The countdown...

All the gear and no idea!

Finally the chaos in my room has been replaced by a neatly organized, half-full duffle ready to be checked and loaded onto my KLM flight tomorrow at 6 PM (plus a plus tightly-packed backpack and camera bag).  Despite my every urge to pack the duffle full, I know that some poor porter is going to be schlepping it up a 19,341 ft mountain in just a few days, so I'm doing all I can to resist the 10 additional outfits, 3 extra pairs of shoes, multiple books, etc... that are tempting me.  Besides, our flight from the Serengeti back to Arusha (near Kili) has a weight limit of just 15 kilo (33 lbs) for our one allowed bag, so for safety reasons, keeping things light is a must. 

View from Iron Mountain (12,000 ft) - Utah

 At this point, there is nothing more I can do to prepare - with regards to gear or training.  I've spent the last 7 months or so trying to squeeze in day hikes on any free weekend.  The best training was probably going out to Utah for 4 days and doing some strenuous hikes at (some degree of) elevation...up to 12,000 ft. above sea level.  Still several thousand feet shy of Uhuru Peak on Kili, but certainly better than any elevation I could do in the Northeast (14,000 ft is the highest you can get in the continental US anyway). Local hiking entailed day hikes around the Delaware Water Gap and Hudson River valley - my favorite of which were Mt. Tammany in DWG and Breakneck Ridge. 


It's hard to believe that departure day is finally here.  Today has been so busy that I haven't really had time to think about the significance of this trip.  I've just been going through the motions, wrapping up work, packing, catching up with family and friends.  But I'm certain that once I get on the plane later today reality will set in and I'm going to realize that I am on the adventure of a lifetime.