Visas

We received our visas in the mail this week. We needed one visa for each country we are visiting in Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). To get a visa, we needed to mail our passports to the Kenyan and Tanzanian embassies in Washington, DC, and allow one month for each of them to approve our applications and return our passports.

Due to time constraints, and to ensure everything went through OK, we hired a visa expediting service, in late November.

We had to very carefully fill out our applications for each visa. We both are legibility-challenged, so it took some time. Some of the questions just aren't understandable at first take either. I went in to the Visa service with our carefully filled out, somewhat legible forms, and they reviewed them and said we had to redo one of them. Turns out the Tanzanian embassy no longer accepts signatures in black ink, they must be signed in blue ink.

So we re-did them, sent them in. Waited and waited, and they finally arrived via fedex, all ready to go. Check.

Tiger Mt, One More Time

Our list of potential hikes during late December are incredibly unimaginative, but we really don’t have many choices. A lot of snow fell over the holidays, which is very rare here at sea level. Up in the mountains, a whole lot of snow in a short period of time leads to very unstable snow conditions. Extreme avalanche conditions were listed for most areas above 3,000 ft.

So, we hiked Tiger Mt. again. Just Doreen and me today, Lucy had to stay home because we had plans to do Big City things after our hike. But, it really wasn’t the same old hike. This was a winter hike that we had to gear up for. He have several pieces of equipment that needed testing, and these were the perfect conditions to try them out. Winter gear- check; hard shell parkas- check; gaiters – check; trekking poles- check; crampons- oh crap! They were laid out last night to bring, along with the snowshoes. Where are they??

Oh yeah, we decided last minute that we wouldn’t need snowshoes because this trail was likely to be well trampled. The crampons must have been under the snowshoes back at home. So, onward we slogged. We hit snow and ice in no time. With no crampons, it was a bit difficult to get along, but with the poles, we actually got along just fine, and we felt ready for any giant snowy volcano out there.

Tiger Mt. again

Lucy and I assaulted Tiger Mt. again today. This time for good measure, I loaded up with my usual load, plus an additional 4 liters of water. Training.

Lucy had her usual outfitting. Funny thing is, in the summer when we did this hike she had to throw herself on the ground several times and pant for a while because the heat was too much for her. On this hike, we encountered snow at about 2,000 ft. Lucy was in her own little heaven.

We don't know what kind of dog she is, but I think she is part Bernese Mt dog and part bear. She has the thickest, widest coat. The rescue place where we got her from called her a Heinz 57 variety dog. That's really funny to me because everyone knows that the breed varieties have to be divisible by a factor of four after one generation.

Me? I had a great hike, and when I got to the top I poured out 4 liters of extra water and felt like I was moon walking all the way down with all that weight missing.

Planning and Training for the Climb

Training to climb Kilimanjaro is more than hiking and climbing mountains. It just isn't feasible to do get out to hike more than one or two days a week. My training in general has been to take daily walks (at least 5 days a week for a half hour to an hour) with the dogs.

My first goal is to work out so that my heart rate is in the high end of my target heart rate zone for about an hour at a time (elliptical trainer or similar). Second, work on long term workouts where the heart rate is elevated for several hours at at time (hiking and climbing). Third, strengthening (weights).

I joined the local athletic club to get some time on cardio machines and weights. The club has elliptical trainers, stair masters (horrible little instruments), and treadmills. Also a weight room and a pool.

Finally, mental training and motivation. I set up a training and planning center in a corner of our kitchen. There's a couple of white boards, photos of Kilimanjaro, and a calendar. We keep our constantly-changing equipment lists, deadlines, training records, vaccination schedules, and to-do lists on the white boards. In addition, we each carry around a packing list that we can write lists of equipment and other needs on. This month we are meeting weekly to discuss what we got done the week before and what needs to get done the next week.

Tiger Mountain

Tiger Mountain is a very accessible mountain located 45 minutes east of Seattle. It is one of my staple hikes. I have climbed it several times because it can be done in less than three hours, and it is straight up so it is a really good work out. Many people train on this mountain by running up and down it daily. I prefer to slog my way up with a big heavy pack.

