4 weeks!

In exactly 4 weeks from today we will be starting our hike up the mountain. I can't believe it's coming so quickly, and that we're actually going! It seems like it was only yesterday when Dan brought up Kilimanjaro for the first time, and I was pointing and laughing at him for asking me to go with him. And now look at what's happened, I'm actually going with him! And if you're still wondering why, so am I. Just kidding, I'm going because I want to. That's right, I want to spend my vacation hiking constantly for 8 days straight. Just call me crazy, actually most of you already do. Anyways, there are only a few things we have left to do, including sending our passports to Ottawa for our visas, and then before you know it, we'll be off! I probably won't have much to say until right before we leave, but I'll definitely have lots to say once we're back. So stay tuned as our adventure to the rooftop of Africa continues.

Yep, that's where we're headed!

Poked again

A week ago, after I spent some one on one time with Tunturi (see previous post) I noticed that two of my fingers felt like they were sleeping. They had that strange tingling, prickly feeling, which also went down into my palm. I thought it was odd, but assumed it would go away within a few hours. Well it didn't, and after two days my hand still felt half frozen, and I also noticed a pain in my wrist...the same wrist I broke 6 years ago. I thought it would be a good idea to get it checked out and so I called my doctor (I can do that now that I have one), and got in the same day (it's great having a doctor). Normally I would tough it out (I'm so strong), but since we have to face this gigantic mountain next month, I thought it would be wise to go.

 

The first thing the doctor tells me is that I still need to get my polio shot. That's funny, because when I called in December they said I got it last year along with my tetanus shot. She informed me that I was given the wrong information, and still need to get it. Great! I thought I was done being pricked and poked. Then I think, if I didn't go to the office to check out my hand, would they have called me to say "Don't go to Africa, you'll get polio!"....or would I have just gone thinking I was safe from all disease? Makes me wonder. So I headed back to the travel clinic once more. The doctor maybe said two words and stabbed the needle into my arm without warning. I mean, no counting to three, holding my hand, or singing softly to distract me, he just stabbed me! OUCH! Such an awful feeling.

 

Oh and my hand was x-rayed on Saturday, so we'll have to wait and see if there is anything wrong with it.

Pending friend request

Have you met my new friend, or should I say acquaintance? This is Tunturi. 

We have been spending a lot of time with each other over the last few days, and will continue to in the weeks to come. I call her an acquaintance you see because I don't really like her, but need her in my life. You know those kind of people right? She's not fun to look at, takes up space, and hurts me! We have a love/hate relationship. She loves me, but I hate her. However, I guess it'll be worth having her around...at least for a little while. I'm hoping I'll grow to love her someday, but I doubt that very much.

Kiliman...what?

When people find out that we are planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, they are always full of questions. So, today I'll try to answer some of them to the best of my knowledge and with help from Google.

How long will it take to climb up?

We are doing an 8 day trek. It will take us about 7 days to get up, and 1 down. We choose the longest route, to give us all the best possible chance to get to the top. The reason it takes so long to get up is because we'll be doing a lot of hiking up and down to help us acclimatize, oh and it's also about 19,340 feet high...so that's also why it takes a while.
What’s the weather going to be like?

It will start out hot, around 30 C, and could get up to -20 C at the top. We will have to be prepared for all temperatures, which should make our packing interesting.

Where will you sleep/eat?

In tents. We are booking through the company Ultimate Kilimanjaro. They will set us up with a local guide and group to help us up. This group will also include cooks, and porters. The cooks will...cook (I hope that was obvious). The porters job is to set up the tents, and carry the loads. Now before you go judging us for not carrying our own luggage up the hill, the job of a porter is one of the best jobs in Tanzania. Also, have you ever carried your entire luggage for a week on your back, uphill? Not likely. We will each have at least 4 porters carrying our stuff. So our group of 4 will actually be a group close to 20.

Where will you shower?

Um...we won't.

Where will you use the bathroom?

We won't. Just kidding of course. They have long drops along the trail, pretty much a wooden structure with a hole in the ground (standing or squatting required). From what we've read, and assumed, they are gross! So...we recently decided (and I consider this to be our best decision yet) to pay a little extra for a private toilet- a plastic toilet in a tent. Again, no judging. We have read many reports on people regretting not paying a little extra for the toilet, and so we will enjoy this one little comfort.

