Month: September 2014

When I was planning my trip to Tanzania I of course wanted to experience a safari as well. A 3 day safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyra National Parks were planned.

Driving to these parks requires a great travel distance. Our guide Johnson, from Zara Tours, and our extended Toyota Landcruiser with an opening roof have been amazing. We managed to drive 500 miles / 800 km in just 3 days. A great part of these miles were on dirt roads, sometimes topping out at 55mph / 90 kmh, on very very bumpy roads. As our guide says “free African massage”. So if you plan on doing a safari, do take the driving and distances into consideration. In our group we were a total of three plus a guide. This left us with plenty of room.

The main roads themselves are in good condition, but fairly adventurous; Massai tribesmen in full outfits, herds of cattle, goats, and schoolchildren, motorbikes with 4 people on them some with a full size mattress strapped down on the back (braaap), vans with an extra 10 passengers in addition to official capacity and people on the roof, busses driving like mad passing 3 cars wide on a 2 lane road – it is mad. People say that Washington DC has bad traffic along with bad drivers in Miami, oh my, you have seen nothing until driving in Tanzania.

The national parks are all very well maintained. Security seems good in order to avoid poaching, at least I won’t argue with the guy carrying a gun resembling an AK-47. However, the cost of entering these parks can make it a costly affair. Ngorongoro Crater entry fee for a day for 3 people were $US 350. Typically this is included in your overall safari package, along with food, gas, lodging and guide. Tips are additional and can range from 10-15 $ US /day per person.

Our accommodations ranged from a basic hotel in a remote location to a luxury Wild Camp in the middle of nothing. Really. 40 miles / 60 km down a dirt road, from another long dirt road. Wild Camp was however incredible. Sleeping in luxury “tents” with the wildlife roaming around. The local Massai tribesmen told us that zebras, giraffes, and occasionally lions will roam between the tents. Pretty sure that if I saw a lion I’d follow the locals lead on what to do, or just run…

A typical safari day involves driving to the park just after breakfast, spotting animals, lunch, more spotting animals.

The individual guides all talk together via 2 way radio or cell phones, or stopping and talking to each other. They give tips on what animals they’ve seen and where.
Our guide helped us see buffalo, lions, elephants, the rare rhino, and even a Cheetah. Only missed the leopard put of the big 5. Also saw tons of Zebras, wildebeest, ostrich, antelopes, giraffes,  hippopotamus, and lots of Landcruisers.

The cars out here has to be extremely reliable and able to take a beating on these “roads”. They also have to be easy to repair in case of breakdowns. Our guide Johnson immediately stopped and jumped out of our car when another tour company’s rear shock shackle had broken apart. How do you fix this in the middle of nothing, literally hours from the nearest paved road, but only a few hundred feet away from a group of lions? Rope, a piece of wood and some good luck. All drivers stop and help each other out. No distinction is made based in companies here, everyone helps. Other car managed to drive off without further issues. More river crossings next to lions awaits. What do one do if you get stuck in a river crossing 100 ft away from a group of lions? Don’t get stuck.

Since the majority of this blog is being done on my smartphone you will have to deal with sub par quality pictures thus. However, below is a teaser.

Next stop : Zanzibar beaches and Scuba diving.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

This morning we had a chance to thank our incredible crew, 21 in total. It was incredible to see all the crew together. A big thank goes to the crew of Zara Tours Tanzania for making us capable of reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.

After breakfast we started the hike down the Mweka gate. A bit over 2 hours of non stop downhill. We only took a few breaks, including one to watch 3 monkeys jumping from tree to tree. Incredible to have hiked down to the rainforest in just a day.

At the Mweka gate we signed out of the national park and headed to our hotel, 45 min drive. At the hotel we spent some time chatting with our three guides: Salim, Steven, and Gouda. We all shared a few beers and sorted out tips for the crew. One should note that tips are note included in a typical climb and one should budget $200-$250 for such, per person. Also, used hiking gear is much appreciated. People in our group donated everything from used sleeping bags, hiking boots, and headlamps. I had brought a few tshirts from Arizona for our guides and a few bottles of high end cologne (courtesy of Qatar Airways), our guides were extremely thankful.

