Killi climb Rongai route 24th sept 10

Hi Rob.

I did the Rongai route in Feb of this year, so if you want to know anything just ask ok.  Nairobi Airport is ok. There are plenty of places to eat and lots of shops that sell everything. Can be hot and stuffy though . Just take a good book to read while you wait. You gotta wait 12 hrs for a flight to Kili Airport from Nairobi? Wow thats a long time!  As Kili airport is just a short plane ride away.

Craig

 

 

Hi craig

Yeah i know, its only an hour i think i was going to try to get a taxi but i was advised its prob not that safe. I also thought about waiting at the check in desk when the earlier flight goes to see if a seat isn't filled but then im worried my luggage won't turn up. The £500 is for a economy plus seat because all the economy seats are taken thought i'd be up with the captain for that price. Still ive got a few films to watch the hardest thing will be not drinking too much can't be starting off hungover. How did you find the climb did all of your group make it and is there anything that isn't on the list they give that would be handy or anything on it thats not worth taking.

Cheers

Rob

Hi Rob,

There was 12 on our trek, We all made it to Kibo Camp and took part in the summit attempt. But one had to come down about half way up to gillmans point and another droped out at gillmans itself. So 10 made it to Uhuru Summit. The walking up until Mawenzi Camp was quite easy going and very enjoyable, you will love it!.  Mawenzi to Kibo is walking across the *Saddle*. which is fairly level walking . (just a few rocks to pee behind) :o)  . Then you can rest and eat and get ready for the midinight push for the summit.

As for stuff to take or not take. we took water treatment stuff, but no need as all water is treated for you. nice and safe.  Take factor 50 sun block and use it a lot. Especially backs of hands as using poles will show your hands to the sun. Most had swollen hands.

i'll think about more.

Hi Craig

Sounds good i've had a look at some pictures but i think they never do justice from past experience, I can't wait just started training really been doing one of those steppers and been out jogging, going to do snowdon next week then going for Nevis in september. How many changes of clothes did you take cos obviously the list given has loads on it and you also have a weight limit did you take a few pais of trousers and fleeces or just one of each how about your base layers too?

Cheers Craig

Rob

Hello Rob

I personally took 1 pair of shorts , 1 pair of lightweight trousers, and 1 pair of heavier weight trousers . 1 Fleece . 3 base layers. 4 pairs of socks and pants. Thermal underwear.(to sleep in and summit night). Waterproofs, duvet jacket, windproof. gloves, hats, buff. Thats all you need to take onb the actual trek.You can keep quite clean on the trek, as they give you a bowl of hot water first thing every morning and then again before evening dinner.  (they call it WASHY WASHY).  Take a few packs of wet wipes too. and some travel toilet rolls.

Here is a tip on luggage. The free bag Exodus give you is not very big. So get a large bag 90 to 100 litre. You will be able to get all your gear into it easy including your sleeping bag and mat.  Pack the Exodus bag inside your main bag so when you get to the hotel you can transfer your trek kit into the Exodus bag and leave your main bag with your non essential clothing and gear in the Hotel. It is also worth keeping your boots in your cabin luggage. (cant afford to loose those).  Ther are some photos of the trek on my profile page if you would like a look.  I am so jelous of you as I would love to do it again. piggy banks empty atm though :o(

 

Craig

Cheers Craig thats a great help got to go shopping for virtually the whole list next week think my money pots going to be a little empty too after this.

Rob

hi rob, looks like i am on the same trip as you. how are things going? when will you be in nairobi airport? i am flying to nairobi on the 24th and stay overnight leaving for kili at 7:30 the following morning. where are you travelling from? look forward to hearing from you. cheers, donna

Hi Donna,

I'm flying from Heathrow on 24th and arrive in Niarobi at 6.30 am on the 25th then i have to wait till 6.30pm where i get the flight to killi so im not going to be to the hotel till late. there are 5 of us in the group im travelling with but they fly out from niarobi at 7.30 with you i think, are you on your own? Have you done any training for it i've done a bit of walking the last couple of weeks.  

