Interesting Comments

I asked a fellow runner in the San Francisco Road Runners Club with whom I run regularly on Saturdays if she would be interested in joining our climb. I knew that she had been to Africa several times and that she liked to hike. I also knew that she had run the Double Dipsea multiple times so it seemed like a perfect fit. Later she sent me these comments:

Looking again at a map, I see now that I was correct: flying into Nairobi could be reasonable -- it might actually be closer to Mt. Kilimanjaro than Dar Es Salaam, as it is in southern Kenya near the border with Tanzania. On a previous trip to Africa, I flew on British Airways (SF to London non-stop, transfer from Heathrow Airport to Gatwick Airport (short ride by cab or shuttle bus), then non-stop from London to Nairobi. That was a few years ago. I just checked the British Airways website this morning, and they now have flights to both Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam that go direct from SF to London Heathrow, have a layover there, then fly direct to either city in Africa. So no more changing airports in London. Depending on the length of the layover at Heathrow, sometimes it's nice to sleep for a few hours at the Heathrow Hilton between flights -- I've done that before, and feel much more refreshed when I get on the connecting flight.

I have a Lonely Planet book on East Africa, which has a few pages on climbing Kili, but they recommend buying their book "Trekking in East Africa" for more detail. They offer some good bits of advice and cost info, and I thought you'd find this quote on climbing to Uhuru Peak on Kili particularly interesting:

"If you're interested in reaching the top, seriously consider adding at least one extra day onto the "standard" climb itinerary, no matter which route you do. Although paying an additional US$150 or so per extra day may seem like a lot when you're planning your trip, it will seem a relatively insignificant saving later on if you've gone to the expense and effort to start a trek and need to come down without having reached the top....Another perspective on it all: Uhuru Peak is several hundred metres higher than Everest Base Camp in the Nepal Himalaya, which trekkers often take at least two weeks to reach from Kathmandu."

Thanks, Sue, for the information. I'll add the book to our list.

A Voice of Experience

When I mentioned to my tennis partner Rona that I was thinking of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, she offered to put me in touch with her brother who had made the climb on his honeymoon. Imagine trying to plan an wedding and train for Kili at the same time! Actually one may be a good distraction from the other.


Jeff and I exchanged emails and his first piece of advice was:

"If u r "fit enough" to summit, u will have a lousy time. The fitter u r, the
better time you will have. The views are too amazing to waste your trip
sufferring."

Then he was kind enough to take the time to answer all of the questions that I posed in my blog of 12/12/09. His answers can be found in the Comments section of that blog. I recommend that you read them especially the parts about training.

And he sent me this link to a slide show and narrative produced by one of his friends who was also on the trip: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/events/africa/index.shtml It is amazing...and somewhat scary.

The next step is that Jeff and I will talk by phone. I especially want to know what is important in selecting an expedition company.

Must-Read Article

According to the article by Drs. Jeremy Windsor and George Rodway of the International Mountaineering & Climbing Federation (UIAA), 40,000 people attempt the climb each year but 50-75% don't make it to the top. Those are not very good odds in my view.

This article has a recommended route and lots of other good information for having a successful climb.

Things I Want to Know

I am beginning to get the names of friends and friends of friends who have made this climb. When I contact these people, these are the things that I want to remember to ask them:

What time of year did you go?
What route did you take?
What outfitter did you use?
How did you train and was it enough?
What was your experience with altitude sickness?
What are the 2 or 3 most important things that I should know about preparing for and making this climb?
What was the worst part of your experience?
Why was this climb special?
Was it worth it?
Would another climb have been preferable?
Did you take any other trip in conjunction with the climb?

Have I forgotten anything?

Organizing the Research

Riva Richmond published an article in the NY Times of December 3, 2009 about her attempts to organize information about her proposed upcoming trip to Panama. Frustrated with cutting and pasting into a Word document and bookmarking web pages of interest, she turned to some online tools that might be helpful for the Kili trip.

Her primary tool was Gliider (note the double "ii") that is a free add-on that can be downloaded for use with the Firefox browser. It adds an icon to your toolbar. Once you create a "trip" folder, you can drag and drop text and photos from other websites into your designated folders. The information can be shared with friends, emailed as pdf documents.

I've downloaded the add-on and created a Kili trip. Now all I have to do is find some content.

How it all began

In my local area we receive a free glossy magazine entitled Marin. Sometimes I read it, most often I don't. But at breakfast one morning I opened the December 2009 issue and was quickly engrossed in the article by Joanie Wynn about her climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. If you had asked me before I read the article to describe "Kili", all I could have told you is that it is a high mountain somewhere in Africa. Now I know more. And that started me thinking.

A little context: At the time of my 50th birthday, a group of friends also turning 50 and I challenged ourselves to climb Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US. For my 60th birthday I challenged myself to run a marathon. Now I'm looking toward my "Medicare" birthday next year and feel the need of a significant event to mark the anniversary. This could be it: hiking to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Although given my fear of flying, just getting there and back may be the bigger challenge.

So, I've started this blog and set up a Google alert for "Kilimanjaro" to keep track of developments there. I ordered a catalogue from Wilderness Travel, which is local to this area and was recommended by a new acquaintance over Thanksgiving dinner (thanks, Susie). And most importantly I have sent out an email to those of my friends who I think might have an interest. There's nothing like "putting it out there" to propel the follow through.

We'll see what develops. I hope I can do it.