Jan. 17, 2011

I was perusing the broccoli at a local supermarket when I saw a friend with her shopping cart. We started talking about her upcoming trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro in June 2011. I hope I didn't scare her.
She has been doing a lot of training, but said I was the first to tell her the climb was hard. She is a runner and has climbed Mt. Whitney (at 14,505 ft. the highest point in California and the contiguous United States). My daughter, who summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro with me last July, wanted to know if I had suggested the friend turn around and climb Mt. Whitney six more times in a row to get a feel for what it's like to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Of course I didn't.
I promised to make a list of items I wished I had taken. The list follows:
A handkerchief - my nose ran constantly and was beyond the help of tissues.
Another roll of toilet paper - this needs no explanation.
More snacks - the three meals are wonderful, but snacks are essential
Better gloves - I was warned to take two good pair of gloves for summit day. I thought I had, but I was wrong. This was where I should have spent extra money. Snacks cannot be eaten with the outer glove, so it must be removed numerous times. A good inner glove would have made this task a lot easier.
A good moisturizer - I did have one, but just thought I would mention it. One of my daughters had sunscreen, but still got pretty wind chapped. My moisturizer cleared that up.
My friend and I made plans for coffee and further chatting. I assured my friend that her trip leader would fully prepare her for the climb. She will be with the same woman who led our trip, the same woman who just climbed Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. Then again, maybe I can give my friend some more hints about how an ordinary woman (like me) can summit Mt. Kilimanjaro! (check out my website www.janicecoy.com)