Rest Day: 3 July - At the Lodge

It's very quiet now that today's group of hikers have departed early this morning.  They were mostly energetic 20-30 somethings very excited to get going and start their climb. I don't really blame them. They have been preparing for this day for many months, and at great sacrifice.  

Lindrin Lodge

The outdoor lounge at the lodge

I too have been preparing for this.  For nearly a year I've been living with perpetually sore muscles trying to get into marginal condition. It's been tough trying to emulate mountain climbing in Florida where the tallest "mountain" in the state is about 350 feet. My solution was to walk with a 35-40 lb pack (I only need to carry a 12-14 lb day pack on the actual hike.) And when not walking, I would take Ingrid's spin and circuit training classes. My goal there was just to keep up with the ladies. Yes, I'm looking at you Leslie, Wendy and Chris.

The walking does a couple of things besides build endurance. First, it helps to break in my hiking shoes. They fit very comfortably now. I even wore them on the plane since we were told to bring them as carry-on so they wouldn't get lost. They're that crucial. Everything else can be replaced if missing. But broken-in shoes are irreplaceable. 

The second thing walking does is build up callouses on your feet to help take the pounding of the trail. Soft feet are a no no, and begging for blisters. 

Don't tell Sue but I now have about 8 pairs of boots and trail runners; including Solomon XA Pro 3D, Altra Lone Peak, Oboz, Hoka Speed Goats, and a couple of Merrells.  All are one size too big - on purpose. I learn when hiking the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago one's feet swell a lot. And you need the space to keep your toes from banging into the front of the shoe when going downhill. If you've never experienced loosing toe nails from hiking downhill count yourself lucky. 

This is the most shoes I've ever owned in my life.  But one needs to try lots of shoes to find a pair that really works for the specific terrain you'll be covering.  And given most of these trail shoes are designed for 500+ miles of life, I think I'm going to be walking a long time to get my money's worth. 😵‍💫

And just for the record, I don't really consider myself a hiker. I just have a bunch of hiking gear. REI loves me. 

I'll be climbing Kili (Mt. Kilimanjaro) in Merrells since I've got this weird ankle bone thing that prevents me from wearing high top boots. I'm not too worried about ankle support and I'll be wearing gaiters to keep the screed and stones out. Stopping to empty your shoes really sucks since you have to take off, and put on, your backpack.  (It drives Sue crazy how long it takes me to put on my pack whenever I wear it to take the dog for a walk.)

The morning is cool and overcast here but will be sunny this afternoon. It's refreshing after suffering the smoldering Florida heat and humidity this summer. Here in Tanzania it's early winter. The days are short and cool. And it looks like we'll be hiking on summit night under a full moon. 🌚

Summiting day will be Wednesday 12 July. We start about midnight to climb around 3,750 ft, just 4 miles over 6-8 hours.  For me, I know I run a 5k (3.1 miles) in under 45 minutes so 8 hours for only 4 miles seems a little disturbing. The reason is that we'll be starting at 15,600 ft climbing to 19,341 ft. The lack of oxygen strips you of energy. And you will have just hiked 7 grueling days to get there. There's no gas left in the tank. You must go very slow - "pole' pole' "  (Swahili for slow slow).

Once at the summit, you only stay a few minutes, then it's time to immediately start the descent down to the last camp at 10,000 ft, walking about 7 miles. That part of the day takes another 7-9 hours.  (I'm probably going to be in that 9-hr club.) It's a long day. 

I've decided not to tell my knees and toes about the bad news all that downhill is going to cause then. No point...