It’s hard to believe, but it has already been 3 weeks since 10 climbers summited Mount Kilimanjaro for the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation. After months of training, organizing and fundraising, we all met, some for the first time, in Moshi, Tanzania to begin our climb.
Below is Kilimanjaro as I experienced it. (I know it's a bit long, but hopefully it's worth the read).
INTRODUCTIONS
Sunday, June 20
9 of the 10 climbers meet in Nairobi, Kenya. Introductions were made, some pleasantries were exchanged and within a few hours, we were behaving as if we’d all known each other forever. It’s not that surprising since we all already share at least 2 things in common: our friend Aimee-Noel Hartley and a belief in the power to make a difference. Our 10th climber met us the next day in Tanzania.
GETTING THERE
Monday, June 21
After a good night’s sleep, we all crammed ourselves into a bus from Nairobi, Kenya to Moshi, Tanzania. It was a tight fit and a bumpy and dusty ride, and although there were moments when we were positive that the suspension was going to give and our luggage fly off the roof, we made it safely.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Tuesday, June 22
The ultimate reason that our group of 10 came together in Africa was to make a difference – to represent the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation and demonstrate what it stands for. And so, we took a day trip to a small village in the foothills of Kilimanjaro to spend the day with the kids.
It was an amazing experience – seeing hundreds of kids happy to play soccer and hold your hand. I became friends with 7 year old Moussa who was supposed to be the goalie. Our friendship almost cost Moussa’s team a few goals and him the respect of his teammates, but it was worth it to hear him count to 10 in English.
THE CLIMB
Day 1: Wednesday, June 23
Machame Gate (1500m) to Machame Camp (3000m)
Habitat: Rainforest
As we set out to begin our climb of Kilimanjaro, everyone was in good spirits. We were energized and ready to begin what represented the biggest challenge many of us had tackled.
We walked for about 6 hours through the rainforest, surrounded by lush vegetation and a light mist. It was beautiful. We arrived at camp to discover that our team of porters had set up the tents and prepared dinner. Impressive.
As we ate our dinner, our Guide Antipas came into the dining tent. His took a few minutes to walk us through what the next day would look like, answer our questions and let us know how we were doing.
Antipas reminded us that as the days go on, we will begin to feel tired, that the altitude will begin to affect us and that we may lose our appetite. But what he wanted to get through to us is that these symptoms are not a death sentence. They are part of the process.
Antipas said, “You have the determination. That is why you are here. But now you must persevere.” It would only be days later that we would truly understand what this meant.
Day 2: Thursday, June 24
Machame camp (2980m) to Shira camp (3840m)
Habitat: Rainforest and Moorland
We got an early start, walking through the rainforest and transitioning into moorland. After walking for a few hours, we slowly got out of the clouds and got our first glimpse of the summit and the glaciers. It seemed so far away! We still had a lot of terrain to cover as we continued to circumnavigate the mountain from the Western Breach to the east.
We arrived at the camp to have an amazing view above the clouds. The weather was drier and comfortable and we were able to enjoy the afternoon outside relaxing.
Day 3: Friday, June 25
Shira Camp (at 3840m) to Lava Tower (at 4630m) to Barranco camp (at 3950m)
Habitat: Semi-desert
Over 8 hours, we transitioned from moorland to semi-desert. Most signs of vegetation disappeared and the terrain became rocky. I would say that most people still felt pretty good this day.
The sun was strong and we all did our best to make sure that we had sun screen protecting our faces, but it never occurred to us to protect our necks and ears. As the sun beat down on us, we all suffered pretty nasty sunburns on the left side of our necks and our ears that kept us awake as we tried to sleep. For the next week or so, my ears and neck molted … it was gross.
Day 4: Saturday, June 26
Barranco camp (3950m) to Barafu camp (4550m)
Habitat: Alpine desert
Day 4 was a day full of anticipation for most of us. We knew that after walking for 8 hours this day, we would begin our summit ascent over night and our concerns about making it to the top began to surface.
This day started out rough for me. We headed out in the morning and after walking for about a half an hour, we began to climb the Barranco Wall. It’s a pretty imposing wall to look at but nothing we couldn’t handle.
I felt physically capable to climb the wall, but about half way up, I became lightheaded and dizzy. I fought through it for a little while, but it became quickly apparent when I could not stand without holding on that something was wrong. With watchful eyes following my every move, I made it to the top of the wall. Once on solid ground, within a matter of seconds, the water bottles in my backpack were taken from me and my boyfriend was shoving a Reeses Peanut Butter cup in my mouth and forcing me to wash it down with electrolyte water.
And then, I broke down – yup, I spontaneously started crying. I wondered how I would make it to the top if I was getting lightheaded at 4500 meters. What would it be like at 5895m? But after a few minutes of rest, I began to feel better and made it through the rest of the day without incident.
Before the end of the day, our first climber got sick (no, it was not me). He first vomited around 4pm and would continue to vomit repeatedly for the next 30 hours.
We arrived at camp around 5pm. We ate quickly and were in bed by 7pm taking a short nap before we got up at 10pm to begin the summit climb.
Day 5: Saturday, June 26 - Sunday, June 27
(Summit attempt) Barafu camp (4550m) to Stella Point (5695 m) to Uhuru Peak (5895m) to Mweka Camp (3100m)
Habitat: Scree and Ice-capped summit
We awoke at 10pm to prepare for our summit climb. We had slept anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours. To say we were tired would be an understatement.
By 11pm, we were well on our way, scaling the rocks and making our way to the summit. We were walking under the bright moon light. As we looked up, we could see the head torches of other climbers moving slowly and steadily, an indication of where we were going.
The summit climb was by far the most challenging for all of us, physically and mentally. We had everything against us – accumulated fatigue, cold, wind, stress and oxygen levels of about 50%. Many of us were so exhausted that we felt that if we were to close our eyes, we might well fall asleep right there on the way. Every step was an effort, and any movement that required a physical exertion set our heart rates skyrocketing and demanded 15 seconds to recover. Something as simple as climbing a step seemed impossible. Part of the way, we were nothing more than drones moving along the path. As we got beat up by 20 mph winds and temperatures hovering around -30C/-22F with the wind-chill, we all encountered moments when we seriously questioned what we were doing.
