Mount Kilimanjaro - The Attempt to Climb!
In 2013, Bill climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. This climb took Bill to Tanzania in Africa, where he rendezvoused with 11 friends to make the climb. It took Bill 6 days to make it to the top, and 1 day to come back down.
Bill signed up with the team and began training for the climb in March 2012. His training has focused on long distance, slow paced/slow heart rate walks in day after day after day sequences.
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Climbing Kilimanjaro
There is so much up, every day, day after day, that it becomes all you expect and know. If you're interested in knowing what it is like, get on the tread mill, set it at a steep up and begin walking. Do so for six hours, for 5 days straight. Then on the 6th day, set it even steeper and do it for another 5 hours. If you can do this, then you have an idea of what it's like.
While up is hard, it is the down that is really tough. Once you've climbed the final 5000 feet, you still have to come down that 5000 feet (adding another 4 hours), rest for 30 minutes, and then down another 5000 feet for another 3-4 hours. The constant pounding of the down is tough on the knees!
Pooping on Kilimanjaro
One of the common questions about hiking Kili is around the bathroom situation. It is certainly, not like using Western toilets! The following photos give you some of the best representations of what you can expect on the mountain. Of course, this is in addition to the rocks. :)
Equipment for Kilimanjaro
While we have some gear already, some things (like a sub-zero sleeping bag) we didn't. So, with the credit card in hand and Amazon.com online, new equipment was purchased. If all goes as planned, my experiences with this new stuff will be shared here.
New Stuff Bought for the trip: