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Our journey as a big group has just ended. We are in the parking lot waiving our final goodbyes to our new friends. They will be boarding one of the small planes soon to fly back to Kilimanjaro airport. I wonder if the runway is smoother than these Serengeti roads. We really don't have much idea of what our adventure today will be. We have a new driven Solomon - they call him King Solomon. He was actually the guide who found the black rhino the day before. We realize as we pull out of the parking lot that our game drive will be in the Serengeti. For some reason I was thinking we were going back to the Crater. Solomon drives us directly to this amazing little watering hole where there a lot of zebras getting a drink and cooling off. He points to some lions just off in the bushes. One of them is stalking the zebras. We watch with great anticipation as she makes her way down through the reads. The zebras sense her presence and start running. She strikes to soon and they all get away. Solomon tells us she is young. He can tell because she still has some faint spots on her fur. The inexperience cost her a nice breakfast. We watch for a few more minutes and then drive on. He takes us looking for a leopard. We wind around on the way to the leopard and find another pair of lions resting near a tree by the road. We watch them for a bit and then make our way down the road. Shortly he stops again and points to a tree in the distance. There is a leopard in the tree with her gazelle "breakfast" dangling from a branch. She had a good morning. We watch for a few minutes before driving on. Further down the road we see a hyena walking along with a gazelle hanging from her mouth. Solomon explains that the hyena has probably gotten the gazelle from a cheetah. Cheetahs are afraid of hyenas. Lots of buzzards are hanging out waiting for their turn in the food chain. We watch while the hyena eats a little and then abruptly gets up and starts heading off in to the grasses with the food. We are trying to figure out why. Then we suddenly see why. Up ahead in the distance we see a lion walking toward us. She is coming to take the gazelle from the hyena. She makes her way over to the grasses where we saw the hyena disappear. We can't see the action but the grass is moving around busily. Suddenly the hyena comes sulking away - no more gazelle. Lion is king of the Serengeti. The Cheetah makes the kill, loses to the hyena who loses to the lion and eventually the buzzards will get some too. Well that's part of the circle of life here.
We continue driving around looking for lions but the afternoon is bearing down on us. It is very dusty and we are getting tired. We eat our box lunches and start to fade. We find another lion of in the distance near the Kopje's but she isn't moving. We watch for a while but then start to make our way back to the back entrance/exit. We stop for our check out procedure and grab a few beers and some chips. After knocking back and beer John, Sierra and Monique seem to dose off and on while we make our way back through the Olduvai Gorge. I nod off a few times myself. I am tired. Its a long drive back and the road is even dustier than I remember. I have my buff pulled over my face for a good portion of the day. As we make our way back up the Crater road we see a Land Cruiser that has been in an accident. It looks like it rolled over the edge. There are lots of people standing around but it looks like it has already been taken care of and the occupants have already been taken away. The front glass was broken so I hope they were not injured badly. No way to know though. After another couple of hours we are out of the Crater area and back on the road to Lake Manyara. This was the area of the Iraqw people (see earlier blog entry). Finally we make a left off onto a dirt road. There are a number of shacks along the road side and I joke to Monique and Sierra that they can have the one with the roof. I guess its not really nice to make a joke like that when so many in Africa have such poor living conditions. We round a corner and arrive in front of our lodge surrounded by lush trees. It is a very peaceful looking setting.
Again the porters take our bags. We are escorted to a two story building with a thatch roof where are rooms are next to each other. We each have a balcony. Ours looks out on to the Lake down below in the distance. It is a salt water lake and still pretty even though much of it is dry right now. We decide to meet for drinks at 7. A shower is definitely in order to wash off all the dust from today. I think this was the winner in terms of dust but then that's probably not true. Summit day was probably the winner in terms of dust, well, who knows, there is so much dust here every day could be the winner!
All cleaned up John and make our way down to the bar a little early. It really is a beautiful setting here. Would have been nice to stay here for a day or two. They have a bicycle excursion in to town or an option to tour with a local farmer. Too bad we don't have more time. I feel like I am watching the last sands go through the hour glass. It is almost over. We enjoy the gentle night breeze with a glass of wine. The bar and restaurant are open air with a full view of the Lake Manyara Park below. It is so relaxing sitting here talking about our trip and how much fun we've had. Sierra and Monique arrive and we toast each other and the day. This was our best day on safari with the ballon ride to start and the action of the lion hunting and seeing the leopard and hyena. We've seen it all and didn't feel so rushed today. It was more relaxing. We talk a little about plans when we go back home. Monique has a dream for a neuro-wellness center which I love! We talk about it and how great it would be to have them in Colorado. I am keeping my fingers crossed but either way I want to help them make it happen no matter where it is.
Its getting late and we decide we better get to our table. There is a huge buffet with lots of choices. I try lots of the different salad options and some fish for dinner. John goes for the pasta! Much of the food has an Indian flare to it here as well. There are also lots of fruits and various desert choices. We eat way to much and drink more wine, lingering because we just don't want the night and the trip to end. We had decide on a 9 o'clock departure to get ourselves back to the Arusha Hotel in time to get bags and get to the airport. Walking back to the room we hear singing in the bar area so we stop and grab a seat. What looks to be some sort of gospel choir is singing and dancing. Their voices are beautiful. As we are sitting there I lean over to Sierra and say how cool it would be if they would sing the song from the mountain - Jambo, Jambo. Just then they start singing the song. I can't believe it! Its miraculous. Just like the entire trip. What a way to end the night. I am trying to upload the video to youtube. Will add a link if I get it figured out. We decide it is time to turn in. We make our way slowly to our rooms. We don't want to say good night. Its gone by all too fast but I am so glad we had this extra day with Monique and Sierra. It has helped us unwind.
