The Mountain of Greatness – Installment # 2
Recently during a visit to Austin, I had the opportunity to talk to my friend, Jenell, about her upcoming trip to Tanzania where she will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro as part of a Rainer Mountaineering Expeditions group, RMI. Yes, you read this correctly, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.
“Kili” as it’s known to many is a dominant volcanic mountain in Tanazania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding mountain (not part of a mountain range) in the world at 19,342 feet above see level. The origin of the name Kilimanjaro is not precisely known, but a number of theories exist. My favorite from all that I read, the name translates in Sawhili language to The Mountain of Greatness.
Since the last Mountain of Greatness update posted on June 8th, I took
the liberty to read all the information provided by Rainer Mountaineering,
(RMI) about the upcoming expedition including the daily schedule, the food, the
equipment required and the FAQ’s. RMI does a great job to make sure all possible questions are answered. Never
having done something like this before and never intending to attempt this in
the future, I have follow up questions for Jenell about logistics, equipment and how she continues to prepare and train as the travel date gets closer.
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| Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania |
1_The summit at Mt Kilimanjaro is more than twice the height of
the Inca Trail /Machu Picchu climb your completed a few years ago. What lessons
learned from your Peru trip can you apply to your Mount Kilimanjaro
climb in September ?
The biggest lesson I learned from Peru that I will take
to Kili is an understanding of my physical limits and how to push beyond them
mentally and physically.
I’ve never hiked above 14,000ft, which I accomplished
in an 8 hour day-hike up Mt. Bierstadt in Colorado while training for Peru.
The biggest lesson I learned was how much I struggle to
breathe at altitude. I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma while
training for Peru. I learned that I struggled significantly to breathe while
hiking above 9,000ft. My body didn’t give out, my legs had plenty of strength
to keep going but my lungs really seemed to struggle. I could RUN down the
mountain with no problem, even at 14,000ft. Going up though, was like walking
under water wearing a 100lb pack.
I chewed coca leaves in Peru and carried and used an
inhaler when I had to. It seemed to help, I was slower than most hikers in my
group but faster than some. I exercised before going to Peru, but realizing how
much I struggled I decided to hire a personal trainer to be better prepared for
Kilimanjaro.
My trainer is pushing me at the right pace to improve
my cardio. No problems so far, no asthma symptoms, but I’m not at altitude. I’m
going to Colorado in July to hike to 14,000ft. This is the only way I can truly
measure my progress before going. I will visit my pulmonologist again for a
test and will take an inhaler. I have to provide the expedition company with a
release from my Dr that I’m ok to climb.
2_ The boots, the boots ! You
will be walking, hiking, trekking, climbing a distance of 30 miles with an
average of 2000 steps per mile. How do you know your boots are appropriately
worn in ? And what kind of socks do you
wear ?
Great question, I’m more worried about my boots than
any other piece of gear! I’m planning to wear the boots I climbed Machu Picchu
in. Our first day on the mountain in Peru, one of our hikers in our group had
the sole fall off his boot. With no back up plan, we duck taped it on, but it
kept falling off. Our guide ended up giving him his boots, and wore his camp
tennis shoes the rest of the hike. Not recommended!
I tested my old boots before going to Peru, and on my
first training hike in Texas, both soles fell off. They had been in storage for
a couple years and I guess the glue dried and failed. I was so glad I tested my
gear before leaving!
I wear my current boots now on all my training hikes.
This helps me to know where they rub, where I might develop blisters or if they
will fail before I go. I plan to take them to a Shoe Hospital to check them out
in case they are too worn. I’d rather buy a new pair now and break them in
before going.
Socks are super important. I will be taking a pair of
moisture wicking wool liner socks, a light pair of hiking socks (all are
moisture wicking wool) and a medium pair of hiking socks. The liners can be
worn inside the light or medium pair for extra warmth. Two pairs of each, allow
you to have a dry pair every day in case they get wet. My boots are waterproof,
unless of course we go through water that is over the top of the boot. If that
happens we carry a back up pair of light shoes to wear while the boots dry. The
lighter pair of shoes are also worn in camp at night.
3_Are these the boots you hiked the Inca Trail with ? What brand are they ?
Yep, they are the same. I did a lot of research to find
the right boot. They are:
Women's Salomon Quest 4D 2 GTX®
My camp shoes will be:
Women's Salomon Speedcross 3
4 The RMI website states that you have to provide your own daily
snacks during the climb. What do you pack for snacks and why?
I plan to take Snap Kitchen
pre-made snacks and Kind bars because they are gluten free, highly portable and
provide post hike recovery and energy during the hike. They contain:
Almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans,
dried blueberries, maple syrup, honey and more Honey, maple syrup, coconut oil,
walnuts, dried cranberries, flax, sunflower seeds, apricots, whey protein
isolate, cocoa chips and dates.
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| Dawn on Kili's Southern Breach Wall above Barranco RMI CAMP |
Yes, my sleeping bag is my #2 most
important piece of equipment! I’m taking a down North Face bag rated to 5’ F. I
don’t like being cold when I sleep but from everything I’ve read this is almost
unavoidable. I was quite comfortable in Peru, I love to backpack/tent camp so
I’m used to it. I’ve never slept in a tent above 10,000ft, so Kili will be a
new experience.
My friend that I shared a tent
with in Peru snored, so you’re definitely subject to how well your tent mate
sleeps! I will be sharing a tent with a different friend on this trip, hoping
she doesn’t snore too!