Will you need oxygen at the top?

No. That's why we spend so much time acclimatizing to the altitude. Also, once we get to the top- we won't stay long. Just enough time to celebrate and take some pictures.

What happens if someone gets sick?

We will all at least get some case of altitude sickness, whether it be headaches or vomiting. If it gets any more serious it will be up to our guide to decide if we're well enough to continue. The best way to cure altitude sickness is to descend. Dan and I have had 'the talk'...what if I'm too sick to go on, or he's too sick to continue, do we go on without each other? Well, that all depends on the situation. We have decided that if we know they’ll get better the moment they descend, we want the other to continue going up. However, if one of us has a severe case of altitude sickness and the outcome is questionable (dun, dun, dun), we would go down together. These are things we have to figure out before we go, as the higher you get on the mountain, the less clearly you can make logical decisions...which will be a problem since I have a hard enough time making logical decisions every day, so I can't even imagine what it will be like at the top of the mountain ;)   
Are you doing anything else while in Africa?
After the climb, we are going on a 5 day safari. I think I might be slightly more freaked out about the safari then I am about the climb. I just can't stop watching YouTube videos on safari attacks, elephants flipping safari jeeps, elephants charging the jeeps, cheetah's sitting on the jeeps. Seriously, if any of that happens, I'll pee my pants! 

And with all that being said, who else is in??

Just a little pinch

A lot has happened in the last few months as we prepare for our trip. On December 13^th Christine, Dan and I headed to the travel clinic to get our dreaded vaccinations. I've been told before that I can be a little dramatic, but seriously those needles HURT. I could feel every single vaccination enter my body, and could barely lift my arm the next day. It even hurt for a few days to follow, accompanied by a nice bruise. But, that's just one more thing to cross off our list, and I'm glad it's over! 

So? When can I start?

We are now protected from Hepatitis A&B, typhoid, meningitis, and yellow fever. We also got some gigantic malaria pills, some pills for altitude sickness, and some magic potion for traveler’s diarrhea. The only bad thing about all of this is that I have to wait to take them until right before we go, and I want to start NOW! Yeah, that’s sarcasm; I have issues swallowing pills so I try to avoid them at all costs. I am not looking forward to this. 

Who knows, maybe my mom will come along with us and chop them into tiny little pieces, and hide them in my food? Would you do that for me mom?  

Trial run

Over the holidays, Dan decided that it would be a good idea to try out our hiking skills on Mt. Marcy, (the tallest mountain in New York). A few years ago, Dan climbed it with a few friends from university. All I remember from that adventure was that there was a blizzard, they got lost, and he got frostbite. So right away I was like “yes, so excited, when do we go?”…not really. I was nervous; I don’t like cold weather, I rather not get frostbite, and it’s just the two of us…what would I do if Dan falls and breaks his leg? (Yes, that could happen). I tend to jump to the worst case scenario in all situations. But before I knew it, we had our hotel booked and we were on our way. Ever since I decided to go to Africa I have been googling none stop about the climb, but for some reason, I didn’t do any research on this one, and was going into Mt.Marcy blindly. 

We left early on Saturday morning, the weather was horrible, roads were bad, and passed many a car in the ditch, took us about 8 hours to get there. When we first arrived at Lake Placid, we got our snowshoes, checked into the hotel, and went for supper (to a place recommended by the friendly Best Western man).  Either Best Western man has no taste in food, or the restaurant just had a bad night, because the food was very bland, and came way too fast (kinda makes you wonder). We left with queasy stomachs, and went to bed early hoping to wake up better. The next morning, the alarm went off at 5:00. Dan was feeling fine, but my stomach was still aching…but off we went anyway. 

