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From the summit of Kilimanjaro
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From the summit of Kilimanjaro

Why climb Kili? Why not. Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 6, 2007
    Abuse your passportFrom the summit of KilimanjaroAbuse your passport

    It seems like a good idea

    October 6, 2007 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Well, it's October and time to travel again. Actually this idea was hatched about five years ago by Cory Flummerfelt and Jeff Carpenter-I was just an innocent bystander, when they began talking about going to Kilimanjaro. The idea came and went, until I revisited the possibility last summer. In a moment of brilliance (or stupidity), I booked the trip and requested information on making it a charity climb. Since then, Kim and I have created a non-profit, raised funds, and climbed a dozen 14er's. Trek for Hospice was developed to benefit the Denver Hospice and the Hospice of Larimer County, all in honor of my mom. So, here we are, ready to climb the Roof of Africa: two middle-aged women, two backpacks and a lot of power bars.Read more

  • Abuse your passportFrom the summit of KilimanjaroAbuse your passport

    We've arrived

    October 7, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    After a stop in Minneapolis (having enjoyed a flight with singing Mennonites), and a four hour layover in Amsterdam, we arrived safely at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. We got in at about 8pm, had a short passport line, then met the rest of our group. Anhgus is from San Fran, Jim and Matt are from Arkansas, and Nick and Barbara are British. It's a fun group and we look forward to getting on the mountain together. The ride from the airport to the hotel was dark and the sky was abundant with stars. I can't imagine what it'll look like at 19K feet. The hotel seems nice, but it is very dark and we will get a better view in the daylight.Read more

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    Sightseeing in Moshi

    October 8, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    I slept like a rock last night. I think it was sheer exhaustion after being awake for 30 hours straight. We got up around 8 and had breakfast at the hotel. We were slowly joined by the other members of our group. We then met Faheem, who let us ask a lot of questions about the trip. Not sure what Jim is going to do, as he is afraid of heights. Can't imagine what he was thinking, knowing it is a 19K foot mountain, one would think there might be some high spots????? At 11 we met our three guides for the climb. They went over our rental gear and the climb. Afterward, they came to our rooms to make sure we had all our gear. After lunch we went in to town to use the internet. The locals wear clothing with an array of bright colors. The people are friendly and we are already used to saying jambo (hello) on sight. We start the climb tomorrow, so we'll be out of range for over a week. Wish us luck.Read more

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    First day

    October 9, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We were having breakfast at the hotel, when we noticed the peak of Kilimanjaro right out our window. It looks really big. Just a note to self. After breakfast, we loaded into a 6-wheel vehicle, with open bed, benches along each side, and canvas roof. We travelled west toward the Londorossi Gate, where we checked in with the ranger. We also had the pleasure of using a western toilet for the last time. Small things make a difference. Anyway, we drove a 4-wheel drive trail to get to the trailhead, where we unloaded and ate our lunch, as it took about 4-5 hours to get to this point. We hiked three hours in the rainforest to our first camp, Mte Mkubwa. Our tents were pitched and even the little portable toilet has its own little tent. I've got pictures. We had dinner, then we began a routine that would get more intense through the climb, we had about 10 questions to answer about our health: on a scale of 1-10 how do you feel? Vomiting? Diarrhea? Nausea? When was your last pee? When was your last bowel movement? (Did I mention everyone else in your party is sitting there at the same time you answer?) Coughing? Difficulty breathing? etc. Answering yes then began a whole new line of questioning. Before bed we were warned that we would hear the tree hyrax and columbus monkey before dawn....Read more

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    Through the rain forest

    October 10, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Sure enough, before sunrise the tree hyrax started chirping, which sounded more like a bird to me. I think it's a rabbit like thing, but I'm not sure. That was nothing compared to the sound of the columbus monkey. They make a sound like a 1972 Honda 70 cc motorbike trying to start on a cold day. Loudly! They sounded as if they were above our tent. By sunrise they quieted and we got up. The hike through the rainforest stopped, as we came across monkeys in the trees. We watched and tried to take pictures, but they weren't too cooperative. The columbus monkey has a huge furry white tail, and that's about all we saw of them. As we hiked out of the rainforest, we worked our way up to the moorland, gaining altitude at a slow pace. It began to rain and rained the rest of the day. Go figure, dry in the rainforest, and it rains after. The rain was steady and made hiking difficult because of the mud. The mud looked like melted chocolate (dark chocolate) and the Willie Wonka song got stuck in my head. Not pleasant for several hours at a time. I slipped on a rock and ended up caked in mud all along my left side. I walked into Shira camp wet and muddy, it had been about a 7 hour hike today.Read more

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    Across the Shira Plateau