We also have to pack our own
sleeping pad. I have a self-inflating Thermarest pad for comfort but might also
bring a foam pad as back up in case the inflating pad fails. These are not
mattresses, these are for backpacking so they are very small, thin and light
(8oz) to carry.
6_ The Mount Kilimanjaro, Machame Route will take your group
through 5 different zones, all with distinct terrain, temperatures and weather
conditions. They are Bushland, Rain Forest, Semi-Alpine, Alpine Desert and the
summit is an Artic Zone. RMI refers to
layering recommendations for your body, hands, feet, head - how cold will it be
at the summit ?
Layering clothes to walk through
every micro climate known to man is a challenge! We will wear five layers on
our upper body and four layers on our lower body. This allows us to remove or
add as the temp changes from hot to cold.
August and September when we hike is the driest season.
We will begin at around 70 to 80 degrees F and from there the temps
decrease through each zone. At the
summit the night time temp ranges between 20 and -20 degrees F. I read the
following at
http://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/mountain.htm
http://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/mountain.htm
“Due to Mount Kilimanjaro's height, the mountain creates its own
weather. It is extremely variable and impossible to predict. Therefore,
regardless of when you climb, you should always be prepared for wet days and
cold nights.”
7_ What are the group dynamics like as you climb ? Is there an
abundance of silence, each person making their way ? How often does the guide
check in with each climber ?
Great question, I was a little
frustrated with this experience in Peru. The group dynamic can change depending
on how strenuous the climb is. We had a sub-group from Spain in our trek on the
Inca Trail that were in their early 30’s, knew each other very well and talked
a lot, to the point of annoyance. The trail can be very crowded with other
groups, at one point I walked behind a girl who had speakers on the outside of
her pack playing Lady Gaga for all to hear….on the Inca Trail….in Peru….I felt
like I was in 5 o’clock traffic back home! There were a few hours though with
solitude when I walked alone with no one else in sight.
We typically walk with a guide at
the front and one at the back of the group to ensure that everyone in between
stays safe and is accounted for. On Kili the experience will be different, we
are supposed to have 3 porters per individual hiker, two guides overall for the
group and will be walking amongst other groups from other expedition companies
so I don’t expect much solitude. I’m sure in more strenuous terrain we will become
separate depending on strength and speed, so maybe a few hours of solitude will
be had.
There will be waypoints along each
daily hike when we will come together as an entire group to rest, eat and
account for everyone. Not sure how often, I’m sure it will depend on the
conditions of the day.
8_ On the day your group is scheduled to reach the summit, you
actually start your climb in the dark, around 12am. I imagine the group, in the night of night,
everyone with their headlamps, one foot in front of the other, anticipating the
sunrise and the summit. As you prepare
and train do you think of this specific section of the climb?
I have to keep referring back to
Peru because it’s my only experience. At the end of the trek we left camp at 3am
in the dark, in the rain, wearing our gear and a headlamp. However, we only
hiked for 20 minutes and then sat at a government checkpoint for hours while
the sun rose, before proceeding to hike several hours into Machu Picchu.
Although we hiked to almost 13,000 ft during the overall trek, Macchi Picchu
where we ended is only at 8,000ft.
Kili will be very different. I’m
told we wake up and start hiking at midnight, continuously for 8-10 hours until
we summit. This is where most people fail and turn back before reaching Uhuru
point. It will be the most difficult thing I’ll probably ever do. I can’t
really imagine what it will be like. Fighting for air, literally using all of
your energy and focus to just put one foot in front of the other.
I have learned at the most
difficult points in previous hikes that the entire experience can come down to that
point. When you feel you can’t continue, your body and mind are screaming no
but your spirit drives you forward. I just hope I can do it.
9_ Are you on track with your training, how is it going ? When do
you go to Colorado ? At what altitude
will be you training in Colorado ?
I’m at the half way point of my
four month training program. Frequency and intensity have increased and I’m
doing great. No injuries or set backs so far (knocking on wood!). The hardest
part is the stretching and foam rolling of super tight hamstrings, quads and
everything else, ha! Training for Kili at 43 isn’t easy.
We planned to hike
Colorado in June but winter weather at altitude has delayed us to late July. We
want to test our winter gear, but we also don’t want to be snowed out of hiking
to 14,000ft. The altitude experience is what we’re after. We plan on hiking
either Pike’s Peak or Mt. Bierstadt . We plan to arrive on a Thursday and will
allow ourselves that night to acclimatize a bit. Then we will hike to
10,000-11,000ft Friday and after a good carb loading dinner, we’ll hike to
14,000ft on Saturday.
Post copied from the RMI site blog post by location:
Kilimanjaro:
KILIMANJARO UPDATE:
WATERFALL AND TEAM REACH BARRANCO CAMP
WATERFALL AND TEAM REACH BARRANCO CAMP
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
| January 29, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches
*Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,000'
Hi from 13,000’ on Kilimanjaro!
Today was a long day on the trail for the team
but we did great. It was a little chilly when we woke up at Shira Camp with ice
on the ground and some frost. After the sun came up we started to warm up and
after the first hour of hiking everyone was in one or two layers of clothing
only. We spent about 4 hours getting to our high point at 15,000’ and by the
time we reached it the skies has clouded over. No rain or anything for us but
it was a bit chilly. It’s warmer down here at camp but the clouds are still in
and out. Everyone is feeling just fine and we are all looking forward to
heading out again in the morning.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall &
Team
