Hello from Arusha, base for Mt. Kilimanjaro Trekkers

Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro, Africa. That's taken up my 5 to 6 Feb. There are 12 trekkers in our group, with my roommate still in route from New York. She missed one flight for a soon-to-be-known reason and will arrive about 24-hours after the first eleven.

We start our 7-day trek tomorrow, going up the Machame Route. It's steeper but said to be easier for acclimitization. We'll find out in the next week. We plan to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro on 13 February, which, given the time difference, means we start midday on the 12th US time. Translating, we get up around midnight, start climbing by 1 a.m., climb around 4,ooo' up, summit around 6-7 a.m. and descend 9,000 all in the same day. We do get to rest in our overnight tent before going all the way down to 10,000'. The next days things get much easier as we overnight in Arusha before starting our safari. Time to rest, relax and look at the big five. Oh, but we might have to be up early to watch the animals at the watering hole in the morning. Life is tough, isn't it?

Actually, life does seem tough here, or at least no easy. The locals are nice, and some of the younger men are just as persistent as the carpet sale people in Turkey. They stay with you forever, or find you later in the day when you least expect it. In a way, they act as a good chaperone, herding you through the throngs of people, with expectations that you'll buy their wares, even when you've told them definitively you're not going to buy anything. The unwritten rule is to never ask the price of anything unless you are certain you want to buy.

It's very dusty here because of lack of rain, causing drought conditions. It also means a slightly smaller risk of malaria. Some people are on homeopathy for malarial relief. I have to find out how much that costs compared to my multi-$$$ pharmacy perscription. Oh well, that's the price of good health. For those of you who think I already drink a lot of water, know that that's the key for avoiding altitude sickness. The penalty is you have to carry it with you. The water goes in the daypack, but I may have to figure out how to get a sherpa to carry it for me that last day. I'll work on building my muscles up until then but will need all energy devoted to breathing that last day.

The women's clothes are very colorful here. If you've seen pictures, you know what I mean. And women carrying baskets on their heads filled with fruit or sock or just about anything else is actually smart. That way they can carry other things in their arms, or better yet, talk with their hands!

We met with our guides today who made us feel good about how prepared we came--physically and with the right stuff. While I love using only a single hiking pole, I am getting a second pole for the descent. I want to keep all my toenails, which I hear is one of many things to consider.

More after the trek. We leave in the morning!

Nautical Nomad (in the high country)!