Thoughts before leaving for Africa

 
This is the first post to my Kilimanjaro blog. I'm just weeks away from heading to Tanzania to spend 20 days climbing the Northern Circuit route to the summit and a safari afterwards. 

I chose the Northern route as it is the best route to give me time to acclimate for extreme high altitude. The summit is 19,341 feet - you can only stay for a few minutes as there is less thank 50% oxygen in the air. You have to breath deep all the time. 

Altitude sickness is my biggest concern given I have been training in Florida (at sea level) for months.  Summit success rate on this route is 90%, so there is a slight chance that our guide may not let me finish. They assess your ability to climb twice each day and have the final say if you can continue or need to descend to lower altitude. I need to remember the goal isn't to reach the summit. The goal is to come back alive. No kidding. The stats show about 10-20 hikers die each year attempting this climb.

I have to give a big shout-out to Ingrid_Hidalgo, my fitness coach at Ocala Preserve.  She has been critical in my preparation for this challenging hike. My legs are strong. Now it's all on me mentally to get to the top and work to master my fears. 

After more than 9 months of training you'd think I would be confident - but I'm not. I guess fear and self-doubt are part of the fun of this unique challenge. All you can do is to prepare the best you can then just go for it. So many things play into this. Much more than the actual climbing. The flights to Tanzania, the food, time zone, the culture. Even monkeys and wild dogs. Oh my! Everything. How exciting.

But for me this is much more.  I've lost 30 lbs so far for this climb.  When I return, I'll still working to reach my ideal BMI and become more fit. (It's much harder to lose weight after 65.)  It's all about my fit priorities now: balance, flexibility, endurance and strength.  

Age is just a number. So Kilimanjaro is a mile marker on a much more expansive journey. I'd just like to tie my shoes and still be able to breath or rise off the floor without using my hands.  Stuff like that.

It's about dealing with your fears and try doing weird stuff for the challenge and experience to make one a better person.  Lord knows I've failed so many things but keep trying.  One aspirational quote has been stuck in my head for a long time. I fondly remember my college chemistry professor Mr Lundgren, at American River College in 1972, saying: 'Harden yourself to the task ahead, for the way is never easy'. It has remained with me all these years. Life's challenges never get easier. They just keep changing.

I've been fortunate that Sue scheduled a cruise for us along the Alaskan coastal towns just a few weeks prior to my climb. Here we are in Skagway.

 

Sue has a blue streak in her blond hair because ...well, she is confident enough to pull it off.  It a visual signal to folks who don't know her yet that she is going to be interesting to talk to. Sue is very traditional but will ask you questions to make you think; and sometimes laugh.  

Schedule 
4 July - Climb briefing in Moshi
5 July - Lemosho Gate (6,890 ft) to Mkubwa Camp (9,498 ft)
6 July - Mubwa to Shira 1 Camp (11,500 ft)
7 July - Shira 1 to Shira 2 Camp (12,621 ft)
8 July - Shira 2 to Moir Hut (13,800 ft)
9 July - Moir Hut to Pofu Camp (13,231 ft)
10 July - Pofu to Third Cave (12,700 ft)
11 July - Third Cave to Kibo Hut (15,600 ft)
12 July - SUMMIT DAY Kibo to Uhuru Peak (19,341 ft) then to Mweka Camp (10,065 ft) 17 hr hike
13 July - Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate (5,380 ft) then to lodge in Moshi

... then:
15 July - 20 July (Safari) Tarangire National Park, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater
21 July - Return, home