A Few More English Things To Do This Summer

English Summer- pfwah- no such thing, some say. But whoever denies that the past few months have been un-summer like are perhaps typically English in their pessimism and depreciation of things that are going well so not to show off (#5 of 102 English Things To Do) when in fact they are full-knowing that the summer has been rather good. Or perhaps, they are creating weather focused banter (#4) as a typical topic of conversation. Whatever the situation, the summer has been lovely and warm and nice (#47- taking on one of the apparently 44 meanings of nice in the Oxford Dictionary, which I believe is an over exaggeration); and if you haven't quite caught on, I've decided to review my summer in the context of a few more of the "102 English Things To Do".

Apart from my Kili break, we have spent much of the summer doing one of the most English "things to do"- #28, "Sitting in a cottage garden full of hollyhocks". However, we spent most of the time building our cottage garden (well, actually just our normal (nice) back garden) to sit in. Apparently, English gardens are typical in content and design: a mix of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees. Dense planting in massed banks with a sense of order and disorder. Typically, daisies, pansies, wisteria, roses, lupins, peonies, and geraniums. I'd like to add that the fuchsia is a key element to an English garden, especially when planted in a hanging basket. I'll let you judge for yourself how well we've done. 

We take much inspiration from visiting other English gardens and we recently visited one of the biggest English Gardens- the Eden Project. Built from a quarry in the early 2000's, the land has been sculpted and transformed into beautiful gardens that host learning, art, and conservation projects. Famously there are two biomes that house an equatorial rainforest and Mediterranean garden. Outside, there are plant exhibitions of native wildflowers and cultivated plants that are used in human everyday life and presented in an educational way. These included various herbs, fruits, medicinal plants, hops for brewing, and weed. Not weeds. Weed. Yup, about 20 feet long and 6 feet deep of wild growing marijuana plants situated between the lavender and hops gardens. Nice (interpret as you will).

Grounds at the Eden Project

English Garden outside the Biomes at the Eden Project

Mediterranean Biome

Art Installation- Eden Project

The Seed- Eden Project

The Eden Project is in Cornwall in the south of Britain and during our mini break, we managed to tick off three other "Things To Do", one of which was # 97: Eat a real Cornish Pasty made in Cornwall. For those of you that don't know, a Cornish Pasty is "a cheap, portable snack" for the miners of yore and has Protected Geographical Indication status (not only reserved for Champagne and Feta). The foodstuff is a robust pastry folded in a half-moon shape. The filling "should include no less than 12.5% beef, plus swede, potato and onion, with a peppery seasoning.". As an attempt to get into the spirit of the South, I attempted the dish myself a few weeks prior to the full Cornish experience- however, with chicken instead thus naming the dish a lonely Chicken Pasty (pronounced PAH-stee) with no legal designation. Still tasty (TAY-stee), though.

The Cornish Pasty is not the only Cornish branded foodstuff from England, and using the term Cornish seems to project a certain level of indulgence and quality that when in comparison to a like good, makes the Cornish good far superior. Other examples of Cornish goods are Cornish Cyder (with a y) and Cornish clotted cream- a cream somewhere in-between a normally high fat cream and butter. Ice creams specifically made with Cornish cream are an extra quid a scoop (so more delicious??); where a Cornish Cream Tea is most definitely not comparable anywhere else in Britain... I have tried my fair few. Although, I believe that the citizens of the next county over (Devon) would contest. Devon cream vs. Cornish cream- the life long debate of creamy indulgence.

And while on the topic of typical English foods, staying away from home in a B&B lent itself to #94- Eat a Full English. A fried breakfast with bacon, eggs, fried bread (although not on this occasion), sausages, tomato, baked beans, and mushrooms. Components of a full English from the local builder's greasy spoon would normally be "all fried together and served in their own fat". However, my arteries were thanking the B&B owners for baking the components in the oven. Mmmmmmm... oven baked sausages!

Closing off the Cornish getaway, we partook in a slightly modified English Thing To Do #25- Go to sleep in a deck chair on the beach wearing lots of clothes, because of the cold. This mostly happened because we were on the coast and it was meant to be summer (and by summer, I mean not raining), so we felt obliged to go to the beach. However, it was probably only 12C and windy, so we took to the nearest rock and I donned my scarf to take in the view- surfers in head to toe wet suits attempting to ride the foot-high waves. Sound anticlimactic? You are right. But in practising for my British citizenship, we did as most Brits would and were "determined to have a good time, since having a good time means staring at the sea as if it were a broken television set". However, unlike Alex Quick (the author of 102 English Things To Do) relates, we did not have deck chairs, but we did have a nap after our Full English

Padstow Beach

And with the end of the summer, I end this entry with the last "Thing To Do" which is # 50: Write a Clerihew (about my experience at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant). According to Wikipedia, a Clerihew is a whimsical  four-lined biographical poem usually making fun of famous people. It is structured in the rhyming scheme of AABB. Length and meter are irregular. And apparently Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant is meant to be the Don of seafood in Cornwall (or even the South West coast of England). 

Rick Stein OBE

Self-styled king of flesh from the sea

Cramped in like sardines in a can

Less flavour than food from a Gran.

Foodie Alley- Rick's Cafe, Rick Stein's Shop, Paul Ainsworth No. 6 all in a row.

Well, maybe that was a bit harsh... but the point is, we should have spent our £150 at Paul Ainsworth No. 6. Although, we did glimpse the man himself and the famous Carol Vorderman.

Kilimanjaro Top Tips

While it is fresh(ish) in my head,  I wanted to get some particulars down in regards to my experience in climbing Kilimanjaro. What worked or didn't work, what preparation was useful, and what I wish I would have done differently. There is already a fair bit of information out there and reading it in advance was useful; hopefully my suggestions will help another group out in making their goal a reality.