"So far away"

We started our hike around 6:30 in the dark, wearing our attractive head lamps. This was also my first time snowshoeing, so after a few trips, and falls to the ground we were on our way. Surprisingly it wasn’t that cold, mind you the temperatures were around -10, but we were layered up and working hard so felt comfy cozy all day. However, thanks to my “delicious” meal the night before, I was not feeling good, had no energy, and just wanted to throw up or give up. But Dan just kept on going, and so I followed. Before we started the hike, we set our turnaround time for 1:30pm; we didn’t want to hike back in the dark. So on and on we went, and it seemed like we were hiking forever, until we came to a clearing and Dan pointed to where we were headed. Talk about disappointment! I thought that at any moment we were going to break through the trees and “ta da” we would be at the top…but no, I looked in the distance, and it still seemed soooo far away. There was another couple at that spot when we got there, and the lady was just as wide eyed as me. We were both saying under our breath “it’s so far away”….but before I knew it, Dan was gone. “He gone” (I would say to myself in a redneck, Duck Dynasty kind of way). We noticed the couple decided to turn around and head back (smart people). After a few more hours, we finally made it above the tree line, and it was windy…and cold, about -25 F! I had to dig my poles into the ground, and put my head down to brace myself from the 60 mph gusts that nearly knocked me over. It was 1:25 and the peak was still about 400 feet away. Dan knew it would take at least another hour to get to the top from that spot…and judging by my energy, the wind, and the barely there trail, we knew it was time to head back. We took a few pictures and were on our way.



yes, I do have icicles on my eyelashes



I can’t believe I made it that far, 7 hours, uphill, with snowshoes, and an aching stomach. Also, NEVER can I go 7 hours without using the bathroom, so by the time we were at the top, I had to go! And when I have to go, I have to go NOW! I practically ran down the mountain, it was an emergency! If Dan stopped or slowed down, I yelled “keep going, I can’t stop”. It was urgent, all I knew was that there was an outhouse within 2 miles of the entrance…so that was my goal. We walked and walked and walked, until I finally saw the “toilet” sign. Phew, what a relief! However, since I used up all of my energy to get to that point, I was exhausted, and it took everything I had to finish up the last couple of miles. I kept asking Dan, “How much longer?” and without fail his answer was always the same “almost there”, and that would tick me off! If we were almost there, why is it taking forever!? However if he said “it’s still far away”, I would have been equally ticked off, so, bless his heart, we came to the conclusion that there just isn’t a right answer, and I would be ticked either way.



He's even cute in a Balaclava



Finally after 11 hours we strolled into the parking lot at 5:30 and back into the dark. What a day! Beautiful scenery, great company, big accomplishment, and a very, VERY sore body…but totally worth it, at least for my cruise.    

What am I getting myself into?

I've decided to jump on the blogging boat and write about our upcoming adventure, and the events leading up to it. This adventure is one I never dreamed of doing, thought of doing, or even desired to do...but I married a man who likes adventure, and because I kinda like him, I guess I'll tag along. Growing up, my sense of adventure included riding on roller coasters at Canada's Wonderland, camping in a tent, or going barefoot in a public bathroom (never mind on that last one, can't even do that). Dan's sense of adventure includes running, hiking, and climbing mountains (what a weirdo), but again since I like him, I might as well join him. I've been told that I talk a lot, and tend to ramble, so feel free to skim through as much or as little, and enjoy reading as we embark on this adventure together. Oh, and because of this adventure, Dan owe's me a cruise, hence the title!

Mount Kilimanjaro: The rooftop of Africa

To get you up to speed, I'll start at the beginning. So Dan says to me one day last winter “I’d like to climb a mountain in Africa.” My response “Wave to me from the top!” I had no interest whatsoever, and quite frankly didn’t think he was that serious. However when he brought it up a few more times, and started putting coins in his teddy jar for his 'Kilimanjaro fund' I knew this was no joke. I told him, “Ask a friend, or a brother to go with you and I’ll enjoy a safari at the bottom”.  But then I started thinking about it, this would be an amazing experience and quite the adventure. Shouldn’t I be a part of that? So I decided to do some research and read a few blogs about the hike, both good and bad and that’s all I needed…I was in! Dan didn’t really believe me at first, but I immediately took up a running program and began my training. After a couple months of learning to run, I ran in my first 5 km race and then kept up running throughout the summer. In August we had our first real hiking experience on a 3 day 32 km backpacking excursion in Algonquin Park. And it hurt, it hurt real bad…but I did it, and was very proud of myself for carrying 50lbs on my back. It was a good taste of what our climb up the mountain would be like. In the months that followed we continued running, and we’re also able to recruit Dan’s brother Rob, and sister Christine to join us in Africa. Our initial plan was to go in September 2013, but we realized we could save some money if we went earlier…so that was that, flights are booked and now we’re going in February, like next month!! I’m freaking out, so much to do in so little time, but very excited.