October 10th: The Habari Foundation school visit and Kili Briefing

I had really been looking forward to today. Not just because I had 5lb of school supplies I wanted to offload, but because we literally booked with Habari Adventure because of their commitment to bettering the whole community. Stan Wilfred, the owner of Habari, started his journey as a Kilimanjaro porter and has built and grown a company that is recognized for outstanding service to tourists/clients but more importantly, for the good treatment of his team and for contribution to education in the greater Moshi area. He started the Habari Foundation and through this, money is donated for school fees and supplies, food for kids, and to build out much needed school infrastructure.  Plus, Habari pays the monthly wage for 6 supplemental teachers. 

Sue and I had requested a little school visit on our "day off" before starting the hike.  Stan organized for a driver and an employee, Carolina, to take us to Roo Primary School. We started by visiting a class of 5 year olds. 60 of them!!! They were delighted to receive school supplies and in turn greeted us with English phrases their teachers recited to them. These kids were cute as a freakin' button, engaging and beautiful. They sang to us and welcomed us to take pictures and video too. It was AMAZING. My face hurt from all the smiles and for perhaps the only time in my life, I thought "I want one!" Inappropriate of course, but in my case, also completely harmless. LOL

Emotional overload!

We got a glimpse into a Grade 6 classroom too and met one of the teachers that Habari supports. Then came the tour. I have to say, I was impressed and a little surprised. The school is basic... except that it's not! The wee kids start out with half days before transitioning to full days at school by age 6. But even the half day kids get a hot meal at school before going home. There is a veggie garden and it's thriving. Fresh produce gets cooked into stew and served with beans and a cornmeal type thing I'd say is similar to polenta. This jovial lady is the cook;

Her kitchen is a simple affair. Prep is done here and some cooking too. Then outside there are more giant caulderons of food that smell just wonderful. The kids are washing their hands and lining up with plates and utensils. 

The kitchen is still a work in progress and Habari Adventures/Stan is providing financial aid for the building and improvement of it. A plaque acknowledging the generous contribution already adorns new bathroom facilities. A building each for girls, boys and staff. 

In the yard surrounding the classrooms, trees have been planted with the intention to create shade under which kids can play, sit and learn outside. The rainy season is just around the corner and school staff seem super psyched that this will accelerate the growth... of the trees and the plan! It's just so beautifully intentional and quite simple too; Make sure the kids have a healthy, safe environment in which to learn. Don't let money, clothing, supplies and other obstacles hold back children from the education they love and deserve. 

We ended the visit with a debrief back at Habari headquarters. 

This was where Stan talked to us about where we'd specifically like the money that was being donated, to go. After hearing that school fees, supplies and food were really doing well and that teachers were covered for quite some time by other donations already, we readily agreed that the instructure fund would be the best place for the money that we'd be giving. I was carrying financial donations from 2 ladies in my neighborhood: Donna Marino and Rosemary Hegarty and from Mark Mantei too. $500 goes a long way here and the appreciation was more than obvious. It was heartfelt.

This had been the perfect morning. Everything I had heard about the Habari Foundation, was true - but understated - and I was so proud that we had chosen wisely from afar, the right company with the right positive attitude to guide us up Kilimanjaro!

Want to know what follows the perfect morning? Our first meeting and briefing with our Kili guides. Going over "the plan" alongside our two new companions, Zar and Imogen. Yes... let's introduce Zar and Imogen first!

This morning we were asked if we'd consider a 4 person hike and include young Aussies in our group. Heck yes! Who doesn't love an Aussie?!

Zar and Imogen (26 years old) are Sydney lawyers and childhood besties. 

Imogen who introduced herself and said "it's like Imagine" to our guides, I henceforth called Imagine! She's incredibly intelligent, refreshingly honest and clear with her boundaries, funny, athletic and competitive in a good way. Imagine has doctor parents, 2 sisters and is well traveled. She is the voice of reason and calm to Zar's hyperactivity!

Zar is ... well, the spitting imagine of my friend Sal when we were 26! Also of Pakistani and European descent, this Aussie is witty and outgoing, smart and blessed with a photographic and verbal memory unlike anything I have ever witnessed. He can turn on accents of any kind, quote movies and song lyrics and decades of pop culture fun facts. Don't even get me started about his impressive knowledge about history! An old soul I think... because I have no idea how he has had enough lifespan to fit all this learning in?! He's an only child - maybe he spent a lot of time with books?

Sue and I immediately loved them and I took to calling them "the kids" collectively. Imagine was still Imagine too (or schmetterling) and Zar, I found myself calling "Sunshine" every so often too. 

