October 29, 2009

Some specifics on the climb: At 19,340 ft., Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa. It is in the country of Tanzania. There are several different routes up to the top which one website describes as "basically like a long hike." Most of the way is a dirt trail passing through numerous micro-climates. At the top, there usually is some snow to walk across, and we will be visiting the crater on our descent which looks absolutely gorgeous from pictures I have seen. Traffic on the mountain is limited by the necessity of having to hire a guide, and porta-potties are at strategic locations. We will be following the 7-day Machame route, summiting on the next to last day. The summit day is the hardest - going to bed at 7 p.m., sleeping for four or five hours, waking at midnight to hike, arriving at the summit by sunrise. According to one website, "almost anyone of moderate fitness has a fighting chance of summiting." I hope that will be us! =)

October 21

We are so fortunate to live near Torrey Pines State Reserve. This past Saturday, I walked most of its trials - many overlooking the ocean- with my friend who said we covered seven miles. It sure felt like it, especially since she is probably one of the fastest walkers I know. The reserve is above Torrey Pines State Beach, a popular surfing spot. We decided to get there early as hot weather was predicted. I arrived just before our agreed upon meeting time of 8 a.m. Free parking along the coast highway is at a premium, so when I saw a surfer walking with his board under his arm, I crept along in my car behind him. I don't know if he was simply stretching out his surfing time - maybe he had to work or do chores at home and wasn't anxious to leave or maybe he was enjoying torturing me - but he sure was slow. First, he opened the back of his car and got out an old towel which he used to wipe every last water drop from his board. He laid a surf board cover on the ground and carefully inserted his board into it and zipped it closed. When the surfboard was stowed in the car like its was made out of spun glass, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of his wetsuit. He pulled on his shorts - one precise leg at a time. He rubbed his legs with his towel. He put on a shirt. Brushed his hair. At least ten minutes had passed by now. Bicyclists in colorful spandex whizzed by in large numbers. Clutches of walkers and runners with IPODS had swerved around my waiting car. Finally, he opened the driver's door, got in, turned on the engine, the backup lights came on and....he signaled for my friend to walk behind him- she had come to look for me. She signaled that no, he should go ahead. With nothing else to hold him back, he reversed out of the spot and drove onto the highway - the parking space was free at last!

October 15, 2009

I never found Deal Or No Deal interesting until I spent 20 minutes on a Stairmaster where the show suddenly became vastly entertaining!

October 14, 2009

Hiked at high altitude on Saturday. Bruce and I did a 4.2 mile round trip hike to Parker Lake in the Eastern Sierras with our daughter Dana, her husband Eric and Eric's parents. Also Dodger Dog! I felt pretty good. A little light headed at first, but drank some water and felt better. The weather was beautiful, the scenery gorgeous.
Last week I went to our Mt. K trip leader's house and found out what she meant when she said we need to wear four layers of clothing (YIKES!) It's not as bad as I thought though. I was picturing waddling up the trail with all my clothes piled on me like our daughter Julie used to do when she was a little girl. She would put all of her dresses on at once - so funny. I also saw pictures of the TABLE AND CHAIRS the porters will be hauling for us as well as the delicious looking food. No dehydrated dinners - YESSSS!

October 6, 2009

My oldest daughter turned 25 on Sunday. Wish I could say her birth seemed like yesterday but it doesn't! =) I do remember how long it was, how shocked I was to see the swollen bellies of women who had already had their babies. I thought my stomach would immediately return to its pre-pregnancy size as soon as my baby popped out. Twenty five years ago natural births were all the rage. Doctors were suspect. I reviewed a book for the newspaper (was working as a reporter at the time) on the evil black doctor bag. I didn't go so far as to dismiss my doctor, but I did have a "natural" birth in the hospital, no I.V. drugs. Let's see, labor lasted about 20 hours, we will be taking six days to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. If I add in my other two pregnancies and labor, I might find some sort of correlation.

October 2, 2009

Went on a "mini" run this morning. The first time running has felt good since completing the August half marathon. Didn't even go two miles =) Later went on a kayak tour with Julie and my parents - my dad is 82! The water off La Jolla was like glass. We managed to tip over on the way in though - in a wave that was probably five inches high - ha ha. Too funny! Good thing my dad was not in the kayak with me. Not sure how this prepared me for next summer's climb. I did use it to justify a huge Mexican dinner with margaritas and tons of chips. Walking around the San Diego Zoo with my parents on Thursday afternoon in the heat might qualify as climbing preparation. We did see some animals that are native to Tanzania.