Two of the climbers suffered much more than the others as they vomited repeatedly, about 12-15 times each. Our guides assured us that they would be ok to continue and the climbers pushed through it.
When we made it to the first peak, Stella Point (5685m), I knew that I could make it another 200m to the top. The sun began to rise and it was amazing. The deep red/orange hues slowly revealed the cloud line and as we continued walking, the rising sun revealed Uhuru Peak, our final destination.
I remember enjoying the view and being amazed at the opportunity I had to witness this first hand, but all I could focus on was moving forward and getting to Uhuru Peak.
At 7:00am on Sunday, June 27, all ten climbers reached Uhuru Peak! We had been warned by our guides that we wouldn’t want to linger and savor the moment, and the truth is that he was right. We were happy to take a few photos, enjoy the view and begin our descent.
A few hours later, we made it back to Barafu camp where we rested for a couple of hours, had some lunch and headed down to Mweka camp, where we arrived around 5pm.
In case you’ve gotten lost in the details, we essentially walked about 24 hours in a 32 hour period and slept about 3-5 hours. We were pretty tired.
Day 6: Monday, June 28
Mweka Camp (3100m) to Mweka Gate (1980m)
Habitat: Forest
Day 6 was amazing. We walked for about 3.5 hours down to the gates where we officially completed our climb. The walk was enjoyable and uneventful (but pretty rough on the knees and toes).
As excited as we were to have successfully completing our climb, we were all really excited to take our first shower in 6 days!
FAQ
Below are some of the questions that I’ve been asked most. I thought that I would share them with you all in case you are interested!
What was the weather like?
The weather varied as we ascended. The first day, it was mild but very damp as we were walking through the clouds hovering in the rain forest. The subsequent days were mild and dry. We underestimated the power of the sun and suffered sun burns of varying degrees. Generally, it was about 15C/59F during the day which was comfortable for walking. During the evening, though, it was quite chilly, getting down to 5C/41F.
What were the camps like?
The camps were a sea of tents. We were among many other groups climbing Kilimanjaro at the same time. The terrain changed from camp to camp, starting out in the damp rainforest, moving to the arid moorland to the rough and stony ridge.
What did you eat?
Given that everything we ate had to be carried up the mountain on someone’s head, it was a pretty impressive spread. Each morning we were fed porridge, eggs (scrambled or omelets), sausages, toast, fruit, coffee and hot water. Lunches were some sort of meat, fruit and vegetables. Dinners always began with soup and bread and were followed up with pasta with a vegetable sauce or some sort of meat. Dessert was always fruit. We even had watermelon on day 4 … of all things, the porters carried a watermelon on their head for 4 days.
Where did you get your water?
Our drinking water came from the streams on the mountain – usually run off from the glacier. The water was carried by the porters to the campsites and was used for cooking, for drinking water and also for water to wash our hands.
Some of the climbers used purifying drops and another had a UV stick that is supposed to kill any bacteria in the water. I went au natural and was fine.
What about the bathrooms?
Well … let’s just say that they left something to be desired. There were huts at all camp sites that were essentially old fashioned out houses. There were no toilets, no flushes, no chemicals treating the waste. There was just a hole in the ground, occasionally with some tile around it. I tried to use them but upon approaching the smell would send me heaving. Instead, I preferred to take my toilet paper and hide behind a rock.
What about hygiene?
We all started out with good intentions and a full package of wet wipes. But the truth of the matter is that after a day or two, you stop caring whether you smell or if you’ve brushed your teeth.
Did anyone get sick?
The climbers suffered any number of ailments including:
Nausea
Vomiting
Headaches
Constipation
Diarrhea
Dehydration
Dizziness
Frost bite (from the summit climb)
How was the summit?
The summit was amazing and beautiful. As the sun rises, you begin to see the impressive glacier in all its glory. The weather is cold but not nearly as windy as during the climb.
Everyone lines up to take pictures in front of the infamous Uhuru Peak sign and you have to be quick and to the point because there are other groups of freezing climbers waiting to get their quick shots and start heading down.
As we began to head down, I found myself with about 10 meters separating me from the closest person in front and behind me. I enjoyed the moment and celebrated reaching the top by reaching into the inside pocket of my coat and taking out a Reeses Peanut Butter cup. It never tasted better than at that moment. I savored my success before catching up with the others.
Why do you climb to the summit during the night?
There are 2 reasons that we were given for climbing at night.
1. The sunrise is amazing and people love to see it. I’ll go along with that – it was pretty fantastic.
2. When climbers can see what they are climbing, some get discouraged and will not make it to the summit. Apparently, it is believed that since we can’t really tell what lies ahead, we trust the process and push forward.
What would have happened if you couldn’t make it to the summit?
It does happen that climbers can’t make it to the top. Some get sick, some even die. But these cases are rare. In fact, most people who don’t succeed in getting to the top already have a preexisting condition (known or unknown) that hinders them.
On summit night, we had 6 guides with the 10 climbers. If one of us needed to make our way back down, we would have been accompanied by an experienced guide.
About 20% of all climbers do not make it to Uhuru Peak. Some of the climbers don’t even attempt the summit climb and some of the climbers stop at Stella Point (200m before Uhuru).
How did you deal with the altitude?
9/10 climbers were taking Diamox, a prescription pill used to treat altitude sickness. There are varying views on if the drug works and if/when to take it, but I started taking it 2 days prior to the climb. I suffered no altitude sickness – meaning I didn’t have headache, nausea or vomiting. Whether it’s because of the Diamox or if I wouldn’t have gotten sick will never be known, and the truth is I don’t really care. What matters is that I didn’t get sick.
The only negative side effect of the Diamox is that it makes you urinate … a lot … so taking it in the evening when you were planning to go to bed was a bad idea, unless you didn’t mind crawling out of your tent into the freezing temperatures a couple of times. I learned this early on; a very valuable lesson.
