfoliation, super tanning and a free super colon blow! They could bill this as a spa vacation with spectacular views!
John came to the tent a few minutes later and managed to dig up the immodium for me. I was hoping it would work right away but NO. I was basically back and forth to the potty tents off and on all night - so not much rest the night before the beginning of the final assault.
I had a dream that we were in camp and this obnoxious guy from another group was harassing me about how easy the Alpine Ascents team has it with all the nice tents, food, etc. He was blocking the staircase and it was really frustrating me. I finally woke up and realized I was dreaming.
Hard to believe Day 4 is over. The summit is within our grasp.
On our second break Suz jumped up on a big rock with Kili in the background and started singing More Than a Mountain - the song that Gina's friends wrote for our trip. It was so moving my eyes filled with tears of emotion. It was just amazing. We weren't ready for it but Tina managed to grab her camera and get part of it on video. When she finished several of us had tear filled eyes but the moment quickly evaporated as the group started talking about all the gas they were passing all night and Suz made a wise crack that she almost "sharted". About that time Ben rounded the corner and caught up with the group. He said he heard the whole thing - the song and the shart comment. We all got a another good laugh. We were at the halfway point and the group was making good time. We had to go down two more sections and up one and then we would be at camp. The elevation gains on some of the segments don't really tell the story since you go up and down and up and down again. Its generally more elevation gain that the basic stats tell you. We had a pretty large group for most of the day - Gina and Sarah were up at the front with me and I was learning a lot more about MS from Sarah. April was up with us too and she was telling us about the various symptoms she's experienced over the years. I am still in awe of the courage it has taken for her to attempt the adventure.
The last down hill is pretty tough and April tweaks her knee a little bit. There is some scrambling required to get down and a few icey patches. As we make it to the bottom we see the trail going uphill to the camp. There are two choices - one straight up to the camp looks pretty short and another that is winding and gradual and looks about twice as long. Sarah and I ask August if we can go up the steep route. We are looking for a challenge. He takes us that way and the rest of the group stops to rest before heading up the other trail. John, Nathan and Daniel stop briefly and head on up the trail while the rest of the group is still taking a break. The straight up route ends up being a lot easier than it looked from our vantage point at the bottom. We are up the trail in about 15 minutes and greeted by Ramso with a tray of juice. Ramso is the young guy who serves in the food tent and we always see him on the trail carrying up kitchen supplies and the plastic flowers from the dining tables. For the first three days he kept forgetting my name and I kept calling him Rambo. We've finally figured out each other's names now.
Sarah and I pick our tents and a few minutes later John, Nathan and Daniel come popping over the hill from the other trail. This is our shortest day and we will have plenty of time to soak up the sun and relax. Karanga camp is very dusty but beautiful. It is fairly spread out and the top of Kili is right on top of us. Below us is a blanket of clouds and the view is majestic once again.
We got camp set up and I washed my face and my trekking shirt which was covered in dust at this point. I hung the shirt inside the tent which was getting very warm. It didn't take it long to dry in there. My stomach is starting to feel worse and I am going to the bathroom way more than it seems should be necessary. Time to eat less food! Every time I eat it just wants to hurry up and come out the other end. I think this is one of the most common problems on the mountain. Its funny but everybody is starting to talk about their gas and bathroom habits. Topics that would normally be taboo are the subject of constant chatter. I guess that's just how it goes on the mountain.
We have a delicious lunch of french fries (two helpings), deviled eggs, fried fish, mixed veggies, cabbage and fruit salad. After the tent cleared out I stayed behind and talked to Eric for a while. This was really the first time I had spent with him since we started the trip. I asked him about how he learned to make wine. One of his good friends from college attended the wine making program at UC Davis. He traveled the world learning the art of wine making and eventually landed at a big winery inviting Eric to come work there and learn the business. Eric travels with Alpine four months out the year - so I guess he primarily does Kili in the summer and winter seasons. The rest of the year he's working on his winery. He'd like to turn it in to a profitable venture if he can do it without it taking over his life. Isn't that the trick with everything - maintaining the balance. Its why I quite working - it had taken over my life to the point that I no longer had one. I love my life now - otherwise, I would never have had the time to train for and do this climb. I would hate to ever give my lifestyle up again for the ball and chain of corporate life. But sometimes I miss the excitement and challenge of the old work world.
After lunch we sat around outside our tent in the sunshine. Sean was sunning on a big rock and I took a picture of him to send to the "planking" website. As the sun started to drop in the sky we headed back to the blue tent for popcorn, tea and another briefing on the climb to high camp and then the summit. People are starting to feel worse and many have my stomach issue. I am not sure if it is the exertion, the water supply or the fact that the body knows its going to shut down digestion at high altitude and its just trying to dispose of everything in anticipation. Tomorrow we will hike until 1 or 2 and then we will rest fro a few hours, eat dinner, rest again and then leave for the summit before midnight. That seems like a really exhausting schedule. Eric will assign summit groups tomorrow.
Suz sings the More than a Mountain song again before dinner and several of us tear up again. She sings so beautifully and the song has so much more meaning now that we are here and climbing together. I ate light and left dinner early because the "free super colon cleanse" was about to get started. Who knew that this trip included a daily clay mask exfoliation, super tanning and a free super colon blow! They could bill this as a spa vacation with spectacular views!
John came to the tent a few minutes later and managed to dig up the immodium for me. I was hoping it would work right away but NO. I was basically back and forth to the potty tents off and on all night - so not much rest the night before the beginning of the final assault.
I had a dream that we were in camp and this obnoxious guy from another group was harassing me about how easy the Alpine Ascents team has it with all the nice tents, food, etc. He was blocking the staircase and it was really frustrating me. I finally woke up and realized I was dreaming.
Hard to believe Day 4 is over. The summit is within our grasp.
Tanzanian phrases
During our trip out guides taught us a few Swahili words. I don't think I am going to spell them right but here they are.
Jambo - Hello/How are you
Pole Pole - slowly, slowly
Haraka Haraka - quickly, quickly
Chacoola kitam - delicious
Maisha Marefu - Long Life - this is their toast
Muzungu - White tourist - derogatory/funny
Apana Sante - No Thank you
Sante - Thank you
Sante Sana - Thank you very much
Jambo - Hello/How are you
Pole Pole - slowly, slowly
Haraka Haraka - quickly, quickly
Chacoola kitam - delicious
Maisha Marefu - Long Life - this is their toast
Muzungu - White tourist - derogatory/funny
Apana Sante - No Thank you
Sante - Thank you
Sante Sana - Thank you very much
Friday - July 15th - Shira to Barranco Camp via the Lava Tower
We were up early - 5am - ready to get going so we went ahead and dressed and packed up. John climbed out the the temp to use the bathroom and saw Jeff outside getting photos. It was almost a full moon and the sky was full of stars. Jeff was taking advantage of the beautiful night to get some good photos of the mountain and the camp. He took one looking up toward the mountain with the tents in the foreground. Our tent was the only one lit up and it is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. We were loaded in to our boundary bags and off to the breakfast tent by 6. It was nice to relax and have a cup of hot Milo/Nido before the hustle and bustle of the day. Today we will start at 7:30 instead of 8 because of the length of today's climb. We will go up to 15,500 and then back down to Barranco at 12,800 or something like that. We have some sort of porridge every morning for breakfast. This is a slow burning carb that will stay with us throughout the morning. Some days it is oatmeal, some days millet (brown) and some days either cream of wheat or rice. There is a tub on the table label "fat spread" which because a bit of a joke. I always ask for the fat to put on my porridge. It makes it taste better and I figure I am burning enough calories on this trip I can pretty much eat anything I want. We also have toast, sausages, eggs, etc. Every meal there is really too much food.
