Final Day in Tanzania

Well it is our final night in Tanzania... Sad that it must all come to an end, but we have had an amazing stay here.

Our past few days on safari have shown us places on Earth where nature is truly in charge. We did our best to capture highlights of the beauty of the varied landscape and the amazing and fascinating animals in our 100s of photos. There are some hard core camera enthusiasts here with telephoto lenses that you wouldn't believe... And pulling up photo shop on their Mac computers in the lodge to view and clean up their "perfect" shots... But we think our less-than-hardcore camera shots will come out pretty good, too.

Our final lodge in Africa is really nice. It is on the rim of an ancient volcano that has collapsed upon itself... Such that the crater floor is now a massive wildlife sanctuary that we will visit in the morning before heading to our flights. There are escorts/guards patrolling the hotel grounds for wild animals that might be dangerous to people going to or from their rooms in the dark. We found 2 giant buffalo roaming the hotel grounds...they are chowing down on grass as I type this...and security is keeping people away from them - apparently they can get cranky. There is also an owl here at the hotel that is making a bunch of noise and is hunting around the hotel. The sounds you hear during the night are mesmerizing... Making you wonder what is out there that would like to eat you for dinner!

Anyhow, it's been a nice trip, and we'll be home before we know it...just a few flights and about 32 hrs needed to get there.

So we shall see you all soon!

-The Lazars-

Post-climb schedule

Looks like we may not be getting an update from Mark and Kate for a while. Here's their post-climb schedule.

-Romz

Feb 13: Arusha / Lake Manyara
After breakfast, we drive to Lake Manyara National Park in the Great Rift Valley . After a picnic lunch in the Park, home to tree-climbing lion, colorful birds, elephant and hippo, we will have afternoon game drive in the park.
Estimated driving distance: 2.5hrs drive
Activities: Game drives
Accommodation & Meals: Gibbs Farm (new cottage), B,L,D

Feb 14: Lake Manyara / Southern Serengeti
Today we leave Lake Manyara for Southern Serengeti . Afternoon game drive in Serengeti, in search of large predators and gentle herbivores in which they feed.
Estimated driving distance: 3~4hrs drive
Activities: Game drives
Accommodation & Meals: EMC CAMP, B,L,D

Feb 15: Serengeti National Park
Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti exploring the rolling plains of Serengeti National Park in search of the large predators and the gentle herbivores on which they feed.
Activities: Game drives
Accommodation & Meals: Serengeti Sopa Lodge B,L,D

Feb 16: Serengeti / Ngorongoro
Morning game drives in Serengeti and then later we drive to overnight in Ngorongoro with a visit of Masai Village , and optional visit of Olduvai Gorge ($6/person).
Estimated driving distance: 3.5hrs drive
Activities: Game drives & Visit of Masai Village
Accommodation & Meals: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, B,L,D.

Feb 17: Ngorongoro / Arusha / DAR
Game drive in the crater exploring the short-grass plains of the crater floor. This extinct volcano embraces 100sq miles alive with lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and many more games. Later in the day, we drive back to Arusha for the 3:30pm flight via ZNZ, to arrive DAR at 5:30pm, board your return flight that leaves after 10pm (if we get a later flight from Arusha to DAR will change it).
Estimated driving distance: 3hrs drive to Arusha
Activities: Game drives
Accommodation & Meals: B,L

Finished the Hike Today

Well we had a very good last day on the trail with our team. We had a 6am wake-up for ourselves to get up and get an early start on the final 3 hours of hiking back to Mwke gate. It was a warm 42 degrees in our tent when we awoke...and we were practically overwhelmed by the rich, oxygen-filled air at our lower altitude.

We had a final breakfast with our guide. The entire crew was in good spirits as it was our final day of the hike and they would get to headd home to their families for a couple of days before doing it all again... But possibly as importantly for them was that it was 'tip'; day...and looking forward to what might come from the pockets of these Americans.

