Dad & Rich enjoying lunch poolside and recovering from our climb.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Kibo Palace Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Enjoying some R&R
Well... We made it to the summit! Now we're enjoying a little bit of rest and relaxation at a lovely hotel in Arusha before we head out to Serengeti for a safari tomorrow.
Dad & Rich enjoying lunch poolside and recovering from our climb.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Dad & Rich enjoying lunch poolside and recovering from our climb.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
From the Base of Kilimanjaro...
Jambo everyone!
Well, after 22 hours of travel, I'm happy to report we are all safe and sound at our hotel in Moshi and enjoying a day of rest before we start up the mountain tomorrow. Everything has gone extremely smoothly so far. We met Dad in Amsterdam without trouble and our flights were all smooth and on-time. Our bags were waiting for us when we got here, and we were first in line for customs due to securing our visas before arrival. On that note, I'm so glad we took care of our visas before getting here! I would say 90% of the people on our flight did not per-purchase their visas, so the line to apply and receive one when you got there was about 2-hours long. Needless to say I was glad we didn't have to stand in that line!
We all slept well last night and had a meeting with our mountain guide at 10 a.m. He talked to use about our route, what to expect, how much to pack and also the different flora and fauna we'll encounter along the way. We will start our journey at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow by doing the 1-hour drive to Machame Gate and then hiking 18km (12 miles) to our first camp called Machame hut. We spent our afternoon today rearranging things from our base camp bags into our day packs and the duffel bags our porters will carry.
It's hard to believe this day is here! Our plan for tonight is to eat dinner and play a game of Scrabble around 8 p.m. and then head to bed early. I'll keep you posted on who wins at Scrabble, as it's sure to be a lively round.
Tomorrow we're off to begin realizing our dreams of reaching the "Roof of Africa"! Thanks so much for all your prayers and thoughts. Can't wait to share our adventure with you all in about 8 days!
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| Our first picture IN AFRICA! At our hotel in Moshi |
Well, after 22 hours of travel, I'm happy to report we are all safe and sound at our hotel in Moshi and enjoying a day of rest before we start up the mountain tomorrow. Everything has gone extremely smoothly so far. We met Dad in Amsterdam without trouble and our flights were all smooth and on-time. Our bags were waiting for us when we got here, and we were first in line for customs due to securing our visas before arrival. On that note, I'm so glad we took care of our visas before getting here! I would say 90% of the people on our flight did not per-purchase their visas, so the line to apply and receive one when you got there was about 2-hours long. Needless to say I was glad we didn't have to stand in that line!
We all slept well last night and had a meeting with our mountain guide at 10 a.m. He talked to use about our route, what to expect, how much to pack and also the different flora and fauna we'll encounter along the way. We will start our journey at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow by doing the 1-hour drive to Machame Gate and then hiking 18km (12 miles) to our first camp called Machame hut. We spent our afternoon today rearranging things from our base camp bags into our day packs and the duffel bags our porters will carry.
It's hard to believe this day is here! Our plan for tonight is to eat dinner and play a game of Scrabble around 8 p.m. and then head to bed early. I'll keep you posted on who wins at Scrabble, as it's sure to be a lively round.
Tomorrow we're off to begin realizing our dreams of reaching the "Roof of Africa"! Thanks so much for all your prayers and thoughts. Can't wait to share our adventure with you all in about 8 days!
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| We used Google+ with Mark in Edmonton-- he was the only one awake! |
Sunday, August 21, 2011
A Dream Come True!
Wow. Is today really here?! I've literally been dreaming about this day since I was seven years old. The weeks leading up to today have been so busy that they haven't really allowed Rich and I time to think about the trip. But here we are, sitting at the San Diego airport at 5:30 a.m. waiting for our flight. I finished my MBA program just two days ago, Rich wrapped up learning to fly a new aircraft on Thursday, the movers picked up all of our belongings on Friday and now we are leaving for Africa for three weeks. No wonder these last few days in San Diego seem to have flown by! That's a lot going on in a short time.
Our journey today will take us from San Diego to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam where we'll meet up with my Dad, and then Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, Africa. Who knew there was an international airport just for Mount Kilimanjaro?
