The dog is sore - he has a stiff-legged gait - and he's skinny. I've increased his daily helping of kibble. My work out motivation is dwindling, but I am planning one last hike tomorrow at Torrey Pines State Park.
Our hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro begins soon. We will be taking the Machame Trail.
Trail Facts: Elevation in feet/ Elevation Gain/Loss /Miles /Hiking Hours
Day 1 5900-9850 +3950 6.2 7
Day 2 9850-12600 +2750 3.8 7
Day 3 12600/15000/1950 +2400 -2050 9 7
Day 4 12950-13100 +150 2.5 3.5
Day 5 13100-15200 +2100 2.5 4
Day 6 Summit 15200-19340 +4140 3.2 8
Summit to Crater 19340-18500 -840 1 2
Crater to Millennium Camp 18500-12000 -6500 6 5
Day 7 12000-6000 -6000 7.5 6
For a total of 41.7 miles. The up and down on day three helps with altitude adjustment.
My packing list:
Hiking boots; comfortable shoes for camp
All clothing wool or synthetic material
Lower body layers - two pair long underwear;hiking pants, rain gear
Upper body layers - two pair long underwear; fleece jacket; down jacket; rain gear
Hats - one for sun, one for warmth
Socks - at least two pair heavy hiking socks
Gloves - two pair for layering
Day pack
Duffle bag with lock
Sleeping bag rated 10 degrees or lower
Sleeping pad
Trekking poles
Headlamp/extra batteries and bulb
Water bottles - Hydration bag + 1 bottle or three 1-liter bottles
Toiletries and roll of toilet paper
Hand towel
First aid kit with bandages and moleskin, also an Ace bandage
Meds - antibiotics, malaria, Diamox (for altitude), Pepto Bismol, ibuprofen
Sunglasses, sunscreen, lip block.
Pocket knife/watch
Camera
Journal, book, playing cards
Favorite snacks - no more than one 1lb
Tips for guides and porters
And last but not least - a great attitude backed by tons of will power and thoughts like the little engine that could "I think I can, I think I can." =)
My next blog will be from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
June 14, 2010
Why am I attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
I’m not sure I could give a definitive answer. I first thought about climbing it when I learned people I knew were headed up the mountain. I asked them about their trip, and was invited to come along. For several years, the possibility of hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro would arise, but the timing was never right.
Maybe it’s the exotic location of Mt. Kilimanjaro just south of the equator. I’ve never been to Africa, and I am looking forward to experiencing a different environment and culture. We will pass through four different vegetation zones and accompanying microclimates ranging from tropical to freezing temperatures.
Maybe it’s the legendary nature of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and how Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” -although I have read the mummified leopard is no longer on the mountain. Maybe it’s simply because it’s there, and it’s a mountain I can hike without any technical climbing skills. All that’s needed is aerobic training, appropriate clothing and sheer determination.
Why have I climbed Half Dome, hiked up and down Mt. Whitney in a day, and run three-half marathons, yet I have no interest in running a full marathon, or bicycling fifty miles on a regular basis as my husband does each Saturday? I did participate in a fifty mile Rosarito to Ensenada bicycle ride once, but only to say I did it and check it off my list.
My daughters like to remind me that I vowed to never volunteer to do anything hard again after a taxing backpacking trip in the Sierras Nevadas.
I remember when Astronaut Neil Armstrong took his giant stride for mankind onto the moon. I always thought space travel would be fun. When NASA announced it would bring civilians along as space shuttle passengers in the early 1980s, I was excited to submit my application to be the first journalist in space.
But hand me a pair of ice skates or downhill skis, and I will turn away with a shudder. I have no idea why anybody would want to scale Mt. Everest or sail around the world alone.
I doubt the entire hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro will be fun. Our leader has warned us we will reach a point where willpower will be the sole force driving our feet forward one painful, breath- laboring step at a time.
Why am I attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
I suppose it comes down to a mix of things – personality and environment and that ONE BIG SNOW COVERED ITEM that somehow bubbled to the top of my list of things I want to do.
I’m not sure I could give a definitive answer. I first thought about climbing it when I learned people I knew were headed up the mountain. I asked them about their trip, and was invited to come along. For several years, the possibility of hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro would arise, but the timing was never right.
Maybe it’s the exotic location of Mt. Kilimanjaro just south of the equator. I’ve never been to Africa, and I am looking forward to experiencing a different environment and culture. We will pass through four different vegetation zones and accompanying microclimates ranging from tropical to freezing temperatures.