We wanted to be fair with tips, so we generally went with the guidelines on the company website... And when doing so, we were given many handshakes, hugs, smiles, and much gratitude. That was very very nice...to depart on such good terms. In some touring groups in developing countries, guides or porters will try to push for getting more money or tell a story about their family's woes, but no one in our team said a word about tips until we brought it up, so we were even more glad to recognize them for their fine job. So if any of you are thinking of a trip up Kili (and for some reason didn't want to come with us!), we would recommend going with Good Earth Tours...specifically with James as your guide. We found out that this is his 19th year as a guide! So that number of summiting over 700 times in a previous note could be true. He was certainly the most experienced guide on the mountain.

One other special momento we had for some of our support team was perfect and made them smile almost as much as the the tips... We brought several Barack Obama buttons and bracelets (acquired from Walgreens in Chicago) to give to our porters and guides since there is so much hype here (and in Africa, in general) about Obama. Since we only had a few, though, we had to make sure we avoided ruffling any feathers among the hierarchy in the group by giving the items to the highest ranking 3 people... Our guide, assistant guide, and our cook. When we came our of our tent this morning they were all proudly wearing their new accessories and smiling! Well...except for the assistant guide...he apparently made a deal with a Porter buddy that the porter could wear the bracelet for 2 days and then had to give it back so he could wear it. We'll chaulk this up to playing our little part in contributing to international diplomacy! :-)

So we got to the final gate where the bus would meet us and we received our official 'gold'certificates indicating that we made it to the very top of Africa...Uhuru Peak!

We eventually made it back to our hotel in Arusha where we quickly sorted out all the dirty clothes we needed laundered for the safari and then we took what was probably the most desired benefit of civilization....a long, hot shower! Then a rep from Good Earth came to our hotel to ask us about our hike and asked for feedback on what was good and bad so they can make continuous improvements. Well...asking 2 consultants to dissect the 7-day experience into feedback was like throwing chum to sharks. :-) The poor guy expected a 10-minute discussion, but we kept him for almost an hour letting him know what worked and what needed improvements. I suspect that by implementing our suggestions they will double their business in the next 12-18 months. ;-)

The rep then also gave us the necessary details for our safari tomorrow... Departure is at 9am...he said we have a driver with about 15 years of guide experience, and they've also issued us a newer car / land rover for the safari. So it should be absolutely amazing! We will drive for a few hours to get to the first site, Lake Manyara! We'll see how much access to internet we'll have there.

But we also wanted to say thank you to our Moms and my Dad for their 'congrats' notes after following along with this blog! We love that you are following along and can share in these experiences. We hope everyone out there has gotten something out of these updates!

Lala Salama for now! (Swahili for 'good night')

Day of the Big Climb

Well, everyone....today was the day. We woke up at 11:15pm after about 3hrs sleep to find our tent a drafty 32.6 degrees F. We told each other after the fact that we had been asking ourselves at that moment 'What part of this idea sounded good originally?'

At midnight we were called for tea and cookies prior to the trek...but I couldn't drink anything with the anticipation building.

Before I go any farther with this tale...what were the Vegas odds on us making it to the top?

Back to the story....We were a sight to behold...each of us in layers - I had 5 on top and on bottom and had an extra top in reserve in the backpack. Kate had 5 layers on top and 6 on bottom. We had our boots, gaitors, headlamps, balaclavas, windproof fleeces, puffy down jackets, and more. It was an impressive showing for an assault on the mountain. Our main guide, James, and his assistant guide Masungo were geared up and ready to guide us up.

The day before was a full moon, so now it was an almost full moon. Kate and I used our headlamps for navigating the path for a while until we realized our guides were leading by moonlight...so we switched ours off and it was a totally surreal experience with the mountain and the trail showing it's features in shadow relief. The stars looked so close as if they were mobiles just above our heads.

The temperature started around 32 degrees F and then dropped to about 20 degrees F (based on when I was peeking at my watch temp gauge), but the wind decreased the temp by a good 15-20 additional degrees. So I know what you're thinking already...that's just like living in Chicago and heading to the office in the morning. We thought that, too...and dressed for it...and we're probably the first hikers at Kili ever to say that we were actually a little too warm during our trek....so we unzipped to breath a little to avoid getting sweaty that was fine. BUT the factors we lack in Chicago include being out in that cold for 10+ hrs straight...AND the fact that you are climbing from 15,000 to 19,000+ feet with oxygen significantly less readily available. So it was tough...and our guides kept us on a very slow pace with several rest stops.