I digress. The briefing:

Abdi is our head guide. He has a sparkle in his eye and a big smile but he also takes his job seriously and the meeting was well planned, full of info and circled back to ask us how we felt and if we had questions.

He emphasized from the getgo that we'd be treated like queens (and a king) but the first priority was always going to be safety. Abdi made no bones about it; The most important thing we'd need for a successful summit was a positive mental attitude.

Each time Abdi spoke and finished his thoughts, he asked us to turn our attention to Evance - who then had had his own words of advice and part of the plan to share. Evance is our second in command, guide. He started off a bit quiet and but you'll see later... once he got to know us a bit, he shared with us that winning personality that was simmering just below the surface. I came to rely on Evance a lot and have to say, I'm very grateful for the team that Stan put together for us. They were PERFECT.

At our first meeting, Abdi went over the route on a map and Evans did a bang up job of capturing some of it with my cellphone camera for me! A great sign of things to come. 

We rounded out the evening with a glimpse of Kili peak at sunset and by running into Zar and Imagine. 

At 8pm, I "felt ready" - not a moment too soon I guess! Tomorrow the real adventure begins and I'm ready to put to bed this feeling of trepidation with excitement and just walk "pole pole" (Swahili for slowly, slowly).

Denver to Moshi... How it all starts

With both Sue and I having FOUR bags in tow, we felt immense gratitude for the help it took to get us to the airport in Denver. I have literally never travelled so heavily!

Mark drove me to Julia's in Erie, and from there she popped me into her fancy electric car and we set off for Sue's. It was 3pm on October 7th. At 3:45pm the addition of Sue and her luggage completed us and all that remained was a drama-free delivery to Denver International Airport, the acquiring of an $8 luggage cart (you read that right! DIA should be ashamed of itself!) and checking the heck out of 4 big bags. No-one was more relieved than I that Turkish Airlines decided not to weigh my small but hefty camera bag, aka "personal item" or the rolling suitcase I like to call "carry on baggage" filled with battery and computer dense what-nots.

Global Entry and TSA pre-check worked for me but do you think TA could get Sue's to appear on her printed boarding pass?! Nope. And the sweet guy gave it several good tries. Needless to say, TSA-pre kicked Sue from the special-persons line and we resorted to Plan B... I met her at the train. 

We drank the wine and lurked about DIA until boarding and from there, I didn't see Sue until Istanbul. Our seats were arout 12 rows apart.

The flight to Istanbul, while direct and laden with good food, entertainment and quite lovely attendants, requires an economy class gal like myself to squish into 22 square inches of space and maintain a nice demeanor when the guy in front reclines himself back to the point you need reading glasses to decifer the entertainment screen. I was still enjoying myself though and had made friends with the adventurous couple next to me who were off to Egypt to sail on a yacht and kiteboard! She had climbed Denali and was ex-military, a nurse who had done 4 tours in Kuwait and Kosovo. Their spirit and positivity was contagious and like me were embracing the interesting food while sparing a ton of patience for the endlessly crying baby nearby.

In Istanbul, dying for a coffee (not as easy to order as it seems like it might be) and happily resting the hour before flight #2, I was feeling very confident that Turkish Airlines would get my bags to Kilimanjaro at the same time they got me there. Istanbul Airport was a dream... spotless, trendy, beautiful, efficient, peaceful and SUNNY! Kudos to the planners and staff. 

Yeah... I spoke too soon. :-(

Two flights to Kili leaving at side by side gates within 5 mins of each other; FLT #568 and #564. What could go wrong? Yep, that! 

They ripped our boarding passes and put us on waiting bus for transit to the plane. Then realized a few on the wrong flight must have slipped through and unloaded said bus. Back we went into the gate area and proceeded to get back the other half of the boarding passes - only to begin again. I felt for the poor lady, who's job it was to butcher 200 foreign names at high volume in a confused and crowded area!!! I became Da-Lee-Chay-Mon-Ee-Cah, FYI since my two names always print as one. At least I recognized myself. 

Once we restarted the boarding process it was kinda smooth. Passengers just needed a dress rehearsal and reminder of their Flight # I guess. 

Wheels up! 7:55pm... not bad and since I've got nowhere else to be at 4am tomorrow morning, I don't care if we are running late.  :-)

On the ground in Zanzibar for a technical stop at 2:20am, most of the passengers departed. The resort crowd, apparently. The dozen or so of us left onboard diligently lifted legs and moved about inconveniently as the staff trying to confirm all the left overhead luggage did indeed belong to a Kili-bound passenger too. A handful of cleaning crew vacuumed and removed trash, restocked flight essentials and dished out little passenger gift kits (toothbrushes, eyepatches, socks etc). 