Who carried your things up the mountain?
For each climber, there are 3 porters. The porters are amazing and inspiring. As the climbers congratulate themselves for completing such a feat, we can’t help but feel small next to the incredible porters who carry climbers’ things over and over again up the mountain.
The porters carry each climbers’ rucksacks. The rucksacks contain our clothes, snacks, sleeping bags, mattresses and other miscellaneous things we’ve brought along for the climb. The bags weigh about 15kg/33lb each. And the porters carry them on their heads.
The porters also carry the tents, tables, chairs, food and water. They carry all of this on their heads too.
But it gets even more impressive. The porters are often poorly equipped – they are wearing loafers or sneakers. They aren’t always wearing good clothing. They receive no training. Yet each and every day, they get up before us, prepare our food, wait for us to leave, take down the tents and pack up the camp site and set off. They pass us on the way and get to the next camp site before us so that when we arrive, the camp site is set and dinner is ready.
What equipment did you need?
What’s most important is synthetic clothing that keeps the moisture away from your skin.
We had the following equipment:
- Hiking boots
- Day pack – weighed about 5kg/11lbs with miscellaneous things for the day, such as snacks, sunscreen and water
- Sleeping bag (at least -15C/5F)
- Mattress
- Walking poles (I rented these)
- Gaiters to keep the mud off your pants (I rented these)
- Rain coat, winter coat, wind jacket, wind pants, ski pants, warm socks
- Balaclava – I hesitated on this one, but it was absolutely the best investment I made. On the summit climb, it was so cold and windy that the balaclava made all the difference in protecting my face. 2 climbers who didn’t have a balaclava got frost bite on their lips and nose.
PICTURES
No trip to Kilimanjaro is complete without a photo diary to accompany it. Please enjoy pictures of this extraordinary experience.
View Photo Album
View Slideshow>
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
I am proud to say that collectively, we have raised over $70,000 for the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation. Thanks to your generosity, my personal fundraising is over $12,000! I cannot begin to express how grateful for your generosity and support of the SHLF.
If you would still like to make a donation, I invite you to visit my
personal fundraising page
All on-line donations will receive a tax receipt.
Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. This has been a truly life changing experience and to have been able to raise so much money doing it is inspiring.
All the best,
Trish
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
THANK YOUs
Like most of South Africa , I woke up this morning with a hangover. Not a literal one (this time), but I’m dizzy, dehydrated and exhausted. It’s over. For the next 30 days, I have the mammoth task of recovering from the last 30. What an incredible month – World Cup, Kilmanjaro, raising over $80,000 and launching the Brick by Brick Campaign. This is the best hangover ever.
Time moves too fast. We know this and by now Kilimanjaro is practically old news. Before it moves into the archives, I want to be sure to say the appropriate thank yous to all those that made the Kilimanjaro Climb an enormous success:
1. The Supporters.
You are what makes us go around. Full stop. I get a shocking number of apologies from people for making ‘small’ donations and have the same knee-jerk reaction every time: no such thing. 503 people have donated a total of $65,718, for an average donation of $131. With matched funds and continued efforts, our total amount raised will be approximately $80,000!
Don’t ever apologise for giving. You make the difference.
Our purpose is to honour your every effort and dollar to change the lives of youth who need it. Thank you, a million times over, for making a difference.
2. The Sponsors.
We aren’t a large operation here and without a doubt, sponsors allows us to build on the incredible efforts of individuals and pay real dividends to our cause. Thank you Merck for making the Kilimanjaro Climb possible and to Kraft and Little Tikes for your contribution to making a difference.
3. African Scenic Safaris.
A top-notch recommendation providing sustainable, responsible services that contribute directly to the Moshi community. Thank you Amanda for going well above and beyond amd to the guides, who deserve their own page of long, effusive thank yous. Antipas, Macho, Benson, Isaiah and the rest of the porters, embarassed us by making it look easy, but you made our trip! Asante Sana!
4. Megan and Sean.
For hosting us all in your gorgeous home and carbo-loading us on the eve of our big journey. Amazing to see you and to meet Nathan and Sean. And, of course, to sit in a small East African town and chit-chat about North Vancouver as if it were around the corner. Love sharing stories about how Jane Savill (Oxford PHd ) truly did live up to her Yearbook prediction of using more than 10% of her brain, agreeing unamimously that Courtney Howard is about the loveliest person alive and giggling at the clock Sally Blair gave you that STILL sits on your bedside table. You, like so many other the pod are a glowing example of how to reach your full potential and make a lasting contribution in this world. See you in Cape Town!
5. The Team
This could be a long one.
You never know how groups will work out. Nonetheless ones made up of people who barely know each other. Once again, our biggest success as a Foundation is 100% in the people involved and their uncanny willingness to give.
This random group of outstanding people took an idea, gave it life and made it count. Each person contributed their own unique strengths to make it happen. From logistics to websites to medicine to hiking gear to general hustle, every single member of this team contributed a unique skill and a lot of effort to creating something phenomenal. And they did it all with patience, grace and humour.
Nothing tells this story better than our arrival, as a team, at the summit. This team of ten includes a lifelong diabetic, cancer survivor, anorexia survivor, 27 year old widow, someone who escaped a communist country, a teenager (gasp) and someone who watched their entire community crumble in an Earthquake right in front of their eyes. Each arrived with their own very compelling reason to overcome a tremendous personal challenge and did it. That said, the biggest success lies in the fact that we did it together and helped each other selflessly.
I can’t say enough about the quality of this team and the people involved in SHLF. While each has their own attributes, one factor binds them uniformly – the willingness to give and ask for nothing in return.
I hope each of the team members got as much out of their journey as I did and that they feel the sincere gratitude for all that they have done for me as a person and, more importantly, SHLF and the youth we serve. The only thing we can offer in return is a sincere promise todo our very best with what you have given and a hope that you will stick around for the ride.
So as I negotiate this hangover and move onto the next challenge - re-building the destroyed facilities in Haiti, you can be sure to find me reminiscing with a giant smile on my face and a peace in my heart.