Rob

Hi Rob, I am flying from Heathrow to Nairobi on the 24th but on the morning flight and I arrive in Nairobi about 9:00pm. I am staying in a hotel in Nairobi and then flying to Kili the next morning on the 25th. My flight is at 7:30am and I arrive at Kili 8:30am. Apparently there is a few people and we will all be picked up and driven to the mountain resort I presume. Its just me and my best friend who are travelling. We have been training for quite a few months now so hopefully we will be ready for the climb. Mind you it doesn't matter how fit you are does it if that altitude sickness gets you. So who else is in your group then? I think there is 12 of us in the group in total. Cheers, Donna

Yeah you're definately on the same flight as the rest of my group on the flight to Killi i'll be seeing you all at the hotel, in my group is a girl called Sarah who i know, the other 3 are her brother, cousin and his girlfriend i don't know. So same as you really only knowing 1 person, but still meeting new people is half the fun. There is another guy who i persume is on his own because i'll be sharing with him. Its good you've got a night in Niarobi so you've got a chance to get over the main drag of travelling a bit. Have you got all your equipment I'm still waiting for my bag from Exodus Sarah got hers about 2 weeks ago.

Rob

Ok well at least you know somebody. Its all very interesting and I am excited to meet everybody and share this wonderful experience. I wonder who your tent mate will be?!! Do you know the ages of any of these people? I got my bag from Exodus about 2-3 weeks ago. Mind you how I am going to fit all my stuff in it I don't know! Give them a shout and see where yours is. Yes I am happy I get a good nights sleep in Nairobi. I am not a very good night flyer and the last thing I wanted was to be tired before I even started. I have all my gear I just need to sort it out now and pack it which I will do over the weekend as I am picking up my sleeping bag etc after my walk on Saturday. Where about are you in the country? Cheers, Donna

Hi Donna,

1 WEEK TO GO!!!

 Spoke to exodus they're sending me another bag fingers crossed should be here tuesday, The guys i'm travelling with are mid twenties i'm 31. I think we're all Essex me Sarah and her brother certainly are how about you 2. 

Rob

Yes one week to go!!! Its getting quite scary now!

 So you are all youngsters!! Haha!! We are both 40+ (my children think I am mad!!) and from Surrey. I am only 20 mins away from Heathrow T5.

I am happy to hear that you are getting another bag from Exodus. I might try and get a bigger one from the trek shop we use because although my stuff is not heavy its quite bulky and I think the Exodus bags are quite small. Maybe thats a woman thing though!! Have you hired your sleeping bags/mats and down jackets or do you already have your own? We have been using www.trekhire.co.uk for alot of our stuff and been doing the pre Kili training with them too. My last 17 mile walk tomorrow until Kili.

 I had an e-mail via Blackberry this morning from a friend who I met on one of the training days. She says there is a chemical portaloo!! That it is extremely, extremely cold after 5:00pm. Definitely take gaiters as it is very dusty and dirty. Make sure your finger nails are short!! Plenty of good food and snacks. She says that Exodus are fab. Apart from the cold it all sounds quite reasonable!!

 Cheers,

 Donna 

4 Working days left,1 trip to decathalon and I'm sorted. I fly on Friday from Manchester to amsterdam then on to Kilimanjaro so i think I will be there before you as I get there on Friday evening.

 Just about got my head around what I am doing and now really looking forward to it. My kids are quite jeallous and want to come with me but they are only 15 and 13 so a bit young yet, may be in a few years!

Looking forward to meeting everyone

Iain

 

 

Better cut my nails then :-) I got my Gaiters and self inflating mat from sports soccer they seemed really cheap. Hope your walk went well today Donna.

Hi Iain sounds like you've got a bit of a mission travelling too, how come you're going amsterdam, I think the youngest age to walk up killi is 10 so your kids could've come but no need to tell them that :-) Have you been doing much training?

Rob 

Donna, yes the kit bags are small, so get a bigger 90 litre bag and pack your empty Exodus bag inside it . Then at the hotel put your trekking gear into the Exodus bag and leave your bigger bag at the hotel with any gear you dont need for the trek.

Toilets, umm.... On our trek (feb 2010) there was only a  plastic bucket with a wooden seat on top.  So don't get your hopes up for a chemical one. It's pretty grim but you will all be using it . Just try and get in there fisrt in the morning ;o)

At the group meeting you will be offered a chance to hire 3 inch thick sleepping mats. So worth thinking about as you don't have to pack them into your kitbag every morning as the porters carry them seperately. Saves  a lot of space.

 

Craig

Hey Rob, I am sure your nails are short anyway! Cheap is good! Just hired all my stuff. Walk was great thanks, but to walk that amount of hours each day is going to be very tiring I imagine.

 

Thanks Craig for the information. I am sorted with my bags now. We are staying on a few days after so will need a separate little bag for that stuff. I will take whatever toilets come, chemical or not!! They are on an Exodus trip so we might be lucky!! That's worth thinking about re: the sleeping mats as long as they can be guaranteed. I don't want to go up there without a mat.

