Kilimanjaro Tomorrow

Guidebook: Stedman's "Kilimanjaro: A trekking guide to Africa's Highest Mountain"

2012-02-12T17:21:00.001-05:00

After returning to my blog after a several year hiatus, I was pleasantly surprised to note that I was getting a bit of traffic from the website: http://www.climbmountkilimanjaro.com/ , which had links to a number of blogs including this one. What was even more flattering was finding out that this website was maintained by none other than Henry Stedman, who is the author of what is in my opinion, the definitive guide to trekking on Kilimanjaro. Go to amazon.com and search kilimanjaro... as of 2012, there is not another guidebook that has a higher rating (5 stars) or number of reviewers than Stedman's "Kilimanjaro: A trekking guide to Africa's highest mountain."

Looking back at my posts for the first time in what seems ages, I was a bit horrified to note that not one made mention to Stedman's guidebook, which was the bible that helped prepare me prior to the trip, as well as serve as my reference on the mountain itself. In addition to having sections on each of the major routes, it also provided a good amount of background information on the mountain and region, to help put in context what I was experiencing on the hike itself. Internet access was not available on Kili when I made my trek in 2006, as as far as I'm aware its not available in 2012! So for information geeks such as myself, this guidebook was worth the effort to carry. Its actually very compact (5 X 7 inches, ~ 0.5 lbs/ 250g). I used the 2nd edition (blue cover below); but there is a new updated version that I have not seen.

Stedman's guide along with a map are what I carried on the mountain itself (International Travel Maps: Kilimanjaro; you can google this. It is a very good scaled topo map) .

I've also since taken a look at Stedman's website. Although I haven't yet had the chance to read everything in detail, I will say that this appears to be one of the most comprehensive and well organized websites on Kilimanjaro trekking. Once again, the information geek in me appreciates the amount of useful background detail on the mountain, along with the practical/essential tips. This website might have existed at the time I did my trip in 2006, but it certainly wasn't in the format that is today. I undoubtably would have used this as my reference point if I was planning my trip in 2012.

This post may be a belated way of returning the favor to a website/author (THE definitive Kili expert?) who graciously made mention of my blog. However, while for me Kilimanjaro was a singular event that impacted my life, for Henry Stedman, Kilimanjaro is an ongoing passion, and he continues to accumulate further experience and knowledge that is shared in his book/website. I would be making the same recommendation regardless of whether or not Stedman had ever laid eyes on Kilimanjarotomorrow.

Demystifying the Kilimanjaro Outhouse

2012-02-12T15:44:00.002-05:00

This is not the post you will find in most blogs, but I guarantee there are at least a a few would be trekkers who are wondering about this.

With the amount of foot traffic on Kilimanjaro, it is critical that trekkers adhere to the best of their abilities the adages of "leave no trace" and "take out what you bring in." When it comes to the issue of human waste, this is accomplished by the construction of outhouses placed strategically along the various routes and in abundance at the camp sites.

These wooden outhouses are erected over deep (6-8 foot cisterns) dug into the earth. They are not that unsimilar to some of the public restrooms you might find in Europe: there is no commode, but a couple of slabs of wood to stand on while squatting over an opening leading to the hole down below. It is my understanding that at various times of the year it is the waste from these commodes are hauled out by porters.

This is relative, but I found these outhouses to be clean and up to the task, especially when you consider possible alternatives. There weren't a lot (or any for that matter) insects due to the altitude, and minimal odors. I've had far worse experiences in public restrooms of large metropolitan cities around the world. I've heard that at times when the cisterns get filled up, it can be a pretty toxic experience, but that wasn't the case on my trip. Plus, there were enough outhouses so that you could be somewhat selective in finding the right, private spot for you to do your business.

Machame camp to Shira Camp: Recap

2012-02-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

The elevation gain between these camps was ~2600 feet (Machame: 9843 feet; Shira: 12, 467 feet), over approximately 6 miles. It took approximately 5-6 hours including lunch break (we liked to take our time). The majority of the elevation gain occurred in the first 3 miles over a steep, rocky hike. Fortunately, the path was dry... with rain, I imagined the slippery rocks would have made this part of the hike a bit challenging.

This happened to be the warmest day of our hike (still relatively low elevation) with temperatures reaching 70-80 degrees F (~25 degrees C). This cooled rapidly later in the afternoon as the clouds moved in (temperature dropped 10 to 20 degrees F)

2012-02-12T14:33:00.001-05:00

Shira camp was the western-most location of the Machame route. The porters regaled us with song and dance as the sun set behind Mt Meru (further west).

Kilimanjaro peak itself, based in the waning rays of sunlight, ready to great us again in the morning

Kilimanjaroyesterday...6 years

2012-02-12T14:21:00.001-05:00

It has been 6 years since I summited Kilimanjaro and 4 years since I last published a post in this blog. I apologize to those of you who have left comments that may have gone unnoticed by me. Most of all I hope that you too had an experience on Kilimanjaro that was as rewarding as mine.

I am not one to start something and not finish it, and so as if the trip to Kilimanjaro were yesterday, I will begin again where I left off 4 years ago.

Mount Meru

2008-02-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

As dusk approached, the clouds and fog filtered through Shira plateau creating a surreal visual drama. Forty four miles due west from Kilimanjaro, the 15,000 foot active volcano Mount Meru wasn't about to be outdone by it's more famous neighbor

Kilimanjaro viewed from Shira Camp

2007-03-12T03:38:00.000-04:00

In the late afternoon, as we waited for dinner at Shira Camp, the clouds began to open for the first time since early morning. Looking due east, we caught our first glimpse of Kilimanjaro at this altitude. The last time we saw it was leaving Machame camp, where it appeared like a distant peak in the horizon. Now we could make out the details of the glaciers, and we realized how far we had come in only two days.

Sasquatch on Kilimanjaro?

2007-03-12T03:22:00.000-04:00

Shortly after arriving at Shira camp, I shot these series of pictures of a rather cumbersome creature with a long mane moving at a high rate of speed in the distance.

Actually, it was only Jeremiah, who had volunteered to sprint around the camp in order to let me test the auto-tracking feature on my new Canon 20D. This was no small feat, as any exertion at 13,000 ft left you pretty winded.

February 2, 2006: Shira Camp Arrival

2007-02-07T23:12:00.000-05:00

We more or less stumbled/wandered into Shira camp in mid-afternoon. We were still surrounded by the cloud line and so the views were rather unspectacular. However, this belied the views that were to materialize a few hours later at sunset. We were greeted by a winged sentinel, the white necked raven. Although ground fauna were few and far between, these birds were still abundant, jockeying for whatever scraps were left unattended by the trekkers. Unlike Machame Huts, vegetation was sparse at this camp site. You could see tents sprawled over a flat 1/4 mile stretch of rocky earth when the clouds slowly started to lift.

One year anniversary of Kilimanjaro summit day

2007-02-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

This is being posted at 10:45 pm EST on February 5. In Tanzania it is 6:50 am, February 6th; almost one year exactly that Jen, Ajay, Jeremiah and I summited Mt Kilimanjaro.

If you happen to be waking up in Moshi, and the early morning clouds are just right... this is what you would see. You would peer towards the summit and wonder who was standing there- on top of the world for a day.

Day 2: The Enchanted Forest

2007-01-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

After lunch, we continued our trek to the Shira plateau. The remaining distance to the camp was about the same as what we had done earlier in the morning, but was much easier in terms of effort. We were now essesntially hiking west along the slopes of Kilimanjaro with relatively little change in elevation.

A dense fog rolled in over the earthy landscape that surrounded us. Old man's beard covered the gnarlled vegetation that we walked through.

February 2, 2006: Lunch and the fresh vegetable dilemma

2006-12-03T15:42:00.000-05:00

I've taken a bit of a hiatus from working on this blog, but I'm not one to leave things half finished. It's been over a year since our Kilimanjaro trip began to take shape, but it seems like a longer time has passed. In any case, continuing our trek to Shira Plateau...

Along the midway point of our hike, our first lunch was served. Our guides had set up a table with a blue table cloth and served us a lunch of sandwiches (cheese and vegetables if I remember correctly), biscuits, and fruit, as well as bottled fruit juice and tea.