We start off at the back of Lori's group. It is large this morning. Lori and Neil at the front, followed by Sierra, Monique, Nan, Doug, Jeanne, April, Kristy, Connie, Susie and Mickey. John and I are followed by our guide, August. The trail out of camp is a long gradual climb uphill - not sure of the grade but it is fairly steep. It is crisp starting out and we've all got jackets on and long johns under our trekking pants. At the first break we've climbed out of the cool Shira Plateau and are working up a sweat so we slip behind a rock to shed some layers. John and I take the opportunity to catch up with Mickey and hear Susie Weber's story for the first time. Susie has been diagnosed with MS the longest of anyone in our group. She was diagnosed at 22 years old. Since then she has had 3 children and started running half marathons. She said she had some trouble after each child was born but was so glad that she had not let the MS keep her from having children. She must be a really inspiring Mom. In the last few years she's been feeling pretty well and started exercising. She has done a couple of half marathons which I think is amazing. After a bit I walk up and talk to Kristy to hear her story. I am really interested in hearing the MS stories because my mother was diagnosed when she was 37. I think she would really have benefitted from knowing people like the amazing folks in this group. While I was talking to Kristy, Susie was asking John all about PD. I think its been good for everyone to share information about their diseases to promote greater understanding. Kristy is from Wisconsin like so many on this trip. She was diagnosed in 2005. She took the Interferon treatment until 2010 and it had a lot of bad side effects. She never really felt very good. She switched to a new Novartis med in 2010 and has been doing very well on it and feels much better. She also has asthma. After a while, I move up and talk to April for a while. She's had the toughest life of anybody in the group. She had her first symptoms when she was 12 years old but wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago. She grew up in a troubled home - her mother was an addict and there was often not enough food to eat. She basically raised herself and her little brother. She met her husband at a super bowl party a few years ago and it sounds like he is really good for her - a calm and ever present support. Something she was missing for so many years. She has a lot of pain with her MS. She had injections in the nerves in her legs in order ot be able to do this climb without having pain. So far it seems to be working and she amazes me as she climbs along the trail. This take more courage that I can even imagine.
At the second break spot we moved ahead and walked with Nathan, Daniel, Stephanie, Paula and Suz. They are going at a really good pace and we are feeling good. At the 3rd break we notice that Paula is not looking good. I think the pace is too fast and ask August to drop back and slow the pace. So John and Paula and I walk together with August and we talk about breathing and taking rest steps. Paula starts feeling better. August points out our blue lunch tent off in the distance. We leap frog back and forth with some German and Dutch climbers most of the morning. We saw some of them the day before as well. We get to the tent and lunch isn't ready yet so we clean up, use the stick to roll our tired muscles and just take a rest. We are at 14,500 at lunch - the highest point in my lifetime. Lunch is ready and we have grilled cheese and tomato soup - my favorite. Also, Pringles - Monique's favorite - especially the Sour Cream and Onion. The sun is out and the tent is warm. I don't want to linger.
We set out for the Lava Tower with a different group - John, Paula, Connie, Gina and Suz. I am thinking that we are going to climb up the Lava Tower but quickly learn from August that we are just going up and will go around of the base of it. Only people climbing the Lomosho Trail will climb up the tower. We take a break at the tower and Suz drops back to walk with Nathan and Daniel. This is my first chance to spending talking to Connie on the trail. She's from Jackson Hole and brought everyone in our group a Jackson Hole buff to wear on the trail. There are some Brits who've seen us on the trail a few times and said, "There go those American's again with the Jackson Hole Buffs." Funny. Connie is quite an adventurer. She studied the Masai in Africa a number of years ago. She has traveled a lot of places and will be going on to climb Mount Kenya on her own after this trip is over. Amazing. She has two children. Her son lives in Sun Valley and has the AML, the same thing my Dad had. He had a brain tumor when he was two years old.
We trek along the face of the mountain looking up at the Western Breach. This is a very dangerous trail where 6 American's were killed a few years back. Timing is critical on this trail. Once the sun rises and shines on the face of the breach the ice starts to melt and a lot of rocks fall. We stopped at one point because we could hear the rocks falling. We just stood there for a few minutes and listened to the mountain. It is quite ominous looking up from this vantage point and thinking we are going to climb to the top. We can't see Uhuru Peak from this vantage point but what see seems so far away.
Gina is still trekking with the same energy she had the first day. She's a music teacher and plays the trumpet (I think). This helps her a lot because she knows how to breathe from deep in her belly. I can hear her breathing behind me and it motivates me to breathe my deep yoga breathing.
As we head down from the Lava Tower we are on a steep, dusty, loose dirt trail. This is the sort of trail I was concerned about. I really have a lot of trouble descending on this sort of trail and I worry about the instability of my SI joint. All I need is a hip rotation to make this a real challenge. I slip twice and Gina slips once - we catch ourselves before we end up totally on our butts. I am really hoping the trail down from the summit is not like this. My legs get really tired of this descent because my hip flexors are constantly engaged. I am ready to get to camp. I watch August and he is walking more like a duck so I decide to try that. It seems to provide some relief from the constant strain. We follow a thin stream along the trail down in to camp. There are these plants that look like short palm trees all over the area and I wonder how they survive in this barren landscape. The the other trail (not Lava Tower) comes in to view and we see April and Jeanne and their guide. We wave to each other across the chasm. We continue down and we can see the Barranco Camp in the distance. A cloud is settling into the camp and we know it will be cool when we get there. No singing as we come in to camp today. We are met with the tray of juice and we pick out our tents. Suz,Stephanie, Nathan and Daniel come in a few minutes after us. We are all getting set up and washed up. I find my can of "spray hair wash" and see what it does for my look. Suz uses some and it actually makes her look pretty good. It is too cool to sit out side the tents this afternoon. We decide to go ahead and get tent for Nan and Doug and get their bags delivered. It will be a long day and this might help a little. He still has a cold and I don't think he's feeling that well.
John blew up both of our sleeping pads today. It was nice not to have to crawl around in there and blow mine up. I crawl in the tent and do the full bath wipe body swab. I change socks and clothes and start to feel refreshed. We sit around with Nathan and Daniel for a little bit but it is just getting too cold.
We had a big dinner - chicken satay, beef with gravy, pasta, mashed potatoes, greens and a raisin bread dessert. It was really too much food for someone who is starting to have some tummy turbulence. I don't really know why I ate so much. Jeff recited a poem he had written about Lake Superior, the area where he lives. It was really beautiful. The poem was about how the landscape talks to you. Jeff is right - big landscapes do have voices - if we just stop and listen. I got most of it on video. At 2:30 in the morning I woke up and most of the air was out of my pad - not sure what happened but I hope its not a pin hole. I have to get up and re-inflate it. John wakes up and asks me what I am doing. I wake up again at 4:30 and the camp is silent. I remember Jeff's poem and listen carefully. I can just hear the stream whispering off in the distance. I lay awake listening to the voice of the mountain for a while before drifting back to sleep. I have to get a copy of Jeff's poem.
I had a crazy dream that we got back from the climb and our car was in the parking lot. John drove us home (not our regular home) and I got out and realized that we had missed the Safari. I ran around the block chasing him in the car to drive us back to the Safari. Crazy dream.
We start off at the back of Lori's group. It is large this morning. Lori and Neil at the front, followed by Sierra, Monique, Nan, Doug, Jeanne, April, Kristy, Connie, Susie and Mickey. John and I are followed by our guide, August. The trail out of camp is a long gradual climb uphill - not sure of the grade but it is fairly steep. It is crisp starting out and we've all got jackets on and long johns under our trekking pants. At the first break we've climbed out of the cool Shira Plateau and are working up a sweat so we slip behind a rock to shed some layers. John and I take the opportunity to catch up with Mickey and hear Susie Weber's story for the first time. Susie has been diagnosed with MS the longest of anyone in our group. She was diagnosed at 22 years old. Since then she has had 3 children and started running half marathons. She said she had some trouble after each child was born but was so glad that she had not let the MS keep her from having children. She must be a really inspiring Mom. In the last few years she's been feeling pretty well and started exercising. She has done a couple of half marathons which I think is amazing. After a bit I walk up and talk to Kristy to hear her story. I am really interested in hearing the MS stories because my mother was diagnosed when she was 37. I think she would really have benefitted from knowing people like the amazing folks in this group. While I was talking to Kristy, Susie was asking John all about PD. I think its been good for everyone to share information about their diseases to promote greater understanding. Kristy is from Wisconsin like so many on this trip. She was diagnosed in 2005. She took the Interferon treatment until 2010 and it had a lot of bad side effects. She never really felt very good. She switched to a new Novartis med in 2010 and has been doing very well on it and feels much better. She also has asthma. After a while, I move up and talk to April for a while. She's had the toughest life of anybody in the group. She had her first symptoms when she was 12 years old but wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago. She grew up in a troubled home - her mother was an addict and there was often not enough food to eat. She basically raised herself and her little brother. She met her husband at a super bowl party a few years ago and it sounds like he is really good for her - a calm and ever present support. Something she was missing for so many years. She has a lot of pain with her MS. She had injections in the nerves in her legs in order ot be able to do this climb without having pain. So far it seems to be working and she amazes me as she climbs along the trail. This take more courage that I can even imagine.
