Climbing Kili
Sorry are you guys going on 19th or 20th. If it's the 19th I will be there too! :-)
Don't be nervous about travelling alone sacha, I think lots of people do these kind of adventure holidays alone coz it can be quite difficult to persuade other people to undertake something so challenging and get them to do it with you. I'm sure everyone in the group will be really friendly and supportive and everybody will assist everyone else in every way possible to make sure we ALL make it to Uhuru Peak!
We should start sharing knowledge and tips from the research and preparation that I'm sure we're all doing. I've gleened that a nailbrush is worth taking as the underneath of your fingernails gets really grubby. Also wet-wipes are definitely worth taking along, as is a mosquito net that covers the head at night - apparently the only way to prevent dengue fever is to not get bitten in the first place!!!
One problem that my sister and I have been discussing is that of keeping our digital cameras charged up. Anybody got any ideas?
Michael x
Hi Debbie
Just to let you know that I will also be travelling alone so it's nice to know others are too!
Steph x
Hi Debbie - would love to hear some of your ideas. I'll post some of my own research, thoughts and ideas too over time.
Am thinking of getting this as I think it could be useful:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Altitude-Illness-Prevention-Treatment-Mountaineers/dp/0898866855/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IVFWZTWQTF994&colid=CCYZRSRZM3G
What are you guys doing in terms of physical preparation and training? Carmen and I are going to go up Snowdon in a few weeks, while it's still cold to try out our jackets and other cold weather gear, and to see how we get on with the climb to see what areas we need to work on physically. We'll also probably do a couple of long walks in the lake district in the spring/summer. This is in addition to our normal fitness regimes which involves swimming and cycling in my case, and running and cycling in Carmen's.
Good to hear from you too, Steph. Look forward to meeting you both in August.
Michael x
Good to hear from you steph. Yeah i will post my tips(well ones that i have gathered off other people) as soon as. With regards to training Mike, i have been doing my normal training which is lots of circuit training and running. I already do a lot of hiking but a really good workout i did a few months ago was running up Moel Famau a few times. Its not high but an excellent workout for cv fitness and training the good old quads. Its a really good idea to get some long 6-7 hour walks in before August. Will be doing that myself.
As far as training i feel ok and pretty well prepared but i am a little worried about the altitude and wether i could cope. It would be a pain to go all that way and not make it to top. I have been looking at different ways of training for altitude, Ha ha ha i have even thought of training with a mask like the mma fighters do, apparently gets you used to training with less oxygen. Imagine wearing one of them on your regular workouts. Anyway, i am also looking into Diamox. Sorry bout the long essay here. Could talk all day bout this trip. Debbie x
Am definitely going to get some long walks in before august but I'm training for the london marathon at the moment so hopefull stamina wont be too much of a problem nearer the time! I feel totally unprepared already reading what you've written!!
Steph x
Yeah Debs, the altitude thing is the thing I'm worrying about too. Found this:
http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm
and I'll probably get that book I mentioned earlier. We can work on our fitness, but there's not a lot we can do to prepare ourselves for dealing with the altitude.
My sis, Carmen, has done the London marathon a number of times so I'm sure she'd be happy to pass on the benefit of her experience Steph.
I'm in Bristol, by the way.
M x
Hi Deb and Steph
Deb - I am going up to celebrate my 40th birthday too - cake on the top sounds like a good idea!!! I also originally booked on my own, but my brother decided he wanted to come too.
Steph - London marathon is fabulous! But I am doing Brighton this year for change and I hope that it will be just a awesome as London.
Either of you live near Cambridge? Or want to schedule a walking trip to get some practice in?
Hi Debs, I'll chat to Carmen and see if she is good for that week. We were thinking of making it a Thu/ /Fri as that fits in with Carmen's work, so that would be 17/18 Feb - subject to weather of course!!!
Are you guys on facebook? If so, you can pick up a link to my facebook page from my profile on here - just click on my mug to the left!!! - and send me a friend request.
Michael x
Wow, I note that this thread now has the 'hot topic' icon next to it - way cooool!!!!
OK Debs, we'll have to figure out a way of transferring contact details without anyone having to post their e-mail address or phone no in this public forum!
OK, Carmen and I have *finally* got ourselves organised for climbing Snowdon as part of our prep for Kili. We're doing it on Sat 19/03. Do join us, Debs and Steph, if you want to get a bit of prep in and meet up and get to know each other in advance of "the big one"!!!
We'll probably arrive on the Fri eve and stay over. Don't know where yet. I'll post it here when I've sorted it.