The cook and waiter (yes, the tentman in charge of setting up camp doubled as a waiter) had done a great job making our meals feel like something special. At least as good as anyone could do under the circumstances. Speaking for myself only, anytime I'm camping, it doesn't take a lot to make me happy in terms of food... I can eat anything. However, we were faced with one dilemma. The cook had prepared the sandwiches using slices of fresh tomatos and bell peppers. We inquired as to how these vegetables were prepared and were told they were washed using boiled water that had also been sterilized by a portable UV irradiator. There was certainly no reason for us not to believe that they had in fact done this. One of the reasons Ajay had choosen Zara Travel for our trip was based on their good reputation and track record. They didn't earn this reputation by cutting corners and leaving a wake of sick customers. However, we had all done enough traveling to realize that we alone were responsible for avoiding the things that might make us ill, such as eating potentially contaminated vegetables and fruit. We were torn between being ultra-cautious and not eating the sandwiches versus possibly offending our cook who had really worked hard to do something special for us. After investing so much time and money to finally make it this far, the last thing any of us wanted was to fail to reach the summit due to a nasty case of gastroenteritis. In the end, I believe Jeremiah and Ajay chose to avoid the veggies, while Jen and I rolled the dice and went for it and ate the sandwiches. Part of my decision was made because I typically have an iron stomach compared to others. The other part of my decision was made because the sandwiches looked and tasted good. To make a long story short, none of us got sick in the end.

February 2, 2006: Trek to Shira Plateau

2006-06-20T23:26:00.000-04:00

Clouds move in as a line of porters and trekkers ascend the steeper lower section of the hike between Machame Camp and Shira Plateau

Gladiolus and Red Hot Poker

2006-06-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

[Photo top: gladiolus; bottom: red hot poker]
The heath and moorland zones overlap into what is known as the lower alpine zone. Although it is much cooler than the rainforest, the sun is intense. The shrubs (heather) begin to shrink as the altitude increases. Grasses dominate the slopes.

Some of the most colorful fauna make their appeareance in this region, namely gladiolus watsoniodes, and the Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia thompsonii).

February 2, 2006: Day 2 Ascending through the heath zone

2006-05-24T02:46:00.000-04:00

Although I managed to get up early to see the sunrise, by the time everyone else rolled out of their sleeping bags and we all had breakfast, most of the other trekkers were long gone. We just didn't see the need to move any faster, as we knew we had plenty of time for today's hike.

For the first time, we felt the warming rays of the sun as the cloud cover was temporarily absent. The destination for today was Shira camp. Our hike would take us up another 900m in elevation (roughly 2500 feet), about 2/3 of the elevation gain that we made on Day 1. The majority of this elevation gain would be in the first half of the hike, which proved to be the steepest climbing thus far. The path often consisted of slickrock, which fortunately for us had started to dry from the previous nights rain. Otherwise, the ascent would have been more difficult given the steepness and slippery nature of the rocks. We took it slow. Waking up with a resting heart rate of 100 bpm told me that my body was still adjusting to altitude. Otherwise we all felt fine, and we enjoyed the open views that the lack of clouds afforded us.

Stedman's: Kilimanjaro Guidebook, 2nd edition

2006-05-23T02:12:00.000-04:00

The best Kilimanjaro specific guidebook that I have seen is Henry Stedman's 1st edtion (blue cover) "Kilimanjaro, A Trekking Guide to Africa's Highest Mountain." The second edition is scheduled to come out in June, 2006 (green cover). It will be interesting to see what addition/changes have been made. Definitely worth the investment if you plan to make this trip in the near future

February 2, 2006: Morning, Day 2

2006-05-18T03:28:00.000-04:00

Insomnia is often an indication that altitude is affecting your body. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem for me, at least at this point. It seemed as if it was still dark outside when I woke to the sound of pots rattling and clanging as the cooks began to prepare breakfast. The air was cool, but the moisture inside our tent hadn't frozen, indicating that temperatures hadn't dipped much below freezing, at least to any significant extent.

I rolled out of the tent to see what morning had brought. I wasn't disappointed. The clouds had lifted from the previous night. The rising sun cast a pink hue across the high flying cirrus clouds. Looking to the northeast, Kibo, the peak of Kilimanjaro, appeared for the first time since we had started our climb.

[Photos, top: looking northeast, Kibo is visible to the left of the picture; bottom: the glacier streaked Kibo, sitting 9000 feet above our current position at Machame camp]

Mount Meru again served as our beacon to the west (below)

Moonscape over Mount Meru, viewed from Machame Camp

2006-05-11T01:57:00.000-04:00

Although the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro remained shrouded by clouds on our first night, the first spectacular view materialized like a spectre as the sky opened up to the west. As the sun set behind it, Mount Meru came into view for the first time. This jagged peak sits 14,000 feet above sea level. Although it would easy for Meru to be overshadowed by Kilimanjaro, as we rose higher and higher in the upcoming days, this peak seemed to rise with us. It seemed as if Meru grew larger and closer as we hiked up the western flank of Kilimanjaro.

February 1, 2006: Evening at Machame Camp

2006-05-11T01:45:00.000-04:00

Jen and Ajay break into the biscuits and popcorn snack before dinner while Jeremiah finds that inflating his ThermaRest at 10,000 feet elevation to be a challenge. As the first day on Kilimanjaro passes, we have dinner by candlelight in the mess tent.

Diamox baby: I'm high as a kite and you make me all tingly inside

2006-05-05T00:05:00.000-04:00

In the last post, I indicated that upon arriving at Machame Camp, 10,000 ft, we were all doing well. That's not entirely correct... we were all jacked up on diamox (acetazolamide) and were experiencing numbness and tingling to various degrees, a known side effect of this medicine. Ajay thought that these neurological manifestations were due to potassium loss, also a side effect of this diuretic. Not exactly sure if I believe that, boss, but just doing a brief search for the mechanism of action didn't turn up anything quick explanations. So the jury is still out.

Many people are aware that diamox is used in the prevention and treatment of altitude illness.
We were all taking the higher doses suggested in the medical literature (see below), 250 mg three times a day. Our guide, Bruce, who's opinion and experience I certainly respected when it came to anything about being on a big hill like Kilimanjaro, stated that these were higher doses than most climbers used. He felt that higher doses like 750mg/day of diamox was a dose for treating (after one develops symptoms) severe altitude sickness, rather than preventing the occurence of AMS (acute mountain sickness). He thought we should be taking about half of this dose.

Although the paresthesias (numbness, tingling of extremeties) caused by diamox aren't considered serious (ie life threatening), they did eventually get bad enough for Jen and Ajay, to the point that Jen was having difficulty holding her trekking poles. They both eventually titrated down a bit on the dose and this seemed to help improve the parethesias. Jeremiah and I continued to take the same dose. With the exception of the summit day, none of us had any significant problems with altitude during our climb. On the summit push itself (starting at 15,000 ft- Barufu Camp), Jen and Ajay definitely felt the effects of AMS. It's impossible to tell whether this was due to the fact that they backed off their dosage of diamox; more than likely it was coincidental...I think any of us could have potentially ended up with more severe altitude illness... it's just the way the cards were dealt.

In addition to diamox, we took daily gingko as well (120mg). There have been case reports suggesting benefit of gingko in altitude acclimatization, but I think most of this is still heresay at this point. Our feeling was it couldn't hurt and we all could use a little improvement in our memory.

We brought along dexamethasone, and nifedipine as well for treatment of possible HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema), but fortunately this was not needed (see New England Journal of Medicine article below).

My hypothesis as to why we all did so well in terms of avoiding altitude sickness for the most part, is that we took our time ("pole, pole"), and just soaked in the trip every second and every step that we were on the mountain. Altitude, not fitness, is by and far the biggest reason people fail to summit Kilimanjaro. And the best way to avoid the effects of altitude is to ascend as slowly as possible... the human body can adapt if given a chance.

Although there's lots of good medical literature about altitude illness out there (check www.pubmed.gov and search "altitude illness and review" some of most useful articles that I found were:

West, JB, et al in Annals of Internal Medicine, 2003. One of the best reviews on the pathophysiology of altitude illness (http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/141/10/789)

Barry, PW, et al. British Medical Journal, 2003. A good clinical review. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7395/915

Hackett, PH, et al. New England Medical Journal, 2001. Although it's a bit old, its a classic, and not much has changed in our thinking about AMS anyway. This article's got it all: clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, pathophysiology. The one article to read before heading up into thinner air. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/345/2/107

One of many cool websites: High Altitude Medicine Guide.

I'm starting to sound a bit like an Amazon Book review.

February 1, 2006: Machame Camp

2006-05-03T01:53:00.000-04:00

The transition from the rain forest to the heath zone was rather abrupt. As the late afternoon rain quickly tapered to a drizzle, we emerged onto a plateau where the vegetation suddenly converted from the giant moss covered camphorwood trees to the shorter heather bushes. The mist and fog still hung heavy over us, obscuring any view of the landscape around us. Our hike had taken about 6 hours and we had ascended 1800 vertical meters (>5400 feet). This would be the larger gain in elevation that we would do in any single day. Within minutes, our first campsite, Machame Hut, appeared in view.

Our first task upon arriving was to sign in at a small hut. We waited in line briefly to do this behind a large group of loud but otherwise jovial french folk. The hut also had a small scale where the porters reweighed their cargo in order to assure that they were not carrying a significant amount of weight over the dictated limit.

[Photos: The French wait to sign in; Ajay and Jen with Living, our assistant guide; signing in; Machame Camp)

We wound our way through the various campsites to find our tents that had been already set up by our porters.

We all felt well. At 10,000 feet of elevation (3000m), the only real indication of altitude at this point for me was an elevated baseline heart rate.

February 1, 2006: The Rain Forest (cont)

2006-05-02T02:51:00.000-04:00

Our chief guide, Bruce, was MIA the first day, apparently back assisting green porters. His half brother, Living, stepped in to answer the barrage of questions we had regarding the mountain. We didn't think we would stay dry forever, and as we began to approach the highest boundary of the rain forest zone, the skies finally opened up, albeit briefly. We quickly pulled out our rain gear as our 9 mile hike brought us toward our first campsite, Machame camp.
.

Impatiens

2006-05-02T02:33:00.000-04:00

[Impatiens psuedoviola and Impatiens kilimanjaro]

There are close to 1000 species of plants belonging to the genus Impatiens (aka "touch me nots," since the mature seed pods explode when touched sending seeds meters away). Two of these can be seen on the rainforest slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Impatiens psuedoviola and Impatiens kilimanjaro. The latter is unique only to the slopes of Kilimanjaro itself. Shaped like a small tuba less than 0.5 inches in length, the yellow and scarlet flowers line the lengths of the trail and form a striking contrast to the earthy green vegetation that otherwise dominate the landscape of this mountain zone.

February 1, 2006: The Rain Forest

2006-04-30T19:54:00.000-04:00

Our trek begins. We enter the rain forest which starts as a wide jeep trail before narrowing into a single track path sheltered by the canopy of trees overhead. This alpine rain forest apparently accounts for 96% of the water on Kilikanjaro. As a result of the moisture, thick cloud cover is the norm, as it was today. The winds carry this moisture upward where they contribute to glacier formation. One contributing factor to the rapid disappearance of the Kilimanjaro glacier cap of its summit is the deforestation of the cultivated zones below the forest. Less vegetation...less moisture.

Gear Bags on Kilimanjaro: Backpack vs Duffle

2006-04-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

[photo: porters weigh gear at Machame gate and argue in Swahili about who has to carry the yellow man's yellow bag]

One of the questions we had when planning our Kilimanjaro climb was what we should use as our gearbag. I went with the North Face Base Camp Duffle, which I already owned. The rest of the team used large capacity backpacks. In the end, either one did the trick.

Whichever gearbag is used, my only advice is to make sure it is BIG and make sure it is waterproof. In addition to the fact that my duffle was waterproof, I also purchased 3 sizes of ziplock plastic bags (regular size, 1 gallon, and 2 gallon). These were great for organizing all my gear and allowed me to quickly find stuff, and to pack when we were at camp.

It seemed to me that most of the gearbags the porters carried on the trail for clients tended to be backpacks. I assume this is because backpacks are what most people have access to. However, I would definitely recommend using a duffle if one is accessible. Packing up in the mornings was never fun for Ajay, Jeremiah, or Jen when every cubic inch of their backpacks was crammed to capacity. My bag was pretty full as well, but it's just easier to squeeze stuff into a duffle. Believe me, this was no easy task at altitude, when every movement seemed to take an extraordinary amount of energy.

REGARDING WEIGHT:
Although our gearbags that the porters carried weren't suppose to exceed 15 kg, we topped off 1-2 kg over this (I think all of us did). They didn't have a problem with this when the bags were weighed at Machame Gate. Ultimately, the porters carried not only our gear but an additional 5-10 kg of camp equipment. The speed at which they were able to hike with this weight was pretty amazing. All gear bags were carried by the porters on their heads, irregardless of whether it was a duffle or a backpack.

In addition to the gearbags, each of our daypacks weighed approximately 10-12 kg. Most of this weight was water (3 liters or so), spare layers, and food. Ajay's and my daypacks pushed 14 kg on some days due to our camera gear.

February 1, 2006: Machame Gate

2006-03-31T01:13:00.000-05:00

Machame gate. No brass bands or ceremonious send-off. When the mini-bus chugged to a stop inside Machame Gate, it was late morning. We were one of the last to arrive, and most of the trekkers had left or were in the process of starting their hike. It took time to unload our gear, and for our guide to assemble a team of porters. It is apparently a law for tour companies to hire a certain number of local men (and it turns out they are all men) to serve as porters in an effort to provide employment to these individuals. These porters in waiting were all assembled on the outside of the triangular gate that marked the Machame entrance to the park, hoping to have the opportunity to carry 35-50 lbs of gear for 7 days to an altitude of >15,000 feet (elevation of the last camp before summit).

It was somewhat anti climactic after the months of anticipation. Nonetheless, we were still thrilled to finally have reached the mountain. We had caught glimpses of the summit through the clouds on the drive up. However, from our current vantage point, our only view was of the rain forest vegetation forming a canopy over the jeep trail that would lead us upward.

February 1, 2006: The 1st Day

2006-03-20T02:40:00.000-05:00

Left: Preparing to leave Springlands Hotel for Kilimanjaro.
Below: Ajay eyes some fruit while we wait for our guides to pick up groceries in Moshi

It had been 3 months since Ajay dropped da bomb of this trip on us, and we had been anticipating it ever since. This day couldn't have come soon enough. It was Monday morning and the courtyard of Springlands was buzzing with adventure travelers who arrived over the weekend like ourselves. Gear was stacked near the front gates as minibuses and Land Rovers lined up to collect trekkers and safari goers and deliver them to their destinations. The excitement was palpable. We waited patiently for our minibus and guides to arrive, while other groups were packed and loaded and sent off. We were practically the last to leave the hotel, but Hakuna matata. Kilimamjaro would wait for us.

Our guides and our minibus finally materialized, and before we knew it we were driving north through Moshi, where we stopped to pick up some groceries. The trip to the entrance gate of Kilimanjaro took a little less than an hour from our hotel. After leaving the main highway, the road turned to packed dirt and we slowly drove our way up, gaining 3000 feet to arrive at our destination, Machame Gate.

January 31, 2006: Pig Summits Kilimanjaro

2006-03-14T01:00:00.000-05:00

Having come from the east coast of the United States in the dead of winter, it didn't take much to convince us that the rest of the day prior to starting our trek should be spent lounging by the pool. It did take a tremendous amount of self control to refrain from starting a running tab of Tanzanian beers which seemed liked the perfect antidote to the equatorial sun. Not sure what to anticipate on the climb ahead, we decided not fully test the effects of alcohol on adapting to altitude.

The evening was spent trying to figure out how to make the 15kg weight limit with our gear bags. I pretty much gave up and called it an early night.

Card Player Magazine Summits Kilimanjaro

2006-03-13T02:23:00.000-05:00

March 21, 2006 Issue of Card Player Magazine
Cover: Phil Hellmuth
Page 24: Phil Yin

I'll do anything for 15 min of fame.

January 31, 2006: Meeting our Guides

2006-03-10T00:09:00.000-05:00

[Pictures: Top, Our Guide (Chief Interpreter), Bruce; Bottom, one of our assistant guides, Living]

In the evening before we started the Kilimanjaro trek we met our guide, Bruce Lawrence, and one of our two assistant guides, Living Thomas, for the first time. The guide issue was a bit sticky from the start. As part of the pre-trip planning, Ajay worked to ensure that whoever our guide was, that person had the status of Chief Interpreter (see below), the highest designation for a guide. Shortly before we left the United States, the guide that was suppose to lead us had some problems with the Tanzanian park service, the details of which we were not privy to. Our replacement was Bruce, who fortunately was also a Chief Interpreter. However, on our first meeting, it was Living who greeted us, who happend to be Bruce's half brother. Living informed us that because of a personal issue in their family, Bruce would not be able to join us, and that he would be the one to lead our expedition. Although the rest of us just shrugged our shoulders, fortunately for us, Ajay realized the importance of having a Chief Interpreter and was more persistent. After speaking with Zainab, the owner of Zara, things ultimately worked out that Bruce was able to join us. This turned out to be an important detail, because although Living, the assistent guide, proved to be quite capable, Bruce's knowledge and experience on the mountain proved to be a tremendous benefit for us from an educational standpoint.