I love you……all. ;-)
Hakuna Matata Kilimanjaro
Time moves too fast. We know this and by now Kilimanjaro is practically old news. Before it moves into the archives, I want to be sure to say the appropriate thank yous to all those that made the Kilimanjaro Climb an enormous success:
1. The Supporters.
You are what makes us go around. Full stop. I get a shocking number of apologies from people for making ‘small’ donations and have the same knee-jerk reaction every time: no such thing. 503 people have donated a total of $65,718, for an average donation of $131. With matched funds and continued efforts, our total amount raised will be approximately $80,000!
Don’t ever apologise for giving. You make the difference.
Our purpose is to honour your every effort and dollar to change the lives of youth who need it. Thank you, a million times over, for making a difference.
2. The Sponsors.
We aren’t a large operation here and without a doubt, sponsors allows us to build on the incredible efforts of individuals and pay real dividends to our cause. Thank you Merck for making the Kilimanjaro Climb possible and to Kraft and Little Tikes for your contribution to making a difference.
3. African Scenic Safaris.
A top-notch recommendation providing sustainable, responsible services that contribute directly to the Moshi community. Thank you Amanda for going well above and beyond amd to the guides, who deserve their own page of long, effusive thank yous. Antipas, Macho, Benson, Isaiah and the rest of the porters, embarassed us by making it look easy, but you made our trip! Asante Sana!
4. Megan and Sean.
For hosting us all in your gorgeous home and carbo-loading us on the eve of our big journey. Amazing to see you and to meet Nathan and Sean. And, of course, to sit in a small East African town and chit-chat about North Vancouver as if it were around the corner. Love sharing stories about how Jane Savill (Oxford PHd ) truly did live up to her Yearbook prediction of using more than 10% of her brain, agreeing unamimously that Courtney Howard is about the loveliest person alive and giggling at the clock Sally Blair gave you that STILL sits on your bedside table. You, like so many other the pod are a glowing example of how to reach your full potential and make a lasting contribution in this world. See you in Cape Town!
5. The Team
This could be a long one.
You never know how groups will work out. Nonetheless ones made up of people who barely know each other. Once again, our biggest success as a Foundation is 100% in the people involved and their uncanny willingness to give.
This random group of outstanding people took an idea, gave it life and made it count. Each person contributed their own unique strengths to make it happen. From logistics to websites to medicine to hiking gear to general hustle, every single member of this team contributed a unique skill and a lot of effort to creating something phenomenal. And they did it all with patience, grace and humour.
Nothing tells this story better than our arrival, as a team, at the summit. This team of ten includes a lifelong diabetic, cancer survivor, anorexia survivor, 27 year old widow, someone who escaped a communist country, a teenager (gasp) and someone who watched their entire community crumble in an Earthquake right in front of their eyes. Each arrived with their own very compelling reason to overcome a tremendous personal challenge and did it. That said, the biggest success lies in the fact that we did it together and helped each other selflessly.
I can’t say enough about the quality of this team and the people involved in SHLF. While each has their own attributes, one factor binds them uniformly – the willingness to give and ask for nothing in return.
I hope each of the team members got as much out of their journey as I did and that they feel the sincere gratitude for all that they have done for me as a person and, more importantly, SHLF and the youth we serve. The only thing we can offer in return is a sincere promise todo our very best with what you have given and a hope that you will stick around for the ride.
So as I negotiate this hangover and move onto the next challenge - re-building the destroyed facilities in Haiti, you can be sure to find me reminiscing with a giant smile on my face and a peace in my heart.
I love you……all. ;-)
Hakuna Matata Kilimanjaro
6 days, 6000m, and a lifetime of memories - A detailed account by Jenni
Incredible, inspiring, life-changing. I knew that my trip to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro was going to be an amazing experience, but nothing could have prepared me for the adventure of a lifetime that I was lucky enough to have had over the past two weeks. All ten of us summitedAfrica’s highest peak at about 7:00am Tanzania time on Sunday, June 28, 2010, and we really did come together to Make a Difference. Thank you to all of our supporters for your love, encouragement and support: the group has raised over $65,000 for the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation, and now that we’re back, we hope we can see that total grow!
I’m now back in London, Ontario and I have been trying to gather my thoughts and emotions since getting back to Canada on July 1st (I posted a shortblog to the SHLF site on Friday, and there are a couple of great ones that we put up over the course of the journey that you really should check out http://shlfdoeskili.blogspot.com/), and I’m still feeling a bit out of sorts. I’ll do my best to sum up the experience though and share pictures that bring the adventure to life more than my words ever could. It’s hard to believe that in such a short time, people can come into your life and you can share an experience that changes you forever, and for the better.
Before I get into the stories,I want to say thank you to everyone who has read the blogs, donated to the cause or sent messages of encouragement since I signed on for this adventure. It’s been a wild 6 months and your support has been and continues to be greatly appreciated. I really and truly could not have done this without you.
So now for the fun part…the stories! My trip over to Africa was long, but luckily I had two seats to myself on the flight from Toronto to Brussels, and Brussels to Nairobi. I don’t usually sleep very well on planes, but was able to get a few hours, so when we finally touched down in Kenya at about 10:30pm it felt about right. I booted my way through the terminal to get to customs, which was a breeze, and out to find the driver who was there to take me to the hotel. I have to give a shout out here to Kristin Lovell who looked after transport and accommodationsfor all of us because everything went off without a hitch. We had decided to bunk three to a room in Nairobi for the night before catching the shuttle to Tanzania the following morning (nine of us flew to Nairobi, and one right to Moshi), so when I arrived, I had no idea who I’d be staying with. We all figured that we’d be getting close soon enough on the mountain, so there was no point in havingseparate rooms the first night. I was the last to arrive and was sharing a room with Aimee-Noel (who was the central person that everyone knew) and Kiran. Since I got in at about the same time that the football match ended, we all ended up at the room at about the same time and after a couple of cold showers to clean up, wentto bed in preparation for our early morning. (Now I should mention that we were supposed to catch the shuttle at 7:15am, so we were up at about 6:30am so that we could grab food before heading out, but Africa time made it closer to 8:15am by the time we saw the bus!).
