The day is upon us! This last week, we were scheduled to go back to White Mountain and spend another 5 nights at 11,700 feet and hike the mountain again. But life kind of got in the way and we couldn't leave until Tuesday, and we were pretty tired of this entire process and wanting to be at home for the last few days. So instead we decided to go to Sonora Pass again (it is only 2 hours away, compared to the almost 8 hours to get to White Mountain). We got there around 2:30 or so, and hiked for a couple of hours. It was windy and feeling like fall, and we couldn't sit outside at all. Let me tell you, that tiny RV is very, very small when you both have to be inside!! It was cold, and we tested out our big down bags even knowing that it would be quite a bit colder on top of Kilimanjaro. All was fine, but we woke to high winds that shook the RV, and scattered snow. We sat and read for awhile thinking maybe things would improve. They didn't, and we decided to cut our losses and head for home.
The rest of the week was largely devoted to trying to pare down our stuff to fit into the new 107 liter bags. We are allowed 33 pounds of stuff. Initially this seemed like a walk in the park, but as we started remembering things we really needed, this quickly ballooned. I pared down my snacks to about 20% of what I originally wanted (I have read tales of people being absolutely ravenous and losing 10 pounds in a week...I can't really afford that!!). It turned out to be a choice between freezing to death and starving to death. I finally decided to put all the snacks into my day pack for the first day and then slip them into the big bag the porters will carry, figuring they aren't going to carry a scale up and weigh all the bags each day (I sure hope the Zara Tours people aren't reading this!). Next was the problem of space. I don't really understand why my stuff takes up more space (and weighs more) than Joe's, when he is 80 pounds heavier than I am. I mean, he has BIG clothes. I am carrying a sleeping bag liner and some things called microspikes (for walking on ice and snow) that he isn't, but that is about it. He has all the electronic stuff (batteries and chargers and whatnot) and all the chemical hand and foot warmers. I don't understand. Well, anyway, to gain more space I went out and bought all new bras, because with the weight loss I can drop to a 34 instead of a 36, and this means you drop a whole HOOK and lots of fabric in the back. Big savings there. While I played golf today, Joe put a bunch of our clothes through the insecticide treatment (soak for 3 hours in permethrin) because we hate the thought of the malaria drug malarone (lots of icky side effects).
So we shoe-horned all the junk into the packs and we are, more or less, ready to go.
My sister called and asked if I felt ready. Unless you are a teenager, I don't see how you can EVER feel you are ready for something like this. I'd like another month to get more fit. But then I think I might shoot myself if I had to do this for another month. This has completely taken over our lives, and I would really like to get my life back. But, I am in the best shape I have been in for years and a living testament to the lie that USA Today printed about 2 months ago "you can't lose weight by exercise alone, you have to modify your diet." They weren't considering people training to climb Kilimanjaro.
I won't be updating this blog until I get home. I am taking a small notebook and a pencil (not a pen which will explode at elevation) to record notes on the climb, and the safari and gorilla adventure to follow) and will put all that in here when I get back.
I alternate between absolutely dreading this and humiliating myself by not being able to make it to the top, and feeling like maybe this is possible if I take it slow and can manage my feet. It's a crap shoot. But kind of cool that at my age you can embark on something like this and have it be a crap shoot. Out of my confort zone for sure. Wish us luck!
This week:
Sept. 6: 4.5 miles on road in sneakers
Sept. 7: about 4 miles miles at Sonora Pass
Sept. 8: nothing
Sept. 9: 5.7 miles on road in sneakers
Sept. 10: Mt Rose, 10.6 miles
Sept. 11: Nothing
Sept. 12: 7-8 miles on Mt Rose, did not summit (had to make baked ziti!)
Total for week: 31.8-32.8 miles
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Week 25 of 26
This is getting exhausting. I have now lost about 17 pounds. We seem to have settled in to a pattern of Life cereal with fruit and skim milk for breakfast, a hardboiled egg and some nuts and a tangerine for lunch (the once-staple Clif bars are now carried only for emergency), and some stew or something for dinner.
Last week we left for White Mountain late (2 pm) and by the time we got to Bishop, CA, we were hungry so we stopped for Mexican food. We were not aware that the drive up the mountain was 35 miles up almost 8000 vertical feet, so we got caught by dark and just pulled off the road onto a level spot at 10,700 feet. That first night was difficult -- kept waking up and gasping for breath. After that it was OK, maybe because we were tired from hiking.