Kit List:

A search of Kilimanjaro Kit Lists brings up more than a few suggested readings. I'd say I scanned five-or-so different lists from different levels of searching. An example of one I used is: http://www.kilimanjaroclimbs.com/plan-your-climb/documents/Kitlist-KilimanjaroandMeruClimbs.pdf and it was a good start because it separates essentials from optionals (and in tick-list format, which always appeals to me). It also has a good two-lines of wisdom that I only caught out on return to the list after the climb: "It can be very, very cold..." and "It can also be alternately dusty and muddy...". C'est vrais!

Baggage: two bags needed; three bags handy.

1) Day sack (normal sized 20 - 30L backpack). Best if it has a waist clip because although things like your camera, snacks, and gloves are in there, you are also carrying 3-5L of water. This was heavier than I liked most days, but that also gives you the incentive to keep drinking your water and eating your snacks to lighten your load. Multiple pockets are good for storage/ access to different things (camera; sunscreen vs. water vs. toilet paper). Good to have a cover for the rain or the dust.

2) 60 - 70L bag (soft duffel or backpack) to keep the rest of your stuff. The porters carry this for you. I had a large technical backpack, but the porters carry this on their heads, rather than their backs, which is why it can be a duffel bag, instead. I would recommend to bring what you feel like you can carry in the airport and getting to your hotel. If you are being shuttled everywhere, then a duffel isn't a terrible idea. Alternatively, if you are the one carrying your bag to and fro, take what you know you can carry. Again, multiple pockets/ access points are handy, it's good to have a cover for the rain or the dust, I would make sure that all of your stuff fits IN the bag, rather than draping things on the outside of it. Two reasons really: 1) the dust- if your sleeping bag is draped outside, it will get dusty; and 2) when you are walking around the city (before your adventure), who knows what could fall off or else get pinched.

3) A spare small duffel or 20-30L bag is handy to have to put the rest of your holiday stuff into while you do your trek for the main reason that you really don't want any extra weight going up for you or the porters. Most hotels/ hostels will keep this for you until you get back.

Sleeping Bag: four season minimum!! From day 2 it is 0C at night. My advice on sleeping bags is two-fold: 1) make sure that it fits in your duffel with the rest of your stuff; 2) a plush one will be a little piece of heaven at the end of the day. As far as synthetic vs. down; down will always be better because it compacts smaller (my friend had a down one and I was super jealous of how small his sleeping bag compacts) and be warmer (and arguably, a bit more plush). I had a synthetic because I didn't want to spend mega bucks on it. My sleeping bag was warm enough; although I still wore socks and leggings in the night. It also felt plush enough. A negative however, was that it was bulky thus taking put 2/3rds of my backpack.

Sleeping mat: suggested as essential on many kit-lists. It is essential; however, most tour groups should be able to provide something for you if you are unable to carry one yourself. If you have specific needs for a mat, bring your own.

Clothes: the best advice I can give is to leave the cotton at home. Really only bring wicking materials and fleece. All kit lists go through the details of base layers, long sleeves, thermals, etc. Some tips that I would suggest are:

- Have wool socks. Have at least 4 pairs (3 to alternate between, one bonus pair for the last day)... if you have the space, have clean socks (and underwear) every day for a bit of luxury.

-On the subject of the last day, a great piece of advice our guide gave us was to have a clean base layer for summit day. I couldn't definitively say this made a difference or not, but after 5 days of dust and not washing properly, it's nice to put clean clothes on. This being said, I would suggest three alternatives of absolute base layers (tshirt/ tank top, something for your legs, socks, underwear). All the rest (longsleeves, fleeces, leggings, etc.), you can get away with one or two alternates.

-Bring at least one proper thermal layer.

-A windbreaker is essential- better if it is dual purpose with zip in fleeces or fluffy layers rather than a kagool.

-A heavy down jacket wasn't necessary for our group but we did have 5 layers of longsleeves/ tights/ thermals/ fleece, etc. It's up to you if you have the space and are confident in the technical performance of your clothing. The top is -15C! But, you aren't hanging out there for that long.

- Socks and gloves: you know your hands and feet and how they work or don't in the cold. There are days you are hiking and you are touching the rocks to help you manoeuvre, so thin gloves are good to keep your hands warm. I have moderate Reynaud's, and a combination of silver threaded socks/ finger gloves and thick wool over socks/ over mitts worked well for me. I would wear my gloves in the evening at camp to keep my hands warm (temperatures from 5C to -2C). On the last night to the summit, I used hand warmers as a booster to keep my fingers toasty. This worked really well. On my feet however, the last night I had silver lined socks, woolly tights, and one pair of wool socks. I wish I had a thicker woolly pair of socks on as my toes did go a bit numb. Lastly on the subject of gloves, because I was wearing my gloves in the afternoon and evening and because it was so dusty, they got dirty really quickly. I suggest having a pair for the evening and a separate pair for the daytime, unless you are okay with eating dirt.

-Boots: make sure they have good chunky grip. I had light-weight boots with a quite flat sole. I only felt on the way down that better grips would have made a difference (the track down on the very last day was compact mud). Our guide mentioned that sometimes the summit track up has snow. I know these boots would not have been sufficient if there was snow.

-Hats/ scarves: sun hat/ bandanna is good for blocking the sun/ keeping the wind out of your ears. A bandanna can double as a balaclava if you are sensitive to dust or to cover the back of your neck from the sun. Your toque is essential for warmth. A scarf is a bonus for when it is cold. If it is silk (or silk-like) materials, it can work as a balaclava when it's warm and sunny or thermally if it's cold.

-Gaiters: I bought some and wish I hadn't. I walked into the shop and thought: do I buy gaiters or poles. I wish I would have bought the poles. If your socks, boots, and pants/ leggings are good enough, then you don't need gaiters. Some say they are good for keeping your boots dry, so I would contemplate it if I was going in rainy season.

