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??