Ultimately our team consisted of 14 members plus the 4 of us: 8 porters, a cook, a server/waiter, a tent person, our guide and two assistant guides (Hamasi Omari was the other assistant guide, who we met the next day). It's unclear why we had two assistant guides, since we were a small group, but that's the way it was. It seemed as if this was quite a large party for just 4 trekkers, but I'm pretty sure that recently the park service passed a requirement that there be a certain number of porters per trekker. Most of the porters are hired by the tour company, but a certain percentage (25% I believe) must be taken from a pool of potential individuals queued up at the entrance gate to the mountain. This is an effort to provide employment to locals.

"Kilimanjaro: a Trekking Guide to Africa's Highest Mountain" by Henry Stedman is currently the best resource in print for preparing for a Kilimanjaro trip. In this book, Stedman discusses the various levels and skills of the members of the trekking team. The job of the porters is essentially to get all the gear, food, etc. from camp to camp. They accompany the trekkers to the last camp, but do not join in the final summit push. The next step above the porter is the assistant guide, an individual hoping to eventually achieve the status of guide. An assistant guide starts as a porter, but in being promoted begins to gain the responsibilities of the guides themselves. They must accompany the trekkers to the summit, and as was the case of our assistant guides, many begin to learn the details of the mountain in terms of understanding is geology, flora, fauna, as well as understanding how to care for their clients in the harsh environment and high altitude. Finally, there is the guide who has obtained a license after undergoing extensive training by the park authorities. They must pass a course where they demonstrate mastery of the essentials that I mentioned above, plus do extensive touring on all the routes leading to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Despite this, the quality of the guides vary. The Park system is attempting to further categorize guides according to their skills and knowledge. At the bottom would be the Route Guide, one that knows the basics of leading the way up the mountain, understands basic cooking, etc., to the Chief Interpreter, who has demonstrated clear mastery of all aspects of the mountain. For example, Bruce, our Chief Interpreter truely had a love of the mountain itself as well as learning skills that would help him better serve his clients. In addition to the required classes for guides in flora, fauna, geology, in the off season Bruce would take classes to learn English, German, etc. He was an invaluable part of our experience. Not to be overlooked is the fact that you have a person with you who has the skills necessary to take care of you if you are unfortunate enough to succuum to severe illness or injury. That's not to take anything away from our assistant guides, Living and Hamasi, who's attentiveness to our group on the final summit push was appreciated by all of us.

For trekkers just wanting to get to the summit and back with little regard to anything else, a Route Guide would probably suffice. On the other hand, anyone who wants to really understand the essence of the mountain they are climbing a Chief Interpreter is highly recommended... I would not go without one. Much of what I hope to tell you about in this blog was built on the information provided to me by Bruce.

January 31, 2006: The Day before Climb

2006-03-07T00:57:00.000-05:00

Pictures (From top: woman working in rice fields; children in Moshi; Colobus Monkey in forest; Ajay taking it all in; women on road to Moshi; rice fields)

Today was a day to get our bearings. After breakfast in the open air dining room in the center of the courtyard, we were led by a guide Emmanuel on a walk in a forest not far from Springlands Hotel. The end of the walk brought us out near the outskirts of Moshi. We didn't get to see much unfortunately other than the busy center shopping district where it seemed we were being guided into select tourist shops as well attracting the interest of every street hawker in the neighborhood. It was turning into late afternoon, we were feeling somewhat baked by the equatorial sun and were still pretty tired from our flight, so we retreated back to Springlands for lunch.

January 31, 2006: First view of Kilimanjaro

2006-02-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

I woke up as the sun rose, anxious to see the landscape that had been cloaked by the darkness of the previous night. I was greeted by this view, looking due north from the balcony of Springlands hotel. The main peak of Kilimanjaro, known as Kibo (19,340ft/5895m), is on the left. Mawenzi (16898ft/5149m) is the smaller peak seen on the right (east). At one point in time, a third peak was present equidistant to Kibo on the western side, but has since collapsed into a large caldera (13,000ft/3962m).

This view was fleeting, at least while we were there, as thick cloud cover usually engulfed the peaks by late morning.

January 30, 2006: Springlands hotel

2006-02-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

After the dusty ride from the airport to Moshi, we arrived at Springlands hotel situated approximately one mile south of the town. Springlands is the base of operation for ZARA Travel. When they open the iron gate to admit the minibus, it feels as if you are arriving at an oasis in a desert, especially at night. The rooms surround a beautiful courtyard containing colorful tropical flowers. Lit gravel paths lead to the various buildings that house the rooms. The quality of a lodging is certainly an individual's opinion. In general, my idea of a good room is indoor plumbing, private bathrooms, and sleeping arrangements that don't involve a sleeping pad and sleeping bag. By those standards, Springlands is luxurious. Hot water, swimming pool, internet access, outdoor bar... is anything else necessary?!

We were tired after close to 20 hours of travel, but we were able to sit in the courtyard and enjoy our first Kilimanjaro beer while soaking in the reality that we were finally in Africa.

January 30, 2006: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport

2006-02-24T23:05:00.000-05:00

We landed on the dusty airstrip at 9pm (8 hours ahead of the east coast of the U.S. (EST), and 3 hours ahead of GMT (UTC+3). We were the last ones through the lines at customs and were relieved to find that all our baggage had arrived with us. The arrival hall was clogged with representatives of various tour companies looking to pick up their parties. We found the representative of our company, ZARA Travel, a driver named Slim. We boarded a minibus along with about a dozen other travelers from what sounded like Germany, Italy, and the U.S., just as the winds were kicking up and a brief rain shower began. We began the 40 minute drive to our hotel. The highway was lit only by the headlights of passing automobiles, the solitary bulb or flourescent light that marked the front entrance of the roadside houses, and the occasional stars that peeked around the cloudy Tanzanian sky.

Although you couldn't see it, you certainly felt like Kilimanjaro was looking down upon you through the darkness.

January 30, 2006: Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro

2006-02-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

[Photos. Top and Center: Killing time at Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands; Bottom: Flight to Tanzania]

3,852 miles and 7.5 hours after leaving Washington DC, our flight touched down at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It was now Sunday, 7 am in Holland, and the airport was slowly coming to life. We had just disembarked and were still squinting from the early morning sunrise and trying to figure out where to track down Ajay when he casually sauntered up to us while we were still wandering in the middle of the boarding terminal. He looked remarkably well considering he had been up most of the previous night at work.

We set up shop upstairs near the business center to kill time during our 3 hour layover. I was pleasantly surprised to find my Cingular cellphone service could roam on the Dutch "Orange" network and dropped a quick email to Lisa to let her know we were halfway there. She immediately replied despite it being 2 am in Washington DC, so we ended up being able to talk a bit before our group finally decided to look for some food.

After eyeing the 4.5 euro ($6) pizza slice I decided on a bottle of white beer instead despite this essentially being breakfast. It was after all cheaper and in europe afterall.

KLM flight 569/NW8383 left on time at 1030am. This flight was unfortunately pretty full and was not one of the snazzy Airbuses that we had just arrived on (it was an M11). We hunkered down in our center seats for the 8.5 hour/4288 mile journey to deliver us to the African continent.

REWIND: Flashback to January 29, 2006

2006-02-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

(Photo: Preparing to leave Washington, DC, Dulles Airport)

This blog is gonna read like a crazy Quentin Tarantino movie in terms of time line. Before the details start getting fuzzy, here's the pics and the stories that go along with them.

January 29, 2006 (Sunday):

Lisa drove me to Dulles to catch NW8652/KLM651, scheduled to leave at 520pm from DC to Amsterdam. We detoured into Adams Morgan in DC to pick up Jeremiah at his Swann St apartment that he was still subletting. Jeremiah had arrived the previous day from LA. We were running a tad late, but the counter lines at Northwest were minimal and we got there with time to spare. Jen had been dropped off by her parents and was waiting for us when we arrived at departure. We picked up some Wash DC keychains/bottle openers from a souveneir shop to give as gifts to our guides/porters. I bought a slice of pizza as one last reminder of good ole' American junk food and we boarded our plane just as sun was setting on the Dulles Airport tarmac. Around the same time, Ajay boarded NW 38 at Logan airport in Boston at 615pm.