At the second break spot we moved ahead and walked with Nathan, Daniel, Stephanie, Paula and Suz. They are going at a really good pace and we are feeling good. At the 3rd break we notice that Paula is not looking good. I think the pace is too fast and ask August to drop back and slow the pace. So John and Paula and I walk together with August and we talk about breathing and taking rest steps. Paula starts feeling better. August points out our blue lunch tent off in the distance. We leap frog back and forth with some German and Dutch climbers most of the morning. We saw some of them the day before as well. We get to the tent and lunch isn't ready yet so we clean up, use the stick to roll our tired muscles and just take a rest. We are at 14,500 at lunch - the highest point in my lifetime. Lunch is ready and we have grilled cheese and tomato soup - my favorite. Also, Pringles - Monique's favorite - especially the Sour Cream and Onion. The sun is out and the tent is warm. I don't want to linger.
We set out for the Lava Tower with a different group - John, Paula, Connie, Gina and Suz. I am thinking that we are going to climb up the Lava Tower but quickly learn from August that we are just going up and will go around of the base of it. Only people climbing the Lomosho Trail will climb up the tower. We take a break at the tower and Suz drops back to walk with Nathan and Daniel. This is my first chance to spending talking to Connie on the trail. She's from Jackson Hole and brought everyone in our group a Jackson Hole buff to wear on the trail. There are some Brits who've seen us on the trail a few times and said, "There go those American's again with the Jackson Hole Buffs." Funny. Connie is quite an adventurer. She studied the Masai in Africa a number of years ago. She has traveled a lot of places and will be going on to climb Mount Kenya on her own after this trip is over. Amazing. She has two children. Her son lives in Sun Valley and has the AML, the same thing my Dad had. He had a brain tumor when he was two years old.
We trek along the face of the mountain looking up at the Western Breach. This is a very dangerous trail where 6 American's were killed a few years back. Timing is critical on this trail. Once the sun rises and shines on the face of the breach the ice starts to melt and a lot of rocks fall. We stopped at one point because we could hear the rocks falling. We just stood there for a few minutes and listened to the mountain. It is quite ominous looking up from this vantage point and thinking we are going to climb to the top. We can't see Uhuru Peak from this vantage point but what see seems so far away.
Gina is still trekking with the same energy she had the first day. She's a music teacher and plays the trumpet (I think). This helps her a lot because she knows how to breathe from deep in her belly. I can hear her breathing behind me and it motivates me to breathe my deep yoga breathing.
As we head down from the Lava Tower we are on a steep, dusty, loose dirt trail. This is the sort of trail I was concerned about. I really have a lot of trouble descending on this sort of trail and I worry about the instability of my SI joint. All I need is a hip rotation to make this a real challenge. I slip twice and Gina slips once - we catch ourselves before we end up totally on our butts. I am really hoping the trail down from the summit is not like this. My legs get really tired of this descent because my hip flexors are constantly engaged. I am ready to get to camp. I watch August and he is walking more like a duck so I decide to try that. It seems to provide some relief from the constant strain. We follow a thin stream along the trail down in to camp. There are these plants that look like short palm trees all over the area and I wonder how they survive in this barren landscape. The the other trail (not Lava Tower) comes in to view and we see April and Jeanne and their guide. We wave to each other across the chasm. We continue down and we can see the Barranco Camp in the distance. A cloud is settling into the camp and we know it will be cool when we get there. No singing as we come in to camp today. We are met with the tray of juice and we pick out our tents. Suz,Stephanie, Nathan and Daniel come in a few minutes after us. We are all getting set up and washed up. I find my can of "spray hair wash" and see what it does for my look. Suz uses some and it actually makes her look pretty good. It is too cool to sit out side the tents this afternoon. We decide to go ahead and get tent for Nan and Doug and get their bags delivered. It will be a long day and this might help a little. He still has a cold and I don't think he's feeling that well.
John blew up both of our sleeping pads today. It was nice not to have to crawl around in there and blow mine up. I crawl in the tent and do the full bath wipe body swab. I change socks and clothes and start to feel refreshed. We sit around with Nathan and Daniel for a little bit but it is just getting too cold.
We had a big dinner - chicken satay, beef with gravy, pasta, mashed potatoes, greens and a raisin bread dessert. It was really too much food for someone who is starting to have some tummy turbulence. I don't really know why I ate so much. Jeff recited a poem he had written about Lake Superior, the area where he lives. It was really beautiful. The poem was about how the landscape talks to you. Jeff is right - big landscapes do have voices - if we just stop and listen. I got most of it on video. At 2:30 in the morning I woke up and most of the air was out of my pad - not sure what happened but I hope its not a pin hole. I have to get up and re-inflate it. John wakes up and asks me what I am doing. I wake up again at 4:30 and the camp is silent. I remember Jeff's poem and listen carefully. I can just hear the stream whispering off in the distance. I lay awake listening to the voice of the mountain for a while before drifting back to sleep. I have to get a copy of Jeff's poem.
I had a crazy dream that we got back from the climb and our car was in the parking lot. John drove us home (not our regular home) and I got out and realized that we had missed the Safari. I ran around the block chasing him in the car to drive us back to the Safari. Crazy dream.
July 14th - Machame Camp to Shira Plateau - Shira Camp
I woke up after 6 hours of sleep thinking it was 6 in the morning but it was really 4 am. Note to self - do not put on Dr Watson's salve and got to bed in a -20 degree sleeping bag unless you want to be the next nights stew! My legs and back were on fire from the heat of the bag and the muscle salve. It was kind of like being in a crock pot.
I got up and went to pee. I had a slight headache so drank almost a liter of water and took 1/4 of a 250 diamox just to be safe. I had already talked to Sierra about taking it as a precaution because the AMS symptom of headache is also my main high blood pressure symptom and I didn't want to get them confused. At such a low dose it really shouldn't cause a lot of problems and I am only going to take it once a day.
I change my clothes and get ready for the day before John wakes up and tells me it is 4:30. So I go back to sleep until I hear him rustling around. I open my eyes to find him kneeling, pants down giving himself a "bath" with the bath wipes. We both get start laughing at the "one eyed-monster" wake up call!
It a bit of a challenge getting packed up inside this tiny little tent but necessary to keep everything out of the dust. I am sure we will get the hang of it before this trip is over. We have a great breakfast with hot drinks and instructions for the day before setting off. John and I get in the first group with the guide, August, Stephanie, Paula, Tina, Inez and Jeff the photographer. As we start out the trail is very steep and very dusty. We are in the Heather now and the landscape has changed quite a bit. We see white and pink flowers along the trail that look a lot like something from the aster family. There are some sort of evergreen bushes, lava boulders, and lichen. There are fat little birds and white necked Ravens circling about above us on the trail. There is heavy porter traffic on this one-lane trail which forces us to stop often to let them pace. This keeps our pace fairly slow but let noticeable since we are stopping frequently instead of walking really, really slowly. Pole Pole and Jambo we hear on the trail every time a porter passed. Pole Pole, means slowly, slowly in Swahili and Jambo means hello. We will probably say Jambo at least a thousand times before the trip is over. These porters are amazing. The loads they carry up the mountains are incredible. Some carry them on the heads with perfect posture, others carry them on their backs or the back of their necks - I wonder about the long term affects of this. I think they are only paid a few dollars a day for this back breaking work. August teaches us a little more Swahili - not sure about the spelling but Poa Kocheese common dezze means Cool like a banana.