-If you are going in rainy season, be prepared with your waterproofs. I can't comment more than this because I had good trekking weather.

Hygiene:

Keep it simple and start getting used to the fact you will not be clean until you come back. You do get a bowl of hot washing water in the AM and at the end of the day (on most days... Machame route warning, there is no fresh water at the last camp: Night 5/ Day 6 has no hot washing water). The hot water for washing is why it is suggested to bring a travel towel and it is a very useful thing to have. So, pack: tooth-stuff, soap, wet wipes, antibacterial hand gel, toilet paper (2 rolls minimum. Your guides should have some more. You know your body so pack appropriately and then some), sunscreen (min factor 30. For face, neck, ears, lips), hair brush, NAIL BRUSH (this I wish I would have brought!), deodorant, insect repellent (although there are not at all many insects after day 1).

Things that you don't need:

-Shampoo, even dry shampoo was a waste of space. Day 2 was dusty and the dust in my hair did a better job than Baliste would ever do. I've never had such body to my hair. From Day 3 onwards, you start to wear a hat or something to cover your ears, so it is pointless to even bother.

-Razor: deal with the fact you will become a hairy monster :)

-Lotions and potions... added weight that you will not need to carry. Leave these behind for when you return.

And while on the subject of hygiene, my advice for medications:

Aspirin was my saviour! There is a lot of talk about taking Diamox or something similar with you. I bought enough for just in case, but from when we booked the tour, we were advised by the agency that Aspirin was a better choice. Diamox is a diuretic, and if you already have trouble drinking enough water, this will not help. Listen to your body. You know how susceptible you are to side effects. Think about the situation and if you want to deal with the possible side effects.

I decided to take one Diamox 2 hours from the summit because I was dizzy, had head pressure, was running out of Aspirin and already had three Aspirin 5 hours previously. I already had all of the side-effects so I thought, what the heck, let's try this stuff. I did feel better after taking it, but I couldn't say for certain that it was the medication. Had we had had more Aspirin, I probably could have taken that with the same effect. I might have also started to feel better because of the adrenaline building from getting so close to the finish. My fellow climbers succeeded without medication. I personally err on the side of preparation. Whilst speaking about painkillers, also bring either Paracetamol or Ibuprofen (whichever your body reacts best to).

Other tablets to bring are: your normal medications, Imodium, anti-sickness tablets, malaria tablets, and water purification tablets. My advice is to plan for the worst: if you needed to take maximum dosages for every day you are there, then take that many tablets. As well if you plan to use water purification tablets (you have boiled water for some of the trek, other days it is fresh glacier spring water), putting hard boiled sweets (Fox's or Jolly Ranchers) to mask the flavour of the chlorine helped to make the taste more palatable .

Other Kit considerations:
The list I suggested mentions some other bits and bobs to consider: optionals on the list are steel thermos, camera (et al.), binoculars, penknife, tape, string, sewing kit... Optionals that jump out at me are camera with spare batteries (and keep them warm on the summit day). The best advice I was given by a friend who climbed was to take lots of pictures, because you will forget. Looking back a month later, I am so glad we took so many pictures! Other optional, but highly recommended considerations are a penknife, spare shoe laces (double as string, if needed), and ear plugs (especially if you are noise sensitive at night).

The Other items that are recommended and necessary are sunglasses, head torch/lamp with spare batteries, 3L water bottle (Camelback is good for sipping along the way vs. a standard water bottle), water purification tablets, spare bag for dirty clothes, and telescopic walking poles. In regards to the steel flask, my friend only had a 2L water bottle and used her flask as a third litre. On summit day the guide brings hot sweet black tea, and the spare flask on the day meant more tea for all. The tea is perfect for the conditions, your energy levels, and a superb mood lift, so the more the merrier. I would think it would be great if at least one person in the group was willing to haul a steel flask for the team.

Food:
What do you need to bring? Food that is comfortable to you. It is nice to have something familiar when the last thing you want to hoover down is another bowl of cucumber soup or fried chicken gone cold. Granola bars, your favourite high energy chocolate bars, sweets, etc. Peanuts and cashews are widely available to purchase in Moshi, so don't worry about packing them from home. There is also a very good selection of hard cookies (like custard creams, Oreos, digestives, etc) that are comforting to eat at all times.

Food/ the menu when climbing was astonishingly diverse considering the conditions. Apart from breakfast, I believe that we only had the same soup no more than twice in the 7-day trek. Breakfasts were beef sausage, fried egg whites, toast, fresh fruit, and a variety of spreads (margarine, peanut butter, jam and some very dark molasses-y type honey).

We were provided with a packed lunch on many days: boiled egg, fried chicken leg, empanada/ french toast-like sandwich, juice box, custard creams, oranges, and mini bananas. Some days we were cooked a hot lunch: vegetable stew with bread or onion pancakes. After trekking we were provided with a snack: hot drinks, popcorn, and peanuts.

Dinner in the evening always started with a vegetable soup for a starter (and enough for at least two bowls each) with bread- cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, potato, and then I can't remember because they all kind of tasted the same and I was so turned off of food to care. Top tip, even when you feel absolutely beyond crap, you MUST eat two bowls of soup and two pieces of bread and then at least one FULL bowl of starch. This should ensure you enough calories to re-nourish your efforts from the day.

The main course on a platter was usually sauteed vegetables (beans, carrots, cabbage, beansprouts, etc), a starch (potatoes, pasta, rice, repeat), a mild, yet flavoursome vegetable curry (very delicious) and often a "meat" dish. I can only remember sauteed beef chunks one day and a bolognese another. Like I mentioned earlier, I was so off of food, especially meat, that I chose not to remember that part of the trek.