Less than an hour in the air and ... Welcome to Kilimanjaro International Airport! At 4:20am, in the pitch dark, I huffed my heavy camera bag onto my back and carried my roller suitcase down the portable stairs to step foot on the ramp - Tanzania!

Why this felt like coming home, is a mystery to me... or is it?

18 months of prepping, planning and YouTube immersion could be the reason. Or maybe somewhere deep inside my primitive brain, I know we all connect back to Africa and it is resonating?! Or perhaps it's just that 26 years ago when I left Africa and vowed I'd return, I planted a seed that waited patiently to sprout and tonight as I inhaled warm, earthy-smelling Tanzanian air, a seed casing cracked wide open.

We (10 of us) piled into the empty airport, applied for Visas and cleared passport control. There was no customs! Bags went through a scanner and out the door to the real world we went.

Ali, our Habari Adventure driver, met Sue and I with a deeply genuine smile that only special people have at 5am. He welcomed us, carried bags to the van and flew down the bumpy road toward Moshi at speeds which surprised me. Dark people in dark clothes, no illumination, occassionally crossed in front out of nowhere. Personal responsibility is huge here. Braking... not so much! 45 mins later the Kili Wonders Hotel greeted us and magically had a room waiting.

It was October 9th. A recovery day for us after the 28 hour journey to get here. We showered and crashed. By lunchtime I actually felt mostly like a functional human being again and it was time to make the most of this lovely hotel. I wrote this post, in my journal, poolside - under a shady tree, enjoying a warm breeze. My slightly sausage-like hands and feet were starting to deflate.

Now for the most interesting part of the day:

That evening as we sat in the outdoor terrace overlooking the pool and waiting for "Kuku Paka" (East African/Indian fusion curry) the BLIND KILI HIKERS were gathering! Shut the front door!!! This is what happens when you ask the universe to send you a sign that this journey is not going to be too much. The universe slaps you in the face with a dose of relativity and snaps you back to just being grateful to be able to enjoy the view and see where you are putting your feet.

Just FYI, the The Blind Kili Hikers had summited. Nine of them, with helpers, made it to 19,300' and set a new record. It was mind blowing... And then they told us they were going on safari. No way?! WAY!

Today I am more grateful for the view, legs that are forgiving and capable, a travel partner who rolls with everything and being back in Tanzania - the land of big smiles and honest warmth. From the rooftop, we watched the sunset as Mama Kili smiled down at us. She's a big lady!

Packing for Kilimanjaro et al

 I'm a packer and a planner but this was quite the challenge for me!!!

A typical adventure involves copious watching of YouTube, blogs, forums and FB groups for 3-6 months to gather lists, tips, ideas and recommendations before packing - and packing begins 3+ MONTHS in advance! 

Kili was different. I had to test and use all the gear I was taking, right up to 2 weeks prior and that meant I was behind the 8-ball on the packing front. Anxiety ensued. As it could, should and would. 

5 climate zones + 2 very different adventures = 4 (FOUR!!) bags to tote to Africa.

This post serves as a record of the gear I took and hopefully will never come in handy for an insurance claim! I will update it to reflect the most used, least used and "wish I had packed it" conclusions, post mortem.  You'll be able to review it when planning for your trip and also come to the conclusion that my list and your list will differ because of weather/season and personal comfort preferences!

Bag #1:

Camera Bag/Personal item

Canon EOS 6D Mark II 

24 - 300mm lens

150 - 600mm lens

Multiplier: 1.4x

Fisheye lens

14mm lens for night sky photography attempts!

Spare camera: EOS 50D + telephoto lens

Camera batteries and charger

Camera memory cards and protective case

Shutter release cable

Camera raincoat

Cleaning cloths

Camera manuals

Journal of photography notes and checklists

Personal journal to document trip

Writing tools

Bag #2:

Carry on (medium sized, soft-sided duffel got changed out for wheelie suitcase the morning of.) It goes in overhead bin onboard and fingers crossed, never gets weighed!

