June 25, 2010

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!

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.

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.

May 28, 2010

We will soon be on our way to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. My husband plotted a hike profile showing our elevation gain each day. Afterwards he said he knew why the mountain is called "kill a man," he says he is trying to figure out what the jaro stands for. Hope he still has his sense of humor on summit day.
I have bicycled at least once a week for the past year, but when I started seriously training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, I made more of an effort to push myself especially when riding up hills. When my quads start protesting, I just think of climbing the mountain and pedal through the burn.
Today, I bicycled about 30 miles round trip to a farmer's market east of where we live. The route was hillier than the one we normally take up the coast. I was surprised when I was able to make it up the hills fairly quickly (at least for me) and the burn didn't kick in until near the top. Guess all those stairmaster workouts and squats are paying off! I stopped at the top of the longest hill on the way home, and I think I disappointed the man who rode by shortly after on his bicycle. I'm sure he was trying to pass me on the hill, and I took away the thrill for him by simply pulling over. ha ha
Tomorrow we are headed to Mexico to build a house during the Memorial Day weekend with Amor Ministries (www.amor.org). This will be our fourth time. I'm usually pretty sore by the end of the first day of construction. Working out like I normally do does not equal a full day of hammering and sawing. We will return on Monday afternoon, and a family will have a completed, sturdier house than the one they currently inhabit. It's a pretty amazing process, and always so surprising to witness sure dire poverty less than an hour south of north San Diego.

May 20, 2010

Last Saturday, some in our Mt. Kilimanjaro hiking group drove to Mt. San Jacinto for a training hike. Mt. San Jacinto, 10,824 ft. at it's peak, is within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument as well as in San Jacinto State Park.
The peak is accessible from several different points; we took the aerial tram from Palm Springs which carries visitors from 2,648 ft. up the side of a rocky cliff and deposits them at an elevation of 8,516 ft. The glass walled tram rotates, and I would not recommend it to anyone who is afraid of heights. I have been up the tram many times, and the temperature and terrain variation from the bottom to the top never fails to amaze me. We arrived at the tram at 8:15 a.m.: the desert temperature was already in the upper 70s. When we stepped outside at the top, I needed my sweatshirt. Pine trees, large boulders and snow dotted the landscape.
In fact, a very minor portion of our hike was on a dirt trail. We spent most of the day ascending and descending on a snow pack.
From the minute we balanced on a log, crossed a full stream and stepped onto the snow, I knew the hike would be a challenge for me. Daytime temperatures had gotten warm enough to melt the top few inches of the snow, but nighttime temperatures froze the liquid mush. We were on the trail early enough that ice patches still remained in the shadows of the trees.
I couldn't describe in detail the landscape surrounding me for the earliest portion of the hike, as I was intently focused on the "trail" - bootprints left on a narrow ledge by those who went before me. I figured if I didn't acknowledge the slippery slope that ended in the stream, it wouldn't exist. (On the way down, my daughter referred to this portion as the icy balance beam - she slid across it in running shoes.)
Once we left the stream behind, I felt better and enjoyed the climb.
After lunch, our leader decided to continue for a little while longer and we began traversing a snow slide, another of my more challenging moments. When I did look up, the views were spectacular - a pristine blanket of white underfoot and angling down into the pines several hundred yards below and the brown desert in the distance.
We got close to 10,000 ft. elevation, but were unable to reach the peak due to the snow. Our leader also wanted to make sure we descended before the temperature dropped and the snow which had melted during our climb froze again.
I have admitted in previous blogs that I do not like steep downhills - add slippery snow to the mix and...I'll just say I added a whole new dimension to the phrase "inched her way along." At some points, it was easier to sit and slide. My nylon hiking pants held up well I'm happy to report!
When I finally wobbled back across the log again and stepped onto dirt, I felt like the kissing it. I never knew dirt could look so good.
Back at the bottom of the tram, the temperature was nearly 90. Our family went into Palm Springs. I had a huge burger, onion rings and the most delicious cold beer. I figured I deserved it.

May 14, 2010

The glaciers on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro have been receding since they were first recorded in the late 1800s and more so in the last decade. I have read several articles about the struggle to keep the mountain clean of litter from the numerous hikers that traverse its trails. The base of the mountain suffers from deforestation.
We often talk about the environment and our impact on it, but how often do we recognize the connection between the environment and poverty?
Many in the majority world or third world are rural poor and eke out an existence by living off the land. Often, this involves deforestation, cutting trees and selling or using the lumber for cooking or heat, as farmers continually seek good soil for their crops.
We are traveling to Tanzania under the auspices of Plant With Purpose, a non-profit organization based in San Diego. For three days before climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, we will volunteer in a few of the villages where Plant With Purpose works with the community.
Founded in 1984, Plant With Purpose - www.plantwithpurpose.org - has been in Tanzania for four years. It's mission is to "help the poor restore productivity to their land to create economic opportunity out of environmental restoration." Twenty two communities in regions surrounding Mt. Kilimanjaro participate in community driven projects such as village community banks, tree planting - more than 350,000 for farming and reforestation planted so far- and family vegetable gardens. According to the Plant With Purpose website, members of these self-governing groups or village community banks raise and distribute their own funds, and have generated $120,000 of loan capital to improve their farms, send their children to school, and begin small businesses.
Plant With Purpose has worked with more than 100,000 people around the world in Tanzania, Thailand, Haiti, Mexico and the Dominican Republic since recognizing the connection between the environment and poverty.
I'm excited about seeing what has been done in Tanzania. www.plantwithpurpose.org

May 7, 2010

When I first started training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, I vowed to pick up the pace in May. The month snuck up on me quicker than I thought, probably because May 1 was on a Saturday and who wants to work out harder on the weekend? Plus, we were out celebrating my youngest daughter's 18th birthday the night before. I was under the mistaken impression that the Hawaiian martini I ordered would be mixed with pineapple juice rather than just having a piece of alcohol soaked fruit jauntily dangling on the rim.
But enough with the excuses! The climb is rapidly approaching and there is no time to waste.
Sunday, I bicycled 25 miles along the coast. Monday, I walked.
Tuesday, I pushed myself on the elliptical at the gym, increasing the slant to target quads and gluts. Then, I lifted weights and did squats.
I put in my usual three mile walk on Wednesday morning, followed by another killer four plus miles that afternoon - jog walking behind a long legged friend on rock strewn Torrey Pines State Beach, up the Broken Hill trial with its zig-zags and stairs and back down through the reserve. Balancing on the cobbled beach, jumping onto the larger rocks to avoid the incoming tide - all very important I've been told to build up those crucial trail muscles.
On Thursday morning, I spent an hour and a half trailing after another friend all over the hills and valleys of Solana Beach - looping through the San Elijo lagoon headed east, under the I-5 freeway, climbing steep streets, back under the freeway and west to her house. After, I went to the gym for another workout.
From now until our departure, the trick for me will be figuring out the right balance of physical preparation. Typically, I err on the side of over-working: my anxieties that I have not done enough overcoming common sense.
The year we climbed Mt. Whitney in late August, I started intensifying my workouts in April, culminating the training with an 11-mile "death run" through the Rancho Penasquitos Canyon Preserve on a hot summer morning.
It's probably a good thing there will be two weeks of a forced exercise haitus before we head up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Otherwise, my muscles would be fatigued from the start and I wouldn't have even stepped boot on the trail.
I took today off from exercising (does throwing the ball at dog park count as exercise?), but I will be back at it tomorrow with another long walk, and a bicycle ride up the coast on Sunday morning.