Salim provided some climbing certificates and afterwards we all grabbed lunch.

Rest of the day calls for laundry and repacking for the Safari that starts tomorrow. And finally a shower after 7 days without one. Best.shower.ever.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

We started our hike up to the summit of Kilimanjaro at 12:40 am today.
My gear consisted of:
Bottoms: Smart wool base layer, north face fleece pants, Patagonia hiking pants.
Top: Smart wool base later (thick with zipper), smart wool tshirt, north face fleece shirt, north face summit series windbreaker/rain jacket. I also had a ski jacket I had rented, waste as it was too hot and too bulky.
Pack: Deuter Futura 32 liter with snacks (see picture from yesterday), rain pants, 3 liters of water in a camelback with insulated hose (froze at the top even with hand warmers stuck next to it), Canon T3i SLR camera with a 18-200mm lense, first aid kit, extra batteries for flashlight and camera, extra socks, extra bottom base layer, sunscreen etc.
This or similar combo is perfect for a summit attempt of Kilimanjaro.

Freezing cold but with a gorgeous starry sky. Seems like most other hikers had already left Basecamp before us. We were trying to time the arrival time at the summit with the sunrise. We did manage to pass every single group on the way up, we must be motivated. We probably passed 15 groups.
Steep never ending switchbacks only illuminated by our headlamps. The air (or lack thereof) at this altitude had left us a bit winded. But looking at all the other groups we seemed to be in very good shape. Temperatures were blistering cold, probably minus 15 degrees celsius / 5 fahrenheit. Whenever you stop for more than 2 minutes you start suffering. The wind doesn’t exactly help either.

Hiking up we try to have fun. However at 5 am when my friend Riley and I started blasting music and dancing, the French climbers that were struggling for air at 5756 meters at Stella Point might have thought they were hallucinating. Even our assistant guide Steven thought we were a bit crazy.

We reached the summit of Africa at 5895 meters / 19341 ft. just prior to 6am and was greeted with a gorgeous sunrise a few minutes later. 5 hours and 20 minutes from tent to summit. Very impressive.

The summit is flanked by massive glaciers looking intimidating by their size and dark blue color. Or is it me that is looking intimidating in my cold weather gear…? Summit behind me 

Spent some time taking pictures and also having a nice well earned shot of whiskey on the top. Oddly enough everyone else around looked at us as if we were crazy. They probably never participated in an Arizona mountain bike race. Pocket whiskey shots all the way… I brought them along from the USA.

After spending 20 minutes at the summit we started the very steep descend. It is extremely loose sand rocks and boulders all mixed up. Poles are handy here. My knees took a bit of a beating for sure.

Rested for 30 min, then grabbed lunch and packed our gear. Space is limited at base camp, so we had to be out 2 hours after the last hiker of our group finished.
In the afternoon we started our descend off the mountain. 15 km down to camp. Legs and knees were feeling the overnight hike up to the summit.

So I haven’t discussed injuries yet. Kilimanjaro isn’t a piece of cake. People die attempting to summit. Luckily we didn’t see such extremes. We did however see a few people taking the Kilimanjaro express. Which is the trail ambulance.

How they get people down the mountain on this thing is unbelievable. I wouldn’t even attempt to mountain bike certain sections.

We reached our camp ground and we were all fairly tired. We had been awake since 11:30pm the night before, hiked up to the summit of Kilimanjaro, and down, and to camp. A total of 25 km hiking. With cold weather.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

Each morning I get up and hang my sleeping bag above the tent, wash my face, start packing clothes. Today was no different.
We started our hike to base camp. 4 hours. Only took 2 short breaks. Also, heavy traffic today. Porters and hikers.
Porters play a crucial role for the summit attempt. Carrying food, tents, clothes, water, chairs, batteries, propane, cooking gear, dishes oxygen tanks, etc. It is mind blowing to see how they carry this stuff. And passing you in the process.

Today is the day that we will attempt to summit the peak of Africa. One of the 7 summits. The highest free standing mountain in the world. As I type this I’m sitting at Basecamp looking at this spectacular view.