I guess some props needs to go out to the sweet ride we were on the Airbus 330-200. This plane was brought into service in 2005 and they have the nicest entertainment system that I've seen, at least in the peanut gallery economy class section; which is pretty much the only thing I have to compare to. Good stereo sound, with the ability to start a movie or music selection whenever you want, pause, etc. They had a pretty good selection to boot as well, in both music (the White Stripes!) and movies. The cabin was amazingly empty during our flight so we each sprawled out on our own. Jeremiah claiming a 4 seat row in the back, I got a 3 seat row in the back as well, and Jen held on to her window seat in the middle of the plane. I watched Corpse Bride, then after hearing Jeremiah cackling in the back, followed his lead and watched the 40 Year Old Virgin. Uncut mind you. Not that it was all that shocking, but certainly a surprise from the heavily edited stuff I'm used to on a flight.

Number one sign that you have returned to Western civilization

2006-02-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

From Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands (February 12, 2006):

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning for a happy meal...

This clown provides more than just comfort food.

The Aftermath...or is the beginning (again?)

2006-02-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

(Scene's from Kilimanjaro International Airport, February 11, 2006 (L-R): Jen shares a tender moment with Ajay's well worn sock; Jeremiah beginning to exhibited signs and symptoms of the dreaded East African Not Sleeping Sickness; 'Aren't vacations suppose to be relaxing?!')

It has now been exactly one week since we have returned to the U.S. from Tanzania. We all made it back safe although it wasn't without incident for all. Jeremiah picked up GI bug that starting kicking in somewhere on the flight from Tanzania to Amsterdam. His flight was extra special as a result. It was somewhat ironic since he was the most careful to try to avoid, this during the trip itself. Our return flights also coincided with a blizzard that hit the east coast of the U.S. last weekend. Although Jeremiah, Jen, and I somehow were able to make it to DC without any delay, Ajay's return flight from Amsterdam to Boston took him on a very special tour of Detroit, Michigan, where he got to spend an extra night of vacation at the Quaility Inn before they finally got the runway on Logan swept off the next day. A couple of days after returning, I came down with a respiratory illness that left me somewhat washed out and apparently Jen may have had something similar. All in all we can't complain. We all stayed healthy enough to accomplish our main objective of summiting Kilimanjaro, and overall, to have an unforgetable two week trip.

All good things must come to an end

2006-02-12T02:01:00.002-05:00

After the Kili climb, we spent 3 days in the Ngorongoro Crater/Serengeti Bush on safari. I'll have to admit that before we left, the safari had been overshadowed by the preparations we were making for the Kilimanjaro climb. However, the safari held it's own in terms of absolutely amazing things that we were able to see and witness in nature. It's going to take forever to edit down some of the pics we have taken (probably close to 20 GB between the 4 of us).

Right now we are half way home. Just completed the first leg from Kilimanjaro airport to Amsterdam. Currently waiting to see whether the big snowstorm forcasted for the east coast will prevent us from making the last jump across the pond. Hakuna matata.

Either way, it's been an epic trip. Stay tuned.

Four to the Summit

2006-02-07T11:20:00.000-05:00

(Photo: Bruce (chief guide), Living (assistant guide), Phil, Jeremiah, Ajay, Jen, Hamasi (assistant guide)

Sung to the tune of "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie:"

When the sun comes up tomorrow,
We'll be standing on Kiliman-jar-o, tomorrow,
when there's sun.
Just thinking about tomorrow, Kiliman-jar-o, when there's sun!
Tomorrow, Kilimanjaro,
Tomorrow, Kilimanjaro,
You're only a step away.

It seems as if a novel could have been writen about summit day alone. In the beginning, there was suspense, anxiety, and uncertainty. During the climb itself, there were tears, frustration, determination, and cannibalism. OK, no cannibalism, but it would make a good novel. In the end, the four of us, Jen, Ajay, Jeremiah, and I all summited together, reaching Uhuru peak (19340/5895m), after a 8 hour summit climb in -15 degrees celsius temperature (wind chill not included) around 7:30 am (Tanzania time) on February 6, 2006.

We've got a million pictures and stories between the 4 of us and hope to share them with you soon.

For now, it's Kili (beer) time.

Jambo (hello) Alive and kicking in Moshi town

2006-01-31T05:24:00.001-05:00

Touched down in Africa last night. Greeted by the warm,dry, dusty air an Kilimanjaro International. Currently staying at the Springlands Hotel in Moshi. We have a day to ourselves and will start the climb up Kilimanjaro tomorrow morning. Morning walk in the nearby forest with colobus monkeys doing aerial acrobatics above us.

Day 0

2006-01-29T02:18:00.002-05:00

15 hours til our flight leaves from Dulles International (Logan in Ajay's case). Jen is in process of assembling a mountain of gear at her house and realizing how daunting it is to try and actually fit all of this into her backpack. Jeremiah has flown into DC from Louisiana. Ajay is working all night and will be going directly to airport once it is all said and done. Lisa and I sampled Barbera's and homemade pizza at friends house. This may be last post til we return in 2 weeks. Look forward to sharing pics and stories from our adventure when we return.

Kilimanjaro tomorrow.

Ajay bags 3rd highest peak in 20 mile radius from Boston

2006-01-27T02:02:00.000-05:00

EMAIL FROM AJAY:

“hey guys,
this last sunday i was off. woke up early and drove out to the Blue Hills ~20mi from Boston. Set up the pack, new camera lens, put on the gaiters and other unecessary gear for a training hike. It was crisp january in boston. I took a picture at the top of "blue hill" (~18,800 ft lower than Kili.........)”

aj

JEREMIAH'S REPLY:

“Just as I'm expecting a lovely New England landscape panorama, lovingly taken from the tripod, we get an unshaven askew shock! Ouch! Free beers to the guy who grows the least facial hair during two weeks in Africa...Go home and sleep!”

Ajay testing out the just released Nikon DX VR 18-200 mm F3.5-5.6G Zoom, on his Nikon 70D.

Three days and counting

2006-01-26T00:33:00.000-05:00

(The pharmacy)
All kili blogs seem to have a countdown and this one is no exception. I've purchased more medicine for this trip than I have for my entire life. Granted the meds are for four persons.

Good news is that it looks like Jeremiah has worked out the conflict he was having between work and this trek and he's got the go ahead. However, he plans on keeping a low profile over the next few days just in case some higher up changes his/her mind and decides Jeremiah is indispensible for the next few weeks.

Gear is in a pile now and unfortunately is a tad on the heavy side (40-45 lbs). This includes stuff that I will be wearing, carrying in my backpack, in a bag that the porters will carry, and some stuff that can be stowed in the hotel during the trek. Nevertheless, I'll need to do some refining.

I am 3 days into my first mefloquine pills and fortunately am not halllucinating or suffering any other ill side effects. Yet.

Packing

2006-01-24T00:43:00.000-05:00

It's almost 1am Tuesday. Gear is piled on our bed as I slowly sort out what I need. Lisa is reading but is bemused enough to take picture above. I hope to publish the list of stuff I plan to bring on this post soon, but it is a work in progress. Stay tuned. Will also indicate after trip is over what was useful, what wasn't, what I should have brought and so on. See my post on 1/8/06 ("useful links") for gear lists that I found online.

Under a week to go

2006-01-23T01:44:00.000-05:00

The increase in email activity between Jen, Jeremiah, Ajay and I towards the end of last week signalled that the final week of preparations were nearing. Are meds lined up? VISAs applications sent? How do you plan on carrying 4 liters of water for the 10-12 hour hike on summit day in a manner so that it doesn't freeze? As of today, Jeremiah is still hoping to be able to make the trip by trying to get this vacation time to merge with his work schedule. Jen had plans to give her gear a test run with a local hike on some nearby trails hearing in DC. Ajay is trying to get in as much training and trip preparation on top of work and studying for board exams that he will take this Saturday, the day before we leave. I took a hiatus from all things backpack, boots, and treadmill related and travelled up to NYC with Lisa to visit some friends. This week preparation will probably shift from conditioning to making sure gear is together. Although I think I've got everything, I have yet to throw it together into one big pile.

I'm starting to get a little bit ansy about trying to tie together all the loose ends, knowing that I still have a lot of work that needs to be done in the next week.

Visas

2006-01-17T23:34:00.000-05:00

Jen rounded up the necessary documents needed for VISAs from Ajay and Jeremiah, and I met up with her last week to pick them up from her. One benefit of living in Washington DC is the convenience of hopping on the metro to deliver the documents in person. Less worry about having all of our passports in limbo in the U.S. mail. The Tanzanian embassy is located at 2139 R Street, a few blocks west of the Dupont Circle Metro (photos). It takes 5 business days to process, so Jen or I should be able to pick them up next Monday.