Breakfast in Nairobi was really the first time that the majority of us met, and the bus ride from Nairobi to Moshi, Tanzania bonded us. It was 9 hours of dusty dirt roads through Maasai lands to get to our final destination, and by the time we arrived in Moshi at the bed and breakfast, it felt like we’d known each other for ages. Kristin arrived that night, so with all 10 of us under the same roof, excitement was high as we met our guide, Antipas,and laughs were contagious.
One of the trip highlights happened even before the climb started on our first full day in Tanzania because the owner of the tour company we were with (African Scenic Safaris – amazing) had arranged for us to go up into a village to volunteer with a program that paired teaching kids about the importance of reporting abuse with playing sports. The kids were adorable, and I’m not sure who had more fun – us or them! It was amazing to experience first hand the type of work that SHLF sponsors.
Post play, we went back to Moshi to get organized for the climb and do a final shop for chocolate and water before cleaning up and heading to one of Aimee-Noel’s friends for dinner. Such a small world, but the girls had gone to elementary school together in Vancouver, and Meg is now living with her husband and their son in Moshi, because her husband works for the UN. It was a great way to get our minds of the climb that was looming the next day, and really cool to get their take on life in Africa.
Day 1 of the climb eased us into the routine that was to follow for the next 5 days. After signing in at the MachameGate and meeting our assistant guides, we were off. The first day was about 6 hours of walking, with a lunch break in the middle. We quickly learned that the outdoor toilets along the way were not worth the wait, so the ducking or squatting behind a bush or rock began quickly. So too did the conversation about bowel status. It’s very important to share how you’re feeling with the guide and your group, and we definitely took that to heart. The conversations we had were hilarious (and add into the mix that two of our group are ob / gyns) and by the end of the first day, you’d have thought the ten of us had known each other forever. I celebrated reaching the first camp with a rendition of the Rocky run up the stairs in Philly, and I think there may be a video of my pathetic attempt floating around! lol
Being so close to the equator, days were much shorter on the mountain, so by the time dinner was done it was pretty dark and each night, we were likely in bed by about 9:00pm (I didn’t have a watch on the entire time, which was great). Theten of us slepttwo to a tent, and I was surprised that we were all able to crash so early – I had been wondering if we’d be bored, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was cold at night, so I often slept witha toque on, but thanks to good sleeping bags and close quarters, I ended up staying relatively warm.
Now even though we were camping, we were doing it well….we didn’t have to set up or take down tents, and we were woken each morning with a knock on the tent from one of the porters, offering tea or coffee, and taking out water bottles to fill them with the recently boiled water. We’d put on a layer of clothing (I typically slept in long underwearand then put the top layer on before going to breakfast), pack up our stuff and head to the mess tent for breakfast. Toast, oatmeal (which was more like gruel), fruit, eggs and sausages, along with coffee, tea, hot chocolateand Milo mix met us each morning. Ourhiking started about8:00am each day, and we’dusuallygo for about 4 hours, break for lunch – the porters would have taken down andpacked up camp, passed us on the trail and re-set up the mess tent and cooked lunch in this time – then finish off the day with another 3-4 hours, depending. We definitely stopped for pee and picture breaks along the way which took up time, and one of the highlights for me was on Day 3 when we climbed up to Lava Tower for acclimatization before descendingto Barancocamp. We stopped to rest at the base of thetower, but with Antipas’ permission andIsaiah and Macho (two ofthe assistant guides) leading the way, Aimee-Noel, Kiran and I climbed to the top of the tower. The three of us were feeling pretty good, with no signs of altitude yet, and I LOVED the actual climbingof getting up the extra 50 metres. While most of thehike was walking, we did get a taste of manoeuvering ourselves over rock from time to time, and I loved it.
I was extremely lucky on the climb because I really didn’t feel the effects of altitude at all. I was a little headachyfrom the sun on Day 3, but two ibuprofen, a hat and a lot of water cured it quickly. In fact, other than not sleeping great, I was incredibly impressed with my body and what it did on the climb because not everyone in the group was feeling good. Although we all were taking Diamox to help prevent altitude sickness, a couple of my friends ended up quite sick. We’re not sure if it was altitude, food, water, or a combination, but Day 4/5 was tough.
Day 4 was a big day because it was about 9 hours from the time we left camp in the morning to the time we arrived at the final camp for the ‘night’. It wasn’t really a full night though because after dinner, we had about 4 hours to rest and then we were woken up to start the summitclimb for 11:00pm (start of Day 5). Summitting is done overnight for a few reasons, which we learned after the fact: to have the light of the full moon, to arrive at the summit at sunrise, and so that we couldn’t see what we were climbing up for the 7 hours it took us to get to the top. Aimee-Noel and I were saying that we were the closest we’d ever be to the moon that night, and it felt like we were actually on it. The final push to the top was brutal in a lot of ways, and again, I’m massively lucky that my only enemies that night were the cold and not having slept since I woke up the morning of Day 4. I wasn’t throwing up or fighting nausea or a pounding headache, but many of my friends were, and I was praying for all of us the entire 7 hours up. The terrain itself was brutal too, and for a good portion of the climb, you’d slide back a step for every two you took forward because of the sand. Since I was feeling okay, I was doing my best to help everyone else (including pulling pants down at pee breaks!) and also making sure that I was drinking enough water and eating the summit breakfast of champions – chocolate and trail mix- about every 30 minutes to keep energy levels up.
