Introduction

Since this blog is not about Ethiopia or Peace Corps at all, I decided to make it a seperate entity from my current blog. Which you should check out if you haven't already. This blog is from my trip to Tanzania from May 25, 2012 to April 4, 2012. I'm going to try something new here and just type up  my journal from the trip. For people planning to hike Kilimanjaro in the future it may be a good resource to learn exactly how it feels to be on Africa's highest mountain.

 

Before I begin, a little about myself and the motivation to climb. In July 2009 I was sitting in bed, itching flea bites on my ankles brought to me by a feline house guest, Spice. I was interning for free at the hospital, really wondering why I thought it was a good idea to return to Putnam. One afternoon it finally came: my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. Since October 2009 I have been in Ethiopia, and since then I have been saying to everyone that I will climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I almost went a few months ago with friends, but plans fell apart, money was tight and the group didn't end up going. Two and a half years later I still was all talk and I was starting to doubt that I would actually do it. And so in March 2012 I finally bought a plane ticket, forcing myself to get in shape and just do it. I ended up doing a solo trek which, for me, was probably the best way to do it. Since I was alone I booked the entire trip with a tour group. Figuring out things when you arrive in a new country can be fun, but when you're alone, I've learned, it's just stressful. I booked a package deal with Zara Tanzanian Adventures: 6 Day Rongai Route with 3 Day Safari. Ethiopia doesn't really have a whole lot of animals, so it felt silly to go that far and not see an elephant or two. Zara is a little more expensive than other tour companies, so for a frugal person such as myself it is a strange choice. I chose them because, after some research, I learned that they have a good reputation for their treatment of staff, particularly porters. Also it is a Tanzanian company started by a woman...which is amazing. It's better to keep money inside the country (it is their mountain afterall) and to support women in development is a good thing.

 

The three things I was most worried about regarding the climb was fitness level, asthma and altitude sickness. For the two months preceeding the trip I trained pretty hard (turns out probably more than I had to) and spent 2 hours at the gym everyday I was in town. Mostly stair climber, hours walking uphill on the tredmill and strength training. For the asthma I lost some weight and practiced yoga regularly. The breathing techniques with yoga have helped a bit, and on the mountain I only had one episode on the way down. For altitude sickness there's not really a whole lot you can do. I live at a high altitude which helped a lot, and also I took Diamox before and during the climb. All the prep was enough, I had very few problems during the hike.

 

The last bit of preparation was packing for the trip. I try to carry as little as possible when traveling, so I didn't bring everything on the suggested packing list. In fact, my bag was lighter than my guide's and I was able to go with one less porter. The things I was happiest I brought: hiking poles, LL Bean expedition weight thermals, rain covers and good boots. Things I was happy I brought but didn't need: a jar of nutella and my journal. Things I brought and didn't use at all: extra towels (I used one the whole time), rain pants (I rented these, never wore them) and bug spray. Things I wish I brought: a book, better camera, binoculars (for the safari).

 

Just a note about the cultural information and stories. I didn't do any academic research or refer to any writings, websites or historical accounts. Everything in this blog was told to me by a guide, porter or other person I met. I take no responsibility for the accuracy/inaccuracy of information. The pictures are all mine though.

 

I think that is enough of an introduction. The next entries will be the daily writings in my journal. I'll do minimal editing so the experience stays in tact. I apologize if anything seems arrogant or makes you think "who says that?!". It is a journal, and we're all a little full of ourselves when no one is looking. Enjoy!