Sweat dreams of Africa. One last time.
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Friday, August 19, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Lessons I Learned from the Mountain
I have been thinking a lot about what I learned while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Throughout my life I have been a person who seeks constant knowledge. I actually need to be learning and doing new things in order to be truly fulfilled and happy. Sometimes that learning comes from reading a book about a topic I know nothing about, sometimes it comes from asking other people questions (my innate curiosity), sometimes from actually taking the time to sit and reflect on my life's experiences. The one I have the hardest time with is actually sitting down to reflect on what my experiences have taught me. But I have done just that - reflected on the lessons of the mountain and of the people who joined me on the mountain.
1. Patience - there is a time for everything, slow down and savor each moment, look around and NOTICE, everyone and everything isn't on your timetable and they don't need to be
2. Life is an Adventure - Remember this every day of your life, even in the most ordinary of moments life can and should be an adventure. Live Large.
3. Every step counts. No matter how small.
4. Find joy in your accomplishments. The big ones, the small ones and everything in between.
5. Don't get down if you don't reach every goal. If you reach every goal in your life it probably means you aren't setting the bar high enough and stretching yourself beyond what you think is possible.
6. Gratitude - Be grateful for even the smallest things: the next step, a drink of water, a warm meal, a soft place to lay your head down, a smile, a word of encouragement, friendships, possibilities, struggles, and especially for PORTERS. We often forget to be grateful.
7. There are no boundaries to your life other than the one's you set for yourself.
8. The only failure is in not trying.
9. Overcoming obstacles, fears, pain, and discouragement is so much easier with love and support.
10. Wear your Buff if you don't want to be blowing black stuff out of your nose for a week.
11. Human connection and understanding doesn't always need a common language. The language of emotion is universal.
12. Leaving your fears behind is truly empowering.
13. Life is too short not to savor every minute.
14. Connecting deeply with others is one of the most fulfilling things in life and it has more power to heal than all the medicine in the world.
15. People make mistakes - move on and let it go.
16. Self preservation is a strong instinct.
17. Pee with the wind to your back when using a pee funnel!
18. Watching out for others has its own rewards.
19. People have interesting stories. Remember that. Remember to ask. Remember that each of us is a composite of our stories.
And finally,
Sometimes it will be cloudy
Sometimes it will be bitter cold
Sometimes it will be dark
Sometimes the path will be dusty
Sometimes the path will be obscured
Sometimes the path will be rocky
Sometimes the path will be steep
Sometimes the path will be unstable
Sometimes the path will be uncertain
Sometimes the path may seem insurmountable
But
Overcoming the obstacles and accomplishing what is most difficult is what gives life its purpose and meaning. Enjoy the dust, bumps, rocks, hills, ravines and mysteries. they are what make the sunsets and full moons more magnificent.
I hope that my fellow travelers will add to this the lessons that they've learned from the mountain as well.
1. Patience - there is a time for everything, slow down and savor each moment, look around and NOTICE, everyone and everything isn't on your timetable and they don't need to be
2. Life is an Adventure - Remember this every day of your life, even in the most ordinary of moments life can and should be an adventure. Live Large.
3. Every step counts. No matter how small.
4. Find joy in your accomplishments. The big ones, the small ones and everything in between.
5. Don't get down if you don't reach every goal. If you reach every goal in your life it probably means you aren't setting the bar high enough and stretching yourself beyond what you think is possible.
6. Gratitude - Be grateful for even the smallest things: the next step, a drink of water, a warm meal, a soft place to lay your head down, a smile, a word of encouragement, friendships, possibilities, struggles, and especially for PORTERS. We often forget to be grateful.
7. There are no boundaries to your life other than the one's you set for yourself.
8. The only failure is in not trying.
9. Overcoming obstacles, fears, pain, and discouragement is so much easier with love and support.
10. Wear your Buff if you don't want to be blowing black stuff out of your nose for a week.
11. Human connection and understanding doesn't always need a common language. The language of emotion is universal.
12. Leaving your fears behind is truly empowering.
13. Life is too short not to savor every minute.
14. Connecting deeply with others is one of the most fulfilling things in life and it has more power to heal than all the medicine in the world.
15. People make mistakes - move on and let it go.
16. Self preservation is a strong instinct.
17. Pee with the wind to your back when using a pee funnel!
18. Watching out for others has its own rewards.
19. People have interesting stories. Remember that. Remember to ask. Remember that each of us is a composite of our stories.
And finally,
Sometimes it will be cloudy
Sometimes it will be bitter cold
Sometimes it will be dark
Sometimes the path will be dusty
Sometimes the path will be obscured
Sometimes the path will be rocky
Sometimes the path will be steep
Sometimes the path will be unstable
Sometimes the path will be uncertain
Sometimes the path may seem insurmountable
But
Overcoming the obstacles and accomplishing what is most difficult is what gives life its purpose and meaning. Enjoy the dust, bumps, rocks, hills, ravines and mysteries. they are what make the sunsets and full moons more magnificent.
I hope that my fellow travelers will add to this the lessons that they've learned from the mountain as well.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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.
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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