The next morning we drove the remaining 45 minutes to the trailhead for White Mt. where we camped for 4 nights at 11,700 feet. The White Mountains form the east wall of the Owens Valley in California just south of Bishop and east of Big Pine. White Mt is the northern-most peak of the lot and is the third highest mountain in California. For an account of one person's hike, see:
http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/WhiteMountainPeak/WhiteMountainPeak.htm
The trail up White Mountain is basically a 4-wheel drive road (see pics below). From the trailhead you climb a pretty steep hill 2 miles to the University of California Barcroft Field Station where they do high altitude research of various types. After another bit of a hill behind the facility, the trail descends gently and then rises gently as it crosses a long saddle. At about 5.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail goes downhill for about 300 vertical feet, and then you climb steeply up 1300 vertical feet to the top. Total distance out = 7 miles.
No problems with feet except a blackened toe on the left foot after the summit day. And I thought I was being so careful to make sure nothing contacted the front of the boot when I bought them. Probably everything has loosened up now that they are fully broken in. I'll pay another visit to Ryan and see if he can help. Also, I forgot to mention that I canceled my second visit to the podiatrist, as I have had no trouble with the right foot, so no need for another cortisone shot.
We are really getting tired of all this now. I keep thinking of all the things I need to do at home, while sitting in the RV reading a book instead. This week the weather was colder (and we were higher) so it was good to kind of assess the clothes for cold weather. But it meant we spent more time inside our little tin box, and after 5 days with nothing but sponge baths, that got a little unpleasant. Thank goodness we have only one week more of this and, ready or not, we'll do the deal.
This week:
August 30: Nothing (drove to White Mt)
August 31: 8 miles between 11,700 and 12,700 approx.
Sept 1: 14 miles, to top of White Mt 14,246 feet
Sept 2: 8 miles same as Tuesday
Sept 3: 11 miles to where the trail drops 300 feet
Sept 4: Nothing (drive home)
Sept 5: Nothing
Total mileage for the week: 41 miles
Pictures: (1) The road trail with White Mt in the distance (no clue why it is called White, since it isn't) (2) Bad photo of us on top (3) The Owens Valley with the Sierra Nevada on the west side
Last week we left for White Mountain late (2 pm) and by the time we got to Bishop, CA, we were hungry so we stopped for Mexican food. We were not aware that the drive up the mountain was 35 miles up almost 8000 vertical feet, so we got caught by dark and just pulled off the road onto a level spot at 10,700 feet. That first night was difficult -- kept waking up and gasping for breath. After that it was OK, maybe because we were tired from hiking.
The next morning we drove the remaining 45 minutes to the trailhead for White Mt. where we camped for 4 nights at 11,700 feet. The White Mountains form the east wall of the Owens Valley in California just south of Bishop and east of Big Pine. White Mt is the northern-most peak of the lot and is the third highest mountain in California. For an account of one person's hike, see:
http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/WhiteMountainPeak/WhiteMountainPeak.htm
The trail up White Mountain is basically a 4-wheel drive road (see pics below). From the trailhead you climb a pretty steep hill 2 miles to the University of California Barcroft Field Station where they do high altitude research of various types. After another bit of a hill behind the facility, the trail descends gently and then rises gently as it crosses a long saddle. At about 5.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail goes downhill for about 300 vertical feet, and then you climb steeply up 1300 vertical feet to the top. Total distance out = 7 miles.
No problems with feet except a blackened toe on the left foot after the summit day. And I thought I was being so careful to make sure nothing contacted the front of the boot when I bought them. Probably everything has loosened up now that they are fully broken in. I'll pay another visit to Ryan and see if he can help. Also, I forgot to mention that I canceled my second visit to the podiatrist, as I have had no trouble with the right foot, so no need for another cortisone shot.
We are really getting tired of all this now. I keep thinking of all the things I need to do at home, while sitting in the RV reading a book instead. This week the weather was colder (and we were higher) so it was good to kind of assess the clothes for cold weather. But it meant we spent more time inside our little tin box, and after 5 days with nothing but sponge baths, that got a little unpleasant. Thank goodness we have only one week more of this and, ready or not, we'll do the deal.
This week:
August 30: Nothing (drove to White Mt)
August 31: 8 miles between 11,700 and 12,700 approx.
Sept 1: 14 miles, to top of White Mt 14,246 feet
Sept 2: 8 miles same as Tuesday
Sept 3: 11 miles to where the trail drops 300 feet
Sept 4: Nothing (drive home)
Sept 5: Nothing
Total mileage for the week: 41 miles
Pictures: (1) The road trail with White Mt in the distance (no clue why it is called White, since it isn't) (2) Bad photo of us on top (3) The Owens Valley with the Sierra Nevada on the west side
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