As I reflect on the last twenty years it took to get me to this point, I can't do anything but thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed. My life has changed a lot over the last two decades! I've taken on new adventures and challenges, seen the priorities in my life shift from soccer to school to marriage...and I've even taken up citizenship in a new country! Throughout everything, things have always just seemed to work out. This trip is no exception. The timing, the finances, the opportunity. There's no way it could have happened without help from above.
So, as we depart this morning, I am just filled with gratefulness and thanks...thanks for all the blessings I've been given, including this one. Thanks for the amazing family and friends we have praying for us along this journey. And thanks for this precious time with my Daddy and husband as we undertake the adventure of a lifetime! We'll see you after the summit :-)
Our journey today will take us from San Diego to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam where we'll meet up with my Dad, and then Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, Africa. Who knew there was an international airport just for Mount Kilimanjaro?
As I reflect on the last twenty years it took to get me to this point, I can't do anything but thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed. My life has changed a lot over the last two decades! I've taken on new adventures and challenges, seen the priorities in my life shift from soccer to school to marriage...and I've even taken up citizenship in a new country! Throughout everything, things have always just seemed to work out. This trip is no exception. The timing, the finances, the opportunity. There's no way it could have happened without help from above.
So, as we depart this morning, I am just filled with gratefulness and thanks...thanks for all the blessings I've been given, including this one. Thanks for the amazing family and friends we have praying for us along this journey. And thanks for this precious time with my Daddy and husband as we undertake the adventure of a lifetime! We'll see you after the summit :-)
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| Getting Goofy/Delirious at the San Diego Airport |
Monday, August 15, 2011
To the Top of Kilimanjaro: Day-by-Day
An overview of the climb each day compiled by Paul.
| Date | Activity | ||||||||||
| Aug-24 | Drive to National Park Gate to start Machame Route | ||||||||||
| Overnight at Machame Hut -- 1200m (3960') climb Altitude in Evening: 3300m (10,890'), 10km | |||||||||||
| Aug-25 | Machame Hut to Shira Hut -- steep start gentle ending Altitude in Evening: 3800m (12,540'), 9 km | ||||||||||
| Aug-26 | Shira Hut to Lava Tower to Baranco Hut - -up to 4500m (14850') | ||||||||||
| Lots of up's and down's Altitude in Evening: 3940m (13,002'), 12km | |||||||||||
| Aug-27 | Baranco Hut to Karanga Valley - Baranco Wall in the morning Altitude in Evening: 3900m (12, 870), 5km | ||||||||||
| Aug-28 | Karanga Valley to Barafu Altitude in the Evening: 4800m (15,840'), 8 km | ||||||||||
| Aug-29 | Barafu to Uhuru Peak ( 5895m - 19454') to Mweka Altitude in the Evening: 3100m (10,230'), 20 km | ||||||||||
| Aug-30 | Mweka Camp to Mekwa Gate-- drive to Moshi, 10 km | ||||||||||
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| We will be hiking the Machame Route! |
Monday, August 8, 2011
Lessons Learned: Gear
Rich and I were discussing what we learned from our treck up to the summit of Mount Whitney and I decided to share them with you. Here are the top three tidbits of info we wish we'd known before Whitney, but are glad we figured out before Kilimanjaro:
1) Bring Poles! Prior to hiking Mount Whitney, Rich and I had been told by several people that poles were a necessity for a successful hike. Rich and I were both extremely skeptical about this fact, however, and secretly thought that these people were just lightweights and that we definitely didn't need poles. But, as the trip grew closer, and everyone else on our trip listed poles in their gear plans, I decided we'd each borrow a pair to bring with us just in case. Well, I'm very happy to eat my words and say the poles were awesome. They were the perfect tool not only for extra balance when crossing tricky streams, but also when coming downhill after 14 hours of hiking. Upon returning the poles we borrowed for Whitney to their owners (thanks again, Melissa and Chance!), Rich and I headed straight to REI and picked up our own collapsable shock-absorbent poles for the trip. We both opted for REI-brand poles, just the men's and women's versions.
2) Buy a Walter Filtration System. Rich and I both went back and forth on this subject, as well. We knew we needed some way to treat our water, but had read mixed reviews about wawter filtration units and didn't really want to shell out the cash for a pro system. For Mount Whitney, we ended up skipping the system and opting for the chlorine tablets. Again-- we should have spent the $100 and bought the filtration unit. Chance's Dad Bob brough a unit with us on the trip and all I can say is it was glorious. It took about 5 minutes per camelback to fill, but it had an attachment that went directly onto the camelback spout, so that made it easier. The water from the filter, unlike that from our tablets, tasted great...and it was safe to drink. We are planning on investing in an MSR Hyperflow before we leave for Africa.