Finally, at sunrise on June 28, 2010, all 10 of us crested Stella Point at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro – we had made it! I couldn’t help but cry, but quickly wiped tears away so that they didn’t freeze. It was about -18 celsiusthat night, with the wind making it feel more like -25,so our guide hurried us alongso that we could reach UhuruPeak – the highest point – as soon as possible so that we could get a few pictures and start working our way down. Although we were at the top of the mountain, we still had to gopole, pole (slowly, slowly)for the final 45 minutes to Uhurubecause we were still gaining altitude and Antipas didn’t want people to get any worse. It was amazing to see the various states of people, not only in my group, but in general, and I was so thankful that I was able to be taking in most of the experience and not having to fight sickness. My mind was all over the place at the top – definitely on my dad and how proud he’d be when he saw the picture – but also with each and every one of the group members. In 5 days, we had become incredibly close and were looking out for one another like family; I was feeling very very blessed to be experiencing this with them, and also very proud of myself and my body for what it had accomplished. It really was a sense of being able to do anything.
With pictures taken and hugs all around, we started to make our way back down the mountain (about 3 hours of sand skiing in the blazing sun)to camp for a much neededhour of rest before having to pack up and hike 4 more hours to the final camp that night. Yes, this means that in the 36 hours from waking up on Day 4 to going to bed on Day 5, we’d hiked for about 24 hours. We arrived back at camps in waves,and I think itwas about 10:40am when I crawled into my tent.Exhaustion and dehydration had hit me on the way down andit was incredible how much the temperature had changed. I’d hiked up the mountainin complete winter gear and was freezing, but on the way down, I’d stripped off as much as I could and was boiling. The sun definitely got to me on the descent too, so when I arrived back to camp and had taken off my wet layer, I was sunburned, but chilled. I also realized that although I’d had hand and feet warmers in my mitts and boots, my big toes were a bit frostbitten – luckily they haven’t turned black, but they’re still not quite right, and I’m hoping that the sensation will come back eventually….
While I hadn’t slept at all in the 4 hours we’d had the night before, I did dozea bit in the hour of rest we had before lunch, and I think that food and the thought that our sleeping bags awaited us at the final camp that night kept us all moving for the 4 hour afternoon hike down. Luckily, with the descent, people were starting to feel better and even though going down was tough on the knees, our final night at camps was hilarious. We were all so pumped that we’d made it to Uhuru and all together (some groups end up having to split up) that it was a great night of laughs, and I think we all slept very well (well, for me, as well as I could have…sleep was the one thing that didn’t come easily on the climb for me even though it should have!).
Our final day was easy (only 3 hours) and bittersweet. Beautiful scenery and good conversation on the way to the MwekaGate, but we all knew that the adventure was coming to an end. After getting back to the B&B and cleaning up very fast (even though the shower was cold it felt SO good to wash after 6 days of being dirty and dusty!), we went to a restaurant for celebratory pizza. Aimee-Noel had to leave that evening to get back to Cape Town to catch a World Cup game the following day, and Kristin was out early the next morning,but I was thankful that we were able to spend one final meal together laughing. That night, a few of uswentout for dinner and drinks (we were very much in celebration mode andit waslot of fun to completely let go – after all, I’d just climbed a mountain!), but it was already feeling weird not having everyone together.
I’ve been playing through the days in my mind constantly and finding comfort in knowing that I’ll see many of the group again soon. I was lucky enough to do atwo day safari with Chloe and Fred post climb (it wasn’t originally in my plan, but worked out!) and we met up with Trish, Lucas, Kiran, Camille, and Paloma for one final campsite night togetherthatwas definitely one to remember – good food, good friends, good wine and sitting around a campfire under the Tanzanian sky was a picture perfect way to end the trip. And although Aimee-Noel and Kristin weren’t able to be there,I know that Aimee-Noel will be back in Canada this fall for a few weeks, so I’m going to do everything I can to see her, and Kristin is moving back to Toronto from Abu Dhabi later this month!
If you’ve read all 2800 words of this post, thank you…it only scratches the surface, so be sure to read the SHLF blog too to get my friends’ perspectives on the climb. And if you haven’t yet donated to the cause, please consider doing so at http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1504&AID=968&PID=114230; every one of us really can Makea Difference.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Did we really just climb Kilimanjaro?
Back to the grind! Well, not really. I'm back in Abu Dhabi and in fact it is my last day of work. Only 5 hours to go! The past 30 days have been a whirlwind for me with moving out of my apartment the week before the climb, training my replacement, climbing Kilimanjaro, and preparing for my move back to Canada on July 13. But I have no complaints. Everything seems to be coming together! Back in Toronto I will be busy as well with re-establishing my residency, finding a job and planning a wedding! Such an exciting time and I love it. :)
I've been back from Tanzania for about a week and it is just now sinking in that our group of ten all summitted Kilimanjaro at 7AM on June 27. Wow. We really did it. This is one of those adventures I will be talking about for the rest of my life and going back often to look at photos. It was an intense challenge and I remember struggling at times with the altitude sickness but looking back it feels like the trip flew by so quickly. Thank goodness for photographic memories!
Our team of ten has raised over 65K and we are not stopping. My fundraising tally currently stands at 11K but I am going to push for another few weeks to try and break 15K. I know my teammates and new life-long friends will be pushing along with me.
So many fond and funny memories. We were very fortunate to have developed a strong team bond from the very beginning. We got very close, to the point of updating each other daily on our bowel movements. Sounds silly but I think this kind of comfort level was a key ingredient to our success. Any time a team member was feeling ill, everyone was there to lend a hand. Nothing exemplifies this more than our team sticking together during the eight-hour summit climb throughout the night where two of our teammates were vomitting the entire way up. We stayed together, we encouraged each other and in the end, we all summitted at Uhuru Peak (5895 metres) together. Okay okay, I know it sounds like I am having a sentimental moment as opposed to providing my usual comic relief but I can't help myself. I guess I am getting sappy in my old age. To Aimee-Noel, Jenni, Kiran, Trish, Lucas, Camille, Chloe, Paloma and Fred - thank you for making this one of the most memorable adventures of my life. And to our guides - Antipas, Isaiah, Macho and Benson - we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you.
Kristin
I've been back from Tanzania for about a week and it is just now sinking in that our group of ten all summitted Kilimanjaro at 7AM on June 27. Wow. We really did it. This is one of those adventures I will be talking about for the rest of my life and going back often to look at photos. It was an intense challenge and I remember struggling at times with the altitude sickness but looking back it feels like the trip flew by so quickly. Thank goodness for photographic memories!