Hiya Iain looking forward to meeting you. It seems that the KLM flight/route is quite popular. Was talking to a few people today who are going that way, but not on the same date as us. 

Donna are you going via Amsterdam?

I am now trying to decide weather to take a suitcase or just the exodus bag with another smallone to leave at the hotel? Just what I need is more decisions to make

 I have done some training throught the summer Ilive in Macclesfield so I have easy access to the peak district and the lakes and North Wales are not too far away. Had a good weekend a couple of weeks ago going up helvelyn.

Just to let you know taht I intend to do a blog while Iam on the mountain and iif you want you can add comments for your friends etc if you want, the address is www. fred-climbs-kilimanjaro.co.uk  It was nothing to do with me one of the lads from the rugby club set it up and it seams quite a good idea at the moment. Might not be next week!

Iain

 

Hi Iain,

 Nope I am going from London Heathrow to Nairobi on Friday and then to Kili first thing Saturday morning. Just staying in a hotel in Nairobi on the Friday night. A couple of people on my walk yesterday are going that route though but not on the same dates as us.

I am taking a bag like the Exodus bag (it is a mountain equipment back and is bigger than the Exodus bag) and a small suitcase too that I will leave in the hotel as we are staying for an additional 2 nights when we get back down from Kili. I also think that way it will keep me more organised. The only thing I will put in the non Exodus bag is my boots, but still deciding if to take them as hand luggage.

There is alot of things to think about and decisions to make I have found.

I originally come from Stoke-on-Trent which of course is not far from Macclesfield. The peak district is fantastic for training and I am very jealous!! It sounds as though you have done some good training. I have just been training in the Surrey Hills where we have a few reasonable peaks and the most I did was back to back 3 days and walked a total of 45 miles. I think I have done enough training its just a case of keeping fingers crossed the altitude doesn't affect me too badly. I think that would be such a shame for anybody.

Thats a good idea about the blog - thanks. I was going to try and do it via Facebook and Twitter but who knows. I am sure time will tell! This time next week we will have climbed 2600m and passed through the Rongai Forest. Quite scary but also exciting.

Take Care

Donna

 

Just to let you know taht I intend to do a blog while Iam on the mountain and iif you want you can add comments for your friends etc if you want, the address is www. fred-climbs-kilimanjaro.co.uk  It was nothing to do with me one of the lads from the rugby club set it up and it seams quite a good idea at the moment. Might not be next week!

Iain

 

Hi guys you both sound like you've done well with the training, i've done a bit but not half as much as you two. I think taking your boots as hand luggage is a good call i certainly am and Donna just think of all the extra space in your main bag :-)

Hahahaha!!! Hiya Rob. Yes putting my boots in my hand luggage will certainly leave me more space in my main bag!! They would not go in my Exodus bag though, they would have to go in my other 'resort' bag. Yes training has been a bit of a priority, but have thoroughly enjoyed it and hope it has been worthwhile. My main concerns are AMS and my knees!! I have the stamina etc of a 25 year old but the knees of a 90 year old!! Cheers, Donna

The size of my boots I could use tham as hand luggage!  Just to make you feel better Donna I am 43 so there will be a few olduns there. There is also a lad coming from the rugby club who is older than me (i think|) but i dont know him.

Now its really getting close and I am sick of people at work saying rather you than me, also i of my managers has asked if he can have my computer docking station if I die on the treki, how conforting is that (he also wont shut up about mountainn gorillas)

iain

 

Hahahaha!!! I can just imagine that. Mine are quite big and they are small if you know what I mean?!! I am happy there is somebody who is also 43 and somebody older too! It needs it to balance against those twenty something young things!! It will be interesting to meet everybody though.

Its the same here too. Rather you than me! Although most people are telling me I am really brave and that they wished they had the balls to do it. Most people are proud of me, but I am sure there are lots of people proud of you too. There are no mountain gorillas either. Some people have no idea do they?! They just like scaring you. Somebody told me there is a programme on BBC1 tomorrow night at 9:00pm about the giant rat and tigers on Kili. I checked because it sounded wrong and it turns out it is the Himalayas!!!

Tell him he can have it if you die but to give you the money now!! I know it can be a near death experience but for goodness sake!!! You sound as though you are having a rough time at work. Just think when you have done it how good you will feel and how much you will have achieved. They won't have done anything!!

its all in good fun and it keep my spirts up, if you can't laugh we will have no chance, I am banking on that getting me most of the way up, the rest the drugs will do.

