Kilimanjaro routes

Click on the picture for a larger version - I'm taking the Rongai route (close to but not exactly as the red one) up and the Marangau route (green) down.

itinerary

Wednesday, Sept. 15 -- fly Toronto to Amsterdam (overnight)
Thursday, Sept. 16 -- fly Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro (all day)

Friday, Sept. 17 - rest day, Arusha

Saturday, Sept. 18 - leave on trek
Arusha to Rongai Gate; Rongai Gate (1997m) to Simba Camp (2635m)
7km

Sunday, Sept. 19
Simba Camp to Kikelelwa Camp (3675m)
11.75km

Monday, Sept. 20
Kikelelwa Campsite to Mawenzi Tarn Hut (4302m)
3.75km plus acclimization hike in afternoon

Tuesday, Sept. 21
Mawenzi Tarn Hut to Horombo Huts (3714m)
10.1km

Wednesday, Sept. 22
Horombo Huts to Barafu Huts (4662m)
9km

Thursday, Sept. 23
Summit attempt - full moon - depart at midnight
Stella Point (5745m)
Summit (5895m)
descent to Horombo (3721m)
20.61km

Friday, Sept. 24
Horombo Huts to Marangu Gate (1905m) via Machame Route
collapse at hotel
20.8km

Saturday, Sept. 25
leave on camping safari (more detailed itinerary here)
Lake Manyara

Sunday, Sept. 26
Serengeti

Monday, Sept. 27
Serengeti/Ngorongoro Crater

Tuesday, Sept. 28
Ngorongoro Crater
back from safari, drop-off at airport
fly to Amsterdam (overnight)

Wednesday, Sept. 29
Amsterdam - arrive 7am
Bike tour - pm

Thursday, Sept. 30
Amsterdam, morning - canal cruise
afternoon - fly to Toronto

have passport, will travel

My new passport came back in exactly two weeks, which is excellent considering I had taken the application in to a Service Centre ("up to a month") rather than to a passport office ("up to 10 days"). I was relieved they didn't reject the photos - the Service Centre Passport-Picture-Approval-guy (yes, there is such a person) made me get them redone in black and white (there was a "shine" on my nose) and then still expressed doubt they would pass. I protested that there was a shine on my nose last passport and the passport before that in the exact same spot. But the guidelines are much stricter now, he said. I almost went to powder my nose for real in the bathroom out of desperation.

vaccinations

$250 for 2 vaccinations (Yellow fever/Hepatitis) and 2 prescriptions (anti-malaria tablets and Diamox for altitude sickness prevention). Not covered by OHIP. Ouch. My arm is a little sore too. I had to find a special Travel Health Clinic government-certified to give the Yellow fever shot. Medisys was most convenient and the cheapest. The doctor proceeded to inform me that Yellow fever was no longer required for Tanzania. I asked for it anyway as it is recommended. It's good for 10 years. So now I am covered for everything but Rabies and HIV for probably the rest of my travelling life!

fellow trekkers

"Regarding your fellow trekkers, there are a couple aged 51 and 49, two ladies aged 38 and 58, a couple both aged 29, a man and woman (not sure if couple) aged 49 and 54, and a guy aged 38."

At first I thought my there's a few older people on this trip and then I remembered I am 47 myself. lol. I forget. I am a bit relieved to hear about the age diversity of the group. On the Inca Trail, it was me and 3 couples in their early 20's and although they were friendly, it's different huffing and puffing with people in their 40s and 50s.

Insulated bottles

"Add a Sigg style metal/aluminium water bottles to your Kilimanjaro equipment list. Why? They double as hot water bottles at night. (All water on Kilimanjaro needs to be boiled for drinking, and your team should boil a big tub every night to fill all bottles.)

Wrap any damp clothing items that you want to dry around the bottle and shove it in the bottom of your sleeping bag before you climb in. Bliss, and your clothes are dry in the morning."
(MountKilimanjaroGuide.com)

My problem is I am cheap, cheap and Sigg bottles are very expensive. But I am having trouble finding 1 liter insulated bottles so if Europe Bound doesn't have anything cheaper, I may as well get funky Sigg bottles. It's cold on summit night (sometimes minus 20 depending on the wind chill) and I don't think I want to be staring at bottles of ice.

training

I went on my first training hike with the Toronto Bruce Trail Club today. It was stinking hot. I think the leader shortened the route so we ended up doing about 13k.

For this first hike, I decided to focus on my boots so carried a waist bag which held food and a bike bottle of water instead of a knapsack. I almost ran out of water but other than that, felt strong and boots/ double socking worked well. I was tired when I got home but not sore. It is great to feel so much fitter than when I was training for the Inca Trail 2 years ago.

9 weeks to go!

bits of headway

Spent a few hours at mec today trying on daypacks (amazing how they feel completely different when you shove some weighted bean bags into them!), hunting for insulated water bottles for summit night (no luck), trying on pants (no luck). I did buy a 55l waterproof stuff sack for the actual trek as another blogger had suggested. A duffle will do for the plane and to leave unneeded items at the hotel. I decided to wait until the winter clothing comes in for the fleeces I need and focus on the summer clothes (try to catch some sales).

My list for the trek is quite long. Some of the items I have from Peru: a headlamp, decent hiking boots, socks and a rain poncho, for example; some I have because I am Canadian: wooly underwear, hats and gloves. I'm renting a minus 20 sleeping bag, a down jacket and trekking poles so I don't have to lug them about on safari.

I am learning a lot along the way and that makes me happy. I met a cute young man at mec who looked at me differently when I explained I was going to Kilimanjaro. I find that interesting too, and in some ways gratifying. One minute, a middle-aged grey-haired woman and the next, an ageless bold adventurer who's climbing Africa's highest mountain, lol.

batteries on the mountain

"I just came back from Kilimanjaro a few weeks ago and it was an incredible experience! As the previous post mentioned, definitely keep your batteries (including headlamp batteries) in your sleeping bag at night. On summit night keep a spare battery in a ziploc bag to prevent condensation caused by your body. Also bring a cleaning kit for your camera and lenses. It's very very dry and dusty on the mountain!! "
Post in BootsnAll forum

different

I wasn't really aware of it at first -- it was such a rushed trip and then boom! I was back at work -- but slowly it has creeped into my consciousness. I feel different after climbing Kilimanjaro. I can't accurately describe why or how different. Do others feel this way after? I think it's a bit of awe that we actually did it but it runs deeper than that.

Ooooh scarey

Advice given to another trekker by his group re the final climb:

Tonight is very difficult - particularly the final 500m - and you’ll need to commit to fight for the summit. You will inevitably feel like giving up and going to sleep. This is normal and can be overcome with perseverance. When resting please ensure you only stand or sit and do not lie down or close your eyes.

When you reach Gilman’s Point you will sit and rest. At this point the body often thinks you have finished your uphill fight and will be trying to coerce you into giving up and turning around. While you may genuinely believe that you have already exhausted your reserves in reaching this point, this is actually very unlikely to be so. Remember that you are only 214 vertical meters short of the summit, the journey from here is much less steep, and you have plenty of time for further pauses. If you do feel the need to give up at Stella Point please proceed towards the summit for just two minutes.

On the summit your guide will advise how much time you can spend there in consideration of your condition, your timings, and the weather. The brain does not function very intelligently at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions or you will probably regret not having done so at a later stage.

I love the way they write. When I am on that final push, I will likely think back to these words, especially about the brain not functioning very intelligently, lol.