Maybe it’s the legendary nature of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and how Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” -although I have read the mummified leopard is no longer on the mountain. Maybe it’s simply because it’s there, and it’s a mountain I can hike without any technical climbing skills. All that’s needed is aerobic training, appropriate clothing and sheer determination.
Why have I climbed Half Dome, hiked up and down Mt. Whitney in a day, and run three-half marathons, yet I have no interest in running a full marathon, or bicycling fifty miles on a regular basis as my husband does each Saturday? I did participate in a fifty mile Rosarito to Ensenada bicycle ride once, but only to say I did it and check it off my list.
My daughters like to remind me that I vowed to never volunteer to do anything hard again after a taxing backpacking trip in the Sierras Nevadas.
I remember when Astronaut Neil Armstrong took his giant stride for mankind onto the moon. I always thought space travel would be fun. When NASA announced it would bring civilians along as space shuttle passengers in the early 1980s, I was excited to submit my application to be the first journalist in space.
But hand me a pair of ice skates or downhill skis, and I will turn away with a shudder. I have no idea why anybody would want to scale Mt. Everest or sail around the world alone.
I doubt the entire hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro will be fun. Our leader has warned us we will reach a point where willpower will be the sole force driving our feet forward one painful, breath- laboring step at a time.
Why am I attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
I suppose it comes down to a mix of things – personality and environment and that ONE BIG SNOW COVERED ITEM that somehow bubbled to the top of my list of things I want to do.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
June 5, 2010
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am always amazed at the poverty and lack of basic services not that far south of where I live very comfortably in my tract home. I can turn a faucet and clean water gushes out, flip a switch and have electric lighting, and push a lever and flush my toilet. I back out of my driveway in my car and traverse paved and landscaped roads that are regulated by functional traffic signals. I anticipate encountering a similar situation in Tanzania as the one we recently experienced in Mexico when we work in some of the villages at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The video "Miniature Earth," which can be viewed on YouTube, states that the majority of the world's population lacks basic sanitation and struggles to live on $2 U.S. or less a day. Because I have a refrigerator to put my food in, a closet for my clothes, a bed and a roof over my head, I am among the wealthiest in the world.
But poverty isn't solely a lack of material goods according to interviews of 60,000 poor worldwide who were asked the question "what is poverty?" by the authors of "When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor." The poor defined poverty as powerlessness, isolation and invisibility. One said he is considered the same as unwanted garbage.
We have all seen the devastation of Haiti after the earthquake which plunged an already impoverished country into an even more desperate situation. Sometimes just thinking about the overwhelming need in the world can be staggering.
When I go to Mexico on Memorial Day weekend to build a house, it's easy to look around at the neighborhood of deeply rutted, dusty roads, the homes built out of discarded garage doors and tar paper, the dangling wires ferrying stolen electricity and wonder - will one house even make a difference?
But I have to start somewhere. I reminded of the story about the starfish stranded on a beach. I can't save all of them, but I can return one at a time to the ocean. I can also be grateful each day for the many privileges I have.
The video "Miniature Earth," which can be viewed on YouTube, states that the majority of the world's population lacks basic sanitation and struggles to live on $2 U.S. or less a day. Because I have a refrigerator to put my food in, a closet for my clothes, a bed and a roof over my head, I am among the wealthiest in the world.
But poverty isn't solely a lack of material goods according to interviews of 60,000 poor worldwide who were asked the question "what is poverty?" by the authors of "When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor." The poor defined poverty as powerlessness, isolation and invisibility. One said he is considered the same as unwanted garbage.
We have all seen the devastation of Haiti after the earthquake which plunged an already impoverished country into an even more desperate situation. Sometimes just thinking about the overwhelming need in the world can be staggering.
When I go to Mexico on Memorial Day weekend to build a house, it's easy to look around at the neighborhood of deeply rutted, dusty roads, the homes built out of discarded garage doors and tar paper, the dangling wires ferrying stolen electricity and wonder - will one house even make a difference?
But I have to start somewhere. I reminded of the story about the starfish stranded on a beach. I can't save all of them, but I can return one at a time to the ocean. I can also be grateful each day for the many privileges I have.
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A final view of Mt. Kilimanjaro
It's Official
At the Roof of Africa
Crater
Glaciers
Barafu Camp
Looking back at Karanga Valley Camp
Morning Send Off
Barranca Wall
Top of Barranca Wall
The Dining Tent
Trail to Lava Tower
Shira Camp
Machame Trail
Machame Gate
Half Dome cables
Towering Tree
this is a former house plant that I tired of, I didn't want to throw it out, so I dug a hole for it in the dog yard. It's thriving despite me.