Packing:

What's my top tip for packing? Pack the least that you can! Easier said than done. Do a dry run before you leave to ensure everything fits. Stick to the list. Use every nook and cranny of your bag. Separate clothes into plastic bags to protect them from dust, rain, or potential water bottle explosions. A piece of advice I was given was to pack your essential climbing/ cold weather attire in your carry-on luggage. Rationale being that if your sleeping bag/ backpack/ beach clothes don't show up in whichever airport your are flying to, you can hire that kit. You will have greater trouble finding your tried and true thermals in Moshi/ Arusha.

Tips:
So this is the last of the tips and is in respect to tips as in money as you have just had a whole plethora of top tips dumped on you... Again, in scouring the VAST amount of research out there, we came semi-prepared. Two categories of tipping continuously come up: 10-15% of the trip payment or a "per day rate" per crew member. Because our trip seemed so economical (African Spoonbill Tours), we went for the per day rate which allowed for more money for the crew as a whole. Not only did this better reflect the service we received, but it also allowed us to better divvy up who got what amount.

We were advised by our Guide the last night to split the money for each individual crew member. This lead to us directly handing them their tip the next morning as a chance to thank them in person. We followed the general rule set:
Guide: 20-25$ per day (24$/d= 168$)
Assistant Guide: 15 - 20$ per day (21$/d= 147$)
Cook: 12-15$ per day (15$/d- we are foodies= 105$ for Cook and 105$ for Waiter)
Porter: 8 - 10$ per day (9$/d= 63$/ person x 7 people= 441$)
= Total of 966$ of tips for a crew of 11 on a seven day trek. Three trekkers= 322$ each.
If we were to tip 15$ of our trip, it would have been 210$ each which didn't seem fair.

We adjusted based on our interactions with different group members. For instance, we had a Waiter who was very gracious and friendly, he was probably somewhere in the pecking order between a Cook and a Porter, so we paid him the same as the Cook because of his warmth and friendliness throughout the trip. Our Assistant Guide was awesome and as we were three, we tipped him 21$ per day because he certainly deserved it. We were told afterwards by our Guide that we were average tippers- not the highest, fair, but not the lowest; and with that my recommendation would be to tip what you feel is fair with the guidelines above as the bare minimum... These guys work incredibly hard the entire time.

And as you can see, all monies are quoted in dollars, these are USD, and this leads to my last top tip: money in general. Bring USD for the trek and bring it in multiple denominations because when you go to split the tips up on your last day, the small amounts are handy. You won't be asking the porter to change your Benjamin for you into smaller change. If you are giving out Benjamins, make sure you are giving them to all of the porters, you high-baller!

In regards to the rest of your holiday, I found that Tanzanian Shillings were far easier to use than USD, especially if you plan to shop in the markets. However, the trade off is how padded do your want your wad? The largest TSH note is 10,000 which is from 6-7$. If you've budgeted 300$ for the rest of your holiday... think how fat your pocket will be. What would I do if I went back? I would either bring all USD again and swap at the many available currency counters, or else bring my own major currency to swap when I am there. Rates were pretty fair in general for all major currencies. You can also use the ATM if you want.

I hope that this has helped in your planning (for those planners out there). Feel free to post comments if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Achievement!

How do I describe it? Eyes closed, view of the summit sign in my head, lllooonnnngggg sllloooowwww inhale with a curling grin that the Cheshire cat would be jealous of, and a slow, savoury exhale= perma grin.Wow. Amazing. And not wow and amazing like you use the terms everyday. Properly wow. Properly amazing! And not the view, either (although it was incredible, but to expectations). Purely the sense of achievement from getting to the top.

How did it unfold? This is going to take a while, so I apologise in advance. The recount will be rather more specifics from the "notes" I took in comparison to the opener. I will post another entry on some technical kit specifics later. So here we go:.

July 5th- Travel Day: See Craig out in the AM and pack. Why the heck haven't I packed everything the night before (was feeling a bit despondent)? Packing always takes longer than expected. Thank goodness it was only one bag. Savour the last power shower I know I am going to have in 18 days.

Gear up and go. This is the first trek-test with the backpack and shoulder duffel combination- the usually-12 minute walk to the train station, took closer to 20. No dead-arm, so this is going to work. I left the house 20 minutes later than I had hoped, missed the train I had aimed to catch, thus got into New Street later than hoped. Nearly got on the wrong train so truly had to book it with my backpack/duffel combo up the stairs against pedestrian traffic to catch the correct train. Note to self... it is possible to run if absolutely necessary. Get on the train and big breath out. I'm on holidays.Why the heck have I started off this holiday off so terribly?! I'm usually far more organised than this. C'est la vie! Thank goodness for my travel partner for holding the check-in desk. And, big breath out. It's time.

Flights as expected, other than the unexpected passenger load from Istanbul to Dar es Salaam, where we were certainly not the minority. A fleeting thought that we aren't on the right flight. Check the ticket. We are :) And how fun that Turkish Airlines have menus for each flight. I can definitely recommend flying with them in the future. The food was very delicious.

July 6th- Arrivals: Bags made it and into the taxi. Stayed at the Transit Hotel in Dar which is very near to the airport. It says a 5$ taxi ride, but at 3am in unknown territory, it wasn't the time to start sharpening my bartering skills. FYI: you can apply for a holiday visa upon arrival into Dar if you are prepared to wait for about an hour in the immigration queue. Again, at 3 am, I was glad to have done my homework, even if it was more expensive (later on we met a guy that said he only paid 15$ (by accident)) and I temporarily lost my documents. Got to the hotel and crashed out until later in the AM. Welcome to Africa- your wake up call will be from the chickens/rooster and the screaming cats.

The rest of the 6th was spent meandering the streets of Dar with a late night flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. I will save the details for another entry. This blog is about getting to the top.

