Day 2 - Sunday, January 31

Today is Mark Strachan's 43rd birthday!  He reports that he had a good night sleep, great breakfast and is ready to start day 2 hike. He observes, "Today we climb higher than anyone in the team has been before."  The trek should take approximately 7 hours as they pass through the rain forest, across the heath zone and climb rocky cliffs to Baranco Hut (3,950 metres) where they will camp overnight.  

Zone 3: Heath
Altitude: roughly 9,200 to 11,000 feet (3950 metres)

Mist and fog cling to the forest at the lower edge of this zone, but soon the land opens out into a clear and cool landscape of heather and other plants characteristic of heath. The many grasses that abound here are vital for safeguarding the soil and conserving the fleeting moisture. They also harbor all manner of everlasting flowers, from the leathery-leaved, artichoke-like Protea to the red-hot poker, a tall, striking plant with red or yellow tubular blossoms.

It will be a day to watch carefully for the signs of altitude sickness. Also referred to as "Acute Mountain Sickness" AMS.   Once apparent, it can be most effectively treated by immediately taking the affected person to a lower altitude. Often a drop as little as 500m will be sufficient. The symptoms of AMS include in the order normally experienced; headaches, nausea, anorexia, exhaustion, lassitude, rapid pulse, insomnia, swelling of the hands and feet and reduced urine output. Climbers can take precautions to at least minimise the severity of the illness, by maintaining a slow steady pace from day one, include an extra day of acclimatisation at a high altitude and by drinking at least 3-4 liters of water every day. Preventative medicine is also available. Fluid build-up may cause a condition known as edema, which can affect the lungs (pulmonary), preventing effective oxygen exchange, or effect the brain (cerebral) which will result in the swelling of the brain tissue. The latter can be lethal if not treated immediately or if symptoms are ignored. Probably 70% of all people climbing Kilimanjaro will suffer to some extent from AMS.


Cameron reports in the evening that there are a few mild headaches from carrying the packs on their shoulders, but no one seems to be showing signs of altitude sickness.  The guides tell them that AMS always hits by day 2 so they are encouraged that everyone is feeling great.  At the end of the hike Mark notes, "We have reached camp 2 and all is well. What an awesome way to spend my birthday. The mountain is incredibly picturesque."

Matthew says the caption should read:  "I have your wives!"

Meanwhile, back in Durban, the South African Kili wives are hosted at the home of Matthew and Petru Blewett for a fabulous pizza lunch. It's the first day that the all of the wives have come together to share details.  Amanda shares that Vernon phoned his daughter, Ternay, to wish her a happy 12th birthday from the mountain yesterday.  Carryn shares that Zazz is texting his friend Mahen from the mountain to find out the tennis scores of the day while he climbs to the new camp.  Vernon also texts Amanda to make sure that she records the tennis game for him to watch when he returns.  Die hard tennis fans!!  These two are going CRAZY having to walk the very slow pace that the guides set to ensure the best success rate for preventing altitude sickness.  "Pole - pole" the guides keep saying, which is swahili for slow, but Zazz rather likes to call it "faffing around!" (American translation - lollygagging)  It's a great day as they all settle in to reflect on what they've accomplished, knowing that the real challenge lies, literally, up ahead.  

3D Graphic Simulation and video journal of Mt. Kili hike

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/10/26/magazine/20071028_KILIMANJARO_GRAPHIC.html#step1

Thanks to Kyle Tucker for sharing an amazing link to a Kilimanjaro hike done in 2007. This hike mirrors the Kili for Kids climbing team route from Day 2 onward and it does give a good insight into what the hike will be like for them physically, mentally and emotionally.  At tab 7, is where the guys will be at the end of day 2.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and they make the determined struggle of a lifetime!

Day 1 - Umbwe Route

The climbing team has coordinated their climb through Wild Frontiers.  Here is the description from the website of the Umbwe route that they will be taking.  