We are going at a pretty good pace and the trail is narrow so we don't get to talk much to each other except at the breaks. At the first break we wander off the side of the trail and I use the pee funnel. I am really liking having the ability to pee standing up like a guy. This first stop isn't bad. At the second break we go off for a potty break and find our first "surprise". Some of the people on the trail don't do a very good job of covering up or leaving no trace. Its kind of gross.
Morning was sunny and hot so I stripped down to my T-shirt and zipped off my pant bottoms. We took two breaks before lunch for food, water and bathroom breaks. At the 2nd break spot clouds rolled in and it was much cooler. We stayed pretty close to some of our lunch poerters most of the way and arrived in lunch camp before they were ready. I am still amazed that they can break down the huge blue tent, pack it up and get on the trail after us. They pass us on the trail and go ahead to set it and the kitchen tent up and are already underway when we arrive. It is an admirable accomplishment that takes perfect timing and organization. These guys are very good at what they do.
We take the opportunity to rest in chairs outside the tent, use the bathroom, wash up and catch up in the journal. We are called to lunch as some of the others are arriving. By this time the sun is back out and the tent is getting hot so I don't want to stay long. Lunch was delicious again. We had celery soup, bread and butter, fish sticks, chips and a veggie salad. We head back out on the trail as the clouds move in and out for the rest of the afternoon - alternating warm sun and cool cloud cover. Makes it a challenge to get the layers right and not have to change all the time.
The rest of the afternoon is spent scrambling up to the Shira Plateau. It is a little bit more challenging because its not a simple trail. We have to climb around some large boulders and jump from rock to rock in a few places. We arrive at Shira Camp at 3:20 to a huge group of singing porters. It is really moving to hear them signing. I ask August what he words are saying and he say "You look smart". I would love to find the words to the songs they sing on the mountain. There is one funny guy who comes running from over where they are setting up tents. He jumps to the front the group of porters and starts dancing wildly. We will see him again at the end of our trek - he's the one who gets everyone to dance. They sing about 4 songs before stopping to get our bags and carry them to our tents. The Shira Camp is large and tents are more spread out than at Machame. They have chairs set up by our tents so that we don't have to manuever around in our tents - we can sit in the chairs to sort and unpack. It is very dusty on the plateau but incredibly majestic. The harshness of the barren rocky surface is dotted with a few sparse trees. Below us rest the clouds and it feels as if we are floating on them. In the distance behind our camp, the peak of Kili looms. It is beautiful and ominous, covered on one side with a glacier that is clearly melting away. Our guide says it used to snow a lot more on the mountain than it does now. Its hard to believe we will be at the top in just a few more days.
Some clouds move in as John and I are sitting outside the tent and the camp is quickly engulfed. It turns cold in an instant. We are at 12,500 feet and the weather can change in no time at all. It will definitely be colder tonight. The clouds move in and out all afternoon making it difficult to figure out clothing - too hot, too cold, too hot.
The second group arrive 30 minutes or so after us. Nan and Doug were in this group. Nan pushed her pace because some of the conversation in the group she was with was upsetting her. She had really pushed herself and she was physically and emotionally spent coming in to camp. I walked up and gave her a hug and was overwhelmed with emotion. It really surprised me. The two of us just stood there with tears in our eyes. Its really pretty amazing this group of special people. Nan is doing amazing. She is so strong and determined. I know she will make it to the top.
Lori and her Dad, who is 79, were the last two arrive in camp with three guides at about 5:30. The guides were signing to them as they walked it and it was very emotional again. They are such an adorable pair. It makes me wish my Dad was still alive. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have done something like this but you never know. Anyway, it made me really miss him. Lori really is a special lady for organizing this trip and matching up the pairs.
About 6:00 we had tea and popcorn in the blue tent. I sat around with Connie, Ben (soon to be known as Eye Candy), Monique and Sierra. We have a meeting at 7 before dinner to talk about Acute Mountain Sickness. I guess this is the altitude where we first start to see symptoms. Eric covers the basic symptoms of AMS - nausea, headache, vomiting, disorientation, swelling. A few people have headaches now and are instructed to take Excedrin. Monique has a terrible headache and you can see it on her face. She is concerned at having a headache at this point that she's not going to feel well enough to summit. We have another stellar dinner. Ginger soup with roll and butter, coconut rice with beef, greens and mixed veggies. A few minutes after the soup is delivered Monique's headache improves. I can see the change in her face. I wonder if it is the ginger in the soup. Since I am a bit of a food nut I notice along the trail that they are feeding us things that should help us - greens almost every day (these boost red blood cell production), lots of ginger in various things (this helps nauseau), soup every day (gets more liquids in the body), porridge for breakfast everyday (slow burning complex carbs help with energy throughout the morning climbs), raisins in a number of the dishes (these have iron and also help blood cell production).
John and I are feeling great. Nan asked if we would walk with them tomorrow. We decide to walk with the slower group for part of the day so that we can have a chance to meet and talk to more of the group. Tomorrow is the longest day. We will walk with Lori's group in the morning and then after a couple of breaks we will go on ahead with August. There is an optional climb up toward Lava Tower for an additional 500 feet of elevation gain which we want to do and make sure we don't get in to camp after dark. Eric says it will be an 8-12 hour day depending on pace.
It is quite cold now and it takes a few minutes for me to get warmed up in the sleeping bag. Once I am warm though I quickly fall asleep. Day 2 comes to an end.
I got up and went to pee. I had a slight headache so drank almost a liter of water and took 1/4 of a 250 diamox just to be safe. I had already talked to Sierra about taking it as a precaution because the AMS symptom of headache is also my main high blood pressure symptom and I didn't want to get them confused. At such a low dose it really shouldn't cause a lot of problems and I am only going to take it once a day.
I change my clothes and get ready for the day before John wakes up and tells me it is 4:30. So I go back to sleep until I hear him rustling around. I open my eyes to find him kneeling, pants down giving himself a "bath" with the bath wipes. We both get start laughing at the "one eyed-monster" wake up call!
It a bit of a challenge getting packed up inside this tiny little tent but necessary to keep everything out of the dust. I am sure we will get the hang of it before this trip is over. We have a great breakfast with hot drinks and instructions for the day before setting off. John and I get in the first group with the guide, August, Stephanie, Paula, Tina, Inez and Jeff the photographer. As we start out the trail is very steep and very dusty. We are in the Heather now and the landscape has changed quite a bit. We see white and pink flowers along the trail that look a lot like something from the aster family. There are some sort of evergreen bushes, lava boulders, and lichen. There are fat little birds and white necked Ravens circling about above us on the trail. There is heavy porter traffic on this one-lane trail which forces us to stop often to let them pace. This keeps our pace fairly slow but let noticeable since we are stopping frequently instead of walking really, really slowly. Pole Pole and Jambo we hear on the trail every time a porter passed. Pole Pole, means slowly, slowly in Swahili and Jambo means hello. We will probably say Jambo at least a thousand times before the trip is over. These porters are amazing. The loads they carry up the mountains are incredible. Some carry them on the heads with perfect posture, others carry them on their backs or the back of their necks - I wonder about the long term affects of this. I think they are only paid a few dollars a day for this back breaking work. August teaches us a little more Swahili - not sure about the spelling but Poa Kocheese common dezze means Cool like a banana.
We are going at a pretty good pace and the trail is narrow so we don't get to talk much to each other except at the breaks. At the first break we wander off the side of the trail and I use the pee funnel. I am really liking having the ability to pee standing up like a guy. This first stop isn't bad. At the second break we go off for a potty break and find our first "surprise". Some of the people on the trail don't do a very good job of covering up or leaving no trace. Its kind of gross.
Morning was sunny and hot so I stripped down to my T-shirt and zipped off my pant bottoms. We took two breaks before lunch for food, water and bathroom breaks. At the 2nd break spot clouds rolled in and it was much cooler. We stayed pretty close to some of our lunch poerters most of the way and arrived in lunch camp before they were ready. I am still amazed that they can break down the huge blue tent, pack it up and get on the trail after us. They pass us on the trail and go ahead to set it and the kitchen tent up and are already underway when we arrive. It is an admirable accomplishment that takes perfect timing and organization. These guys are very good at what they do.
