I knew months in advance what I would be doing, so I purchased some gear and took a trip to Mt. Langley and also a trip to Anza Borrego to give it all a test run. I ended up purchasing better gloves and a much better summit coat - both of which served me well on the roof of Africa.
I don't know that I'll post a lot about the 10 days I spent in Tanzania, or the 8 days on the mountain. I feel too close to the immensity of the undertaking at the moment. Suffice it to say, the trip was beautiful in every sense of the word - the people, the scenery, the weather - everything we encountered made me grateful to have made the decision to go on the journey.
Waterfall we encountered while hiking through the coffee plantation/cooperative
Clemency, our coffee guide, showing us calabash plants along the way - they are in the background hanging from a trellace set up in front of the little farmhouse.
The tour concluded with us preparing coffee from scratch. First we separated shells from the dried coffee beans by means of a very large 2 person mortar and pestle. Next we roasted the beans to a medium roast. To do this, we stirred the beans over open coals in a blackened ceramic pot using a wooden spoon. That took about 20 minutes. We then put the roasted beans back into the mortar and pestle and smashed them by hand into an espresso grind. The resulting coffee was shockingly sweet and delicious.
Using an age-old technique for getting the beans to a medium roast
For the rest of the trip, my highlights were the rainforest days at the beginning and end - where we encountered monkeys and a civet. My favorite climbing day was the famed Barranco Wall - I could've gone back down and done it again. My favorite plants were found in the same climate zone as the wall - the giant senecio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrosenecio and the lobelia deckenii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobelia_deckenii The Lobelia, in particular, is a fascinating plant. It holds a large amount of water in its open leaves during the day. So much so that, in fact, you can scoop out water with your hand. The plant shuts back up completely at night in order to protect itself from freezing. As it ages, it grows a large flowering top with hundreds of buds in little cave-like enclosures that attract bugs. The bugs in turn attract birds, and the birds both help pollenate and repopulate the plant - making for a true symbiotic relationship.
The highlight of the trip was really the trip itself. The totality was certainly greater than the sum of the parts. However, since our group was interested in summiting, that remained the ultimate goal. It took us 6 hours of trudging from our high camp at 15,000 ft (already higher than any mountain in the US lower 48) to reach the summit at Uhuru Peak at 19,341 feet. We left camp at midnight in a snowstorm and simply went up at a snail's pace (due to the altitude). Step by step in the dark and cold for hours was psychically and physically difficult. There were many false summits. There were people we passed in serious distress due to altitude sickness - some heading down the mountain with help, while others paused to question the ramifications of following their dreams any further. Honestly, I had never seen people with altitude sickness beyond a minor headache. It was shocking and difficult to witness. All, at least, were being helped.
Making our way up the mountain
Me looking a little less than graceful with a pack and solar panel hanging from it
The summit itself was magnificent. Huge castle-like glaciers clung to the mountain's outer walls while the interior gave way to the depths of a long extinct volcano crater. We spent about 30-40 minutes going from Stella Point at the low point summit to Uhuru at the top. Once there, the clock was ticking. Spending too much time over 19,000 feet is not a great idea. Photos were taken, tears were shed (at the absolute beauty of our surreal surroundings), and congratulatory embraces were given freely.
The summit!
Getting ready for a team pic.
Sunrise at the summit
Cold at the top - see the glacier over my left shoulder
White wonderland at 19,341 ft. Glaciers in the distance.
Throughout the trip, we we helped by guides and porters. The porters did every step of the trip we did except much faster and carrying much greater weight. Our guides made sure our pacing was perfect in order to limit recovery time needed and to aid in acclimatization. The guides were also fonts of knowledge for local flora and fauna.
While being a porter is considered a good job in Tanzania, it is certainly a job no westerner would take. I have never seen people work harder in my life. I have also never witnessed people with such amazing dispositions and life outlooks. And that is something that can be found throughout Tanzania. The people there, in large part, are very poor - much poorer than I think most of us would even consider possible. But in the midst of poverty, they seem to be proud of who they are, have a lust for life, and a real desire to learn, to meet new people, and to share what they know. They take pride in appearance. Wherever we went people always looked good - children in spotless clothing, women in colorful dresses and head coverings, men in crisp shirts and pants. It was an odd culture shock from a western perspective - where we often look a bit, ummm... unkempt. On several occasions we joined our porters and guides in singing and dancing. The performances, in which we all participated, were beautiful and done with joyful abandon that quickly spread from Tanzanians to the visitors.
Sharing songs and dances - Amani (in the orange) is leading this song
I had gone to Tanzania with quite a bit of money to buy gifts and mementos. Instead, I pretty much gave everything I brought away to help the people who had given me such a wonderful experience. Others in our group did much more - really stepping up to provide ongoing assistance to these sweet people who can do more with a little than others could do with a lot.
I hope to be back in Tanzania in the future and see and share more of the wonderful place that I would describe as a complex paradise.
Partial list of gear:
Patagonia Fitz Roy Parka
Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket
Patagonia Torrentshell Pants
Patagonia Capilene Middleweight Bottoms
Patagonia Nano Puff Vest
Buff - 2 buffs
Julbo Spectron 4 sunglasses - 2 pair
Salomon 4D Quest Hiking Boots
Outdoor Research Sol Hat
Outdoor Research Men's Arete Gloves
Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain High Gaiters - note: did not use - in fact no one used the gaiters they brought on this trip.
Marmot - Never Summer Sleeping Bag - note: the zipper malfunctioned, but I was able to use the bag for the trip. I spent a little time and fixed it upon my return home.
Black Diamond Headlamp
Go Pro Hero 4 Camera
Osprey Kestrel 38 Pack - small, good pack - most of my provisions were carried by a porter.
1 x 1 ltr and 1 x 1.5 ltr Nalgene bottles
1 x 2 ltr - Nathan bladder
Leki Trek Poles
