Final NY meal.

Zo's procurement skills.

Preparation meeting (err.. beers).

At Corner bistro.

For those following along at home...

Local Time

Local Weather

An animated Kilimanjaro guide.

This is the slickest guide I've seen so far.

A Kilimanjaro & Tanzanian Safari also with Good Earth Tours

Kilimanjaro - Climbing and Walking Guide

A fairly good Climbing and Walking Guide.

Lake Manyara Serena Hotel

This hotel is where we will stay our last night in Africa (June 4rth). I especially want to see the "Magically designed outdoor swimming pool." Its as if Mickey had gone into construction instead of house cleaning.

Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

This lodge is a little more upscale and where we will stay the night on June 3rd.

Jacaranda Hotel

This hotel will be where we spend the night on may 28th and June second. Its also where we will have aday room before we board our flight home.

The height of obsession

A great piece about an author's fourth Kilimanjaro trip. This time he writes about the Machame trail. (The one we will be taking).

High Altitude Education

Our outfitter sent us some links to learn about AMS. Its kind of disconcerting when you hear that there is little you can do but decend, but thats part of the challenge I guess. We are all planning on taking diamox and I am personally planning on taking it as easy as possible in the beginning of the trip and drinking lots of water (boiled, purified, filtered and flavored w/gatorade mix).

• High Altitude Sickness
• American Heart Associations on AMS
• High Altitude: Acclimitization and Illness
• High Altitide Medicine Guide
  

Our Kilimanjaro and Safari Itinerary

Background links

• A Log of some Canadians trip up the Machame Route
• A log of a trip up the Machame route with lots of good pictures.
• Some company's advice for sumitting on Kilimanjaro
• Some cops climbed Kili as a memorial trip and audio-bloged the event.

Great Mountaineering Site.

Great site for more technical climbs as well.

Update

Two events are planned for this week: another gear trip (gaitors, pants, sleeping bag, etc) to campmor and a possible Mt. Washington trip for Saterday.

Travel Insurance

Just bought some Insurance for the group. Went primarily for the emergency medical and evacuation insurance which isn't too expensive. It looks like the most expensive one is "trip cancellation" or "trip delay" coverage. I guess that tells you that the insurance companies don't like to bet against the airlines being delayed.

Things to see in world travels

Good to see we'll be hitting both of these.

"Mount Kilimanjaro--one of the biggest disappointments in my life, but one of the most thrilling hikes, too. It's the highest peak you can achieve without the use of ropes/oxygen/etc., and if you can withstand the altitude (most of our party did, except me!), the views are incredible. If you're going to Kenya/Tanzania, you also really have to see the Ngorongoro park--a wild animal preserve at the bottom of an exctinct volcano. Truly amazing, also."

Park Fee Increase?

Apparently the Tanzanian Government is proposing a park fee increase.

"The hike would help check environmental degradation in the parks, while at the same time enrich the government’s coffers according to TANAPA Director General Gerald Bigurube."

Equipment (Man I'm glad I'm not carrying all this crap)

So there are lots of different opinions of what we have to carry with us. Most stress cold weather cloths, walking poles, gaitors, raingear, TP, headlamps, etc. We haven't consolidated our lists yet, but we should... since we are 22 days away...

It will

Some other equipment lists:

• Mountain Link
• Wydah
• Echeng
• Zara
• Shuttles
• Gateway
• Kleinman
• Alpine Acents

Our Outfitter's Equipment List:
Mt. Kilimanjaro Trek Equipment/Packing List with rental charges/person/trip (not per day):
-Day Pack, Small or medium bag. You will carry this small bag.
-Kit bag (duffle bag) or a rucksack/backpack with or without a lock {$10}. Your porter will carry this large bag.
-Head torch, with batteries and lamps.
-Adjustable {$10}/non-adjustable {$6}, telescoping trekking pole (optional, but recommended).
-Three one-liter water bottles
-Sleeping bag for -10 centigrade (15 Fahrenheit) or lower {$15} -Sleeping tent if camping route/safari (we provide this) -Sleeping Mattress (we provide this) -Good Quality Trekking Boots (make sure they are "broken-in") {$15} -Snow Gaiters {$8} -Light shoes for a first day or two days as it is sometimes warmer.
-Warm Socks
-Warm mitts and gloves. {$8}
-Warm Hat {$8}
-Sun hat, plus cotton head-scarf or "bandana" {$5} -Rain gortex hooded jacket {$10} -Rain gortex trousers {$10} -Warm pile/fleece jacket {$10} -Warm pile/fleece trousers {$10} -Warm thermal underwear (poly/wool), top and bottom {$10}.
-Cotton shirt, trousers, and walking shorts (optional), -Cotton socks, undershirt, and underwear, -Sunglasses / ski sunglasses / snow goggles, {$6} -Sun cream for face, and Lip suncream -First aid kit ($20/ kit) -Wash Kit -Female/Male hygiene products.
-Water purification tablets/water filter.
-Small Towel
-Altitude Medicine (if you think you might need this). Do not bring sleeping pills, they are a respiratory depressant (not a must).
-Diarrhea Medicine (not a must, unless you do camping safari afterwards, or staying in low quality hotels) -Malaria Medicine -Headache Medicine -Mosquito repellant cream, -Snack/Energy food ( a few chocolate or energy bars for each day on the mountain).
-Camera (with film), Binoculars (we provide this on the safari), Book, Personal cassettes/player, Earplugs .
-Several Waterproof plastic sacks, ie: rubbish sacks for your sleeping bag, shoes, etc, -Passport, 2 extra passport photos (not a must), flight ticket, flight itinerary -Dollars cash for small items and gratuities.



Safari (General) Packing List:
Clothing:
Long sleeved lightweight shirt for protection from the sun Sweater / jacket and pants for cold temperatures experienced at night Hat Bathing suit (if you stay in a lodge/hotel that has a swimming pool and would want to swim) Socks Belt Sandals for wear during safari Lightweight hiking shoes One nice pair of shoes Short pants Sunglasses Reading glasses (if you wear contacts bring glasses as it can be very dusty)
Remember: Bring enough clothing for the entire safari as you may not have them washed (most lodges do offer laundry service)

Personal Items:
Sleeping bag (if camping safari)
Sunscreen / Sunblock
Lip sunblock
Toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo Ziploc bags for camera and toiletries Ibuprofen Bug repellant


Other Items:
Camera and film. 300 mm lens recommended. Bring plenty of film as you might not be able to find the desired speed or brand in Tanzania. We recommend at least 3 rolls of film per day on safari.
Extra camera batteries
Flashlight
Binoculars (each of our vehicles has 1~2 binoculars) Locks for baggage Video camera Small gifts for Maasai children- pencils, pens Travelers checks or currency Wildlife guides Small backpack Money belt Snacks

First outfitting trip.

Boring stuff mostly. The guys are Campmor are pretty helpful and knowledgable. They recommended the Mountain Hardware Alpine 5 deg. bag. Still looking at reviews before making final decisions.