July 7th- Moshi. Find a company: With a lovely turkey and screaming dog wake-up call, it was time to start the dream. We were introduced to TFT (Tanzanian Flexible Time) with our breakfast order- 45 minutes for two orders or muesli and one order of scrambled eggs.

A 30 minute walk into town enchanted us with our first "local friend". Hello friend, you here for vacation? You going to climb the mountain? And maybe it was serendipitous or perhaps we were far too polite, but we ended up at a travel agent. A quick check of the pre-list... it wasn't there, so with some scepticism, we met the boss and listened to what he had to say. We were at African Spoonbill Tours and the package seemed to be exactly what we were looking for with an excellent price (even with the rise in park fees and in comparison to other companies)- 7-day tour, up and down acclimatisation, everything included... can this be too good to be true? We need a sign. We had a quick team meeting out of the office (as scientists and an engineer we were keen to gather more data) to walk back and see a man that we had seen in the AM at our hostel. Um, yup- a sign. Some quick conversation in German assured that we were in good hands. The man from the AM said he had already searched around the area and this company was the best, so we booked.

Pius, the director of African Spoonbill Tours, called our guide Bakari to the office to discuss some further details and so we could test him with questions we might have. So far so good. We were booked to start our 7-day Machame route trek in the morning. It's really, really happening!! 

July 8th- Go time! With an understanding of TFT, we rose for breakfast as early as possible- three muesli shouldn't take longer than two and a scrambled egg. Wrong. They didn't tell us there was no yoghurt, so we essentially waited for them to go to the shop in town to buy some while Pius waited for us to finish our breakfast before driving us back to the office.

And I haven't seen such a collaborative effort since working load-outs in Japan. Each porter lifting, loading, securing the equipment and our bags on the top of a 12-seater Toyota. All in the back and let's go. Twenty minutes later, we stopped for "final shopping". Really the most over-priced peanuts I had ever paid for... deep breath, it's supporting the local economy (hopefully). About another 20 minutes later, we stopped once more for final shopping for the crew... local fruits, veg, and meat for the trip from the sweaty, fly ridden, local butcher stall. I think I might have just thrown up a little bit in my mouth... oh no, that was later at the actual market in Moshi. This stop was just a jaw drop.

We get to Machame gate (1800m), eat some lunch, take some pictures, while our guide Bakari sorts out the paperwork and the weight of the bags for the porters. It's all very well organised- we sign in at each station (although in ink on paper). And we are off... although, with our other guide, George. Bakari eventually catches us up 2.5 hours later. We don't walk too quickly, and they aren't yet telling us to slow down.

Packed lunch Day 1: Hamburger, two bananas, a muffin, and some cold fried chicken on the bone. I manage everything apart from the chicken.

The vegetation is lush. We are in rainforest territory at the start. We stop for food and drinks along the way, which the porters plow on ahead with large bags on their back and baskets on their heads. George is mindful of us and how we are doing. So far so good... until my tummy starts rumbling. Nice. Was it the combination of seeing the butcher/ cold fried chicken for lunch or is it something else? Not what I wanted on Day 1.

We are trekking up to Machame Camp at 3000m, check in at the main hut where the landscape has changed to an alpine heather forest, and settle into our dining tent. Yes, a dining tent! There is a spread of popcorn and all of the different powdered hot beverages you might want. Oh, and before the wonder of the dining tent, we are treated with a bowl of hot water for washing- clean face= new lady! After our snack, we have a browse around and unpack while we wait for dinner.

The campsite is nice. It's what I call a campsite with trees and alcoves. Not a pitch-your-tent-in-the-middle-of-a farmer's-field campsite. The mooch about gives a sense of how many people have embarked on this trek and these faces start to become familiar in the next few days. You can see some of the more expensive tours have better quality tents and chairs with backs on them. Apart from that, it all looks about the same. We go back to the camp for our dinner, where our waiter Mbago brings us cucumber soup and bread for starters, and a large platter of roasted potatoes, the beef from the butcher (wretch), and veg-e-ta-ble sauce (:P) for the main. At this point my stomach starts to spasm- is this my subconscious telling me not to eat the beef or is is the altitude? I force two bowls of food down and we go to our tents to sleep. A quick glance to the stars turns into a mind opened full of wonder- so many stars I've never seen in my life. And I'm smiling again thinking about it.

July 9th- Day 2: Machame Camp (3000m) to Shira Camp (3840m). It's a 7:00am wake up call, but I'm up at 6:30 (even earlier for loo- the porters are creating a hubub at 5:30am). We are treated again to another bowl of hot water for washing. We have breakfast for us at about 7:30 am: fried eggs, mini-sausages, and a stack of toast. The thought of eggs the morning has put me off completely, so I crack into the peanut butter and jam to eat two slices and the fruit they provide.

We've been briefed that today is an easy day because it is only a 3-4 hour trek (and apparently 7km). Oh god, it was everything other than an easy day. Steeper than the day before and with a bad belly, the day was hard.. The term pole pole (pole-ay) came out from our guides George and Bakari- slowly slowly. It's really one step in front of the other. Think about what you are doing. Pay attention to your body.

I developed a headache the last hour of the trek, and wasn't feeling so hot when we arrived at camp for our popcorn and peanut snack. Didn't take anything to relieve it and hoped to sleep it off in the evening. After snack time while they made our dinner, we did an acclimatisation walk where we walked up and beyond the Shira caves (about 100m more and almost an hour of walking). It was good to move again. When I was moving, my belly nor head was hurting. When we stop, then I feel rubbish.