3/4 leg merino wool base layer

Smartwool tights (thicker)

Hiking pants

Goretex pants

Long sleeved tops, merino (2)

T-shirt, merino (1)

Rain shell

Down jacket

Wool hat

Cotton Buff

Wool Buff

Wool balaclava

Hankerchief

Electric socks

Liner socks, wool

Mid weight socks, wool

Mountaineering socks, wool

Liner glove, merino

Ski mittens

Sun gloves

Underwear (6)

Sunglasses

First Aid Kit

Prescription meds 

Gaiters (small)

Computer

SSD hard drive to back up pics (Sandisk 2TB)

Noise cancelling headset, Bose

Headband with speakers for summit night

Charging brick (2) 

Candies/Gin-gins

Liquid IV

Playing cards

Bag #3:

Checked bag, large waterproof duffel that porter will carry hiking gear up Kili in.

(Kili hike related)

Fleece joggers

Hiking pants

Smartwool tights (thick)

Baselayer merino tights

Long sleeved merino tops (2)

Merino camisol (1)

Liner socks, merino (1)

Medium thick merino socks (2)

Mountaineering merino socks (1)

Underwear (4)

Bra, merino (1)

Gloves, wool

Cotton Buff (1)

Fleece hood

Sunhat

Ski goggles (clear)

Sandals 

4 dry bags

1 down sleeping quilt

1 sleeping bag liner, silk

1 camp pillow

Selfie stick

Compression sack for rented sleeping bag

Pee conch

Electric handwarmers - removed. (Not allowed batteries in checked luggage!)

Chemical handwarmers

Bath wipes

Wet wipes

Toilettries/sunscreen

Toilet paper

Head torch and spare batteries

Knee supports

Snacks (Bobo's PB&J oatmeal cookies and Think! mini protein bars) Gin-gins, Werther's candies and liquid IV drink powder

Charging cable

(Non-hike related)

Linen shirts (2)

T-shirts, merino (2)

Tank, merino 

Camisoles, merino blend (3)

Pants with pockets (2)

Soft skirt

Underwear (4)

Bra (2)

No-show socks (3)

Travel tripod

International power plug - a newer and smaller version acquired shortly after this photo!

Camera cleaning kit

Bag #4:

45L Backpack, Deuter (Checked luggage, carried by me up Kili and donated post hike)

School supplies for donation - pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners and erasers

Trail shoes, La Sportiva (to be donated)

Ski pants

Rain poncho

Down booties, North Face - actually moved to carry-on bag shortly after this photo!

Ortovox rain shell - for donation

Wool sweater - for donation

NOTE: October 28 upon return and reflection

I used ALL the clothes and items I took! The nature of the hike is such that it is easy to reuse and rewear items (especially merino wool) if the weather is dry-ish, even if dusty.  I didn't need more .... I'm glad I didn't have less. We rented sleeping bags, poles, gaiters and summit jackets, which was perfect as those items are bulky to carry over there. (It was a joy to give them all back, dusty and grimey, and know they were someone elses problem to launder!)

The electric socks were not ideal only because after first use, I charged them and they used 3/4 of my charging brick!! Eeek! After that I decided that summit night was going to be for regular socks and I'd only use the electric ones in a pinch overnight on the mountain. I used merino wool toe socks and wool thick socks over them, for summit night. My feet got mildly cold a couple of times, but came back from that on their own and were fine.

Snacks: I loved what I took and shared the candies, gin-gins and even cough drops. BUT we were stuffed with food morning, noon and night and were given snacks such as apple, juice boxes, cookies and even full sized Snickers for the day time hikes too. Bringing bars and whatnot was not necessary for the hike. I ate a few during the safari days though.

Favorite items: 

Dry bags! They turned out to be an organizational tool I might never live without again. Plus, putting boots and dirty laundry in drybags is a beautiful thing. 

Sea to Summit down sleeping bag/liner. Another layer inside the rented sleeping bag in addition to the liner I took. Cozy! (This particular item is a down quilt if opened up and can be used on the plane or where-ever as needed too. Very handy!)

My La Sportiva mountaineering type boots, a full size bigger than I normally take, fitted with upgraded insoles and well used for training hikes all summer long.A little heavier than you'd think but incredibly protective and insulating for my feet. I laced the ankle portion super tight for the downhill and not only did I never get a blister, hotspot, toenail issue.... but the pedi I got October 4, is still 100% intact! Not a rub mark. Not a chip. 

Liquid IV electrolyte satchets. EVERY day I put one in my Nalgene bottle. Nice to have something flavored and definitely helped with hydration and health, IMHO.

Zovirax meds. I don't often get cold sores but the combo of high altitude sun, wind and dryness, coupled with eating orange slices (my personal trigger) meant that I felt one coming on, day 3. I took the meds, was vigilant about lip balm every 30 mins while hiking and within a day or two, it was a non-event... never got as far as a full blister on my lip!