Our team of ten has raised over 65K and we are not stopping. My fundraising tally currently stands at 11K but I am going to push for another few weeks to try and break 15K. I know my teammates and new life-long friends will be pushing along with me.
So many fond and funny memories. We were very fortunate to have developed a strong team bond from the very beginning. We got very close, to the point of updating each other daily on our bowel movements. Sounds silly but I think this kind of comfort level was a key ingredient to our success. Any time a team member was feeling ill, everyone was there to lend a hand. Nothing exemplifies this more than our team sticking together during the eight-hour summit climb throughout the night where two of our teammates were vomitting the entire way up. We stayed together, we encouraged each other and in the end, we all summitted at Uhuru Peak (5895 metres) together. Okay okay, I know it sounds like I am having a sentimental moment as opposed to providing my usual comic relief but I can't help myself. I guess I am getting sappy in my old age. To Aimee-Noel, Jenni, Kiran, Trish, Lucas, Camille, Chloe, Paloma and Fred - thank you for making this one of the most memorable adventures of my life. And to our guides - Antipas, Isaiah, Macho and Benson - we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you.
Kristin
Friday, July 2, 2010
We laughed, we cried, we laughed some more
After 30 hours of travel, I arrived back in Ontario yesterday afternoon, and hopped on one final flight from Toronto up to Sudbury so that the first person I saw post climb was my dad. I had spent much of the trip home thinking about what an absolutely amazing experience I had in Africa, and when we arrived at the Sudbury airport, my heart was beating almost as fast as it was when we reached the top of Kilimanjaro last Sunday. I was the first one off the plane and more or less ran into my dad's arms and started crying. I had been able to hold off the tears until that point, but in the 24 hours or so that I've been back, my emotions have been all over the place.
The memories are definitely going to last a lifetime, and although I’m a little worried about what might make it to YouTube and Facebook, I can’t wait to see the footage! Every now and then something pops into my mind, or I go through pictures and find myself giggling and trying to explain to whoever hears me what I’m laughing about (not exactly easy because for a lot of the stories, you really had to be there or they just sound nuts), but Aimee-Noel’s Top 10 List is bang on for hilarious moments and their context. The only other I’d add is learning the game of Giants, Wizards, and Elves to settle sleeping and showering arrangements...much more entertaining than Rocks, Paper, Scissors!
I keep running through the days in my mind in hopes of keeping them alive a little longer and not sliding back into reality just yet. I’m finding myself laughing, crying, and drifting off into my own little world a lot, and the tears really are of joy for what an amazing experience the entire adventure was. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much or as hard as I did while I was in Africa, and I can’t believe that in only 10 short days, our group became as close as we did. Since I’ve been back I’ve had a few people ask if I’d ever consider doing it again, and although I was one of the lucky ones who felt pretty good the entire climb, with only the cold being my biggest enemy on the final ascent, it was the people who really made the experience what it was, and I don’t think it could ever be recreated. I am incredibly proud to have been part of this adventure, and words can’t express how proud I am of everyone on that climb for what we achieved.
The memories are definitely going to last a lifetime, and although I’m a little worried about what might make it to YouTube and Facebook, I can’t wait to see the footage! Every now and then something pops into my mind, or I go through pictures and find myself giggling and trying to explain to whoever hears me what I’m laughing about (not exactly easy because for a lot of the stories, you really had to be there or they just sound nuts), but Aimee-Noel’s Top 10 List is bang on for hilarious moments and their context. The only other I’d add is learning the game of Giants, Wizards, and Elves to settle sleeping and showering arrangements...much more entertaining than Rocks, Paper, Scissors!
I keep running through the days in my mind in hopes of keeping them alive a little longer and not sliding back into reality just yet. I’m finding myself laughing, crying, and drifting off into my own little world a lot, and the tears really are of joy for what an amazing experience the entire adventure was. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much or as hard as I did while I was in Africa, and I can’t believe that in only 10 short days, our group became as close as we did. Since I’ve been back I’ve had a few people ask if I’d ever consider doing it again, and although I was one of the lucky ones who felt pretty good the entire climb, with only the cold being my biggest enemy on the final ascent, it was the people who really made the experience what it was, and I don’t think it could ever be recreated. I am incredibly proud to have been part of this adventure, and words can’t express how proud I am of everyone on that climb for what we achieved.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Kilimanjaro Top Ten + 1
I shouldn’t be doing this.
Most of the hikers are now on safari and a couple of others on their long routes home. By virtue of proximity to Tanzania and World Cup tickets to Portugal vs Spain, I arrived home first by a long shot. Today, while the others are chasing lions or trying to sleep off their exhaustion in airports, I’m hungover at work and doing a fabulous job of earning my keep. Within a couple of hours of de-planing I was several vuvuzela beer bongs deep and being ushered by police out of Cape Town Stadium amidst throngs of screaming (real) Spanish soccer fans. My Spanish singing was totally on point and I am tremendous role model of how one should recover from 8 sleepless nights and an extremely challenging physical feat. Welcome back to Sea Level!
I should allow time for the others to gather their thoughts and photos onto this blog before chiming in, but on the flight home I came up with my Top 10 list and am just too excited (read procrastinating the mountain of work staring at me) to wait.
So hear goes, subject to opinion:
10. After starting a tally for the number of times Chloe (the gynecologist) brought up ‘girl parts’ into conversation, it was usurped by a group tally for bodily functions. We lost count. You get very close at altitude.
9. Jenni imitating Rocky at the Philadelphia Art Museum upon reaching camp on Night One. Those punches were dangerous.
8. Fred hiking 4 out of 6 days in blue jeans and Lacoste t-shirts. He wins the Best Dressed at 5,000m amsl award, maybe ever. Unless hairstyles count, in which case Camille’s experiment with no-rinse powder shampoo was hot – she looks good with silver hair.
7. Trish, Lucas and Kiran’s camp-made (lower than home on the ‘made’ pecking order) version of The Blair Witch Project. Even better live.