We take the opportunity to rest in chairs outside the tent, use the bathroom, wash up and catch up in the journal. We are called to lunch as some of the others are arriving. By this time the sun is back out and the tent is getting hot so I don't want to stay long. Lunch was delicious again. We had celery soup, bread and butter, fish sticks, chips and a veggie salad. We head back out on the trail as the clouds move in and out for the rest of the afternoon - alternating warm sun and cool cloud cover. Makes it a challenge to get the layers right and not have to change all the time.
The rest of the afternoon is spent scrambling up to the Shira Plateau. It is a little bit more challenging because its not a simple trail. We have to climb around some large boulders and jump from rock to rock in a few places. We arrive at Shira Camp at 3:20 to a huge group of singing porters. It is really moving to hear them signing. I ask August what he words are saying and he say "You look smart". I would love to find the words to the songs they sing on the mountain. There is one funny guy who comes running from over where they are setting up tents. He jumps to the front the group of porters and starts dancing wildly. We will see him again at the end of our trek - he's the one who gets everyone to dance. They sing about 4 songs before stopping to get our bags and carry them to our tents. The Shira Camp is large and tents are more spread out than at Machame. They have chairs set up by our tents so that we don't have to manuever around in our tents - we can sit in the chairs to sort and unpack. It is very dusty on the plateau but incredibly majestic. The harshness of the barren rocky surface is dotted with a few sparse trees. Below us rest the clouds and it feels as if we are floating on them. In the distance behind our camp, the peak of Kili looms. It is beautiful and ominous, covered on one side with a glacier that is clearly melting away. Our guide says it used to snow a lot more on the mountain than it does now. Its hard to believe we will be at the top in just a few more days.
Some clouds move in as John and I are sitting outside the tent and the camp is quickly engulfed. It turns cold in an instant. We are at 12,500 feet and the weather can change in no time at all. It will definitely be colder tonight. The clouds move in and out all afternoon making it difficult to figure out clothing - too hot, too cold, too hot.
The second group arrive 30 minutes or so after us. Nan and Doug were in this group. Nan pushed her pace because some of the conversation in the group she was with was upsetting her. She had really pushed herself and she was physically and emotionally spent coming in to camp. I walked up and gave her a hug and was overwhelmed with emotion. It really surprised me. The two of us just stood there with tears in our eyes. Its really pretty amazing this group of special people. Nan is doing amazing. She is so strong and determined. I know she will make it to the top.
Lori and her Dad, who is 79, were the last two arrive in camp with three guides at about 5:30. The guides were signing to them as they walked it and it was very emotional again. They are such an adorable pair. It makes me wish my Dad was still alive. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have done something like this but you never know. Anyway, it made me really miss him. Lori really is a special lady for organizing this trip and matching up the pairs.
About 6:00 we had tea and popcorn in the blue tent. I sat around with Connie, Ben (soon to be known as Eye Candy), Monique and Sierra. We have a meeting at 7 before dinner to talk about Acute Mountain Sickness. I guess this is the altitude where we first start to see symptoms. Eric covers the basic symptoms of AMS - nausea, headache, vomiting, disorientation, swelling. A few people have headaches now and are instructed to take Excedrin. Monique has a terrible headache and you can see it on her face. She is concerned at having a headache at this point that she's not going to feel well enough to summit. We have another stellar dinner. Ginger soup with roll and butter, coconut rice with beef, greens and mixed veggies. A few minutes after the soup is delivered Monique's headache improves. I can see the change in her face. I wonder if it is the ginger in the soup. Since I am a bit of a food nut I notice along the trail that they are feeding us things that should help us - greens almost every day (these boost red blood cell production), lots of ginger in various things (this helps nauseau), soup every day (gets more liquids in the body), porridge for breakfast everyday (slow burning complex carbs help with energy throughout the morning climbs), raisins in a number of the dishes (these have iron and also help blood cell production).
John and I are feeling great. Nan asked if we would walk with them tomorrow. We decide to walk with the slower group for part of the day so that we can have a chance to meet and talk to more of the group. Tomorrow is the longest day. We will walk with Lori's group in the morning and then after a couple of breaks we will go on ahead with August. There is an optional climb up toward Lava Tower for an additional 500 feet of elevation gain which we want to do and make sure we don't get in to camp after dark. Eric says it will be an 8-12 hour day depending on pace.
It is quite cold now and it takes a few minutes for me to get warmed up in the sleeping bag. Once I am warm though I quickly fall asleep. Day 2 comes to an end.
Wednesday, July 13th - Heading to Machame Camp
I was a little sluggish when the alarm went off at 6:15 from getting to bed so late. We finished packing, had breakfast with Monique and Sierra and brought the bags down for loading. More hurry up and wait - patience again - while we stood around waiting for the group interviews. This is a good lesson for me but I don't like it despite the fact that I know I need to learn it.
Finally we were loading up in groups of six, foolishly thinking we were headed for the mountain. We loaded with Nan, Doug, Sierra and Monique and our driver Boneface who spoke very little English.
As we are loading the trucks Lori's Dad is joking around making faces at us and giving us the finger in gest. So I decide to stick my butt up to the window and pretend to moon him. We were all laughing and asking John to give him a a "scrambled egg". Then Doug said something about a "soft boiled egg" and we all got another good laugh.
Pulling out in a caravan we headed over just one block around the corner to change money for those who arrived the night before gear check. This could probably have been handled by walking them over while some of the interviews were going on or during breakfast. Oh well - more patience. Since none of us needed to change money in our car we were thinking we would go on to the mountain. Its probably good that we didn't though since it turned out our guy didn't really seem to know where he was going. Our cars were assaulted by street vendors as we pulled up to the change bureau. Our guy ended up driving around the block about six times. There was a guy selling flags who had picked out Sierra - her smile seems to attract these vendors. Every time we circled around he zoomed in on her window. We all started laughing and joking about it. It was really hilarious. Finally she asked Monique to change seats with her and it stopped. Our driver finally turned and started heading down the road toward Kili. We were excited but it was premature.
I was riding in the front next to him to avoid getting car sick but my seat didn't have a seat belt - his did. We are riding along on the two lane road and he is talking on the cell phone, 2 vans are passing in our lane coming straight at us and there is a tree just to my left. My life flashes before my eyes and we all get a good laugh after we survive squeezing by the tree by the skin of our teeth without getting hit. Our driver seems unfazed. He is still talking on the phone. We continue down the road a bit to a gas station where we stop and wait some more with no communication from our driver. Its starting to give me the creeps. Finally, we connect up with Eric's van. They were still behind us at the change bureau. He has caught up from this change bureau fiasco after deciding to make the rest of the change himself at the mountain. I hear him tell Ben that the change bureau was a mistake. We head back down the bumpy road to Kili. After about 30 minutes we stop again and the Rotterdam market so that the rest of the cars can catch up and we can have a bathroom break. This is the first place we go that there is only a hole in the floor no toilet seat. Interesting. You have to really stand back when you flush it or water splashes up all over the bottom of your pants. Fortunately someone had warned me in advance of this issue and I managed to escape with dry feet and legs.
Back on the road after 30 minutes.........
There is a lot of farming along the roadside. Quite a bit of corn, some sunflowers (for the oil), lettuces in a small home garden, a greenhouse operation of some sort, cows, motorcycle bars, lots more corn (could be Iowa), a few sheep, charcoal for sale, tall ant hills - 2-3 feet tall from the red soil, lots of people walking along with baskets or buckets on their heads.
Today is overcast and in the 70's. I imagine it will be a bit cool once we get to the first camp.