Lots of thoughts. To little clothes, how will I handle 5895 meters altitude, 8-12 hour hike starting in the middle of the night, freezing weather, windy conditions, hunger, food, energy, altitude sickness. All I try to envision is looking out from the top and the sensation of accomplishment.
The rest of the day calls for lunch and some rest followed by early dinner and then rest until around 11 pm where we will attempt to summit.

Basecamp is a busy place. Multiple routes lead here and everyone spends an afternoon/evening here before attempting to summit overnight, then return the next morning/noon for food and packing.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

Man I love my sleeping bag. That thing is like a toaster. If you need an extremely warm bag, get a Marmot Never Summer sleeping bag. Just saying.

After a late start as we had plenty of time for today’s hike, we started ascending the Barranco wall. Steep sections with a few grab on moments.

Scenery was spectacular with small stream crossings and an absolutely spectacular view of Kilimanjaro.

It just seems bizzare hiking below this massive monster covered in snow, while looking down on the clouds. It feels like you’re walking on the clouds. On top of Africa.

After a few steep downhill sections and some uphill we reached the camp for today. Sitting on steep slopes with Kilimanjaro behind us and the clouds below us. The view is tough to beat.

Food. One thing that is crucial is energy and good nutrition. The sun, the heat, the cold, the physical strenuous activity of 6+ hours of daily hiking while carrying gear and water requires good food. Our tour company, Zara Tours, has incredible food. This is what our lunch today looked like upon arrival at camp.

During the hikes I will be snacking on Cliff Shot Bloks, essentially energy chews. My water has various flavors of Nuun tablets with plenty of sodium to keep cramps away. On long hikes we get a packed lunch.

After a great lunch and an hour of rest we did an acclimatization hike up above camp for one hour. Clouds started to move in, so we made a quick descend and off to dinner.
Sunset was spectacular, looking down on the clouds were amazing. After dinner the stars were out. Absolutely spectacular.
I did get a chance to try and figure out what to wear for tomorrow night’s summit attempt. Base layers and fleece so far. Both kept me warm. I will be adding layers on top as well. My face will be, well, covered up…

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

Today we started our hike up over the Lava Tower and down to our next camp for the night. Lava Tower was about halfway for our hike today where we enjoyed a packed lunch at 4600 meters. This was the acclimatization point for the day.

The hike up here was amazing, with stunning views of Kilimanjaro.

After our lunch we started a steep descend down from Lava Tower. Parts of it were still frozen.

Camp was a few hours down from here and it was in front of the snow covered summit hovering above. Incredible. Along the way we saw a few small waterfalls and some more vegetation.

Riley and myself did head out on the end of the campsite for some great views. Dinner as usual.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

I slept ok at night. Did have to make a quick run to the outdoors at 2am, good thing I’m a guy. Standing in boxers, tshirt and a pair of running shoes and admiring the amazing stars outside in total silence was an added bonus, what a way to start my birthday out in this gorgeous nature. Well, quickly inside as it was freezing outside.

After breakfast we loaded up on water. They get water from local springs, then boil it for 30 min, and I run it through a small water filter to eradicate whatever might be left. Normally I am not too concerned, but no need to get sick up here on day 2. Long way to a doctor…

Today’s hike was a bit shorter in length than yesterday’s hike, but much steeper. We started out in open Mooreland with boulders and rocks. Gradually climbing.
Had a quick snack a little over half way and then continued climbing. Reached our high point today at roughly 4000 meters. Spent 5 min here before walking down 100 meters in altitude to our camp. Tents were ready.

Lunch consisted of soup, some vegetables, beef and bread. As a huge surprise the entire crew came along and sang happy birthday along with a fully custom cake and a bottle of sparkling grape juice for me. What an experience. Birthday songs in English and Swahili. We all shared cake and some sparkling grape juice.

The afternoon calls for a 1 hour acclimatization hike, but as I type this in my tent with terrential downpour and hail outside I doubt that will happen. For now, this is my view.

As the rain persisted and soaked the ground we skipped the acclimatization hike and enjoyed an absolutely spectacular sunset instead and an amazing dinner.