    October 11, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We walked from one side of the Shira Plateau to the other today. Somewhere between 6-7 hours. We saw a couple being evacuated from the mountain, which gave me an uneasy feeling. When we got into Moir Camp, we had a great night. It was Nick's 50th birthday and his girlfriend, Barbara, had a cake for him, which the porters had carried the whole way. After dinner, we heard some voices singing and it got stronger, when it neared the tent. They were singing the cake song (equivalent to our birthday song) and about 8 porters/guides came into the tent to present the cake. They sang, we sang and it was a whole lot of fun. Nick had a birthday hat and really enjoyed himself. We all thanked him for having his birthday because it was a real treat. Not to mention we got chocolate cake out of the deal.Read more

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    Close Encounters

    October 12, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Today was supposed to be shorter (3 hours) and somehow I equated that to easier. We climbed up from Shira camp, then it flattened for a while. We again climbed into the alpine desert and walked up to a ridge. This was the junction with the Machame route and the first time we had to share the trail with other climbers. The fog rolled in, and occasionally the sun would peek out. The terrain began to look like the moon's surface, with no vegetation. We finally got to Lava Tower, which looked like Devil's Tower in Wyoming. I was exhausted. We were at about 15K feet and it took a lot of effort to do just about anything. Much panting was done to get to the dining tent and back to our tent for sleep. While we sat around after dinner, we could hear the porters harmonizing and singing gospel in Swahili. Their voices were amazing, and I could even pick out a few hymns I knew from church. By tune only, as my Swahili is limited.Read more

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    Barranco Wall

    October 13, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We got out of camp around 9am and worked our way out of the Lava Tower area to the Barranco Wall. The fog had set in, so we couldn't see what was ahead. That was a good thing. The Wall required some bouldering skills, which was fun, but it just kept going up and up. We would scramble on boulders for a while then walk up a bit, and it went on and on. We finally got to the top, where it "leveled out" (a relative term at this point) a bit. A break in the clouds came and Genes, one of the guides, pointed out our tents-across a narrow steep valley. I asked if that was the trail, the one that went up about 60-70 degrees, and he said yes, "Akuna matata." That's "no problem" in Swahili, although I’m sure I heard Barbara mutter, “Bloody hell.” By the time we go to Karanga camp, I was beat. It was well over 8 hours today on the trail. Akuna matata. Right.Read more

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    So close

    October 14, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The peak of Kilimanjaro seemed so close this morning. It was a beautiful sight to awaken the tired soul of this hiker. It is getting cold in the mornings and harder to get out of bed, especially knowing we are walking all day and I have to tell some guy when I had my last poop. I digress. We hiked up today. Pretty much no descent whatsoever. We got into Barafu camp by lunch time, which was a nice change. I stripped in the warm tent and used a bunch of wipes to get the grime off my body. I haven't had a shower now for....a while. My feet are starting to stink no matter how clean the socks I put on them. I felt like I was going to a party when I was done; new underwear and clothes, yea. By the afternoon, the wind really started to whip through camp and it got really cold as the sun went down. Kim is not feeling particularly well. I wish I would have seen it, but the toilet tent blew over, leaving only the little porta potty sitting on the edge of this rock face. Kim said she just didn't care and sat right down on it in front of God and everyone. It was nice to laugh, despite the conditions.Read more

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    Straight up

    October 15, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    The wind did not relent and was blowing hard when we woke. The climb today is basically straight up from 15K to 18,500, then we go into the crater. It was very difficult hiking, as the wind would regularly blow you off balance. We would later find out this was the worst wind our guide had experienced in 10 years on the mountain. It was a long, hard day. As the oxygen got thin, so did my thoughts. I would start to have one, then it would trail off. I'd finally come back to it in 20-30 minutes. Most of the time I would breathe and step. Kim, Matt, Anhgus and I split off from the rest of the group and were led by Liberaty to Stella Point. At some point, Liberaty took my pack because my back was hurting so bad. We limped down into the crater and finally made it to camp, after about 8 hours or so. I fell asleep with a headache. When I woke and entered the dining tent, Barbara was on oxygen, and I think Jim, Kim and Nick had already been hooked up. They were also given some type of steroid for brain swelling. Great fun. I walked outside and puked. Then went immediately to Francis, who gave me something for the nausea and told me I was dehydrated. I pumped fluids all night, but didn't feel well. Then again, I did feel better than some. It was a miserable evening: cold, nauseated, and windy. On the other hand, it was beautiful, camping right next to the glaciers and drinking the water melted from them. Tomorrow, if we all live, we summit and descend. Can't wait!Read more

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    Summit day

    October 16, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We woke early and had breakfast. No one felt particularly well, but it didn't stop any of us. The hike was almost straight up on loose gravel and dirt for about 600 feet. It took over an hour to get to the ridge. We walked the ridge, past immense glaciers, to Uhuru Peak. Barbara and Nick arrived first, followed shortly by Kim and I. every one hugged and cried. It was very emotional and wonderful at the same time. We spent quite a bit of time taking photos. The views were incredible and it was hard to comprehend what we had just accomplished. With little oxygen, it all went by quickly. Barbara, Matt and I followed the first guide down, basically running down the mountain. Suddenly I had a lot of energy, knowing I would have relief by the end of the day. We reached Millennium camp in the afternoon. There is actually a ranger there that sells soda, beer and small souvenirs. Kim and I bought $3 cokes to celebrate our accomplishment and honor my mom ( a 6-12 coke/day gal).The wind was still blowing a little and the dust was almost unbearable, but we were happy!Read more