We are behind 2 dump trucks and about to pass in a somewhat blind curve. There is oncoming traffic but we manage to leap frog around them without getting killed. Fumes are making Monique a little sick to her stomach. Closing the window gets rid of the fumes but then it is too hot up front and I start feeling sick. So I alternate the window opened and closed the rest of the way to the trailhead. I see no sign of Eric's van but I know Ben is behind us because we passed him a while back. At last we see the turn off to Machame. We turn and sit and wait again. Later I wonder how many minutes we wasted waiting around that could have been used climbing to avoid arriving at camp after dark. Poor planning drives me nuts since my expertise is operations - the seamless flow of activity without interruption or problems. I guess they probably have no idea what pace this group is going to walk so they aren't worried about it at this point. The mountain is ahead of us but we can't see it because it is shrouded in clouds. Along the road to the the trailhead it seems that our driver is confused about where he is going. He asks several people out the window in Swahili. We have no idea what he is saying but the people on the road just shake their heads. When it seems we are close John and Sierra start strapping on their gators. They are ready to go but its still going to be a while. We think he is lost but finally we arrive at the trailhead and pour out of the truck. We are ready to go but not yet. First we have to sign the book that we are entering the trail, go to the bathroom and eat lunch which seem silly later in the day when "eat lunch" on the trail. I think then that we could have skipped the "lunch" at the trailhead. This whole process seems like it takes more than an hour but I am not looking at my watch. We are ready to go and we stop for a quick group photo. Jeff takes the picture in what will be a continuous theme of Jeff behind the camera and NOT in the photo. He sets the timer so at least he can run in to one of the shots.
We are finally taken to the trailhead and introduced to our Tanzanian guides but I can't remember any of the names at this point except Romley who is at the front. We get started at 1:00, a little behind schedule but I am not sure how much. It gets dark at about 7:20 and I don't know how many miles we are going. We are instructed to keep a slow pace - another lesson in patience. I walk along talking to Sierra about their Parkinson's practice and philosophy. I have really enjoyed Monique and Sierra so far and its only been two days. We stop after 45 minutes for our first break and I use the pee funnel for the first time on the trail to great success. Back on the trail we jumped to the front with Romley and I am having trouble keeping my pace slow enough. Its driving me a bit nuts because I don't want to get there after dark and I have trained at a much faster pace on steeper inclines at higher altitudes than where we are right now. My heart rate is below 125 and that just seems way too slow compared to my training. But I give in. I think it will be dark when we arrive if we don't pick up the pace. But I really have no idea how much training the rest of the group has done and these guys know what it takes to get up the mountain. Patience, patience, patience. I guess I am going to learn this whether I want to or not.
We keep going and miss the apparent spot for our second break. Eric catches up to us and fusses at Romley. Romley says that he's concerned about the time but Eric says that's no reason to skip the scheduled breaks. We break for a drink for a minute or 2. We arrive at the trailside lunch no too much later. I am not sure of the time but its probably been a couple of ours. There is a long dining table set right along the trail. There is a hand washing station with hot water and soap, flowers on the table (plastic) and portable toilets back at the edge of the trees. We have pineapple, oranges, mango, cookies, chips, butter and red pepper sandwiches, delicious avocado and pepper salad and hot chocolate and tea.
Eric instructs us how to use the portable toilets and we hear Suz yelling from inside one of the potty tents to speak up because she's already in there and needs to know what to do. We all laughed. We finish up early and head out with a different guide, August. Little do I know now but he will be our guide every day all the way to summit day. I think we are about 45 minutes or so ahead of the rest of the group. We are hiking with Suz, Gina, Nathan and Daniel, and Tina. Gina sings us the "scrotum song" and she is just a hoot. She is s music teacher. I can only imagine how much fun her students have with her.
It is getting pretty steep and we discover than Nathan has really overloaded his pack with 6 liters of water and lots of heavy camera equipment. No telling how much that pack weighed. He is drenched in sweat. We off load some of the water and equipment and carry on.
We are getting closer to camp as the sun is quickly dropping out of the sky. It will be dark when we arrive. I don't recommend this, especially on the first night when we really haven't gotten the hang of the whole set up. John and I forgot to pack headlamps in our daypacks so we are flying blind. Fortunately, some of the others have theirs. We climb up the last bit of steep trail right to a ranger house at Machame Camp with very steep steps. We have to sign the book using Daniel's headlamp. Once the book is signed we go out another door and down some more steeps to the camp area. We can just make out tents everywhere in the darkness but are pointed in the direction of our blue dining tent and the group of AA tents. We make our selection and the porters dig our boundary bags from the bottom of the pile and carry them to our tent. They bring us two bowls of warm water to wash up. There is dust everywhere. We fumble around in the dark and find out headlamps and the little camp lights John brought to hang inside the tents. This makes it a little better. I get my mat blown up and lay out my sleeping bag and put my extra stuff back in to the boundary bag. It is starting to get really cool now. I was my face, hands and feet in the bowl of water which is starting to get cold now. I follow instructions and put on a fresh pair of socks, find my tennis shoes.
We head to the dining tent to get warm and wait for the rest of the group and dinner. I am catching up on my journal and having a cup of Milo (like Ovaltine). We have a delicious dinner and I marvel at how they are able to assemble this kitchen on a mountainside and cook such good food. We have this wonderful green bean and carrot dish with coconut, potatoes, steak and gravy. John and I turn in about 10:30. By the time I get settled in there is already someone in the tent next to me snoring loudly. We've made it to the end of the first day!
Finally we were loading up in groups of six, foolishly thinking we were headed for the mountain. We loaded with Nan, Doug, Sierra and Monique and our driver Boneface who spoke very little English.
As we are loading the trucks Lori's Dad is joking around making faces at us and giving us the finger in gest. So I decide to stick my butt up to the window and pretend to moon him. We were all laughing and asking John to give him a a "scrambled egg". Then Doug said something about a "soft boiled egg" and we all got another good laugh.
Pulling out in a caravan we headed over just one block around the corner to change money for those who arrived the night before gear check. This could probably have been handled by walking them over while some of the interviews were going on or during breakfast. Oh well - more patience. Since none of us needed to change money in our car we were thinking we would go on to the mountain. Its probably good that we didn't though since it turned out our guy didn't really seem to know where he was going. Our cars were assaulted by street vendors as we pulled up to the change bureau. Our guy ended up driving around the block about six times. There was a guy selling flags who had picked out Sierra - her smile seems to attract these vendors. Every time we circled around he zoomed in on her window. We all started laughing and joking about it. It was really hilarious. Finally she asked Monique to change seats with her and it stopped. Our driver finally turned and started heading down the road toward Kili. We were excited but it was premature.
I was riding in the front next to him to avoid getting car sick but my seat didn't have a seat belt - his did. We are riding along on the two lane road and he is talking on the cell phone, 2 vans are passing in our lane coming straight at us and there is a tree just to my left. My life flashes before my eyes and we all get a good laugh after we survive squeezing by the tree by the skin of our teeth without getting hit. Our driver seems unfazed. He is still talking on the phone. We continue down the road a bit to a gas station where we stop and wait some more with no communication from our driver. Its starting to give me the creeps. Finally, we connect up with Eric's van. They were still behind us at the change bureau. He has caught up from this change bureau fiasco after deciding to make the rest of the change himself at the mountain. I hear him tell Ben that the change bureau was a mistake. We head back down the bumpy road to Kili. After about 30 minutes we stop again and the Rotterdam market so that the rest of the cars can catch up and we can have a bathroom break. This is the first place we go that there is only a hole in the floor no toilet seat. Interesting. You have to really stand back when you flush it or water splashes up all over the bottom of your pants. Fortunately someone had warned me in advance of this issue and I managed to escape with dry feet and legs.
Back on the road after 30 minutes.........
There is a lot of farming along the roadside. Quite a bit of corn, some sunflowers (for the oil), lettuces in a small home garden, a greenhouse operation of some sort, cows, motorcycle bars, lots more corn (could be Iowa), a few sheep, charcoal for sale, tall ant hills - 2-3 feet tall from the red soil, lots of people walking along with baskets or buckets on their heads.
Today is overcast and in the 70's. I imagine it will be a bit cool once we get to the first camp.