Back down to camp for some dinner and for perhaps for the first time ever, my brain was completely disinterested in food. I expected this to happen, but was hoping that it would come Day 4 or 5... not Day 2! Pumpkin soup (tasted very akin to the cucumber soup from the night before), rice, wild spinach, onion, curried vegetables, and onion pancakes. With lots of effort, I mustered two bowls of soup, one whole onion pancake, and a full bowl of rice and veg. Dinner-time mantra: food is friend not fiend. Went to bed at 8pm with a stinking headache and cramping stomach. I have doubts. It's only Day 2. I'm disappointed in myself. I tell myself to sleep it off, you'll be okay in the AM and then there are two less days until the top. I sleep until 6am (of course, with some loo breaks in the night).

July 10th- Day 3: Shira Camp (3840m) - Barranco Camp (3950m) 10km and the Lava Tower. Oh goodness, my head hurts. I don't get headaches very often, so maybe I'm not so capable of dealing with head pain, but this is not nice. I have to slowly turn my head otherwise it feels like my brain is going to explode. Pole pole. I know that I can't deal the day with this so discuss with Cathy which drugs to take. We vote on Aspirin (rather than the Paracetamol or Ibuprofen that I brought), and as if by magic, I feel amazingly relieved (and actually amazing in context to how I was just feeling).

We were advised that today would be colder than the previous two days, so put your pants on. I geared up with winter running tights, wool socks, tank top, thin longsleeve, and a puffy vest. About two hours into the trek, our guide George advised me to put my toque on instead of my bandana because we were going somewhere windy and it would prevent headaches. Two hours in I can say the Aspirin was still working.

The trek itself was less steep, but longer. I felt that this day was far easier than the previous; my compatriots will both negate that thought. We hiked up to a mass called Lava Tower "a 300-foot lava formation jutting from the mountainside". One of the first formations from when the volcano blew. I can say that our guides were very knowledgeable about the flora, peaks, area, and history throughout the trek (if that's something you are interested in or have the brain power to remember- I'm cheating off of the website at the moment as my main concern was finding a rock big enough to hide behind every couple of hours).

We stop at Lava Tower for packed lunch. Our lunch looks exactly the same as any other groups', rather ours is in plastic bags vs. a plastic Tupperware box. Another piece of fried chicken leg, boiled egg, mango juice box, orange (green oranges), mini banana, custard cream cookies, and some sort of french-toast sandwich thing. Chicken and eggs are revolting to me at the moment, so I muster down all of the carbohydrates and a mini Snickers that I have brought with me. After lunch, we hike another 1.5 hours to our camp and as we come down, I start to come down off of the Aspirin and develop slight pressure in my head again. I try two Paracetamol at camp to see how that works in the night. It doesn't.

"As usual" (Bakari's reassuring words of comfort), we are treated to hot water for washing, popcorn, and a nap before dinner. A dinner of zucchini soup, beef stew (wretch), noodles (thank God!), and sautéed green beans, carrot, and tomatoes. We've been able to have a philosophical discussion about why women wear make-up and relationships before tooth-brushing stargazing and then bed at 8pm. I have hope today. I can get through this... that is if I can navigate myself back to the tent at about 3am. Note to self: keep your glasses next to the toilet paper.

July 11th- Day 4: Barranco Camp (3950m) - Karanga Valley (4200m) 7km and the "Breakfast Wall". "As usual": hot water for washing with a 7:30 wake up call and breakfast; and "as usual", my brain wants to jump out of my head. Oh, but wait... not as usual, I'm a bit dizzy coming back from the loo (and not from the Bob Marley cigarettes that some of the porters were smoking from another tour group-really!). I start a new "as usual" and up my Aspirin dose to three. Food is still fiend not friend, and pole pole I choke down two peanut butter and jam toasts with hot water and honey.

The Breakfast Wall is fantastic (can you get high on Aspirin? Or maybe it's an Aspirin/ altitude combo)! This is the most fun we've had yet. A proper scramble up the rocks. It's an excellent test of the fitness-and-wits combination. I'd like to think that if this was a super challenge, the chances of summitting would be really low... I'm sure they are proportionately related. We talk about the scramble as we go, and George tells us that this route is the most challenging which is why it is called the Whiskey Route over the easier Marangu (Coca-Cola route).

We go up for about two hours and then a combination of down and up for the next hour. At the third hour, we can see the camp for the night and it looks like a straightforward hike to get there. Wrong.You can't see the big scramble back down into the valley (and checking back on the website, it's Karanga Valley) and an uphill plod back up to camp for a hot lunch. I don't have pictures of the Karanga Valley, but the vegetation was something else: a combination of tropical looking pineapple trees and bushy lichens and mosses. Something out of another world.

After a hot lunch and a snooze (and a chance for my stomach to start spasm-ing again), we go for a one hour acclimatisation hike back up to a more rocky terrain at 4200m. I've worked out by now that when I'm moving I feel good and capable. My legs don't substantially tire (of course a little bit, but recovery is quick when we stop for a water or "technical" break) and continuously feel strong. I tell myself to pay attention to the strength in my legs and this will let me know my limits. Heaven knows if I paid attention to my head or stomach, I would have gone back two days ago. And besides, each hour up brings the summit a little bit closer and a little bit more real. Tonight I take one more Aspirin before bed to help me sleep and go to bed thinking that we only have ten hours of walking left. Big deep breath: this breath still has hope, eagerness, and a little bit of a headache. I've decided to visualise myself at the top to make it more real. Any time I'm feeling doubtful, I picture myself next to the sign. I can really see it. I know I can do it.

Camp and view of the top: Day 4

Day 4 Dinner: Fried onions and bean sprouts, rice, and "as usual" some sort of soup and vegetable curry.

July 12th- Day 5: Karanga Valley (4200m) - Barafu Camp (4600m). The 6km short walk before the summit . Wake up as usual (I went back to two Aspirin in the morning because realised that we didn't have enough for everyone for "just in case" if I kept on the way I was going) and the trek is meant to be similar again to the Breakfast Wall day- 4 hours of go, go, go (but pole pole) to camp with hot lunch and rest. The hiking itself was in-between a scramble and a steep-ish plod. We are now completely in rock country, so stopping for technical breaks gives us the challenge of finding a cluster of rocks that are enough out of view. 