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    Elephant knees

    October 17, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We had descended a little over 6000 feet yesterday and were in for the same again today. It was literally all downhill from the summit. I was a little sore from going downhill yesterday, but nothing like the pain in my knees by the end of today. We walked from heather, through moorland, down into the rainforest. It was supposed to take four hours but we were working on 5 when we reached the gate. To put this in perspective for you, think of walking down stairs for 10 hours over two days. My knees hurt so bad, I'm not sure I'll walk again properly. We were too tired to be ecstatic when we finally reached the park exit gate. We signed out and got back on the truck which had dropped us off over a week ago. Back at the hotel, we received a certificate from the park service for summiting the highest mountain in Africa. We will certainly cherish it, given what it took to get it. Our evening consisted of eating, SHOWERING, and spending time with our new friends.Read more

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    Safari in Lake Manyara

    October 18, 2007 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We were picked up for our safari after having breakfast with our fellow (very sore) climbers. The Land Rover, driven by Rama, took us through Arusha to Lake Manyara Park. It was about a 4 hour drive and we spent a few hours in the park before it began to rain. We first saw baboons, then monkeys, giraffes, zebra, hippos, and misc. birds. We looked over the park, in the pouring rain, for elephants, and found two before we left for the day. We are spending the night in a luxury tented lodge, which is quite nice. Tomorrow we head to Ngornogoro Crater for more big game watching.Read more

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    Ngornogoro Crater

    October 19, 2007 in Tanzania

    We awoke this morning to a cacophony of bird songs. As we were staying in a tent (really a canvass room) we could hear the singing clearly. After lingering in bed a little longer than expected, I got up and we got ready for the day. We met Matt, Jim, Barbara and Nick for breakfast, as our paths had all crossed one last time. We said our goodbyes to Matt and Jim, then discussed the day with Barbara and Nick. They will be on a separate safari the next two days, but it is with the same company and itinerary as ours, so we will be spending more time together. The drive to the crater was an hour or so, then it is a painful, bumpy, dusty ride up and over the crater wall onto the floor. We first saw an elephant in the distance, then ostrich, cape buffalo, lots of gazelles, and warthogs. We also saw a variety of avian life. One bird, the Kory Bustard, is the largest flying bird. At 42 pounds, it is a flying thanksgiving dinner! We spent some time at the hippo pool, where they cooled themselves by throwing mud around with their tails. We saw a lion pride, unfortunately a little too far for pictures. And at the end of the day, we got to see the almost extinct black rhino. That was a real treat. There was a baby rhino with the two adults but we could not get a clear look at it. At the end of the day, we were covered with dust and delivered to the Sopa Lodge. We had a late dinner and turned in for the night. As we looked out our window a cape buffalo ambled by about 15 feet from the room. The sunset over the crater was beautiful.Read more

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    Our last day, but not KLM's

    October 20, 2007 in Tanzania

    We got up early and had a final breakfast with our friends Nick and Barbara. They will be in the crater all day, but we will leave around 11 to head for Arusha. We got a better view of a male lion today. He was incredibly large and well-defined, with a huge mane and majestic body. Wow, very impressive. We got some up close views of zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, and hyenas. We also saw a golden jackal, which we hadn't seen yet. It was a little cloudy and cool, but hopefully there was enough light for the photos to come out ok. We left the crater around 11:30am and took the Leiar Ascent road up the southwest side of the crater. The Land Rover was in 4WD most of the way, due to the steepness of the road. We wound up the crater wall, finally leveling off on the rim. It took well over an hour to get off the rim and headed back down toward Arusha. On the way to Arusha, the driver got a call on his cell phone. "Your flight is cancelled for tonight." We looked at him for a minute. It takes some time to understand what he says, plus we weren't expecting the call to involve us. The safari office had gotten notification of the cancelled flight and directed the driver to take us to the Impala Hotel, in Arusha. KLM will be putting us up, until they fly us out of town. We haven't gotten any more information and the hotel reception cannot get a hold of KLM by phone. Although we are in limbo, at least they gave us a nice hotel!Read more

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    Did you ever see Ground Hog Day?

    October 23, 2007 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 48 °F

    This day has gone on and on and on. We've had the same morning four or five times today. We finally got out of Arusha on Sunday, leaving the hotel around 3pm. It was nothing but a mess - DON'T EVER FLY KLM. It only took three continents, four countries, six airports and 34 hours to get home. We have enjoyed Monday morning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Rome, Italy; Washington DC; and Dallas. We were ecstatic to get past noon and land happily in Denver Monday afternoon. We had a great trip, but I'm certain we won't be doing that again!!!Read more

    Trip end
    October 21, 2007
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