The Umbwe Route is widely regarded as the hardest trail, a tough vertical slog through the jungle, in places using the tree roots as makeshift rungs on a ladder. This is probably the most beautiful route by which to ascend the mountain, and is significantly shorter than the other camping routes, whilst having good acclimatisation time. It also makes the distances covered between overnights at altitude shorter and avoids a lot of the crowding experienced in some sites in season. The summit and return days are as per the Machame Route. Nights are spent in high-quality 3-man alpine tents’ sleeping a maximum of two persons per tent (so there is space for your luggage too). All your supplies and camping equipment are portered up for you (tents, 20-25 mm compressed foam sleeping mats, awnings, stools, lights, etc), and your meals are prepared. Your personal baggage limit is 12 kg for the climb. South African tents and sleeping mats are supplied on this trip. The guides employed are excellent (some have climbed Kili over 400 times)! They are employed by the Keys Hotel and have looked after a multitude of our clients. Each trip is lead by a senior guide, with other guides in a ratio of approximately one guide per 2 or 3 climbers - if you are a bit slower than the rest or get ill and have to descend, a guide will always be with you. Food served on the mountain is generally plain and wholesome, including a lot of carbohydrates, stews and soups, vegetables and fresh fruit. 


How difficult is the Umbwe Route?

Despite its reputation as the toughest trek, the Umbwe Route is still a non-technical climb. Taxing, but not technical. All you need are an iron will and calves of steel; this is truly a trek to test your mettle. The difficulty is that it’s so relentlessly uphill. Indeed, looking back on the first couple of days we can think of very few places where you actually descend, the longest being the five minutes or so at the end of the second stage when you walk down to the Barranco Campsite.

What are the advantages of the Umbwe Route?

As far as rewards go, while your calves and thighs will curse the day God paired them with somebody who would want to undertake such a climb, your heart and lungs will be thankful for the workout. Your eyes, too, will be grateful you chose Umbwe as they feast upon the scenery, particularly on the second morning as you leave the forest and find yourself walking on a narrow ridge between spindly heathers. The gobsmacking views on either side of the trail here are amongst the most dramatic the mountain has to offer, save for those on the summit itself. Your ears, too, will be glad that they’re stuck to the side of your head rather than anyone else’s for they’ll enjoy the break, this being the quietest trail of them all – at least until the second day when you find yourself joining the hordes at Barranco Camp, the busiest on the mountain.

Day 1

For the first few hours of the hike, you will be following an old logging road through the rain forest, after which you ascend on a smaller track. You will encounter some steep parts on the climb - but generally it's not too strenuous. After approximately 7 hours of walking today, you should reach Umbwe Cave Camp (2,850 metres) for overnight.


Climber reports:  


Mark Strachan:  God has blessed us with a glorious day to start our climb. We met our three guides, Lazaro, Isack and Frank and will soon be meeting our 20 porters, cooks, waiters and camp assistants (yes that makes 23 helpers for 6 climbers!) 

After a very long wait as a result of an administrative issue, we are now at the Umbwe gate ready to start our climb through the rain forest.

To the Roof of Africa!

It is Thursday, January 28th, the last day of preparation before we all meet up in Tanzania.  We are busy finalizing the details.  We've made sure we have all of our gear, picked up our official Kili for Kids/ Nokia/ Allied Mobile shirts and caps, obtained our US Currency to pay the porters, and are saying goodbye to our families.  My brother has been in transit from the U.S. since Tuesday trying to get through Amsterdam to Nairobi.  Just like everything in Africa, flights don't go according to plans, so he has been rerouted and is hoping to arrive today.  It is so thrilling to think that we have the privilege to lay eyes on this incredible mountain that comes towering out of the flat terrain surrounding it.

According to legend, the first person to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro was King Menelik I, supposedly the son of King solomon and the Queen of Sheba.  He ruled Tigre (in now Ethiopia) in the 10th century B.C. and fought battles in the present day area of Tanzania and surrounding countries.  As an old man, returning with the spoils of war, he camped between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi at 4500 metres.  Feeling that death was drawing near, he told his followers that he wished to die as a king.  He, his warlords and slaves, laden with jewels and treasure, climbed to the crater, where he died.  The legend relates that one of Menelik's offspring will return to the mountain, climb Kibo (the main summit of Kilimanjaro) and find the King and his jewels.  Among these will be the Seal of Solomon, a ring which will empower the wearer with the wisdom of Solomon.