I've managed to collect my total so that pressure is also off for me so it time to relax and enjoy the experience and then bost when I get back (hopefully)

Hi every one,

just back after completeing kili, we were a group of 12 and 11 made it to the top. We did Mt Meru first, this helped with the altitude. Enjoyed the trip greatly. You get very dirty due to the dust once up in the desert plane. Inportant note, you should wear all your essensial gear as bags go missing in Nairobi

Wishing you all the best and good Luck

Jim

Congrats Jim, glad you made it, was it as hard as you thought and how was the weather?

Bags finally here plenty of room for my stuff bit worried i aint got enough stuff now.

Donna i'm the opposite to you got the knees of a 25 year old (girl) and the stamina of a 90 year old but should be alright the other 4 can carry me i'm sure they won't mind.

I'm in a bit of limbo then everyones in either their 20's or 40's kids or oap's :-)

Well done for meeting and beating your target sponsership Iain are you doing it for a charity Donna?

OAP cheeky bugger

Heya Rob. If you have space you can put some of my kit in yours!! Haha! Only joking! But can't believe you have space. What have you got in there?

Its going to be quite interesting to see how we all get on with our knees and stamina. I hope there is somebody to carry me!

I wish I was the one in limbo at 31. Instead of part of the crowd at 40! Who are the oap's??!!!

Yes well done Iain. Who is your charity and how much did you have to raise? I chose to do it for NSPCC but don't have any targets or anything like that. 

Laughter is the best tonic for everything. I usually laugh and sing a lot especially when I get a few hundred feet above sea level!!!!

If we aren't laughing then we will probably be crying!

I raised £3500 for the wooden spoon charity, which is a rugby charity for disadvantaged children. Just bought a solar charger for the phone so I don't run out of power to do the blog, it seams that  people are actually quite interested, and its only small.

I was getting quite worried when people were saying that they could not fit everything in as I managed it ok. Just aranged my lift to the airport at 3 on Friday morning, that will be the first test to see if I can actually get up, then 1 week later we are all up at 12!

Good Morning Iain,

I most definitely agree with you about the laughing and the crying! Maybe we will have to laugh because if we don't we will most definitely cry!

That's brilliant. It is good to do it for a charity. I messed around for so long and then decided it was selfish not to do it for a charity so I got my arse into gear and have tried raising some funds. No matter how much or little I raise it is better than nothing at all.

I am waiting for my solar charger to arrive. I bought one and then realised it didn't have the correct Blackberry connection with it so I had to send it back and get another one. Everybody seems to be interested in what we are doing. If I don't check in with my kids they will be sending out a search party for me!!!!

I haven't attempted to get my luggage in the bag yet and I am sure I will. The Exodus bag just looks so small and the sleeping bag etc so big!!

Its an early start you have on Friday. I leave home about 7:30am for my 10:20am flight. The airport is about 15-20 mins away. Yes I believe we leave for the summit at midnight on Thursday.

Have a good day.

Donna 

 

Hi Jim/Craig,

Can either of you guys tell me if there is anything that I definitely should put in my first aid kit? Also is it best to carry it in your back pack or in your bag with the porter?

Cheers,

Donna 

Hi you should carry this, have elastoplasts,tape, any pills you need for the day

 

Jim

Thanks Jim. 

Hi Donna

Yes , keep your first aid kit with you. Take a little bit of everything is good. Blister plasters , anthiseptic cream , Headache tablets , Diamox, and stuff for a bad belly. Also good idea to take a small Spray to clean hands . Also throat sweets, small dressing and bandage with scissors. Take a rol of Adhesive tape (the cushioned stuff) it is very handy for protecting your weak spots on your feet from blistering.

Hi Craig,

I have got everything and more! I just wondered if it was best to carry it on you. When do you get access to your bag? Is it at the end of the day when you have finished walking?

Donna 

yes, in the morning you pack your bag and leave it outside the tent and then it dissapears. By the time you get to your next camp your tent is up and your bag is safely inside. You will find that one particular porter will carry your bag throughout , so a nice seperate  tip at the tipping ceremony will be  recieved gratefully.

ps- padlock your bag . We were told to do this as it just takes temptation away from the porters.

Craig

Thanks Craig,

This is very useful information. I had never thought to padlock the bag either. I should know as I lived in Nigeria for 16 years and while most are honest, temptation can be a buggar. How much tip? US$50?