You could see the train of headlamp lights of tourists up the mountain paths high up above as we climbed...and there were an occasional pair of headlamp lights that would bounce down the paths and go past us....people that couldn't quite acclimate or became ill and being escorted down the hill - their hike was over.

So we hiked and hiked...starting at approx 12:40am... we were a little nervous when our hearts pounded and we found ourselves out of breath and gasping for more air, but we kept on going. After hiking for what seemed like 3 hrs, Kate asked if we were at the halfway point yet, and he said 'maybe in 2 hours depending on the pace.' That was a bit of tough love from the guide.

It was around 17,000 feet when I thought it would be cool to take some digital video of the night trek...which I quickly realized was going to produce a dark video with some heavy breathing and shoes scraping loose rock...not a winner. So I stopped the recording and saw the dreaded LOW BATTERY symbol flashing on the screen! It's a known issue that batteries can get drained fast on the cold mountain. So...what did we do? Well I reached into my chest pocket and pulled out a fully charged backup battery! Oh yeah! For the record, we brought 2 digital cameras - each with backup batteries to mitigate the risk.

Then we were in the 18,200 foot range when we saw the beginnings of daybreak on the horizon which was absolutely stunning...and re-energizing. We kept hiking but also looked back over our shoulders at the brightening sky awaiting the sun to appear as the moon was getting ready to duck down behind the mountain.

We were exhausted at this point...living on a few sips of the water that hadn't frozen and about a dozen peanut M&Ms...and our stomachs were twisting around wondering what the heck we were doing...so hunger was not a problem, just energy draining away.

We got to the point where we saw 'Stella Point' which is where an explorer long ago THOUGHT it was the peak...and turned around there. But on the rim of this volcano is a higher point about 45 min past Stella point named Uhuru Peak (Freedom Peak). Kate said seeing Stella Point just a hundred or so (nearly vertical) yards away brought tears to her eyes that we were so close.

We tredged our way up that final path...with its silty scree punishing us and sliding us backwards every other step. I kept myself entertained in-between deep breaths by yelling out 'Stella! Stellaaaaa!' Not sure if anyone else was 'as' entertained as I was.

SO! I'm come to the point to say that we reached Stella Point! But you say...how could you get soooo close but not get to the actual summit!?! To that our reply is... WE DID IT! We made it the final 45 minutes to the summit and took that bad boy of a mountain by the horns and wrestled it down for a great win and tremendous experience for us!

It was a beautiful, clear morning so we could see all around for hundreds of miles and could see into the volcano's crater where it's possible to go explore and still feel a hot floor from lava still deep inside awaiting its next emergence. There are also grand glaciers and neighboring mountains. Was beautiful, and we took many photos. :-)

We actually stayed at the summit for about 30 minutes....we were (oddly) not having any issues with the altitude, lack of oxygen, and chilling wind. Finally our guide had to say 'Mark, it's time we head down the mountain.' I didn't want to leave! :-)

We spent 3 exhausting hours sliding down scree slopes with our guides back to the campsite where we had a couple of hours to 'un-layer' and 'rest' and re-pack...for there were 3 more hours of hiking to do today to get to our FINAL campsite (at an oxygen-rich 10k feet) where we are right now awaiting a dinner with all of our porters and support team to thank them and get to know them a little more. Then tomorrow we have one last 3 hour hike as we leave the area to get picked up by one of our outfitter's buses and head back to Arusha where we will (wash clothes and really dirty bodies) and then begin safari!

Thanks to everyone still keeping up with this blog! We shall be in touch as much as possible.

Barafu Camp - Day of summit trek

(mobile web access again at 15k feet!)

Well we are HOURS away from our summit trek. This morning we hiked 3.5 hrs to our final camp from which we will launch our summit assault.

