Only 7 Weeks to Go!

Hello family and friends,

Since a nor'easter is blowing through all the mountains/hills around Albany today, this is our first Saturday since August 14 that we have not been on a hiking trail.  I am using the unexpected time to start the promised blog of our Kilimanjaro adventure.  I hope you will enjoy reading it!  We look forward to your comments and will certainly use your supportive energy to help us get up the mountain. 

Here are a few "Kili" (the name the locals use) facts:

• summit is 19,300 ft.
• Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, near the border with Kenya.  The language is Swahili.  Tanzania sounds like a beautiful country, with the Serengeti, Maasai tribe and a culture that is very family-oriented.  Before we ask our Tanzanian guides and porters how soon we stop for lunch, we are supposed to ask after their families.  Children are very respectful of their elders, starting a conversation with "shikamoo" which means "I hold your feet."  Of course, since I definitely qualify as an elder, I hope that the porters take "shikamoo" literally!
•  Trip itinerary:  Dec. 2: Albany to London to Nairobi.  Visit the Laureus sports project followed by a possible reception at the US embassy. Dec. 6:  Fly to Kilimanjaro airport and start climbing up the Rongai route.  Our trek is 6 days up and 2 days down.  Summit day is Saturday, Dec. 11.    

     To train, we hike weekends, with about 1 hour of cardio (biking or gym) on the non-hiking days.  We started easy hikes near Williamstown Ma., and moved onto 6-8 mile hikes in the Catskills, Berkshires and southern Adirondacks.  We spent the last two weekends at the base of Killington, Vt., hiking 12 mile trails.  Tomorrow we return to Mt. Greylock, for another 12-miler, mostly downhill, so we can strengthen our knees.  Our 60-something bodies are holding up pretty well as we work to get into peak condition. 

     We took 4 of the Burmese refugee kids we help on our Petersburg Pass hike.  They happily turned our trekking poles into swords and spears all the way up the trail!  Cultural barriers totally dropped away and I kept feeling as if I had my three Alaskan grandsons with me, instead of 4 boys who, until a few months ago, had only lived in a refugee camp!

We started our travel vaccinations last week, with another round this week and a final round next month.  The daunting list of shots include:  Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hep A/B, Menengitis, and a Polio booster.  They are also dauntingly expensive.

This expedition is a charity challenge, so we keep trying to get the word out.  On Monday, a channel 10 TV crew will come to the house for an interview.  

I hope to write this blog about once weekly.  Since a film crew is coming on this expedition, I hope there will be some sort of Internet access and I can blog daily once we start climbing. 

Happy Trails,
Linda and David