We are behind 2 dump trucks and about to pass in a somewhat blind curve. There is oncoming traffic but we manage to leap frog around them without getting killed. Fumes are making Monique a little sick to her stomach. Closing the window gets rid of the fumes but then it is too hot up front and I start feeling sick. So I alternate the window opened and closed the rest of the way to the trailhead. I see no sign of Eric's van but I know Ben is behind us because we passed him a while back. At last we see the turn off to Machame. We turn and sit and wait again. Later I wonder how many minutes we wasted waiting around that could have been used climbing to avoid arriving at camp after dark. Poor planning drives me nuts since my expertise is operations - the seamless flow of activity without interruption or problems. I guess they probably have no idea what pace this group is going to walk so they aren't worried about it at this point. The mountain is ahead of us but we can't see it because it is shrouded in clouds. Along the road to the the trailhead it seems that our driver is confused about where he is going. He asks several people out the window in Swahili. We have no idea what he is saying but the people on the road just shake their heads. When it seems we are close John and Sierra start strapping on their gators. They are ready to go but its still going to be a while. We think he is lost but finally we arrive at the trailhead and pour out of the truck. We are ready to go but not yet. First we have to sign the book that we are entering the trail, go to the bathroom and eat lunch which seem silly later in the day when "eat lunch" on the trail. I think then that we could have skipped the "lunch" at the trailhead. This whole process seems like it takes more than an hour but I am not looking at my watch. We are ready to go and we stop for a quick group photo. Jeff takes the picture in what will be a continuous theme of Jeff behind the camera and NOT in the photo. He sets the timer so at least he can run in to one of the shots.
We are finally taken to the trailhead and introduced to our Tanzanian guides but I can't remember any of the names at this point except Romley who is at the front. We get started at 1:00, a little behind schedule but I am not sure how much. It gets dark at about 7:20 and I don't know how many miles we are going. We are instructed to keep a slow pace - another lesson in patience. I walk along talking to Sierra about their Parkinson's practice and philosophy. I have really enjoyed Monique and Sierra so far and its only been two days. We stop after 45 minutes for our first break and I use the pee funnel for the first time on the trail to great success. Back on the trail we jumped to the front with Romley and I am having trouble keeping my pace slow enough. Its driving me a bit nuts because I don't want to get there after dark and I have trained at a much faster pace on steeper inclines at higher altitudes than where we are right now. My heart rate is below 125 and that just seems way too slow compared to my training. But I give in. I think it will be dark when we arrive if we don't pick up the pace. But I really have no idea how much training the rest of the group has done and these guys know what it takes to get up the mountain. Patience, patience, patience. I guess I am going to learn this whether I want to or not.
We keep going and miss the apparent spot for our second break. Eric catches up to us and fusses at Romley. Romley says that he's concerned about the time but Eric says that's no reason to skip the scheduled breaks. We break for a drink for a minute or 2. We arrive at the trailside lunch no too much later. I am not sure of the time but its probably been a couple of ours. There is a long dining table set right along the trail. There is a hand washing station with hot water and soap, flowers on the table (plastic) and portable toilets back at the edge of the trees. We have pineapple, oranges, mango, cookies, chips, butter and red pepper sandwiches, delicious avocado and pepper salad and hot chocolate and tea.
Eric instructs us how to use the portable toilets and we hear Suz yelling from inside one of the potty tents to speak up because she's already in there and needs to know what to do. We all laughed. We finish up early and head out with a different guide, August. Little do I know now but he will be our guide every day all the way to summit day. I think we are about 45 minutes or so ahead of the rest of the group. We are hiking with Suz, Gina, Nathan and Daniel, and Tina. Gina sings us the "scrotum song" and she is just a hoot. She is s music teacher. I can only imagine how much fun her students have with her.
It is getting pretty steep and we discover than Nathan has really overloaded his pack with 6 liters of water and lots of heavy camera equipment. No telling how much that pack weighed. He is drenched in sweat. We off load some of the water and equipment and carry on.
We are getting closer to camp as the sun is quickly dropping out of the sky. It will be dark when we arrive. I don't recommend this, especially on the first night when we really haven't gotten the hang of the whole set up. John and I forgot to pack headlamps in our daypacks so we are flying blind. Fortunately, some of the others have theirs. We climb up the last bit of steep trail right to a ranger house at Machame Camp with very steep steps. We have to sign the book using Daniel's headlamp. Once the book is signed we go out another door and down some more steeps to the camp area. We can just make out tents everywhere in the darkness but are pointed in the direction of our blue dining tent and the group of AA tents. We make our selection and the porters dig our boundary bags from the bottom of the pile and carry them to our tent. They bring us two bowls of warm water to wash up. There is dust everywhere. We fumble around in the dark and find out headlamps and the little camp lights John brought to hang inside the tents. This makes it a little better. I get my mat blown up and lay out my sleeping bag and put my extra stuff back in to the boundary bag. It is starting to get really cool now. I was my face, hands and feet in the bowl of water which is starting to get cold now. I follow instructions and put on a fresh pair of socks, find my tennis shoes.
We head to the dining tent to get warm and wait for the rest of the group and dinner. I am catching up on my journal and having a cup of Milo (like Ovaltine). We have a delicious dinner and I marvel at how they are able to assemble this kitchen on a mountainside and cook such good food. We have this wonderful green bean and carrot dish with coconut, potatoes, steak and gravy. John and I turn in about 10:30. By the time I get settled in there is already someone in the tent next to me snoring loudly. We've made it to the end of the first day!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 - Gearing Up for the Climb
Great nights sleep and feeling rested now. It was a good idea to come in a day ahead of everyone else and make sure we got over the jet lag. Doug has caught a cold from someone on the airplane and I am worried about him, for his own sake and for the possibility of transmitting it to the other climbers. I have started taking loads of Emergency and my Coptis Chinesis to make sure I don't get it. Any respiratory distress will make it much more difficult to reach the summit.
We start orientation at 9:15am. It will be a busy day. While waiting Mickey Babcock and her climbing partner Susie Weber and were talking about how to keep our nasal passages moist in the dry climate. Mickey suggested that we might use the pee funnel as a Neti Pot for salt water! We all got a good laugh out of that. Who knew it could be so useful.
Sierra went to the pharmacy - Mona's - and got Doug some medicine. He is resting in his room during the first part of the orientation. Hope he feels better soon.
Nathan Henwood, one of the climbers with PD, has a Spot and will track our progress on the mountain. The website is . Search under Henwood and you can find the trip.
Our lead guide is Eric Murphy. He's been with Alpine for 11 years and done 30 Kili climbs. He has a degree in Fine Arts, lives on Widby Island, WA and also has a winery. Our second guide is Ben Jones. He's been with Alpine 4 years, been a mountain guide for 9 years. He is from Wyoming. He lives in Jackson, WY.
They go over tipping, basics of the trip, leaving no impact, food, snacks, sunscreen, etc. And then we learn about "self care". This is critical on the mountain. Make sure you have proper hydration - about 4 liters a day of water. Pace yourself at a pace that you can essentially walk all day - that means don't blast out of the gate and run out of juice. This is an endurance challenge not a sprint. Eat foods that are easy to digest - the digestive track slows down at high altitude to give more energy to the respiratory system. Eat complex carbs in the evening. Keep covered up with sunscreen and lipscreen. There is a lot of dust, cover your nose to avoid breathing in a lot of dust. Take care of your feet each day. Wash your feet and put on fresh pair of sock each day when you get in to camp after hiking. Treat your hot spots early.
After this run down we go to the hotel buffet for lunch before heading back to the conference room with our gear for the gear check. I didn't realize we were going to have unpack our boundary bags for inspection. I guess they've had too many times where people didn't bring the gear they were told to bring. I find this unsettling because I have everything perfectly packed in airtight bags. We start at 1:15 and it looks to be a long time before John and I get checked. This is my first lesson in patience - there will be many on this trip. Eric finally checks John's gear at 2:45. The whole thing seems rather chaotic. After this we did a lot of standing around while they went through the "med" check since this group is on a lot of meds and the side affects can be similar to AMS ( acute mountain sickness). In retrospect, they should have sent the rest of the folks to get change while this was going on so we would not have to stop on the way to the mountain tomorrow. We also have various interviews with the documentary crew while this is going on. John and I get interviewed as a couple. I hope he doesn't end up on the cutting room floor like he did for the news cast in Iowa - no shaking sometimes gets you on the cutting room floor because nobody thinks you have anything wrong with you.
We finally finished the gear check and repack around 4:30. I felt a lot more comfortable with my packing from home and really wish we hadn't done this. While we were standing around during the med check we got a chance to meet more of the folks who came in the night before. I met Sean, from Portland/Hood River, OR who has MS. He's got a great attitude. His wife left him about a year after he was diagnosed despite the fact that he had stayed with her through cancer and several other "trials". You just never know about a person until the going gets tough. He has a 7 year old daughter. I really enjoyed talking to him.