Today was a training hike for me and trusty Lucy. Lucy had the appropriate outfit and gear for the occasion (dog suit, long tongue). I had to pile on a few layers, lace up the boots, fill my pack with things I might want or need, and bring lots of water.

Tiger routinely takes about a 1.25 hour to climb and about 1 hour to descend. On top you might get treated to a nice little bald top view of Seattle and Puget Sound, and a glorious view of Mt. Rainier to the south. But most of the time, it is socked in. Today was no exception to that. Anyway, I felt good getting out and hiking.

Selecting a Guide for the Climb

Kilimanjaro is located in a Tanzanian National Park. It is required to have a Tanzanian guide to climb Kilimanjaro. The trip up is usually done expedition-style with porters carrying the camping and cooking equipment, making the meals, leading the way and other guidance.

We researched several guides and tour operators for this climb. We also considered going on our own, meaning getting to Tanzania and hiring guides there. We researched the various routes up the mountain, and the number of days each operator took for the climb. There are several other factors considered, including experience, costs, trip ethics, and sustainable practices.

In the end, we selected Mountain Madness, founded by the late mountaineer Scott Fischer, for our trip guide and organizers. They are based out of Seattle, and have very good safety record, and success rates for getting to the top. (http://www.mountainmadness.com/)

Our trip begins by arriving in Arusha, Tanzania on February 9. We will be climbing via the Shira Plateau/ Western Breach route. This route will take 10 days to the summit. Here's the climbing schedule:

Day 1: Meet in Arusha, Tanzania
Day 2: Camp at base of Kilimanjaro
Day 3: Montane Forest (7,000 to 9,000 ft)
Day 4: Shira Plateau (11,500 ft)
Day 5: Fischer Camp (12,300 ft)
Day 6: Lava Tower (14,300 ft)
Day 7: Arrow Glacier (15,300 ft) Acclimatization Day.
Day 8: Summit Crater Camp (18,500 ft)
Day 9: SUMMIT DAY (19,340 ft), then descend to Mweka Camp (10,500 ft)
Day 10: Continue descent to Moivaro, Arusha

The climbing will get tough above 15,000 ft due to the low atmospheric pressure at those altitudes. The day before we summit will probably be the hardest because they estimate that it will take between 7 and 9 hours to hike 1.6 miles (and go up 3,000 ft). Summit day will be a short hike up, celebrate being on top, and then descend almost 9,000 ft in elevation, which will be a very long day. The next day, we finish descending, and then relax for a day or so in Arusha (we get to take showers after 10 days!).

After Kili, we will spend some time doing a few safari trips out to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. I have spent so much time researching and thinking about the climb that I don't have a clear idea of what we will be doing for the safari portion. I'll get to it sooner or later.

Altitude Sickness

AMS is caused by significantly decreased air pressure at elevation. The atmosphere at higher elevations contains the same levels of oxygen as at sea level (about 20%), but the air pressure decreases as the elevation increases to the extent that the air pressure at the top of Kilimanjaro is about 40% to 50% less than air pressure at sea level. The result is that when you inhale at higher elevations, it is much harder to fill your lungs because the atmosphere is not pushing as much air into them.

The symptoms of mild AMS are mild headache (that can be helped by aspirin or ibuprofen), slight nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Moderate AMS presents with severe headache that is not relieved by aspirin or ibuprofen, persistent vomiting, and increased fatigue. If a climber gets to this point, it is time to seriously consider stopping to acclimatize, or even descending. If not checked, the next step is severe AMS, which is a life threatening emergency condition.

Severe AMS presents with changes in consciousness and mental status, inability to walk straight, severe fatigue and shortness of breath even at rest, and possible cyanotic appearance. Severe AMS can lead to High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) which is an accumulation of fluid around the lungs, or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) which is an accumulation of fluid around the brain. NOT good things! If it gets this far, the victim must immediately descend at least 2,000 to 4,000 ft, and possibly require evacuation for medical treatment.

The good news is that the body can adapt to these changes. When first encountered, the climber will be taking faster, deeper breathes to try to catch up to the lower air pressure. Acclimatization will occur if given time. The body will compensate for the changes, including increasing red blood cell production, and rebalancing the pH of the blood.

