Kilimanjaro Shira route, depart 25 Feb 2010

Hi Matt,

I've just booked this trip (not quite as early as you guys!) but as of when I spoke to Exodus last (a few days ago), I think we're the only ones so far! I'm doing the land-only option so i'll not be meeting you until we get to Arusha - but i'm really excited already. Only 4 months to go...!!

Wendy

Hi Wendy

 Thanks for post (& photo - I'll look out for you in Arusha), less than 3 months now!!

 I see exodus have renamed this trip 'Lemosho' route, although the itinery is unchanged & there are only 4 places left, so presumably there are 5 other people out there (I think the maximum group size is 12).

 How's your training going - have you done much climbing/walking in the past?

 Kind regards

Matt

Ooh, I wonder who else our fellow travellers will be...! I hadn't realised they'd changed the name - but I do remember seeing on the map that some of the routes share large sections, so perhaps that's why.

 I've done the Inca Trail, Toubkal and Hindu Kush, but i don't really get the chance to do much hiking around London...! My training regime  starts "tomorrow" - although not sure if i'll be doing anything specific - just normal jogging/gym/cycling type stuff. I'm definitely nervous about tackling Kili though - it will be a massive challenge, but one I can't wait for!

Wendy

...I've just been a bit sneaky and called Exodus to ask about the other travellers. They said:

One couple in their 30s (I assume that's you!), two male friends in their 50s, two separate females in their 30s (one of them is me), one female in her 40s, and one male is holding a place.

Hi

 Sounds like a fairly good mix of people, not sure I like being a couple in my 30's though, that could mean 39, which implies a level of maturity far beyond me.

 Re training, we did a walk with Mick Cain, through Trek UK Hire http://www.trekhireuk.com/trektrainingdays.html, he's based in Shere, near Guildford,  you get about 1.5 hr talk/chat on kit etc &  then you do about a 17 mile walk around Surrey.  £25 each and I'd thoroughly recommend it.  There are a few dates on the website at the moment and he add's new one's frequently.

 + if you need any last minute kit his shop (where you start & finish) is good

 Matt

Graham here. Not sure about the 2 male friends in their 50's! I'm not quite 50 although I will be before we reach the summit. The other guy who had a place being held for him makes us a trio of sad old geezers who are normally used to bagging Munro's. We thought it was time to be a bit more exciting.

Graham

Hi Graham (not quite 50)

From what ive read a trio of old geezers have a better chance of reaching the top as you are less inclined to go haring off at the start and then get affected by altitude!

Do you have your birthday on the Mountain?

Re Visa's - are you getting yours upfront, or at Kili airport?

Also - are you taking diamox?

 Cheers

Matt Pillinger

Hi Matt, I will be 50 just before we set off. The original plan was to leave on a trip on the 20th but this was full by the time we got ourselves organised. We have not made any decisions on medication yet. My two mates are both doctors so I will probably follow their lead. We had hoped that taking the extra days to acclimatise would make the affects of altitude manageable. Have you any experience of taking Diamox?  

Graham

Sorry Matt, it will be Visas before we go. At our age you don't leave anything to chance.

Cheers

Graham

Hi Graham, nice to "meet" you!

@Matt - in response to your comment, I'm going to get my visa at the airport, as i've been told its not only cheaper, but quicker too. Apparently most buy it in advance and so the queue for checking it can be quite long, whereas the buy-it-there queue is short!

@Graham - it'd be interesting to hear what your medic friends say about Diamox. The Rough Guide to Tanzania doesn't paint a great picture - saying some believe it just masks symptoms which can be dangerous, side effects are tingly fingers and its a diuretic - not good to risk dehydration up a mountain.

Wendy.

p.s. I did the trek day with Mick Cain - really good. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Hi Graham

I've got no experience of (taking diamox), I know people who've been up to Uhuru before and some take it, some don't, there doesn't seem to be a consistent view.

The things I do know about it (caution, I'm not a Doctor - this is what I've read and been told)

1) Only available on prescription in UK, some Doctors will prescribe it, others won't, you can buy it on the internet from oversea's, but this seems a bit risky to me

2) It makes your hands tingle and you need to wee a lot (Given it is recommended to drink lots of water to acclimatise anyway, there is potentially a risk of dehydration if you take diamox and don't then drink loads).

3) The strongest 'anti' view I've heard is that if you take it, then you won't be aware if you are suffering from AMS (Mountain sickness), as diamox covers the minor symptoms, by the time you notice symptoms you could be quite ill.

I'm going to try and get some from my GP, If I can I will take it with me and probably only take it if I feel rough, If I can't get any of my GP then I will go without - ordering medicine of the internet seems a bit to dicey to me

 Cheers

Matt Pillinger

Tipping: I assume you mean for the porters. Don't worry too much about this, they (African Walking Co) try to keep it all very fair. At the beginning of the trip the group will be given a sheet which gives a guide/breakdown of the level of tips for the support staff.....from general porters to toilet porter thru to chef, assistant guide and lead guide. Its all very mathematical.....as a group you work out the total in tipping so, for example (am just making up these figures) if it was $10 per general porter and there were 10 then that would be $100, $40 for the chef, $50 per assistant guide and there are 3, and $60 for the lead guide, that totals $350. If there are 5 clients in the group then that would be $70 each. Ours was all done on the last evening, information on the sheet tells you the process! But, just for info, we had 9 walkers, 1 lead guide, 4 assistant guides, a chef, a porter that did everything (!), a toilet porter, and all the rest general.....for 9 walkers we had a support crew of 37 I think it was!! If I remember rightly it was $85 each. Then some people gave one off extras that final night for things that some porters did over & above, there were about half a dozen extra tips of about $5 each that individuals did seperately. Hope that helps!