I had some stomach issues this morning that a triage of immodium, pepto, and finally Azithro seems to have under control. Again - I can't over-emphasize the value of a private port-a-potty tent. Ok...enough of the 'too much info' stuff...but just a reality check that anything can happen on the mountain. One of the impacts was that i had to live on chocolate throughout the hike for energy since I skipped breakfast. Kate and I have a little more headache as we got to our new camp at 15,000 feet, but we are drinking more of our potions with extra eletrolytes and the hydration helps. Getting up and walking around is good, too, but the sun has been evil-intense and we are trying to fend off even more sunburn.

Today we will have dinner at 4:30pm, then we are supposed to sleep from 6 ish until 11:30 to then get our final layers on...then grab tea and a cookie before hitting the trail at 12:30 for a 6-7 hr trudge up the mountain in temps dipping to minus 10 celcius...so they say. We have a BUNCH of layers and heat packs which we expect will be very helpful.

Then the plan is for us to summit between 6:30 and 7:00am...take some photos, then had back down to camp...another 3.5 hrs...for a rest before another 3 hr hike to the next camp.

Nothing too funny to report today...just focused on tonight. Wish us luck around 3:30pm Chicago time...for that's when we'll be heading up.

Tent Scene on Day 4 of 7

Here we r at camp after a (short) 4 hr hike 2day. And we have cell signal! The past 3 days have been intense... & great. We start our summit trek tmrrw night! No issues with the altitude. We were at 15k ft yesterday. :-) More updates when possible!

From the Mountain

Guess who found some mobile reception at 13,000 feet! Yes, we are on Day 4 of 7...our hiking is very intense but going well. We have handled the altitude well with only minor headachey-ness from time to time... But we are happily strong. We reached 15,000 feet yesterday on a practice hike...and will sleep at that level tomorrow.

Our support team is really great - our 9 team members consist of a main guide, an assistant guide, a cook, and 6 porters. They are all friendly and work hard and go out of their way to help make us comfortable. The primary language here is Swahili, so we have learned many words, phrases, and even a song!

We have had days ranging from 3 to 7 hrs of hiking along all sorts of terrain. Our hiking poles are invaluable... But not as invaluable as the portable private toilet we have hired to be brought with us! Yes.... the tented toilet is rugged, but it's worth its weight in gold compared with the public outhouses.

Our tent is nice and stays warm...enough. This morning it was 32 degrees F...but warmed up as we got moving. It is our home for now which is perfectly fine.

We usually go to sleep around 8pm... it's dark and we are generally tired from the day. Then we wake up the next morning around 6am...and get ready in the tent... We always make sure we put our clothes for the next day in our sleeping bags... Along with anything with a battery to keep them warm. We also rented sleeping bags for the trip (for 20 bucks a bag) that are incredible....very warm.

So we wake up and get our clothes on, duffle bags re-packed, sleeping bags stuffed into compression sacks, then head out of the tent for breakfast... But we also usually have warm water and soap waiting outside our tent for us to wash up in the morning. Then we have breakfast of porridge, hot chocolate, toast, and eggs. Then we check our water levels (sometimes needing to purify several bottles worth with iodine tablets to then put in our camelbaks), throw on our packs and head off for the day's hike with beautiful, clear mornings in which we can see the surrounding mountains and valleys and Kili's peak and glaciers towering in the background. Quite the sight.

Our guide, James, calls Kate 'boss' because she likes to be in the lead and go at her own pace... Even though the motto here is 'pole pole' meaning 'slow slow.' But Kate is a very strong climber and doing great. I am feeling fine on the hikes...but my knee injury from surfing is back, so I wear a brace which makes it 90% fine. We drink a lot of water, we take breaks, and we have plenty of energy snacks on which to indulge along the way.

So...just wanted to provide a brief update while en route. We are taking many photos... And will continue to do so.

Tomorrow night we will start our summit hike around 12:30am to reach the summit at sunrise which is at 6:30am. We will be wearing every clothing item we have because it supposed to be very cold up there. Using many self-heating packs, too. Hoping it all helps make the cold tolerable. Then we start down for the remaining 1.5 days.

Will provide another update when we have access again!