Day 5: Mawenzi Peak

Day 5: Hot lunch of vegetable stew

As we get to camp, the two Aspirin were clearly not enough and the Paracetamol didn't work the other day, so I opt for two Ibuprofen to help me sleep after lunch and through to dinner. And not "as usual" there is no new water at the camp, so all the water available has been schlepped up by the porters and is only for consumption- no hot water for washing. And I am annoyed with myself because on possibly the most important note-taking day, my brain doesn't want to play, so my notes stop after lunch. I knew it at the time I would kick myself for that. In any case, I can now sigh with head relief as the Ibuprofen has kicked in. Nap time!

After our nap, we wake for another 45 minute acclimatisation trek, and am welcome that we do as this is the first part of the final trek and part of the face is a bit tricky- a bit steep with a quite smooth rock face. For me it was more of a "get it in your brain where you will be walking" hike than an acclimatisation walk. Either way, it was good to do. Back for dinner and then off to bed at about 6pm for our 11:30pm wake up call.

Barafu Camp

What I can say (and remember) about the trek until now is that the guides Bakari and George were so helpful and knowledgeable. Most of the day to day trekking was with George in the lead, merrily coaxing us up (Non stop. To the top! Hip Hip. Hop Hop), interjecting with the local facts, and darting out parently reminders to cover your ears and drink your water.

Bakari was totally the papa, making sure everything is in order: keep the porters in check and on their way, checking us in (but looking at how we are handling the pens), making sure we are eating enough, looking into our eyes to check that the hope is still there, briefing us the night before for what we can expect- always the right amount of information about what to wear and how difficult it might be. He is an excellent judge of character. 

On the subject of briefing, our final brief with an air of seriousness, but conviction that we will get there: it will be cold. Bakari asked what clothes we had, and told us to put them all on. Better to be warm than cold. Listen to your guide! Cathy put all of her layers on, but in the minutes before we left, took one leg layer off. She regretted this. And an earlier in the week top tip was to keep a clean base layer for summit day, which was a very good tip, indeed.We will go slow. We will stop occasionally, but only very briefly because it is cold. We will have hot black tea on hand as a mid-point pick me up. And to prove his experience and ability to read people, he dished out the line-up for the last part of the trek. Bakari to lead, I'm just behind (he knew I was weakest and I assume wanted to listen to my steps and breathing), the others strategically planted, George to close the line. Six hours to Stella point. One more hour to Uhuru Peak.

July 13th- Day 6: Barafu Camp (4600m) to Uhuru Peak (5895) to Mweka Camp (3100m). D-day/S-day/ whatever you call it on the continent, as well?! 11:30pm (July 12th) and I wake up "as usual". I'm nervous about the number of Aspirin we have left for potentially three people and ask Bakari if he has any extra. Nope. This is slightly worrisome. I keep picturing the end goal. I take two and two Immodium (I've started my third pack in six days and I'm not about to whip my ass out of four layers of tights in freezing temperatures in the middle of the night) and we are on our way by 12:15am.

So what was I wearing? The night before I slept in my clean silver threaded socks, knickers, woolly tights, woolly thermals, sports bra, wicking tank top, and thermal longsleeve. I kept the rest of my base layers in my sleeping bag to keep them warm. I'll comment on equipment afterwards. When I woke, I really put all of the layers on that I posted before: 

Legs: silver lined socks, woolly tights, thermal running tights, woolly long socks, woolly thermal PJs, parachute pants. So, three layers on my toes, four layers on my legs. My toes went slightly numb after about two hours, but never unmanageable. I wish I would have put the extra pair of socks on that I had. At the same time, they ended up being my only clean pair, so were a little moment of joy when I put them on the next day.

Upper body: (all wicking) 5-layers: tank top, t-shirt, thermal longsleeve, high-tech fleece-lined Canada jacket, thick fleece (I left off my puffy vest). Silver lined gloves with chunky Canada woolly mitts. Tucked inside I had hand warmers (will talk about these in another entry) and another set of hand warmers on the ready in my pockets. Scarf and toque. As before apart from my toes, I never felt cold even when we stopped... except when we got to Stella Point and I whipped my hand out of my mitten to take a picture and it instantly froze. Oops!

Let's go...pole pole (and it is slowly, slowly, indeed). I feel crap! Ever so slightly dizzy and the pressure in my head has not completely left. I convince myself that I will deal with this. Keep the picture in your head. It's only 6 hours + another 1 hour. You feel better when you walk. You've come this far. Pull yourself together. Keep the picture in your head.

We plod along in the dark up the semi-familiar terrain we walked the day before and just beyond the end of the familiarity, we take our first stop. I check the watch, one hour done (5 + 1 left). It's just a short breather. I can't remember if Cathy puts her layers back on or not. We go again. Another hour up and the dizziness is increasing. My legs still feel strong, but I take around one misstep in maybe 20. I'm not out of breath. Keep going. Come on, Kristyn- Picture it! Hour 3-4, now I am taking more missteps and wobbles. I am dizzy, but muscles feel strong. Cathy is watching out for me, little bum lifts up the rocks and arm-blocks when I wobble.We stop for our hot tea break and it is liquid nectar the perfect antidote at the moment.

I ask to use Cathy's poles at this point. I need the extra balance. It's funny now, because I really don't remember using them for the rest of the trek up, only on the way down. But I must have because I really wasn't walking straight. Oh wait, it's coming back. I only used one pole on the way up- I remember for the next couple of hours alternating hands. I knew with my Reynaud's I couldn't be gripping something in both hands in the cold.