6. After requesting Swahili lessons, the porters sent Aimee-Noel and Kiran off with ‘powa ka chizi komandizi, powa ka chizi komaparachichi’ – crazy banana, crazy avocado. Says alot about the persona of this duo.
The next day, Isaiah, our guide looked at Kiran and told him ‘TMBB – too much blah, blah.’ Kristin, also keen to learn Swahili. excitedly asked him to say it slower so she could understand. Teeee Emmm Beeee Beeee…
5. Trish be-friending 7 year old Moosa by chatting him up while he was meant to be tending goal in soccer at the Sports Day. Their friendship cost his team several goals and him the respect of his teammates, but Trish is still proud of herself. Way to be a role model Cubellis.
4. Paloma, on summit night, asking Jenni ‘can you please pull down my pants?’ It was too cold to take her mittens off, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Now that’s teamwork.
3. Fred leaping up in the middle of the night and announcing that there were galloping animals outside the tent…..that turned out to be Aimee-Noel sprinting to the facilities in -15 C with a bad case of travelers ‘ladoooona’.
2. Lucas chasing Kristin at full sprint at 4,400 metres amsl blaring Lady Gaga on his iphone. ‘Make, gasp, it, gasp, go, gasp, away, gasp.’
1. Zeus (Kiran – I eat lightning and crap thunder) declaring himself ‘the first to blow chunks on Kilimanjaro’ and thereby initiating a 24 hour puke-a-thon. In a most impressive display of courage Kristin, Lucas, Camille (12 times) and Kiran (lost count) barfed their way up a 9 hour, 5.4 km, 1,200 metre elevation hike to the summit in -25 degree weather.
PS Zeus capped it off with a beer upon returning to lower altitude – first food he successfully stomached in 36 hours.
Bonus #1 – Reaching Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres amsl at 7am June 27th with all ten Climbers. Capping off a hilarious and challenging spiritual journey that will stay with each of us forever.
Aimee-Noel
Most of the hikers are now on safari and a couple of others on their long routes home. By virtue of proximity to Tanzania and World Cup tickets to Portugal vs Spain, I arrived home first by a long shot. Today, while the others are chasing lions or trying to sleep off their exhaustion in airports, I’m hungover at work and doing a fabulous job of earning my keep. Within a couple of hours of de-planing I was several vuvuzela beer bongs deep and being ushered by police out of Cape Town Stadium amidst throngs of screaming (real) Spanish soccer fans. My Spanish singing was totally on point and I am tremendous role model of how one should recover from 8 sleepless nights and an extremely challenging physical feat. Welcome back to Sea Level!
I should allow time for the others to gather their thoughts and photos onto this blog before chiming in, but on the flight home I came up with my Top 10 list and am just too excited (read procrastinating the mountain of work staring at me) to wait.
So hear goes, subject to opinion:
10. After starting a tally for the number of times Chloe (the gynecologist) brought up ‘girl parts’ into conversation, it was usurped by a group tally for bodily functions. We lost count. You get very close at altitude.
9. Jenni imitating Rocky at the Philadelphia Art Museum upon reaching camp on Night One. Those punches were dangerous.
8. Fred hiking 4 out of 6 days in blue jeans and Lacoste t-shirts. He wins the Best Dressed at 5,000m amsl award, maybe ever. Unless hairstyles count, in which case Camille’s experiment with no-rinse powder shampoo was hot – she looks good with silver hair.
7. Trish, Lucas and Kiran’s camp-made (lower than home on the ‘made’ pecking order) version of The Blair Witch Project. Even better live.
6. After requesting Swahili lessons, the porters sent Aimee-Noel and Kiran off with ‘powa ka chizi komandizi, powa ka chizi komaparachichi’ – crazy banana, crazy avocado. Says alot about the persona of this duo.
The next day, Isaiah, our guide looked at Kiran and told him ‘TMBB – too much blah, blah.’ Kristin, also keen to learn Swahili. excitedly asked him to say it slower so she could understand. Teeee Emmm Beeee Beeee…
5. Trish be-friending 7 year old Moosa by chatting him up while he was meant to be tending goal in soccer at the Sports Day. Their friendship cost his team several goals and him the respect of his teammates, but Trish is still proud of herself. Way to be a role model Cubellis.
4. Paloma, on summit night, asking Jenni ‘can you please pull down my pants?’ It was too cold to take her mittens off, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Now that’s teamwork.
3. Fred leaping up in the middle of the night and announcing that there were galloping animals outside the tent…..that turned out to be Aimee-Noel sprinting to the facilities in -15 C with a bad case of travelers ‘ladoooona’.
2. Lucas chasing Kristin at full sprint at 4,400 metres amsl blaring Lady Gaga on his iphone. ‘Make, gasp, it, gasp, go, gasp, away, gasp.’
1. Zeus (Kiran – I eat lightning and crap thunder) declaring himself ‘the first to blow chunks on Kilimanjaro’ and thereby initiating a 24 hour puke-a-thon. In a most impressive display of courage Kristin, Lucas, Camille (12 times) and Kiran (lost count) barfed their way up a 9 hour, 5.4 km, 1,200 metre elevation hike to the summit in -25 degree weather.
PS Zeus capped it off with a beer upon returning to lower altitude – first food he successfully stomached in 36 hours.
Bonus #1 – Reaching Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres amsl at 7am June 27th with all ten Climbers. Capping off a hilarious and challenging spiritual journey that will stay with each of us forever.
Aimee-Noel
Monday, June 28, 2010
We Made It!!
All ten climbers summited Uhuru Peak yesterday (June 27) at 7am!!
With a success rate of 80% and 4 pukers on the ascent (Camille threw up TWELVE times and still made it!), this team was nothing if not determined.
Back in Moshi very briefly, we will be updating the blog with details of the trip of a lifetime and hundreds of photos over the next few days.
The team is filthy, exhausted and smiling ear to ear. We couldn't have gathered a better group of random people if we tried and most definitely out-did the New Mexicans!
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