Step Five: Don't you know that the time is right!

So just a little after midnight I set out with a headlamp on to light the way. I walked with a group of five people.

I'm no physicist, but for some reason the air inside packages swells at that altitude. My Energy bar packages inflated. Unfortunately, so does the gas inside your stomach. This gives you gas pains, but also makes you toot. Poor Lisa, who walked behind me.

It was a full moon that night, so it basically helped illuminate the path for the whole climb. The stars seemed to get closer with every step I took.



The steep part of Kilimanjaro that you see in pictures is what you are climbing. The crest of the climb is a place called Gilman's Point. Not sure who Gilman was, but I have a feeling he was a jerk because his "point" is very hard to get to. You have to climb on your hands and feet, and are working hard with little oxygen. Not a fan of Gilman.

From Gilman, its another hour to Uhuru Peak. Uhuru means peace, and was the inspiration for the Star Trek character of the same name. As you get closer to the peak, other trail routes start to merge with yours. It's such a rewarding time once you get to the top, sharing the reward with others who arrive when you do. I jammed my Canada flag into the sign (Upper left corner), had a sip of someone's beer, then called home.


Yes, there is cell phone reception at the top. From the top of Kili (the roof of Africa), they say you can see 7 countries. I only cared about one though...Canada. I called home and found out that Crosby had just scored to win us the Gold. What a feeling for me to hear that while I was at the summit.

We both kept up our parts of the bargains. I get to the summit, and they win the gold. Needless to say, I informed everyone on the way down who had just won the gold medal in hockey.

Kilimanjaro doesnt want to be mounted. You need a reason to finish. The mountain strips away all the crap from your life and tells you what the most important things are.

Step Four: I can give you more

So begins the longest day of my life. After leaving Horombo Huts you travel across the lunar lanscape called "the saddle". Its a cross between the surface of the moon and the place where the Grizwold's car broke down in the first 'Vacation' movie. Your goal is Kibo Hut. Its a long, slow ascent - a nice walk, but dry as a bone.

Made it to Kibo hut in the late afternoon. The advice from the guide is to sleep now until about midnight. Pssshh...please. I didn't sleep and not many people around me did either. At midnight, we climb again. Six hours straight up, on through the night and pole pole (slowly) so we don't pass out.

Step Three: Its just you and me

Horombo Huts. You can see the ultimate prize just in the distance there.

The cohort of climbers you go up with become very important to you. You wait for your friends at each camp and share your stories about how you are feeling and how your climb was. You also start to hear many tales from the peak. Many people come down disappointed in not having made the summit, others are in much worse shape due to the altitude or physical injury.

Anyway, I made it to Horombo and had a nice dinner. The dinner gave me some energy. After my meal I lightly jogged over to my hut, but when I got there, I nearly passed out! That little bit of exertion, coupled with the minimal oxygen, left me gasping for air. That's when I started to understand the magnitude of this climb. Horombo Hut is not even half-way in terms of altitude. I still had another 3000 meters to climb!

Step Two: There's so much we can do

The night at Mandara Huts was great. Clear skies, crisp stars and a bright moon. I woke up for a tinkle in the night and found myself surrounded by curious monkeys. Pretty spooky stuff when you are in the dark.

Met some great friends named Tony (Liverpool) and Lisa (New Zealand). Climbed up on day two with them.

You can see how the topography is changing here. No more jungle. More grasslands and succulents. No animals this high, except for mice and a few kinds of birds.

The next camp is called Horombo, and that's your goal for today. Get to Horombo and acclimatize to the rising altitude.

Step One: We can have lots of fun

From the Marangu gate, my porters and cook split off on another route and I started my trek with my guide (real name Lawrence). The first part of the climb takes about four hours.

You pass through lush forest. There are monkeys along the path and in the trees all along the way.

Your goal is the Mandara Hut camp.

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Step by Step

Well, I hinted that I had a great answer to the question "Where were you when Crosby scored in overtime?". The answer lies at the top of the mountain, but let me tell you how I got there.

I was picked up in Arusha by my Guide (Donny), my porters (Jordan and Jon) and my cook (Danny). On the way, The guide asked if there was anything else I needed. To be safe we stopped at a shop in Moshi town and I thought I'd get some extra batteries. I made the mistake of asking (typical Canadian) "do you guys need anything?" Next thing you know, the doors of the car fly open and they all go running to the counter with chocolate bars and cigarettes. Good thing those items cost so little here! A pack of cigarettes is only about 75 cents.