3) Liner Socks really do help! Rich and I experimented a bit with our socks on Mount Whitney. We both brought a pair of Smartwool Medium Weight Hiking Socks, a pair of Smartwool Heavy Weight Trekking Socks, and a pair of Smartwool Merino Liner socks. In the morning, we both started out wearing our mid-weight socks without problem. Around lunchtime, Rich decided to put his liners on under his mid-weights, while I still felt pretty comfortable in just my mid-weights. However, by the time we reached the summit, both Rich and I felt like we needed a change of socks. At that time I threw on my liners and heavy-weight socks and Rich just added his heavy weight socks over his liners. While I didn't have too many perspiration problems without the liners, my feet just seemed slightly more comfortable having the liners as a friction point rather than my skin. Neither of us had blisters from perspiration (although I did have a blister from trying to tape my toes!) and overall, we decided the liner socks are the way to go.
Those are just a few of the lessons learned from our hike a few weeks ago. We're less than two weeks out from the big journey to Africa now and everything is going in warp-speed. I packed this weekend, as the movers come in just over a week and I want to make sure everything I need is in my bag so there's no confusion the day-of with the movers. Everything's falling into place and there's just a few days and one tiny little MBA thesis standing between me and leaving for Africa! I can't wait. :-)
1) Bring Poles! Prior to hiking Mount Whitney, Rich and I had been told by several people that poles were a necessity for a successful hike. Rich and I were both extremely skeptical about this fact, however, and secretly thought that these people were just lightweights and that we definitely didn't need poles. But, as the trip grew closer, and everyone else on our trip listed poles in their gear plans, I decided we'd each borrow a pair to bring with us just in case. Well, I'm very happy to eat my words and say the poles were awesome. They were the perfect tool not only for extra balance when crossing tricky streams, but also when coming downhill after 14 hours of hiking. Upon returning the poles we borrowed for Whitney to their owners (thanks again, Melissa and Chance!), Rich and I headed straight to REI and picked up our own collapsable shock-absorbent poles for the trip. We both opted for REI-brand poles, just the men's and women's versions.
2) Buy a Walter Filtration System. Rich and I both went back and forth on this subject, as well. We knew we needed some way to treat our water, but had read mixed reviews about wawter filtration units and didn't really want to shell out the cash for a pro system. For Mount Whitney, we ended up skipping the system and opting for the chlorine tablets. Again-- we should have spent the $100 and bought the filtration unit. Chance's Dad Bob brough a unit with us on the trip and all I can say is it was glorious. It took about 5 minutes per camelback to fill, but it had an attachment that went directly onto the camelback spout, so that made it easier. The water from the filter, unlike that from our tablets, tasted great...and it was safe to drink. We are planning on investing in an MSR Hyperflow before we leave for Africa.
3) Liner Socks really do help! Rich and I experimented a bit with our socks on Mount Whitney. We both brought a pair of Smartwool Medium Weight Hiking Socks, a pair of Smartwool Heavy Weight Trekking Socks, and a pair of Smartwool Merino Liner socks. In the morning, we both started out wearing our mid-weight socks without problem. Around lunchtime, Rich decided to put his liners on under his mid-weights, while I still felt pretty comfortable in just my mid-weights. However, by the time we reached the summit, both Rich and I felt like we needed a change of socks. At that time I threw on my liners and heavy-weight socks and Rich just added his heavy weight socks over his liners. While I didn't have too many perspiration problems without the liners, my feet just seemed slightly more comfortable having the liners as a friction point rather than my skin. Neither of us had blisters from perspiration (although I did have a blister from trying to tape my toes!) and overall, we decided the liner socks are the way to go.
Those are just a few of the lessons learned from our hike a few weeks ago. We're less than two weeks out from the big journey to Africa now and everything is going in warp-speed. I packed this weekend, as the movers come in just over a week and I want to make sure everything I need is in my bag so there's no confusion the day-of with the movers. Everything's falling into place and there's just a few days and one tiny little MBA thesis standing between me and leaving for Africa! I can't wait. :-)
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