Monthly Archives: May 2013

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.