We drove to the Marangu gate of Kilimanjaro park from there. I signed in and started my climb.

Its Kili Time...Make the most of it

"Its time to switch to whisky, we've been drinking beer all night".

Like any true ambassador would, I've tried all of the beer here. Serengetti, Kilimanjaro, Safari, Tusker...

My choice is Kili.

Stoney Tangawezi

Ahhh...Stoney Tangawizi. You will be missed when I go back home. Once it hits your lips...its just so good.

This ginger beverage is made by Coca-cola over here. From what I hear you cannot find it in North America.

I'll have to try my best to change that when I go home. Either that, or i will just come back here for more one day.

Safari

This is me in my safari vehicle in Lake Manyara national Park. The park is famous for its tree-climbing lions.

I was told that the reason they climb the trees is due to the nasty ant-bites that they get when they are on the ground.



Its all here. Lions, buffalo, zebra, elephants, giraffe, baboons, hippo...

The town I camped at outside the park grows rice. The rice fields are a great mosquito breeding habitat.

Mount Meru

"Here I lie, on my own in a separate sky"



This is the view from the rooftop of my hotel in Arusha. That's Mount Meru to the north. Next trip here I will climb that mountain.

I had a great workout on the rooftop of my hotel in the afternoon. One of the staff had stuck a pole between two paint cans, which were filled with concrete. It made for a great curl-bar.

After a while, the hotel staff wanted to work out with me. I felt like Rocky, when he starts running through the city alone, but then everyone joins him as he climbs the stairs.

Price of Gas

Aside from "how is the weather", the next most frequently asked question we ask one another when travelling in Canada is likely "how much is gas in your town?"



The price of gas here in Tanzania is just a littel higher than what it was when I left home. If you were filling up in Karatu today, this is what you would pay. Coverting to Canadian dollars, this would be about $1.10-$1.20 per litre.

McMoody's

Did you ever see "Coming to America" with Eddie Murphy? Remember when he starts working for "McDowell's" restraurant and it is makreted to look the same as McDonald's. The only difference between the two restaurants was that one burger had no sesame seeds and another had them.

McMoody's reminded me of that part of the film. Its a small chain of restaruants here in Arusha.

I saw some children enjoying a sundae here one hot afternoon. It reminded me of back home, going for some ice cream after hockey or after a bike ride.

Teaching about Swimming Pools

I was lucky enough to teach an introductory class on swimming pool inspection to some EHO's here in Dar Es Salaam. I was telling my friends here that back home, my colleagues find it intimidating to inspect facilites when we may lack technical expertise. Pools are often such the case. Too often we rely on the operator to guide us though our inspection, rather than knowing the topic intimately.

The EHO's here were no different. They want to know about pool safety, so they were happy to have an introductory class on what to look for to be left with a higher confidence level in public safety.

In this photo, I am explaining how at my desk at work, when the bosses come by, I make sure to look frustrated and busy. That way, they think I am working hard.

The Centre of Africa

This famous traffic circle in Arusha is known as the centre of the African continent. Depending on which exit you take from the roundabout, you can go anywhere you want. One road leads south to Capetown, another north to Cairo. Head West and you would pass through Rwanda. Head East and you go to Mombasa.

The clock tower in the roundabout is a great landmark for me too, as this city is easy enought to walk around in. I am lucky I haven't been hit by a car yet though. The traffic is on the "wrong" side of the road, so I always look the wrong way when I cross the street.

Update from Arusha

It's a little bit harder to access internet up here, so I am sorry to keep people waiting. Costs me many Tanzanian Shillings to get online.

The largest note in Tanzania is 10,000 T-shillings. That is about 8 bucks to us in Canada. So, if it costs $1000 USD to climb Kilimanjaro, that's like 1 million T-shillings (and a huge bulge in my pocket - of cash that is). Therefore, purchases often involve handing over dozens of notes. No interac here.


Arusha is a growing city to be sure. The Lonely Planet Guide from 2008 says that the population is 3 million. Today it is 7 Million. More people + same infrastructure = Busy place.


War crimes trials for Rwandan genocide take place here. Free to watch. Fascinating.


Masai people everwhere I look. Imagine that!


Great stories from Kilimanjaro and Safari to be told. Will have more time on the weekend. I have the best "where were you when Crosby scored in overtime" story. I have met many Russians, Siss, Americans, Swedes, etc who are all envious that we won.


More later!