A tourist visa application can be obtained online from the Tanzanian Embassy website. In addition you need:
--a passport (must be > 6 months before expiration)
--$50
--2x2 inch passport photo
--copy of travel itinerary and/or plane ticket
--evidence of being able to financially support yourself for the duration of stay. This could be a bank statement or letter from bank stating you are not a deadbeat
--self addressed envelope with correct postage for return of passport/visa if it needs to be mailed

Kilimanjaro Tragedy

2006-01-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

The trekking community in Tanzania and around the world was saddened when 3 American trekkers died during a rockslide on Kilimanjaro that occurred a couple of weeks ago. Several others were seriously injured (See Americasroof News). The route they were taking, Umbwe, has since been closed. See my January 2 posting for a map. This had been considered one of the most dangerous routes, mainly because of the possibility of rockslides like the one that occurred earlier this month. Some climbers prefer this route because it is less traveled and thus more peaceful. In addition, the final acsent to the summit is a more direct route, although it requires a tough scramble up the steep Western Breach/Arrow glacier. This can provide more time to explore the volcanic caldron that forms the summit of Kilimanjaro. The accident occurred at Arrow Glacier camp, when rocks the size of small cars broke loose and tumbled through the camp below.

Our route, Machame, actually crosses Umbwe route lower on the mountain, but avoids the tough scramble up the Western Breach by circumnavigating the southern slope of the mountain to reach the volcano rim at Stella's point. It's a longer hike, but obviously safer.

Although it is apparently difficult to obtain very accurate statistics, it is estimated that there are approximately 10 deaths per year on the slopes of Kilimanjaro among the 20,000 trekkers that attempt to reach the summit.

Jeremiah's Dilemma

2006-01-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

Every now and then things can roll pretty well in life...sometimes to the point where it can be a problem. This is Jeremiah's predicament. Around October last year is when we took up Ajay's offer to take a once in a lifetime trek to the top of Kilimanjaro and safari. Around that same time, Jeremiah's job with the Department of Justice sent him down to Louisiana to participate in trying to jumpstart the criminal justice system which had taken a hit along with everything else in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It seems this work had no real job description to start with, and no definite ending point. Nonetheless, it has served as a very unique opportunity for Jeremiah to get involved in this process from the ground up. It also offers potential long term career opportunities doing something which he is currently enjoying every minute of. The problem that has arisen is that things have evolved where the next month or so may be very critical in deciding where this work is heading as well as his role in the future of this project. He's torn between taking time off to climb Kilimanjaro, at a time when this may hamper his ultimate role in his potential current dream job, versus giving up the chance to climb Kili, at least for the time being, to try to solidify his role in the rebuilding of the LA criminal justice system.

I'm sure this is an over-simplification of the issues at hand. Nonetheless, there is a possibility that he could ultimately have his cake and eat it, too. The next couple of weeks will tell. We are obviously all hoping that he will make the trip... but we also know that he needs to make his decision based on what is best for him.

Time will tell... we're hoping for the best

Gettin In Shape, Part Deux

2006-01-12T00:58:00.000-05:00

Getting in shape is certainly one thing that someone wishing to climb Kilimanjaro has control over. Nonetheless, stories abound about how some of the most fit trekkers fail to summit, while some of the least likely, seemly out of shape, hikers bound to the top like mountain goats. Ultimately how one responds to altitude seems to be the big unknown….

As always, I had much more ambitious plans for getting in shape than what I have actually done, but at least I’ve been consistent. I’ve averaged 4-7 hours of aerobic exercise per week, trying to get in at least one longer workout on the weekend with 1 hour workouts scattered throughout the week (plus some occasionally weight lifting thrown in). Most of it has been biking (either on the road or spinning), occasional running (limited due to an injury back in October), and taking Ajay’s lead, some workouts oriented towards getting use to hiking with pack.

I’ve done a lot of backpacking in the past; but most of these trips are relatively short, so putting up with sore hips, back, and blisters is usually pretty tolerable if you know that you’ll be kicking back in an easy chair with your feet propped up in another day or two. However, I definitely want to try to adapt to this as much as possible before Kilimanjaro. I started by climbing a 15 story stairwell in Building 10 at the NIH, carrying a 30 lb. pack, taking the elevators down, and doing it again. And again. And again. I managed to do 525 flights in about 3.5 hours one weekend (>5200 vertical feet) but would probably go insane if I try that again. Since then, I’ve joined a gym and have taken my side-show to the treadmill, and I’m glad I did. One hour of sisyphian climbing on a treadmill with incline and voila…blisters. I was somewhat surprised by this because I have been using my boots for many years and have never really had a big problem with blisters with this pair. However, usually I don’t hike with as thick socks as I have been using to train with (as these are what I will be using on Kilimanjaro). Better now than later. Although climbing an actual stairwell with pack was more of a quad buster (especially taking 2 steps at a time), it’s a lot easier to get the heart rate up on a treadmill. So far, I’ve done a lot of the workout with my HR 170-180 (85-90% max) as this is probably what it’s going to be doing at altitude. And judging by the blisters, the treadmill simulates actual hiking to a much better extent than stair climbing.

Still have a couple more weeks…

Fund Raising for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute

2006-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Please read the letter below re: our upcoming trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro...

On August 28, 2003, Andrea, a 19 year-old freshman at the University of
Nebraska, came to the National Cancer Institute. She was a slim, pretty woman,
with shoulder length brown hair and an unassuming smile. We met at her hospital
bed where she was lying down. I only realized later that she stood over 6ft tall
when she had to lean over to give me a hug. Andrea had melanoma, skin cancer;
and it had already spread throughout her body including to her brain and
internal organs. She had multiple large tumor nodules just below the skin. One
was behind her right knee. She would be one of the first patients whose surgery
I was involved in at the NIH.

We removed the tumor nodule from behind her knee in the operating room and
immediately took that tissue down the hall to the laboratory. There, a full time
team of researchers removed the white blood cells from the tumor and over the
course of weeks, grew out only those immune fighting cells that recognized the
cancer. While her immune cells were growing in the lab, her cancer was growing
inside of her too. She had to drop out of college and took the semester off
from her studies geared to become an elementary school teacher. She returned to
the NIH weeks later to receive an infusion of the immune cells that had been
chosen to fight her cancer. They were injected back into her veins to search
out the cancer wherever it was inside of her body. Part of her treatment
protocol involved high dose chemotherapy, so her brown hair fell out in patches,
and it also included some toxic medicines, so she had high fevers and felt
nauseated, but she never lost her smile. Her experimental treatment continued,
and she returned to the NIH every few months for the next year. Her father
always greeted me with a firm handshake and she always with a hug and a big
smile. She wore a wig since she was bald then.

Andrea's life was put on hold, and it was almost taken from her. The physical,
mental, and spiritual challenges she faced are greater than any I can imagine.
Something about her plight put things into perspective for me, and I still carry
around an "Omaha" keychain she gave me on one visit as a reminder. It reminds
me to face challenges as they come, and to be involved in the research that is
attempting to understand the many faces of cancer. Her tumors shrank. In fact,
they disappeared.

One of my interests is high altitude trekking and nature photography. I have
been training for one of my goals to summit and photograph the highest peak in
Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Though not a highly technical climb, it is considered
one of the most dangerous peaks to summit due to the speed at which altitude is
gained and the steep rocky summit ascent to the glaciers that cap the mountain
at over 19, 300ft. Only about 40-50% of those that attempt the summit make it,
and a few people die in the attempt every year - unfortunately last week a local
Bostonian was killed on the mountain by a rockslide. On Sunday, January 29th I
will leave for Africa and then start the trek up the largest freestanding
mountain in the world. We will start in the dusty plains of Tanzania, and then
enter the jungle and rainforest before passing through the moorlands on the way
up to the icy peak.

I am excited about the prospect of trying to trek this mountain in a different
country that is new to me, and I will be embracing the courage of patients like
Andrea that have shown me not to take anything for granted.

I would like to ask you to make a donation on my behalf to the Dana Farber
Cancer Institute. The Dana Farber Cancer Institute is Harvard's and Brigham and
Women's center for cancer research and treatment. It is exceptionally unique as
a fundraising organization in that 88% of the money raised goes directly to
cancer research (12% to advertising, overhead and salaries), compared to the
standard 50% of most charities. All donations are tax deductible and you will
receive a receipt if an address is provided. You can make checks payable to
"Dana Farber Cancer Institute" and mail them to my home address or give them to me in person:

Ajay Maker
Boston, MA

I would be delighted to share as much information as possible about the Dana
Farber Cancer Institute/Jimmy Fund, and our trek with anyone interested, and I
thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,
Ajay Maker

Click here to learn more about the Jimmy Fund, or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Getting In Shape

2006-01-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

An email from Ajay last December:

I started my official training regime today. I had been running to stay in aerobic shape, but started on the feet, back, and legs. The few things that can make the trip harder are:
1. blisters
2. blisters
3. blisters
4. raw back from the pack
5. sore legs/hips

So I joined the health club down the street, showed up in my exact socks and boots wearing my day pack weighed down with clothes and 2L of water, and did the elliptical machine at highest ramp, then the stairmaster at the highest ramp, and then did free weight lunges. It is a pretty good workout for the type of climbing we are doing. I am sore indeed, but better to get it out now and strengthen the knees and ankles and make some calluses in the boots. I plan on doing this every day or so until the week before we go.