We really hit it off with Tina from Wisconsin, companion climber for Inez from Spain. She another ball of fire and was our dinner companion at Pepe's. Dinner was altogether another fiasco. Logistically speaking its a bad idea to take 30 people to a restaurant and let them order a la carte off a menu with 50 or more items. Its impossible to do this and get out in any reasonable amount of time. I know this from my 5 years as a waitress over 25 years ago. Seems simple and logical but I guess not. We had two entertainers while we were waiting for our food. They did some dancing, limbo and fire eating. We sat at the end of the table with Tina, Inez and Stephanie. Lori asked if any of us wanted to say something on the evening broadcast. Stephanie said her family would probably not be following her. That really bothered me for her. She didn't seem to mind but I minded for her. She teaches Pilates and is working toward a PHD in PT. Dinner took forever and we became increasingly frustrated. I asked Lori first and then Ben if we could just take a cab back and go to bed but they wouldn't make the call without Eric. He was deep in conversation and every time I went to stand by him to ask he ignored me. I don't like being ignored so that was only increasing my aggravation. Another lesson in patience I guess. At this point I was pretty angry and went back down to the end of the table. I closed my eyes and put my hands together in an attempt to calm myself with "yoga breathe". Tina turned to John and said, "What's see doing? Is she praying?" I opened my eyes and told her I was trying to calm myself down because normally in this situation I would turn in to super bitch and I didn't want to do that in front of this new group of people - trying to show my best behavior.
Finally dinner arrived and it was awful. Inez, Tina and Stephanie had all ordered the fish and it was terrible. I ordered pasta which is hard to ruin so I shared with them because I was beyond being hungry. We finally got back to the hotel for final packing, checkout and valuables storage - another poorly planned activity. John and I checked out just as we walked in the door and got that out of the way quickly. I can's say valuables checkin was the same. I waited at least 40 minutes before giving up and deciding to take all our valuables to the mountain with us. So I basically packed my money belt in the bottom of my backpack since it wouldn't be far from me on the mountain. Another lesson in patience. Wonder how many there are going to be on this trip.
Meanwhile back at the room.......
I was checking my clothes for the next day and couldn't find my long john top for the next day that I was supposed to have in my backpack. I proceeded to unpack and repack my safari bag 3 times and everything in my boundary bag once before giving up. By this time it was 11:30, way past when I wanted to get to bed. I finally climbed in to bed. Just after turning out the light and relaxing I remembered where I put it. It was stuffed in the hood of my orange Patagonia rain jacket. I was so wound up at this point that it took me another 30 minutes to fall asleep.
We start orientation at 9:15am. It will be a busy day. While waiting Mickey Babcock and her climbing partner Susie Weber and were talking about how to keep our nasal passages moist in the dry climate. Mickey suggested that we might use the pee funnel as a Neti Pot for salt water! We all got a good laugh out of that. Who knew it could be so useful.
Sierra went to the pharmacy - Mona's - and got Doug some medicine. He is resting in his room during the first part of the orientation. Hope he feels better soon.
Nathan Henwood, one of the climbers with PD, has a Spot and will track our progress on the mountain. The website is . Search under Henwood and you can find the trip.
Our lead guide is Eric Murphy. He's been with Alpine for 11 years and done 30 Kili climbs. He has a degree in Fine Arts, lives on Widby Island, WA and also has a winery. Our second guide is Ben Jones. He's been with Alpine 4 years, been a mountain guide for 9 years. He is from Wyoming. He lives in Jackson, WY.
They go over tipping, basics of the trip, leaving no impact, food, snacks, sunscreen, etc. And then we learn about "self care". This is critical on the mountain. Make sure you have proper hydration - about 4 liters a day of water. Pace yourself at a pace that you can essentially walk all day - that means don't blast out of the gate and run out of juice. This is an endurance challenge not a sprint. Eat foods that are easy to digest - the digestive track slows down at high altitude to give more energy to the respiratory system. Eat complex carbs in the evening. Keep covered up with sunscreen and lipscreen. There is a lot of dust, cover your nose to avoid breathing in a lot of dust. Take care of your feet each day. Wash your feet and put on fresh pair of sock each day when you get in to camp after hiking. Treat your hot spots early.
After this run down we go to the hotel buffet for lunch before heading back to the conference room with our gear for the gear check. I didn't realize we were going to have unpack our boundary bags for inspection. I guess they've had too many times where people didn't bring the gear they were told to bring. I find this unsettling because I have everything perfectly packed in airtight bags. We start at 1:15 and it looks to be a long time before John and I get checked. This is my first lesson in patience - there will be many on this trip. Eric finally checks John's gear at 2:45. The whole thing seems rather chaotic. After this we did a lot of standing around while they went through the "med" check since this group is on a lot of meds and the side affects can be similar to AMS ( acute mountain sickness). In retrospect, they should have sent the rest of the folks to get change while this was going on so we would not have to stop on the way to the mountain tomorrow. We also have various interviews with the documentary crew while this is going on. John and I get interviewed as a couple. I hope he doesn't end up on the cutting room floor like he did for the news cast in Iowa - no shaking sometimes gets you on the cutting room floor because nobody thinks you have anything wrong with you.
We finally finished the gear check and repack around 4:30. I felt a lot more comfortable with my packing from home and really wish we hadn't done this. While we were standing around during the med check we got a chance to meet more of the folks who came in the night before. I met Sean, from Portland/Hood River, OR who has MS. He's got a great attitude. His wife left him about a year after he was diagnosed despite the fact that he had stayed with her through cancer and several other "trials". You just never know about a person until the going gets tough. He has a 7 year old daughter. I really enjoyed talking to him.
We really hit it off with Tina from Wisconsin, companion climber for Inez from Spain. She another ball of fire and was our dinner companion at Pepe's. Dinner was altogether another fiasco. Logistically speaking its a bad idea to take 30 people to a restaurant and let them order a la carte off a menu with 50 or more items. Its impossible to do this and get out in any reasonable amount of time. I know this from my 5 years as a waitress over 25 years ago. Seems simple and logical but I guess not. We had two entertainers while we were waiting for our food. They did some dancing, limbo and fire eating. We sat at the end of the table with Tina, Inez and Stephanie. Lori asked if any of us wanted to say something on the evening broadcast. Stephanie said her family would probably not be following her. That really bothered me for her. She didn't seem to mind but I minded for her. She teaches Pilates and is working toward a PHD in PT. Dinner took forever and we became increasingly frustrated. I asked Lori first and then Ben if we could just take a cab back and go to bed but they wouldn't make the call without Eric. He was deep in conversation and every time I went to stand by him to ask he ignored me. I don't like being ignored so that was only increasing my aggravation. Another lesson in patience I guess. At this point I was pretty angry and went back down to the end of the table. I closed my eyes and put my hands together in an attempt to calm myself with "yoga breathe". Tina turned to John and said, "What's see doing? Is she praying?" I opened my eyes and told her I was trying to calm myself down because normally in this situation I would turn in to super bitch and I didn't want to do that in front of this new group of people - trying to show my best behavior.
Finally dinner arrived and it was awful. Inez, Tina and Stephanie had all ordered the fish and it was terrible. I ordered pasta which is hard to ruin so I shared with them because I was beyond being hungry. We finally got back to the hotel for final packing, checkout and valuables storage - another poorly planned activity. John and I checked out just as we walked in the door and got that out of the way quickly. I can's say valuables checkin was the same. I waited at least 40 minutes before giving up and deciding to take all our valuables to the mountain with us. So I basically packed my money belt in the bottom of my backpack since it wouldn't be far from me on the mountain. Another lesson in patience. Wonder how many there are going to be on this trip.
Meanwhile back at the room.......
I was checking my clothes for the next day and couldn't find my long john top for the next day that I was supposed to have in my backpack. I proceeded to unpack and repack my safari bag 3 times and everything in my boundary bag once before giving up. By this time it was 11:30, way past when I wanted to get to bed. I finally climbed in to bed. Just after turning out the light and relaxing I remembered where I put it. It was stuffed in the hood of my orange Patagonia rain jacket. I was so wound up at this point that it took me another 30 minutes to fall asleep.
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