I've booked Carmen and me into this place for the night of Fri 18/03:
http://www.snowdonia-national-park-hotel.co.uk/item/tyn_y_coed_inn.html
We'll probably get there early evening, have dinner and a pint or few - and then climb Snowdon during the day of Sat 19/03. Let's hope it's a nice day!!!!!
Michael x
Hi guys, would love to join you both. I work on a Saturday but im trying to book a day off so will let you know as soon as i can.
Hope you all are keeping fit and well.
Speak soon Debs xxx
Hi folks,
I hope you don't mind me gatecrashing your departure lounge but as I've just come back from climbing Killi via the Rongai route, I thought you might be interested in my experience.
First of all you will all have a fantastic time as you have picked probably the most scenic route. We were a group of 11 people ranging from 28 - 68 and all made it up to the summit. This was totally down to the support and expertise of your guides and porters from the African Walking Company. The number of guides / porters totalled 38 for our group of 11, consisting of ordinary porters (who looked after your specfic tents / luggage), helping porters (who looked after kitchen / mess facilities / dunny), a cook, assistant guides and a chief guide.
I wouldn't beat yourselves up too much about physical preparation as I found the key to success was probably 25% physical and 75% mental strength. Up to 8 hours walking a day does seem daunting but the pace is so slow, coupled with regular rest stops, that the physical effort isn't as much as you think it will be. Your guides set the pace and are quick to let you know if you are going too fast.
The scenery is varied from farmland and forest, through alpine moorland and the almost lunar landscape of the saddle before the final climb. The final ascent is where most of the mental strength comes in as you have a 6 hour walk up scree switchbacks to Gilmans point, followed by a 3 hour round trip to Uhura peak. The views from both are the most fantastic sights possible, unbelievably beautiful and unbelievably emotional.
As a group we suffered varying degrees of altitude sickness. Personally I was taking Diamox and Ibruprofen as a preventative aid from day 1 and coupled with slow walking and plenty of water suffered no effects of the altitude. The person who suffered the most in our group was the fittest of us all and steadfastly refused to take diamox even when he was suffering before the final climb. His sickness manifested itself as feeling drunk and unco-ordinated and he was only allowed to go on after he had been given a diamox close to the summit. All other members of the party took it from early in the climb and only suffered from headaches and nausea, rather than anything more serious.
My equipment was based on layers rather than expensive down jackets etc and served me well. My only concession was an expensive waterproof, breathable outer layer. I had a 4 +season sleeping bag I got off ebay for £35 which was ideal for the conditions and I was rarely cold.
The food is excellent considering where you are. Breakfast consited of porridge, bread and jam and egg and bacon. Dinners were soups, casseroles, fried chicken / fisf, spag bol, pasta / rice etc. Lunches wer a combination of packed (rolls, crisps, fruit) or hot (soups etc).
Summing up it was the most wonderful experience of my life and the sense of achievement, coupled with friendships that will last a lifetime, will stay with me forever.
Hi Neil, what a star you are. First of all may i say congratulations on your summit on Kilimanjaro you must be very proud of yourself and so must the others have been in your group. It was really nice of you to post some of your experiences and tips for us all to see. I think we will all benefit from what you have said. I was a little worried about the altitude and what to take. I am pleased that you also mention the sleeping bag and the not so expensive clothing as so far i seem to be spending lots more money than i have, hahahah.
I hope you will stay in touch through this site and maybe myself and the others can pick your brain for other tips and ideas.
Again thanks for all your information
Debbie xxx
Hi everyone, hope you are all doing ok and are planning and spending away in preparation for the trip. I have managed to buy most of my clothing so far and some bits and bobs. Just looking for a cheap sleeping bag was wondering if anyone has any idea of good ones. Im thinking of maybe hiring one. Anyway keep in touch.
Debs xxx
Hi Debs
Good to hear from you, it's been a while.
Yup, getting kitted out - have spent a small fortune in Cotswolds!!! Carmen and I have both gone for the RAB Ascent 700 sleeping bag. They're not cheap, but then I think cheap may not cut it on Kili!!!! Incidentally there is a women's specific version which Carmen went for. Don't ask me why women need a different sleeping bag from men!!!!!!?
We climbed Snowdon a few weeks back and that went really well. Towards the end of May we're going to the Lake District to do a bit more trekking/climbing to get "in the zone"!