 

 

Matt Pillinger

I'd been worried about tipping too. I've been on previous trips of this sort with another company, and although they gave an idea as to what each person gets, they failed to indicate just how many people there would be helping us, and most of us ended up making trips to the bank to cover the shortfall.

Hi Matt / Wendy

I haven't caught up with my mates yet on the medication front but based on the info supplied by my own doctor I am pretty sure we will not be taking Diamox. It can cause problems with blood formation or with your kidneys and is unlicensed. You would need to take it for two days at sea level before you go to check for side effects. The notes I have stress that the major cause of AMS is climbing too fast and the best way to avoid the problem is to climb slowly.

Wendy, I see you are joining us in Tanzania. Is this just a small part of a longer expedition?

Regards   Graham

Hi fellow travellers!

I'm taking a week either side of the Exodus trip to "do my own thing" in Tanzania. Probably spend time in Arusha, Dar and Zanzibar, although i'm going to leave it fairly open and just see what its like when I get there.

Wendy

Any one for a game of Golf when we get back ...

http://www.ilborusafarilodge.com/

Is that where we're staying? I thought it was the Moivaro Coffee Plantation lodge.

We are at the coffee plantation too before the climb and the Marangu Hotel for one night after the climb.

Normally we would welcome the opportunity for a game of golf but I think the consumption of beer will take precedence over golf!

Regards Graham

Cheers Graham & Wendy, the only info I could find on the Exodus website was the one I posted, they both look nice though.

Matt Pillinger

Hi All,

 I'm Claudia and must be the other female in their 30's.  I'm 33 and usually quite organised but haven't done much for this trip so far - panic is starting to set in.  I've had some good advice from a guy at work that successfully made it to the peak 2 yrs ago but still feel quite underprepared at this stage or am I worrying a little too much?

My first introduction to hiking was on a 10 week tour of the USA last year.  I travelled to most of the major national parks there and ended up hiking in some awesome parts of the world including the Grand Canyon.  However having said this I would hardly consider myself fighting fit.  I don't own gym membership but try to workout at home doing cardio and weight training.  I've read somewhere that training is really quite simple - walk, walk & walk.  I plan to start training after xmas - not sure walking to the tube and to the parlk when it stops raining qualifies as training - hope I haven't left it too late.  Please let me know if you can give me any advice regarding training oh and vaccinations.  The Killi book I bought and several articles on the net reccommend loads of vaccintions.  Other than yellow fever and malaria I'm quite confused on what other vaccinations are necessary.  Does the GP do the required vaccinations or do you have to go to a special vaccination centre like Nomad?  What are your views on this?

Well look forward to keeping in touch prior to our trip.....

 Claudia

 

 

Hi Claudia,

Hello! Nice to "meet you"! I take it from your mention of the tube that you live in London too?! It does make it harder to get training in. I'd also recommend the walk with TrekhireUK that Matt mentions - it definitely focuses your mind. There's still 2 months to go, so i'm also hoping that's plenty of time to get in shape!

Re vaccinations, all the ones you need should be provided by your normal GP. Except yellow fever, which some places don't offer as standard and charge for. Just book an appointment with the nurse (do it fairly soon) and she will have a list as to what you need and what you've already got.

Don't panic!

Hi guys!

Does anyone know whether the duffle bag in which we are to pack our 15 kg allowance during the actual trek is provided for us?

Matt, i've just seen your other post re kit bags. My question is rather - are the bags provided automatically (without having to request them, free of charge) or do we need to book/pay for them specifically?

From Daniela at exodus:

"The kitbag will be posted to you approximately 2 weeks before departure and it is provided free of charge."

hi guys - we're off up the lemosho route this friday so was just having a sneaky peek at some other trips message boards for some last minute tips.

we've just received our kit bags after a bit of chasing (mix up with the post office depot or something). whilst canvas they are sturdy and tough BUT arent that big - perhaps marginally larger than the max sized bag you would be allowed to take as hand luggage for instance. exodus office seem v efficient at resolving any issues.

all the rest seems similar to us - we got our visas in advance (the embassy is right next to bond st tube so being in london was easy), and have diamox but not planning on relying on it.

one tip we did hear was to travel in your hiking boots as i) space in kitbags is a premium and ii) if kitbags were lost by the airlines they would be the only nonreplaceable thing.

good luck!

jonathan

Hi All

 Getting closer, getting nervous?

We managed to get some diamox off our doctor, had to go for a blood test and he did a private prescription, but it was only £4.95!

Matt Pillinger

Hi to you all. I did this trip last June and had one hell of an experience. I think your trip adds an extra day to last years to help acclimatisation, well worth it as we lost a 17 year old after two days due to sickness. The days are a mix of challanges, some hard ones but there are easier ones. The nights are cold on the mountain getting down below zero in my tent. Wear a warm hat at night when sleeping, it really helps. Wear layers of clothing so you can peel them off as the day warms up and aim for wicking fabrics rather than cotton which just soaks up the sweat. The two tough days are the final climb starting before midnight and the Baranca wall trek, both spectacular but very rewarding. Talking of spectacular, have your cameras ready for the sunrises and sunsets especially looking out over Mt Meru. Our chief guide had a goody bag of medicines and was able to cope with pretty well all emergencies so concentrate on your basics, Imodium and rehydration salts being essentials. Good luck to you all and remember Pole Pole, which means slowly slowly. The mountain will stay still so take your time getting up it. One final thought, the older you are the better you will cope with the altitude, I'm in my sixties and made it!

Hi Jeff,

Thanks so much for these words of encouragement. I know I for one have begun to get nervous (in a good way!) about the trip. The kitbag arrived this morning, and i'm having to restrain myself from packing already!