How much water do you get in a morning and evening for washing? What is the food like? Is drinking water readily available? Anything else you can think of that might be useful??????

Cheers,

Donna 

Hi Dona,

every morning you are woken up with a cup of tea or coffee. Once up there is water to wash (the phrase wash wash is used)At breakfast you can fill up with drinking water, but is better to do night before or you'll have to drink hot water, as it is boiled. Most lunch times you can get more water, but you will be told the night before at an evening brief. Arriving at camp in afternoon, you will be brushed down and given water to wash. You'll then have hot drink, nuts and pop-corn. Meals are good, soup with most of them, food is a mix of western and african dishs. Always plenty of fruit.

Jim

Morning Jim,

Thanks for the information. It is always useful to know these things. The more info you have the better prepared you can go out there.

Cheers,

Donna 

i was given a good tip, to bag everything up in air tight bags as everything gets really dirty before its worn, it balso help in space if you pack it so all the aire is expelled.

Judging by some of the comments I won't be losing any weight next week

 

Morning Iain,

I have got some of the smaller vacuum pack bags and am putting each days clothes in them. One for each day, including toiletries etc. I have samples of everything so they are just for a one time use and then the packaging can be discarded. Rightly or wrongly I would like to have clean underwear, socks and bottom base layer clean everyday. So I have made up a bag for each day. My other things have also gone into the vacuum packed bags to keep them fresh and clean. Once opened and worn it doesn't matter as they will be dirty anyway!!

What comments are making you think you won't be losing weight? I hear the food is very good though. A man can burn on average 3,000 calories per day doing this climb so you could lose some weight. Are you taking any protein bars, isotonic drinks or powder for shakes to keep your glycogen levels up?  

I have been told that Gingko Bilabo is very good for AMS and can be taken before and during the climb without any side effects. I am starting it today. If it works then great, if it doesn't then I haven't really lost anything. 

I am finding it difficult to carb load this week as I have butterflies in my stomach and can't eat much anyway!! 

Cheers,

Donna 

hi Donna

Tipping.. well, Here is how it goes ok.

At the group meeting at the hotel you will be asked to choose a *spokesperson* to act on behalf of the group whilst on the trek. The spokeperson will be given notes on what amount is expected for people like chefs,porters,and lead guide. Get a total and divide it by the group.  You CAN give less or more than is expected. The singles in our group gave $80 each and the two couples gave $100.

Also you will very probably want to tip one particular Guide who no doubtidly help you on summit night . Give this to him after the tipping ceremony discreetly.

Spokesman will be expected to say a few words of thanks at the tipping ceremony and the team will sing a kili song for you to say thankyou.

Tiping ceremony takes place on last morning on the mountain (horombo huts) after breakfast.

Craig

Great thanks Craig. So we need to take our tips with us on the climb then. Its funny how we tip individuals discreetly. It is like that in Nigeria too, even though everybody else knows what you are doing!!! Had an e-mail from a couple of women I know who summited at the weekend and some guys I know are going to the summit tonight. All good fun! Cheers, Donna 

Wish you all the best and enjoy.

let me know how you get on

use my e-mail jim.donald@babcock.co.uk

regards

Jim

Yep you should give your tips to the Group Spokesperson while on the trek. I think we all gave ours at Kikilewa Camp. 2nd night. Yes it was hard trying to slip a few dollars to our favourite guide as you had fifty pairs of eyes watching your every move lol. Ps . on the trek you may hear some real tall tales told to you by the guides. (always regarding the need for cash) And a few of you will be asked for your email addys so to keep in touch. This also leads to money requests sadly. Best just listen politely and empathise. Can't blame the guys as they just want to get as much cash out of you as possible to help their families. Craig

Its the same all over Africa. I lived in Nigeria for 16 years and when I first arrived I was naive to it all. I learnt the hard way and am very wise to it all now. They all have really hard lives and no money at all but as hard as it may be for them we can't let them take advantage of us. Cheers, Craig. We are off in the morning. Donna

Heya guys. See you all on Saturday sometime either at Kili airport or at the mountain resort. Safe journey. Donna

All packed and ready togo. see you all at the resort, looking forward to meeting everyone Iain

Kili mountain reort is great. Food is ok and beer is great!!$1 a bottle. Look forward to getting a room upgrade on your return from trekking too!. Don't buy t shirts from the hotel shop as they are very expensive compared to Marangu gate shop. Enjoy and have a great time all!