a brief life above the clouds

Well, we have returned from the mountain of Kilimanjaro. After a long search for guides and arranging one that is wanted by the police, we successfully headed off into the jungles and high mountains of Tanzania. The days were relatively short and we had a number of porters to carry the majority of our gear. Despite these factors the hike proved to be a grueling process. We totaled six days on the mountain and it seemed that we took the most round about way to the top. But not to worry for it was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done.

On day one we started at 1800 meters and walked six hours to the first camp. We encountered a little rain—not surprisingly, considering we spent the entire day in a quasi-rain forest.

Sunset from camp one.

Ali and me enjoying the oxygen-rich air.

Day two offered a step above the jungle into a spectacular high mountain desert with large leopard tracks and white-necked ravens. The camp was at 3850 meters and the view was spectacular.

What we assumed to be leopard tracks.

The second night brought on the cold we had heard so much about and I put my 15 degree sleeping bag and thermal underwear to their fullest potential for the first time on the African continent. That night we did a small acclimatization hike and I showed Patrick who was boss in a little bouldering competition.

A Michael Jackson unity.

Setting up at camp two, well above the clouds in the valley below.

A second amazing sunset - camp two.

The following day we experienced the coldest weather off the summit and Paul and I reached 4600 meters (14,950 feet) in sandals. A couple of us experienced altitude sickness at that height but overall we felt well about what was a head and really only suffered from the low temperature.

Patrick sporting REI's finest before the low temps settled in.

Looking the obstacle in the eye.

The crew in full.

That night we set up camp in a dense fog and after hours of trying to find north and guessing where the peak was, she unveiled herself with an unforgettable force.

Wondering what's below.

The daunting task ahead.

But what the hell? Let's give it a shot.

The following day we hiked straight up and down steep passes until we reached the base of the peak at 4600 meters around 3:00pm. We ate a quick dinner and slept until 11:30pm when we prepared for our midnight summit attempt. We all bundled up and started the 1300 meter climb to the top. I immediately felt terrible and was doubtful that I would make it. I was dealing with a strong case of nausea and hardly had the power to put one foot in front of the other due to the altitude. It was clear that all of us were having a tough time but Jimmy didn’t seem to be himself from early on.

After two hours of hiking I managed to throw up whatever was bothering me and I got a second wind. Shortly afterwords, Jimmy collapsed and couldn’t control his movements. He was trying to walk but his legs refused to respond to his commands. He managed to stand with the use of his trekking poles and continued on with support from Hans and two of the guides. He was able to walk for thirty minutes before collapsing again at 4:30am. At that point they tried to get him to take an Excedrin in order to thin his blood. When he took hold of the water bottle to wash down the pill, his arm collapsed under the weight of one liter of water. We knew then that it was time to submit to the mountain. The guides decided to take him down the mountain immediately.

As the guides carried him down the steep slope, the five of us remaining hikers miserably continued on in a stupor. The five of us had little to say in the howling wind, and Patrick and I began to lag behind the rest. Patrick began to feel the same effects that caused Jimmy to turn back, while I was beginning to feel nausea again. After a grueling five plus hours of climbing we topped out on Kibo peak and began the one hour walk to Uhuru point. The sunrise and wide open sky brought Patrick and I to tears as we reached Uhuru at 6:20am.

Uhuru is the highest point in Africa and the top of the highest freestanding mountain in the world, meaning we could see for miles without interference because there were few other mountains in the region.

The luring African sky that nobody can forget.

One short but all in one piece.

No one conquers or dominates the mountain, but is rather allowed to mingle for a few amazing moments.

After all is said and done, I was miserable on the peak and like many miserable feats of strength one swears to oneself never to repeat the challenge again. And, of course, after a couple hours of rest you plan the next. I don’t know if I will make it any higher than Kilimanjaro, a daunting 5895 meters (19,341 feet). But, if I do, I have an idea of where it will be.

Think north and think big.

Off season training.

humbly at her feet

After much ado about nothing, we have arrived live and well to the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I could not be more pleased to be finished with the extensive travelling we just went through. Right now we are weeding through the guides available for the hike and and haggling over prices. I believe we have found a guide with an exceptional price. The only catch at this point is that word on the street tells us that some Russians had to kick our guide's ass recently, due to some disputes over the contract. We are confident that we can avoid such problems and I think Jimmy can handle him if we do, in fact, encounter difficulties. We should be heading up the mountain on Wednesday for a duration of six days bringing us down the mountain on Monday the 22nd in time to talk with family for Christmas. A relief, I'm sure, to the many fans waiting to wish me a merry Christmas.

After the mountain we will return south and enjoy a more leisurely travel style with a lot of sun time so that I can look good for Jamie when she visits me in January. The most fortunate part of this trip is that I am getting out of Christmas shopping (forget Kilimanjaro!). I am sorry that the majority of you don't have that luxury but I wish you good luck in the chaos that remains and I hope that your holidays are treating you well. I will be sharing in the white Christmas this year seeing as how we will be reaching 0 degree temperatures and snows that, due to your driving habits, have a limited life time.

Until we can summit and provide you with a full update, please enjoy the picture above. That, my friends, is the roof of Africa and large mass of snow ever so close to the equator. A fact believed to be impossible when word of the mountain reached Europe. I can confirm after centuries of dispute that in fact there is snow in central Africa. You heard it here.

Moving North

We are now moving north and escaping danger every step of the way. In actuality, I wish it were that exciting but the truth is that we are surviving the stress of utilizing public transportation in Africa and that is as intense as it gets to date. We left Inhambane last Saturday and made our way up Mozambique picking up team members along the way until Quelimane where we headed northwest to Malawi. At this point we are on the move trying to get to Kilimanjaro. We hope to beat the seasonal rush (highly unlikely) and climb the mountain. Thereby, saving exciting activities for the return trip. Activities like scuba diving, site seeing in Dar Es Salaam and hiking the Milanje and gurue mountain ranges. My number in Mozambique will be unavailable until my return but while we are in Tanzania family and friends can reach me at 002550788242525. Paul's blog has been updated with a little more email. You can access it from the link on the left. Happy hollidays and I hope to send a detailed update soon.