Helpful advice provided by Roy's Safari

2006-01-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Some of the things you should bring are: cool-light clothing for the day and something warm for the evenings. (You will be spending a night in Ngorongoro where temperatures at night sometimes drop to about 7 degrees Celsius). In addition, it is advisable to carry insect repellent, sunglasses, suntan lotion, some form of antihistamine cream and other personal toiletry requirements.

Of course, you will want to capture much of Tanzania's wildlife, so don't forget a camera, batteries and film. A medium range telephoto lens will be found useful as will a pair of binoculars. In case you're bringing any electrical equipment, the electricity is 220v.

Loss of luggages: Sometimes owing to short connections times or delays caused from your origin flight-bagages get delayed and we run into problems. Now I would suggest you do the following:

a). Carry a hand luggage with your essentials such as toleitries, medicines, camera and a set of clothes change.

b). If your baggage is lost-please clearly mention on Baggage Irregularity form-your duration of stay in Tanzania and contact details (these are of roy safaris for the period you will be with us).

Please bring a copy of your medical travelling insurance.

Balance due
The balance due can be paid on arrival in Arusha in form of US$ cash. (New US$ bills, the older notes are not accepted)/travellers cheques.

ONLY THE FOLLOWING US$ Travellers cheques are accepted:-
• American Express,
• VISA
• Mastercard.

Note:
credit cards cannot be used widely in Tanzania and in places where accepted, expect surcharges of between 11.8 - 20%.
For all payment done by Travellers cheques will be a banking surchage as follows:
US$ 1- 4000 : US$ 10 total
US$ 4000 and above : 0.25%.

EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
In case of an emergency, you can reach us on the following numbers:
If dialing from Outside East Africa: +255 27 250 7940/+255 27 250 8010/+255 27 250 7057/+255 27 250 2115
Cellphone ( 24hrs) +255 744 375 440
From Nairobi-Kenya: 007 744 375 440
From within Tanzania: 0744 375 440

Useful Kilimanjaro and Safari Links

2006-01-08T19:26:00.000-05:00

SUPPORTING CANCER RESEARCH
Jimmy Fund
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

PRE-TRIP PLANNING

Tanzanian embassy in the U.S. Info on passports, VISA, and general tourism. Hasn’t recently been updated (since 2004)

U.S. State Dept: Background notes on Tanzania and Consular Information Sheet

CIA

Gear checklists: Alpine Ascents or Climbing Kilimanjaro

Getting Started: Site 1 or Site 2

MEDICAL ISSUES

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): First stop for learning about bugs and drugs

The World Health Organization (WHO) : Has a good downloadable PDF outlining all the bugs that should keep you up at night worrying how to avoid. See their travelers health section, followed by the PDF titled “Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccines and vaccination”

High Altitude Medicine.

KILIMANJARO CLIMB

Zara Travel International . This is the company we will use for our Kilimanjaro climb. However, most of the pre-trip planning was done through contact with EWP, a British travel agency that manages the ZARA website.

SAFARI:
Roy’s Safari. One of the key reasons Ajay picked this company is the reputed quality of vehicles (Toyota Landcruisers or Landrovers). Breakdown of vehicles in the rugged plains of the Serengeti is not an uncommon thing, and automobile accident's are the number one cause of bad stuff for tourists.

We will stay at two different places during our safari:

Sopa Lodges. We will stay at the lodge located near the Ngorongoro Crater for one night on February 8, 2006.

Serengeti Serena Lodge. We will stay for two nights at this lodge on February 9 and 10th 2006.

OTHER BLOGS:
John's African Safari
Climb-Kili
kili2006 (continuation of Climb-Kili)
2002 Kilimanjaro Climb
marisa-u.blogspot.com

Our Itinerary

2006-01-03T02:03:00.000-05:00

Maps are from (www.encountertanzania.com)

The organization of this trip was Ajay's baby. He put a lot of effort into researching and planning. Maybe he'll give his two cents if he gets a chance. Based on his work, our itinerary:

January 30th, 2006. Arrive JRO airport in the evening. Meet Zara Tours and
transfer to the Springlands hotel near Moshi for B&B accommodation.
January 31st. Spare day. Overnight Springlands hotel.

February 1st (leg 1). KILMANJARO, MACHAME ROUTE (a more detailed description of this hike can be found here). After breakfast drive to Machame village (1800m). Walk to Machame hut (3000m), a 1200m gain in elevation. 6 hours walking for 10km distance. This is a walk through the cloud forest.

February 2nd (leg 2). To Shira hut (3800m, 5 hours). 800m elevation gain. Only 7km total distance but steep. The summit comes into view during this leg as you climb above the forest. Two distinctive flora of the mountain first make their appearance: the squat, dry looking Senencia tree with a leafy crown on top, and the cabbage like, phallic Lobelias.

February 3rd (leg 3). To Barranco hut (3940m, 4 hours). Despite a 10km hike, up to a peak altitude of 4500m, only 150m gain in TOTAL elevation. Lava Towers appears during the second part of this hike, as you decend to Barranco hut.

February 4th (leg 4). To the Karanga Valley (4000m, 3 hours). Glaciers come into view. Landscape is barren. Leg 4 and 5 can sometimes be combined, but doing them on separate days allows an extra day of acclimitazation. Last chance to fill up on water.

February 5th (leg 5). Climb out of the Karanga valley to Barafu hut (4600m, 3 hours). Barafu means "ice" in Swahili, and the camp is probably called this due to its proximity to the Rebmann glacier.

February 6th (leg 6). Very early start for the summit (5892m; a 1300m gain in elevation). 6+ hours on switchbacks of loose scree to obtain the rim (Stella's point). However, it's an extra hour to Uhuruv Peak. Descend to Barafu hut for a rest and lunch (this is a hour and a half hike from Stella's point), then walk to camp at Mweka hut (3100m, and additionanl 2.5 hours hike).

February 7th (leg 7). Final descent to Mweka Park gate (1500m) and transfer to Springlands for B&B

February 8th. 8 am. Meet Roy's Safari in Moshi and drive to Office in Arusha. Afternoon Tour of Crater, followed by dinner and overnight in Ngorogoro Sopa Lodge

February 9th. Morning tour of the Ngorongoro Crater. Game drive en route to Serengeti National Park in the afternoon. Overnight in Serena Serengeti Lodge.

February 10th. Full day of game viewing in Serengeti National Park. Overnight in Serena Serengeti Lodge.

February 11th. Game viewing en route to Seronera airstrip for 1045am flight to JRO airport. Leave Tanzania in evening.

February 12th. Arrive back at the U.S.

Bugs and drugs (vaccines and stuff)

2006-01-03T01:32:00.000-05:00

Map: Yellow Fever Belt, from CDC website

The first website that should be visited is the Travel section from the CDC (Center for Disease Control). The World Health Organization also has a good downloadable PDF outlining all the bugs that should keep you up at night worrying how to avoid. See their travelers health section, followed by the PDF titled “Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccines and vaccination”

HIGHER PRIORITY
Although it seems as if there are an innumerable number of infectious agents that one has to be concerned about in a Tanzanian outdoor adventure, some things need to be considered higher priority based on chance of exposure, severity of illness, as well as what can be done to prevent/treat the infections. In my opinion, the main bugs we need to be concerned about are MALARIA AND GASTROINTESTINAL (foodborne, fecal-oral) illnesses that include: travelers diarrhea (EColi), cholera, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid Fever. In the U.S., there are no vaccines for travelers diarrhea or cholera (effective vaccines are available for cholera in certain countries), and not all cases of travelers diarrhea and cholera need antibiotic treatment, although this may be necessary in severe cases. Two vaccines that I think are essential include HEPATITIS A (2 shots, six months apart) and TYPHOID (the live oral form is good for 5 years, while the intramuscual injected version is good for two years). Another key vaccine includes TETANUS/DIPHTHERIA (Td), and should be administered every ten years.

