I have been feeling somewhat lethargic with stomach cramps from the end of the safari till a few days ago. Then hell broke loose. I won’t go into the gory details, but it including farting, pain in my intestines and finally diarrhea. My wife, Meryl, is an MD and it was clear to the two […]
The gift that keeps on giving Read More »
Just found out that the storm that his us was a cylone with a name. would you believe that, the storm was big enough to have a name! Here is part of the quote from a NASA website: Tropical cyclone Bingiza hit Madagascar on February 14, 2011 as a powerful category three tropical cyclone causing
What was the storm that hit us? Read More »
I remind myself now of something that I think is very important in considering this climb and what it means to you. Most Westerners are very competition and results focused. It sets us up for a very competitive sense of what it means to accomplish something. It’s not enough to finish something, it’s to finish
Further Musings: Where is the Competition? Read More »
They call it survivor bias. It’s the reason why people tend to underestimate risks and overestimate chances for success. The concept is simple. In any high risk adventure, you typically do not interview people who died trying the activity. As far as I know this is not done :). So the people we speak to
Further musings: Dead people don’t talk Read More »
As I mentioned the Safari part of the blog will only feature a few “ideas” from each day since they were so full. I will also try to add photos over time since I am waiting for Ori’s pics as well. But just to get something to paper, let’s go through some interesting things from
Day 1 of Safari. Lake Manyara National Park Read More »
The last 6 days of safari have been a whirlwind. Intellectually and physically intense, Ori and I spent almost every waking hour somewhere in Tanzania’s amazing natural resource. Our guide for this part of our journey is a master of the subject, Israel Hembo. His knowledge of flaura, fauna, history, culture was just flawless. He
I can tell you that there was a lot thrown at us on that mountain. I must tell you that I seriously considered turning back that night. But I kept going and made it to the summit. One very important reason, if not the core of my confidence, came from my trust of our guide,
We learned from this trip that three things are most important to success in climbing Kili: good weather and a great guide, and Florence suggested that the third factor was a positive attitude. I agree with all three. For sure, many failed due to weather. Some also have guides that don’t really look out for
Final thoughts on the climb to kilimanjaro Read More »
Here is a quick list of items/ideas of what to bring on your trek above and beyond the gear list you can optain on the website www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com. This list is an excellent starting point. Here are my changes/ideas. – Do not bring gym shoes. Too hard to put on in the cold. Better bring open
Thoughts on what to take on a trek to kilimanjaro Read More »
I am writing about the climb with a few days perspective for a number of reasons. First, as you will learn, the ascent was a very serious affair. Second, the decent followed immediately and I became quite tired and exhausted. Finally, the following day started our safari. So it has been difficult to find time
Day 6/Nite: Summit Climb in Severe Weather: 1,300M ascent to 5,896M/19,304ft. 9 hours Read More »