Hope you're keeping well,
Michael xxx
OMG you are both putting me to shame. Yeah the RAB bags are fantastic as i know a few people opted for them when doing Kili. I think the one i am hiring is a RAB only 50 pounds so that may save a small fortune. I have a reasonably good 4 season bag but i dont think it will be warm enough and me being tiny with very little insulation will prob need a really warm bag as i do feel the cold. Anyway congrats on your trip to Snowdon, its a really good climb done it quite a few times myself mostly in crap weather. Im adding a walk into my weekly routine , im walking to work one day a week, bout five miles so not too bad, and my normal training sessions. Not managed to do any hills or mountains recently tho. Will try and get a few in soon. Anyway keep in touch, say hi to Carmen.
Debs xx
Hmm, wondering if I should've hired. Like you, I already have a perfectly good 3/4 season bag but felt it wouldn't cut it at high altitude so bought the RAB. Dunno when I'll ever need a bag that good again tho'!!!!! Oh well, got it now - and the credit card bill keeps looking at me in that odd way that says I need to pay for it too now!
We were very lucky with Snowdon, despite it still being March when we did it it was a lovely springlike day. We didn't even get to try out our down jackets!!!! We did the Pyg route and the views on the way up and down were great, but all we saw from the summit was the inside of a cloud! Nevermind, it was all about the climb anyway.
I'm doing regular sessions at the gym, I've even hired a personal trainer for 6 sessions!!!! And now the spring is here and the weather's improving I've started getting out on my bike too. I'm not at all worried about my fitness for Kili now. My only concern now is the altitude thing, oh yeah - and flying Ethiopian Airlines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Neil is still monitoring this thread maybe he can tell us about his experience of the airline! Over to you Neil....
Take care. M x
Hmm, wondering if I should've hired. Like you, I already have a perfectly good 3/4 season bag but felt it wouldn't cut it at high altitude so bought the RAB. Dunno when I'll ever need a bag that good again tho'!!!!! Oh well, got it now - and the credit card bill keeps looking at me in that odd way that says I need to pay for it too now!
We were very lucky with Snowdon, despite it still being March when we did it it was a lovely springlike day. We didn't even get to try out our down jackets!!!! We did the Pyg route and the views on the way up and down were great, but all we saw from the summit was the inside of a cloud! Nevermind, it was all about the climb anyway.
I'm doing regular sessions at the gym, I've even hired a personal trainer for 6 sessions!!!! And now the spring is here and the weather's improving I've started getting out on my bike too. I'm not at all worried about my fitness for Kili now. My only concern now is the altitude thing, oh yeah - and flying Ethiopian Airlines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Neil is still monitoring this thread maybe he can tell us about his experience of the airline! Over to you Neil....
Take care. M x
Tell me bout it. This trip seems to be costing more than i bargained for. I was thinking same as you there Mike the fact that i could be paying all that money and wont use it again, think thats why i went for the hiring instead. Anyway, get you, a personal trainer not bad hey. I was a personal trainer for a good few years myself unfortunately i gave it up for a teaching job. Yeah the Ethiopian Airline sounds a little daunting, was thinking that myself. Really glad you both enjoyed Snowdon, you did a really good route up, its one of the favourite ones. Anyway hope we hear from others that are doing this trip as up to know there only seems to be four of us. Well speak soon.
Debs xx
Tell me bout it. This trip seems to be costing more than i bargained for. I was thinking same as you there Mike the fact that i could be paying all that money and wont use it again, think thats why i went for the hiring instead. Anyway, get you, a personal trainer not bad hey. I was a personal trainer for a good few years myself unfortunately i gave it up for a teaching job. Yeah the Ethiopian Airline sounds a little daunting, was thinking that myself. Really glad you both enjoyed Snowdon, you did a really good route up, its one of the favourite ones. Anyway hope we hear from others that are doing this trip as up to know there only seems to be four of us. Well speak soon.
Debs xx
Hi Debs, you should get yourself on facebook! I think Carmen and Steph have quite a bit of contact with each other on facebook and it's a great way of keeping in touch with each other. We've been able to keep up with Steph doing the London Marathon via facebook. She did really well!!!!
Yes, it's interesting that only four of us have joined this forum as I notice that there's only one place left on the 19/08 departure. That means there's seven other people who've booked but not joined the forum.
M x
I did this trek with Exodus a few years back.....Ethiopian airlines were fantastic..so much better than you would expect. Fantastic route, the porters will be your best friends by the time you are back down. Can't wait for you to see the toilets en-route though, memorable..........
Savour every moment, I did, Its a fabulous trek & that extra day at the tarn makes all the difference.
I did this trek with Exodus a few years back.....Ethiopian airlines were fantastic..so much better than you would expect. Fantastic route, the porters will be your best friends by the time you are back down. Can't wait for you to see the toilets en-route though, memorable..........
Savour every moment, I did, Its a fabulous trek & that extra day at the tarn makes all the difference.
Michael,
I can't comment on Ethiopioan airlines as we flew with Kenya Airways to Nairobi and then Precision Air to Kilimanjaro. Both flights were excellent as you would expect from a national carrier.
When it came to sleeping bags I bought a Highlander Echo 400 4+ season bag off ebay for £40 (brand new). It was more than adequate for the trip as it only really got cold on the last couple of nights by which time you we never bothered to take any clothes off, just dived straight in to the bag so still kept warm. Where your money is probably better spent is on a decent sleeping mat, the thicker the better because you can end up with some pretty large immovable rocks under your tent.
In terms of the loos, the short drops are interesting but the dunny in the camp are just what you expect them to be. A good tip though is to get to them as soon as you arrive in camp as they will have just be set up and are nice and clean and smell of disinfectant. By the next morning when the bucket is 3/4 full .........
Regards
Neil
Hey guys!
Wow just thought I would check in as haven't been on here for a while. It's probably a woman thing Neil but I nearly cried when I read your post! Lol Thank you for taking the time to remind us what a special experience this is going to be.
Loving the Cotswolds Mike lol. Just been an brought my Kili boots so going to start wearing them in. Then at half term I plan on getting most of the other stuff. Seriously cannot wait now :-)
How strange Debs! We are both teachers and I too stopped being a fitness instructor/ personal trainer to become a teacher. Funny eh? Speak soon xxx
Hey, very interesting reading everyones posts, seems everyone is preparing very well, may need to get my skates on!
Well nice to see that everyone is very excited, I can't wait, its going to be fantastic.
Look forward to meeting everyone in a couple of months.
Thanks
Colin
Hi Colin!
Great to hear from you! It will be fantastic. We are all really excited! Hope your preparations are going well?
Take care
Steph
Hey Steph, Yup I am getting there, breaking the boots is the main objective at the minute, walked 10 miles last weekend as an initial session, but it takes so long! Ha, who knew walking took so long, I suppose I am just a spoilt cyclist...
Getting everything sorted is also a feat in itself, just got some altitude sickness from my GP, who looked fairly confused when I strolled in a told her I wanted "Diamox", I also think I should buy some shares in Cotswold PLC, as their revenue is sure to be high after all my purchases.
Hope your preparations are going in a more structured way!
Colin
Hi Colin, welcome to our little pre-Kili party here on the forum! Yup, I'm also more of a cyclist who's only taken to walking in order to prepare to climb Kili. I still need to do a fair bit more walking and hill climbing to break my boots in properly. And yes, Cotswolds have done pretty well out of me too in recent months!!!!
A few of us are off for a preparatory walk in the Lake District in a few weeks. None of us have met yet so also a chance to get to know each other in advance of the 'biggie'. Join us!
And Debs, are you still out there???? Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope you haven't cancelled. You should also come and join us in the Lakes!
M
Hi Debbie, good to hear from you again - thought we'd lost you!!! At one point the trip we're on was fully booked, then it was available again, so at least one person has cancelled at some point.
We're doing Bowfell and Scafell in the Lake District on Sat 16th July - we being myself, Carmen and Stephanie. We're staying here:
http://www.odg.co.uk/
from Fri 15 until Sun 17, so two nights. We'll probably also do a shortish walk on the Sunday morning too. Come along - will be great for us all to meet up in advance of Kili and get to know each other over some good food and wine/beer, and a bit of walking too.
Colin, the invitation to join us for this is extended to you too!!!
M x
Hi Mike, the lakes walk sounds fun, much better than walking around London in 4 season boots! 'Who's that odd ball?' they ask...
I am free for that weekend, so I guess I should book similar dates to you guys at the hotel. Being a London bound individual, I am car-less, so I'll have to look into the mechanics into getting to the hotel via other means.
Thanks
Colin
Hi Colin
Will be great to have you along. I'll be driving up from Bristol, so if you can get to Bristol you can come up with me.
You'll just have to endure my taste in in-car music!!!!! :-)
M
Hi Mike, im not available that weekend as im on a course. But i really hope you all have a great time and lots of walking and beers etc. I guess ill be meeting you all when we fly out on 19th. Im sure ill get to know you all then. Keep me posted how you all get on. Hi to everyone.
Ps My boots are well worn in as iv had them for about 8 years. They have done me proud.
Speak soon
Debbie xxx