Nights at camp are usually very early. Bedtime 8.30pm for us.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

Today is the day the true adventure begins, starting the 7 day trek up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, and a few errands around town, getting diesel for the truck, few last minute supplies, some water, and some haggling by the locals, we were finally on our way. As they say: “This is Africa”

Drove up to the Machame gate, registered, waited around for an hour. Pole pole (slow, slow in Swahili).
Our group consisted of 5 hikers, plus guide, porters, and other staff. Some seemed under prepared, others (me?) over prepared. All I know is that at least I brought long underwear. In our group we had: Jose from Spain, William from Australia,  Raoul from Canada, Riley and myself from the US. Great mix of nationalities. Ages ranging from 20’s to 50’s. Occupations equally diverse.

We spent 4 hours walking through rainforest, constantly gaining altitude. Very few mosquitoes in the beginning, and none at the end. Finally reached camp after a midway lunch that was packed prior to the hike.
A few of us did make a detour to a small waterfall near the trail, very pretty, but slippery – tempting fate on day 1?

Camp was already setup by the time we reached it. It is true luxury camping in that aspect. No need to worry about food or setup of tents.

Dinner was tasty, soup was incredible. After dinner it was early to bed. 6am wakeup.

Note: All blog text and pictures were done via smartphone.

Touching down on the runway of Dar es Salaam airport on Wednesday afternoon marked the 6th continent that I’ve visited. Last one on the to-do list is Antarctica. For now, my focus is on Africa. And wow; Dar Es Salaam airport definitely qualifies for full blown mayhem. Bags made it and I quickly navigated my way to the departure area to check in for my local flight on Tanzania’s low cost carrier, Fastjet. $50 for a one way flight to Kilimanjaro, not bad.

Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro airport we were greeted by a beautiful sunset with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. Bizarre to be on the open African Savannah with a big mountain at almost 20,000 ft altitude covered in snow.

Met the owner of the tour company who spent a few minutes talking to us about the charities that she supports. Ranging from a fully supported orphanage, to a porters association, to a school. In the area where I will go on a safari next week she told us of an issue where the local kids stopped taking the long walk to school as several kids were attacked, and eaten, by lions en route to school. Our tour company has now successful opened a school in the local village. And here I have been complaining that as a kid I had to cross country ski to the school bus in the winter months in Denmark.

Thursday was spent relaxing after a 3 day journey here and also exploring the local market and town. I’m sure that the locals would be as mind blown as I was if they went to see what we would consider the market. But the town of Moshi definitely has an interesting market. Ate a local lunch and headed back to the hotel to pack gear for Friday’s start of the 7 day hike up Kilimanjaro. Also met the guide that will assist us in attempting to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro at 19,341 ft (5,895 m). Some of the hikers we’ve met so far have described freezing cold conditions at the top somewhere in the vicinity of -20 fahrenheit (-28 celsius) and windy.

Here’s to hitting the summit of the world’s highest free standing mountain and the peak of Africa. No updates for the next week. For now, enjoy some pictures from the local Moshi Town market.
Lala salama / Good night in Swahili

Often I get people questioning my sanity when it comes to adventures; why do you travel to all these crazy places, why do you enjoy cave diving with no visible escape route, why do you ride motorcycles, why do you like to drift your (rally) car sideways at 50 mph on a dirt road, why would anyone ever race mountain bikes through a rogue Arizona snowstorm, why attempt to summit Kilimanjaro? Well, I guess that’s just the sense of adventure and adrenaline combo that seems to work for me. Some people get a thrill out of gambling or drugs or bungee jumping. We are all different.
What I believe to be the most important would be that we all live a satisfying and healthy life. I want to look back at my life and cherish the experiences I’ve had. I want to look forward to the many more exciting adventures that awaits in the future. I want to share these experiences with the amazing people I have met through all my experiences.
I truly do belive that traveling somewhere new and meeting people in these places and understanding each other, and our cultural differences, could make for a much more peaceful world. So far I have been fortunate to meet amazing people from all over the world, of all colors and religions and backgrounds, while also getting a chance to explore the world a bit.
Here’s to Africa, and many more exciting adventures.

Go out, enjoy the nature and the new, and old, people in your life. Watch a beautiful sunrise.

Sunrise over Saudi Arabia, Sep. 17, 2014