Hour 4-5 goes by. We stop briefly for a rest. Still dizzy and my headache is coming back. Picture it. Do it. Get on with it. Screw it, let's get the Diamox out (so I bought a whack-load of Diamox just in case, but was dissuaded from using it as it is meant to be a diuretic. I have enough trouble drinking the minimum 3L of water on a good day, so didn't want to exacerbate it). I pop one pill and pray that I don't get any crazy side effects- but what could go wrong? I already have all of the side effects before taking the pill. One more hour to Stella Point and then one more (non-stop to the top!).

The sky is starting to lighten. You can see the snow when glancing to the side. The shame is that I need to focus so hard on one foot in front of the other that I can't look around at the view and when I sneak a short glance I've got Cathy's arm pushing me back on the path. And with another short glance up, there is the first sign: Stella Point at 5670m, 

I realise my headache is gone (but am still wobbly). We stop briefly again and look around at where we are. The glaciers are coming into view. The sun is starting to rise. We are there. I know we will finish. I have perma-grin now for the last hour. This is really happening. It's still hard, but I can't remember the particulars.

I have two memory flashes from now until the summit. One: George warming my hand up after I tried to mess about with my camera. I can say this is the only time I remember feeling cold (apart from tingly feet).

Two: and this is the best one... an overwhelming, full-to-the-brim-and-even-bubbling-over amount of truly euphoric invincibility where I saw the sign (literally, the structure saying you have arrived at Uhuru Peak) and the first thing that popped in my head was my quote from Rat Race "eet's a race! I'm weeen-ing" (Miss Chataway, I actually pictured your face!). 

I turned to my fellow climbers and with the biggest grin on my face said "Let's race?!" really hoping that someone wanted to run there with me. And retrospectively the funniest thing was the looks on their faces like I was the craziest person in the world. Is she so stupid to actually suggest such a notion? How is it possible as she barely could put one foot steadily in front of the other not even an hour ago. Really deadpan looks of confusion. Okay, then. I'll savour the last moments.

And then we were there (officially 7:00am). A little bit underwhelming with the constant stream of people standing in front of the sign. Our guide did well to tell us when to push in for pictures and the other guides did well to ensure that each of their clients got their unspoilt money-shot (with a little bit of cropping). And 15 minutes later it was over. That was it. We were urged to start the descent so we don't get cold and we made our way back down.

We stop after about two hours on the way down, strip some layers off, and refresh with a mango juice box. The switchbacks we navigated earlier are now visible. We cross fellow trekkers that have had a harder time, but are still full of determination to get to the top (and I thought I felt rough- I am sure I didn't look like some of the people still making their journey). I use two poles on the way down as my balance has not fully recovered after the drop in adrenaline (although my headache is absent); for the first time, my legs feel weak and on the restart, my calf locks. Bakari is leading us very quickly down. I can't quite keep up with him and the others so take it more slowly with George. Coming down is like slalom skiing in the shale/dust and is kind of fun.

We park it back at Barafu Camp (sans hot water washing when you really want it) for a sleep and lunch and on the last boulder right before my tent (seriously, one more step down), my legs crash out in exhaustion and I end up with a nice scrape and bruise up my backside. Who cares now... just get me to bed. There are still three to four more hours to descent for today. 

The hike down brings us back from the rock desert, to the strange rainforesty/tundra combination again. The stop at Mweka Camp feels all a bit more lush than the past few days. We are in sweet little tree alcove camping areas again. We have hot water. The administration guide at the sign-in hut offers beer or Coca-Cola if we want to purchase something for a celebration. 

We have dinner (where it was nice to not absolutely have to force-feed yourself) and discuss the tipping situation. Bakari joins us to advise on some of the particulars: tipping, sharing clothes with the porters, the plan for the next day (Kilimanjaro songs in the morning, thank yous to the team, etc.), and feedback for him as a guide. It's bed time still relatively early (8-9pm) with another moment to savour the stars whilst brushing our teeth and relive the contentment of today's achievement. I take two more Ibuprofen and sleep straight through until 5:30 for the first time since being on the mountain. I even dream (in the night rather than visualisation to get to the top).

July 14th- Day 7: Mweka Camp (3100m) - Mweka Gate (1500m) 10km. Birthday comedown. Again, nice to wake up with only a mild headache treatable with Ibuprofen and nice to not force feed yourself. I think I hate peanut butter now, so I try eggs- ummm... no; I only eat half and one toast with jam. Oh, and my birthday cake!! A little Mars cake that my friends travelled for me is waiting when I come into the tent with two candles. Simple pleasures: chocolate and nice people thinking of you on your birthday. 

On a day when you want to take it pole pole and drink in all that you have done, each activity is punctuated with some urgency that we need to make a move from the guides. No actual wake up call (knowing that they have programmed you to wake up at 7am for the last six days, so you will naturally rise early); but a sharp reminder to pack everything up. A somewhat leisurely breakfast, but when they see we are practically finished, we are encouraged to come out of the tent for Kilimanjaro songs. Two rounds of happy birthday + a round of Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro wrapped up with the famous Jambo Bwana (Jambo. Jambo Bwana. Habari gani. Mzuri sana...I will post a video later, of course my camera died at this point); but then the very formal thank you session and tip giving and then we are off.

A two hour down-hill, slippery slope race through the rainforest to the check out gate. Beware of the very fast moving porters. They are on a mission, leaping and bounding with the kit on their backs and packs on their heads; no summit-drunk trekker is going to get in their way. 

We get to Mweka Gate to sign out (paper based as usual and I can finally change my age!) while the porters load the van for the drive back to the office and hostel. And on the way back to the hostel, it's a time for reflection (of course) and I'm Happy: Happy that I did it. Happy that it's over. Happy to be able to have a shower. Happy to put some clean clothes on. Happy to sit down in a chair with a back. Happy that I have this experience in my life and it truly pushed me to the limit. What a sense of achievement.