There is no malaria vaccine, but malaria prophylaxis is effective in preventing infection if taken correctly. Malaria prophylaxis needs to be started at least a week before, for mefloquine, or a day before travel in the case of malarone(atovaquone/proguanil). Although doxycycline can also be used for malaria prophylaxis, it’s probably not a good choice since it can increase sun sensitivity… not a good thing standing exposed on top of Kilimanaro. Thus, the choice between mefloquine versus malarone is an individual decision. Mefloquine is cheaper, and is more convenient in that it is taken once weekly. However, neuro-psychological side effects are not uncommon, such as insomnia, bad dreams, and in worse cases, psychosis. The only documented mefloquine resistance is in the Thailand forests. Malarone has minimal side effects, but is more expensive (may be an issue since some insurance policies won’t cover this cost) and has to be taken daily.

LOWER PRIORITY
Again, lower priority doesn't mean less important, but overall chances are less (for our specific group) in encountering them. Booster shots for MEASLES and POLIO are recommended, but on a standard Tanzania safari and Kilimanjaro trek, it is unlikely that we will have exposure to these agents. The same goes for the MENINGIOCOCCAL vaccine (NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS). Both polio and N. meningitidis can be found in western and central Africa, but in Tanzania, these bugs don’t appear to be a problem currently. HEPATITIS B vaccine is something to consider, but unless you are unfortunate to receive a contaminated blood transfusion, frequent some local bordello, or are into sharing needles for injectable recreational drugs, this is unlikely to be a problem.

For the YELLOW FEVER VACCINE, according to the CDC website as well as the WHO recommendations, this is not a REQUIREMENT when traveling directly from the U.S. to Tanzania, even though Tanzania is in the yellow fever belt. CDC does RECOMMEND the vaccine, however. Although there are a few exceptions, most countries located in the yellow fever belt require yellow fever vaccinations only if traveling FROM another country in the yellow fever zone TO their own country. In other words, they want to try to keep yellow fever from being imported into their country... they personally don't care if you catch it. However, the U.S. State Department website adds some confusion to this, simply stating that a yellow fever vaccination is REQUIRED, not really specifying whether this means everybody, or only travelers coming from yellow fever regions. This is incorrect...we checked. Nonetheless, the need for YF vaccine will continue to be a source of confusio... its probably easier to just get it. The CDC website also contains lists of clinics that are authorized to administer the Yellow Fever vaccine.

Since our safari is at the end, fortunately if we start developing undifferentiated fevers from AFRICAN TICKBITE DISEASE (Rickettsia africae) and/or AFRICAN SLEEPING SICKNESS (Trypansoma bruceii rhodesia) we will hopefully be back in the U.S. Both of these diseases are increasingly report from persons returning from safaris in Tanzania. There is no vaccine for either, and they can cause severe/fatal disease if not treated early. Avoiding ticks and tse-tse flies are the best one can do to avoid getting these bugs.

BOTTOM LINE
I ended up getting Yellow Fever vaccine, even though its not required coming from the U.S.…it’s good for 10 years and who knows I may need it in the future. We have also heard stories where people have been hassled for not having it, and in some cases made to be paid essentially a bribe to enter a country despite YF vaccine not being a requirement. Paying the $100 cost of the vaccine is probably worth avoiding the trouble by not having it. I got another typhoid vaccine (intramuscular) as well (my last one was > 3 years a go). I'm going with mefloquine for malaria prophylaxis. Although I’ve never taken this before, since I will be starting before we leave the U.S., if I end up with bad side effects, I’ll have time to switch to Malarone.

A list of meds we plan on bringing for prophylaxis, treatment, etc. It's overkill to some extent, but we have access to them, so why not. The number of tabs is based on four persons
--doxycycline (lepto, rickettsial, cholera) 100mg x 14 tabs
--levofloxacin 500mg x 14 tabs (typhoid, soft tissue, travelers diarrhea)
--pepto bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) 262mg tab 60 tabs
--ibuprofen 600 x 60
--compazine 5mg x30 tabs
--diamox (acetazolamide) 250mg three times day, 7 days x 4 persons = 84 tabs (for altitude illness)
--imodium
--DEET 10-30% Skin; clothes Permethrin
--claritin 10mg x 20
--flagyl
--dexamethasone 2mg tabs and nifedipine for treatment of HAPE and HACE, respectively

The Trekkers, cont

2006-01-02T02:30:00.000-05:00

(Ajay, top left; Phil, top right; Jen, below left; Jeremiah, below right)

I finally met Jen and Jeremiah when we met at Spices (Cleveland Park) on Dec 12. Photos were taken with my camera phone, as Jeremiah needed a passportsized photo for his VISA application. Jeremiah it turns out has found his way to post-Katrina New Orleans where he is spending time trying to re-establish a justice system in city that sounds like it has returned to the wild west of mid 19th century America at times. He and Ajay have apparently grown up together in Chicago, undergrad, and shared a brownstone when Ajay was in DC last year. Jen fights injustice right here in the capitol city. She met Ajay at an airport, of all places, and they have been spending whatever time together that they can find in their busy schedules.

The trekkers

2005-12-12T03:19:00.000-05:00

Our team consists of Ajay, Jeremiah, Jen, and me (Phil). Who are we? Good question. To be honest, I can’t tell you that much about any of my future comrades, although I suspect this will change in the near future. I have yet to meet Jen or Jeremiah, who are friends of Ajay’s. What I do know is that based on the emails we’ve sent back and forth, we all share the same excitement about this trip. I will meet up with Jen and Jeremiah this week to give Jen my VISA application and materials to take to the Tanzania embassy. Jen also lives in the DC metro area, while I know Jeremiah used to live here until recently. Ajay and I met several years ago in New Haven, CT, when we worked together for a short time. Other than this, I didn't get to know him that well. He's a very pleasant and intelligent guy. However, what stood out about Ajay was his enthusiasm. If you didn’t know him well, your first impression was, this guy can’t be serious?! He eventually ended up in Boston and I came down to Washington DC, where we ended up running into each other about a year ago. Ajay spent a year working here before returning back to his home base of Boston this past summer. Once again, we never had the time to hang out, but we did have a chance to talk some more and to find out we apparently share a lot of the same interests. I also found out that his enthusiasm was in fact very genuine. It seems everything he does is done with a tremendous amount of energy and fascination. I was thus extremely psyched nd grateful when he thought to include me on the invite to climb Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro... the beginning

2005-12-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

On October 28, 2005, I was cc’d on a batch email from Ajay indicating that he had finally managed to snag two weeks vacation all at one time from his hectic work schedule. He was going to take the opportunity to “climb”/trek Mount Kilimanjaro followed by safari in the Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti National Park. Who was interested? My instant impression: lucky bastard; I’ve always wanted to stand on the roof of Africa. I dismissed the idea that I could join him, mentally citing to myself the dual albatrosses of life, time and money. About a minute later I stopped to think… since when did negativity creep into my conscience to become the automatic default mode for my brain? It hadn’t always been this way. Ajay had already done meticulous pre-planning, so all anyone else had to do was show up. I made up my mind that there wouldn’t be a better opportunity than the present. I was in.

When I asked my wife, Lisa, if she was interested in traveling to Tanzania in February 2006 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, she replied, “ I think I’m busy that day, and I think you are, too.” It was said somewhat tongue in cheek. Neither of us would ever prevent the other from doing something we knew was important to him/her. Although we’ve shared many great outdoor trips, this was one Lisa was willing to forgo. Although I wished we could share this adventure as well, I somehow felt the experience of waking up at midnight camped at 16,000 feet in below freezing temperatures with little sleep and a splitting headache, in order to endure a 12 hour hike to the summit and back, might overshadow the satisfaction of reaching the summit of Africa’s highest peak. A goal in which there was no guarantee of achieving. Her main objection to me going was concern for my safety. She knew climbing Kilimanjaro wasn’t the same as taking a guided expedition to the top of Mount Everest, but she has somehow convinced herself that I am a walking accident waiting to happen. This wasn’t helped by my attempt to convince her that road biking in traffic on Beach Avenue where we live in the Washington DC metro area was inherently more risky that hiking at altitude with significantly diminished oxygen levels. Nonetheless, she reserved her veto power for the future when she felt I would come up with a really outrageous idea. Thus, originated the Mount Kilimanjaro expedition.

In the end, two others responded to Ajay’s email, Jeremiah and Jen. When surfing the net for any useful information that might help in the preparation of our trip and I came across many outstanding blogs that have served as great resources as well as inspiration to start this blog. Whether this will be of any use to some anonymous cyber-surfer in the future or simply a way for us to remember what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable trip remains to be seen.