To Shira 1: 6 July The Moorlands

 We are taking a route called The Northern Circuit. It is 9 days to complete but this allows time for the body to acclimate to the altitude, hence the best chance of being able to summit. It has a 95% success rate.

The route starts on the west side of Kibo (the actual name of the Kilimanjaro mountain), then winds east around the north side of the mountain. There are huts-campsites spaced a days hike apart as you ascend to the last site called Kibo Hut (15,000 ft). This is the point where climbers get ready for the night hike to Uhuru summit (19,341 ft). 

At 15,000ft you can't sleep anyway so you start at 11pm or midnight. It's only 4km but you have no strength due to low oxygen. It's very steep and very cold (below freezing).

The moorlands is compromised of thick brush with a few unusual plant unique to Kilimanjaro. There is no animal life for a few ravens. 


Nice trail with some other hikers


We stopped for a short break. Robert, our lead guide, was always telling us to eat and drink to keep strength up. 






We're climbing to 11,800 ft. Sunblock and polarized sunglasses are coming out soon. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Internet may not be available when climbing some days.

Popular posts from this blog

Moshi: 4 July, Street and Market

Image
Was invited to go to town with my 2 climbing companions. Took a stripped down beat up old van with 15 local occupants. Tightly packed and loud on a warm day.  After the 20 minute drive we were dropped off near the marketplace. The streets are filled with small vendors selling everything from shoes, clothes, fruits and vegetables, dried fish, and live chickens. There is the smell of smoke everywhere from the vendors cooking things.  Amazed by the beauty of women clothing. Being sold on the street.  Making sandals from old tires walked around until we were met by a guy who insisted he guide us around. He took us to the market and showed us guys playing checkers using bottle caps. Dried fish. Smells about how it looks.  Checkers and chess matches in a side alley.  I was completely unprepared for the level of activity and poverty but managed to relax a bit. People were generally friendly and let us take pictures. Of course a lot of women with small children.  T...
Read more

Rest Day: 3 July - At the Lodge

Image
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...
Read more

Thoughts before leaving for Africa

Image
  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 sho...
Read more