Kristen 1, Hills 0

Training

I am (un)fortunate to live at the highest point in Midland. There are 8 parallel streets that lead from downtown up to this side of town. Every week I have been adding another hill to my training regimen. This morning I finished the circuit – I biked up and down all 8 hills! As my quads were burning and my lungs were screaming – I just told myself that if I can’t make it up a hill in Midland….how will I ever make it up to the highest point in Africa? My kids are tired of hearing me proudly tell them every Wednesday that “Mommy biked up this hill this morning”.

Sarah Wiley

Process
Sarah Wiley
Sara Wiley, Outward Bound Canada

Today I met Sarah Wiley, the executive director of Outward Bound Canada.  She participated in the Huronia Triathlon (and won her age group!), so my family & I met her after the race to chat.

Sarah has climbed Kilimanjaro on a few occasions before.  She shared with us that last year two of the ten climbers did not reach the Summit – but other years all of the participants did summit.  We learned that for the ten participants and two OBC guides, there will be approximately 40 support people from Chagga Tours – Guides, Porters, Cooks, Wait Staff, one poor sole has the responsibility to transport our latrine.

Day #2 – another great day!

My Trip

We are now at Shira Camp. I am sad to say that my cell connection is not good, so I realize these blog posts are not getting posted in a timely manner (or at all). I will write anyway.

Today was another fantastic day. We walked for almost 7 hours, and gained about 900 meters of elevation. The landscape is Mooreland. The bushes are lower, the rocks are mossy. We had another great day of weather – no rain, and a comfortable temperature. I was even in a tank and shorts for part of the day.

The porters and guides with Chagga tours are great. They are so caring. We arrive to camp and have hot drinks waiting, tents are set up, and they bring us a basin of water to wash.

I am taking in every moment of this adventure. Thank you all – I love this 🙂

Sent from my BlackBerry.

Travel Clinic

Process

Today I started the medical piece of this adventure.  I had a doctor’s appointment to discuss necessary immunizations.  There is a travel clinic in town, and I will have an appointment this fall.  Moshi, Tanzania is ~3000′, so I will not be exposed to some of the tropical conditions typically associated with travel to Africa.  I will need to make arrangements to have my anti-malaria medication and high-altitude medication with me on the trip.

5 Fun Facts About Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro


Started reading “Kilimanjaro – The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain“ this evening.

Did you know?

  1. In 1889, the very first successful summit occurred and it took about six weeks in comparison to today when an average climber can do it in five or six days.
  2. Kilimanjaro is one of the few places on earth that encompasses every ecological life zone.  It supports five major ecological zones;
    1. Rainforest / Tropical Jungle
    2. Heath
    3. Moorland
    4. Alpine Desert
    5. Arctic Summit / Glaciers
  3. The temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro drop significantly as you increase altitude.  The climb takes you from a tropical 21C to 30C at the base to a range of -18C to -26C at the summit, Uhuru Point.
  4. Mount Kilimanjaro is actually a massive stratovolcano that was formed by repeated lava flow. It has three volcanic cones, two of which are extinct. The third
    cone, Kibo, is the highest point on the mountain and is dormant.
  5. Around 10 people die each year trying to climb the mountain.

Work-Out Schedule

Training

My “trainer” has given me my training schedule for the 1st 8 weeks of my program.  I am doing 3 cardiovascular work-outs a week, and 2 strength work-outs.  Cardio consists of a 1 hour walk, a 2 hour walk and a hill work-out on my bike.  Strength includes sit-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, squats, calf raises and tricep dips.  I did the 1st strength work-out tonight  I hate every minute of it!  These little arms are this way for a reason.

Now Comes the Hard Part

Training

If I am going to climb up a hill for 5 days straight, I need to get in better shape.  My good friend has agreed to take on the challenge and design my training program.  We started with a fitness assessment.  The good news – I have room for improvement. 😉  She promises me that I will easily complete 10 push-ups before my climb.  Tonight….I could not do one.

Teleconference with the Participants

Process

Tonight I had a phone call with Sarah Wiley (Executive Director of Outward Bound Canada and expedition leader) and the other participants.  There will be 9 climbers and 2 Outward Bound guides on the adventure.  The other climbers are from across Canada.  Amazingly, I realized that one of the participants was in my Physiotherapy class at McMaster!  What a small world.