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Hey Everyone! 

We finally are home and can say we successfully summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro... all 19,341 feet of it!  We can also both say it was the hardest thing we've ever done and probably ever will do in our lives!  It was a very long and strenuous 8 day trek, but we achieved our goal of making it to the summit and are still talking to each other, so I guess that means the trip was a success!  We made a photo album so that you can all see the pictures from each day along our journey. Thank you everyone for all your support along the way! 

Alexa and Mike

Here's a link to our photo album: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/webUpload?uname=109863050899164257247&aid=5763288273089106993&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2F109863050899164257247%2FJuly92012%23

Hey Everyone,

 

I am writing this post from our hotel in Amsterdam  that the airline is putting us up in for the night because of some bumps in the road that have happened on our way to Tanzania... long story. The past 24 hours have been a total blur and pretty hectic to say the least, but have turned out to be more than okay in the end.

 

Last night a really bad storm came in right after we had all boarded the plane at Newark airport and lightning struck our plane as it was sitting on the tarmac. An electric pulse damaged a piece of electrical equipment on the plane, which then had to be replaced. Of course they didn't have the part at Newark airport, so they had to drive a part in from JFK.  They deplaned all of us for 2 hours while they replaced the part, putting us 4 hours behind schedule, and of course causing us to miss our connecting flight to Tanzania.

 

Two hours after finally taking off (just as we were falling asleep), the flight crew asked for any medical personnel to report to the back of the plane immediately, and I ended up first-responding to a woman who was completley unresponsive laying on the floor by the bathroom. After a sternal rub and some oxygen she regained consciousness and ended up being fine, just had a blood pressure problem which was aggravated by the air pressure in the cabin when she stood up. The airline gave me a $50 voucher for helping out, and luckily the woman was okay because the captain was ready to turn the plane around back to Newark.

 

So after everything we missed our connection to Tanzania and the airline is putting us up in a hotel in Amsterdam with free dinner and breakfast, which is also a pretty nice deal for something they had no control over (a freak lightning bolt). We were not allowed to take our luggage though, so all we have is the clothes on our backs and whatever we were smart enough to pack in our carry-ons. Despite everything in this whole traveling mess, Amsterdam is a pretty sweet place to be "stuck" for a day, and we've been out exploring the city all afternoon.  We will fly out tomorrow morning and arrive in Tanzania late tomorrow night, and then embark on our trek Monday morning first thing!  Until next time we have internet access... !    

Hey All! 


So since we will have very limited internet access/battery life on the mountain (and especially since we'll need to be focusing most of our energy on our surroundings, the limited O2 levels, the apparent flatulence, and of course, making it all the way to the summit) we thought we would lay out our itinerary for everyone to see now so you can get a feel for each day of our trek. 


We will be taking the Lemosho Route, which is an 8-day trek designed to allow us better acclimation to the altitude. We will be approaching the mountain from the west and gradually making our way to the top, hiking high each day and camping low at night until we get up to the summit of 19,340 feet!



Here's a breakdown of each of the 8 days along our trek: 


Day 1: June 25 (Moshi to Londorossi Park Gate to Mti Mkubwa Camp)

After breakfast and briefing, drive to Londorossi Park Gate (7,380 ft). From here a forest track requiring a 4WD vehicle leads to Lemosho Glades (7,830 ft). Walk along forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite.

Day 2: June 26 (Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira 1 Camp)

After breakfast, we continue as the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. After several streams are crossed we continue over the Shira Ridge (11,810 ft / 3,600 m) then gently downwards to Shira 1 camp located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.

Day 3: June 27 (Shira 1 Camp to Shira 2 Camp)

After breakfast, a gentle hike across the plateau leads to Shira 2 camp on moorland meadows by a stream. A variety of hikes are available on the Plateau, making this an excellent acclimatization day.

Day 4: June 28 (Shira 2 Camp to Barranco Hut)

From the Shira Plateau we continue to the east, passing the junction near the peak of Kibo. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the "Shark's Tooth." Shortly after the tower, we come to the second junction, which brings us up to the Arrow Glacier (15,997 ft / 4,876 m). We now continue down to the Barranco Hut (12,664 ft / 3,860 m). Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you began, this day is very important for acclimatization.

Day 5: June 29 (Barranco Hut to Karanga Hut)

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley campsite (13,780 ft / 4,200 m).

Day 6: June 30 (Karanga Hut to Barafu Hut)

After breakfast, we leave the Karanga Valley and pass the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue to the Barafu Hut (15,092 ft / 4,600 m). You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day.

Day 7: July 1 (Barafu Hut to Summit then Mweka Hut)

Waking up very early (between midnight and 2 am) we continue our way to the summit of Uhuru Peak (19,636 ft / 5,985 m). This part of the climb takes about 6 hours. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. At Uhuru Peak, we have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. From the summit, we make our descent, continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut campsite (10,171 ft / 3,100 m). This part of the descent takes about 5 hours. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned rest.

Day 8: July 2 (Mweka Hut to Moshi)

After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate. We then fly to the Serengeti for a 3-day safari before returning home! 

A view of Kili from a distance

Hi All! As many of you know, we will be traveling to Tanzania next week to set off on our adventure to climb (and hopefully make it to the top of) Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing mountain! We're very excited and have been training very hard in the past few months for this 19,341 foot upward trek. We will try to blog as much as possible while we are in Tanzania, though will have limited access on the mountain. Wish us luck and follow us here!