What to do to avoid AMS? The best thing to do is prevent AMS from taking hold. We have been told the best things to do are:
Go Slow.
Stay Hydrated.
Eat Well.
Take a rest day on the way up.
Good Conditioning helps.

Some people don't consider potential life threatening conditions a necessary part of their vacation. We don't either. That's why we are training, training, training......

The Mountain

Kilimanjaro is a massive stratovolcano rising up from the Great Rift Valley to 19,340 ft above sea level. It is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world (above water), rising 15,000 ft from its base in northeastern Tanzania.

There are actually three volcanoes - Shiro, Kibo, and Mawenzi. The highest point on Kilimanjaro is Uhuru Peak on Kibo.

Kilimanjaro is very unique because it sits near the equator, and a hike from the base to summit brings the trekker through just about every climate zone on earth, topped by a glaciated summit. The "snows of Kilimanjaro" have been retreating at an alarming rate. There is strong consensus that the snow will vanish in the near future, most predictions have the icecap completely gone by 2020.

The climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro is a trek, not a technical climb. However, there are big challenges faced when climbing Kilimanjaro. The climb takes you from a relatively warm equatorial climate to potentially subzero temperatures on the summit. The biggest challenge for any hiker is altitude. Guides recommend that climbers ascend no more than 1,000 feet per day when above 8,000 ft amsl to avoid acute mountain sickness (AMS). More on that later.

The trek will take about seven days to climb to the summit, and a day and a half to descend. There's a lot of talk about AMS and going slow to climb this mountain, but do the math - descending 15,000 ft in two days - that's going to be a big challenge too.

Mt. Townsend - The Training Begins

Deciding to climb Kilimanjaro is one thing. The training for it is another. We did not get a lot of hiking in this summer for several reasons. For one thing, Doreen was training for a couple of triathlons, and apparently you can't hike when you are trying to get as much running, biking and swimming in as possible. for another thing, we had the summer that never was summer this year.

So, our first real "training" hike was October 18 - four months before the trip. We are having great fall weather this year, bringing us the summer conditions that we did not get in the summer.

We started our "training hikes" by climbing Mt. Townsend in the Olympic Mts. Most years, we can't climb this mountain after September, but there's no snow yet so we're off. Our group was me, Doreen, and our best hiking buddy Lucy (photo). The hike is 3.8 miles one way, climbing consistently through a rhododendron forest and finally out on an open ridge, reaching the top at 6280 ft, with 2900 ft of ascent. One of my favorite mountains to climb anywhere.

The views on top are tremendous. The entire layout of Puget Sound is at our feet from the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Straight of Georgia, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands, Seattle, and Southern Puget Sound. The Cascade Mt. range is seen behind all that. Mt. Baker in all its glory tops the view to the north, and Mt. Rainier can be seen to the south. Then- turn around and all of the Olympic Mountains are sitting there going on and on and on...

The Kilimanjaro Adventure

My partner (Doreen) and I turned 50 last year, and decided to go and do something about it. We tossed around a few ideas like floating the Grand Canyon, going to Carnival in Rio, but decided that we wanted to do something that required some physical training and was somewhat more adventurous.

I tossed some past-read National Geographic articles around in my head and Kilimanjaro popped up. Once it was brought up, we both knew that it was the ideal adventure to take on, so an expedition was born.

Unfortunately, we could not get away during our 50th year. So, this adventure is going to happen this year.

So, once the climb was decided upon, the next obvious thought was - if we are going all the way to Tanzania to climb a dumb mountain, we better go see some of the great wildlife there too. Some of the most amazing game reserves and national parks are in the close vicinity of Kilimanjaro. A short list includes Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater (worth going to for the name alone), Lake Manyara, and Tarangire.

We decided the ideal time to climb Kilimanjaro was in February because that is the wet season there, and the Great Migration is at its southernmost reaches. More on the great Migration later.

OK- expedition location decided, dates set, sounds good right? No way- there is tons of planning, training, equipping, vaccinating, and researching to be done.

This site is for friends, family, and colleagues who are interested in our progress on this expedition. I hope to keep this up through the training phase, and also keep it going via Blackberry during the trip. I plan to post updates on our progress all the way up the mountain and down again. Thanks for reading!