News of a snow capped mountain was first mentioned in European literature in 1848 by another missionary, John Rebmann.  The first successful ascent of the  mountain was made by Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purscheller, on 5 October 1889.  Today, more than 20,000 people a year make a bid for Africa's highest mountain and only 1/3 of those people successfully make it to the top.  - From Insight Guides, Tanzania and Zanzibar, p. 174-179

We send a special thanks to Stephen Blewett for dreaming of and organizing this amazing fundraising event and life experience.  Our gratitude goes to Nokia, Allied Mobile and Vodacom for sponsoring us to make this ascent.  We would also like to thank Tarryn Pitchers, Tammy Barker, Cathy Strachan and Nick Laubscher for their help in coordinating all of those important details.  It is sobering and exciting to think that we will be standing at the base of this beautiful mountain in two days, respecting it's power and majesty, each facing our own inner battles as we determine when to press on and when to retreat.  Please follow us on this blog and the twitter updates to the right and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we seek to climb to the roof of Africa!

Kili for Kids Climbing Team

David "Zazz"  Oosthuizen, South Africa

 Cameron Beeler, South Africa

Mark Strachan, South Africa

Mat Collard, U.K.

Jon Beeler, U.S.A.

Vernon Dove, South Africa

Sani Pass - First climb

Howdy!
Zazz, Mark and Cameron went for Round 1 of training on Sani Pass.
I thought it was going to be a path, but instead, it was a windy road up the pass that only 4 wheel drives are legally allowed to ascend.  It was quite steep, rocky and twisty all the way up.  The pass hike was 8 KM's in length and a little less than 1 KM up.  The first day took us about 3 hours to ascend.

It's difficult to properly describe exactly how tough this hike was.  To properly express it, some of the 4 wheel drives that were leaving a few minutes after us only arrived about 15 minutes ahead of us ;-)
They were pretty amazed at that.

This however is an indication of how tough the climb was for the 4-wheel drive vehicles, not about how fast we were...

Great training weekend.

Next week, Vernon, Zazz (again) and their families drive to the top of Sani pass in Vernon's 4 wheel drive, and I'll update you on their adventures upon their return!

2 weeks remaining for the BIG Climb!

-Cam

What it's all about!

I’d like to introduce you to a great fundraising event, one that I’m personally involved with.  It’s called “Kili for Kids”.  This is a fundraiser that has tangible benefits to some very poor and helpless children.

So, what’s going on?  Well, six volunteers have joined together to raise awareness about children who are living in abject poverty, and to raise funds to help us continue to provide basic preschool education, supervision, medical care and the contribution of clothing and other basic needs.  These children are all between the ages of 3 years old to 7 years old.  Without our help they would be on the street in some very rough townships, with no guardians or caretakers, without access to water or food, and many would go entire days without food at all.

So, who are we?  The COP Trust is a humanitarian organization of volunteer members and volunteer project managers.   We are 100% volunteer, not paid for our work or efforts, nor do we derive any income, whatsoever, from the Trust.  Instead, 100% of all contributions that are donated to the trust go to the projects that the funds are designated to.  What does this mean?  Well, if you donate $20 (USD) to the COPTrust for the children, $20 (USD) will be contributed to the school:  The teachers, the food, the electricity, and ultimately, to the children.  What you give is what they get.  Quite a deal, huh!!

For more details on the COP Trust please visit www.coptrust.org.za
Donations can also be made to the COP Trust at this link:  www.coptrust.org.za/GetInvolved.aspx

So what is “Kili for Kids”?   Well, Kili is short for Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Kili is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, it is one of the largest strato-volcanos in the world and it is also the tallest mountain in the African continent at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft).

So, what’s the gig?   Six volunteers have teamed up to climb to the top of Kili in an effort to raise funds to keep our kids in their preschools.  Our goal is three-fold.  We seek to raise enough funds to provide for all 8 preschools for a full year.  In addition, our goals are to continue to open more preschools, including two new preschools in 2010.  Finally, as each child is a multi-year project, we seek enough charitable donations to commit to funding the preschools for the next three years.  Being able to commit to the communities and caretakers of these children is key to earning their trust in their communities!

Our goal is to get 1,000 people to support the children in our schools, resulting in sustainable preschools as well as allowing us to modestly expand to include more underprivileged children.  While any donation is welcome, the cost of supporting one child is approximately $15 USD per month, or about $180 USD for one year.

The Sponsors

We have received sponsorship from Nokia, Allied Mobile and Vodacom (part of Vodafone group) to cover the cost of the climb and equipment so all the donations will go straight to the kids.

Payment of Support

Currently, donations can be given at the following link.  Please make note in the donation that this is for “Kili for Kids”.

The COP Trust donation link:  www.coptrust.org.za/GetInvolved.aspx

May you have a Wonderfully Blessed day!

Sincerely,

Cameron Beeler

COPTrust Volunteer Project Manager