My dog Finn has been really unhappy with me for the last week as he watched me pack gear and clothing into a duffel bag and backpack. But thankfully I am leaving him in very good hands. Yup, it's time to travel again. Tomorrow afternoon, I head to Tanzania for 3 and a half weeks with an 8 day climb to summit Kilimanjaro. This was not the kind of trip I would have ever imagined undertaking, but my buddy Alex was convincing. And why not? This will probably be the highest I ever go, and I'll only do this once - may as well do it while I'm physically capable.
Up until last week when I started packing, I didn't give it much thought. But in the last few days, it's starting to feel real and I find my mind racing about various situations and what equipment I might need. The safari to start off should be a fun relaxing week of settling in. So will the week in Zanzibar on the tail end. But the middle is what we needed to prepare most for. Probably 80% of what I packed was to deal with 3-4 days of the mountain where it will be cold and very likely wet. It's a relatively safe climb as far as mountains go. It's not technical, and we don't need any serious mountaineering gear. The major hazard is altitude sickness - we are climbing 19,341 feet. Our 8 days is considered long enough to allow us sufficient time to acclimate as we go higher, so the risk should be minimized. But I suppose when you're hanging out with Mother Nature, there is always risk.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched Everest (the Hollywood dramatization of the 1996 tragedy). That was entertaining enough, but knowing it was a Hollywood movie removes you a bit. Then last night, at another friend's suggestion, I saw the amazing documentary Meru. THAT was incredible. It also makes me feel like this is going to be a walk in the park compared to what those guys went through. I doubt I will feel like that when I finally see the mountain. But I am really really looking forward to the views. Once more unto the breach...
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